"Now Amnon had an adviser named Jonadab son of Shimeah, David's brother. Jonadab was a very shrewd man." 2 Samuel 13:3
Prior to Sunday's Chicago Marathon, comedian and runner Rob Riggle, who was set to run the 26.2 mile race himself, offered some tips to new runners looking for advice. Having completed one marathon back in 2002, he now claimed to have "expert advice" which included these tips: A marathon is most definitely a race to be sprinted. Hydration is totally over-rated. Any shoe in any size is fine to run in, even cowboy boots. Wear the right clothing, namely wool or anything scratchy and absolutely try new gear on race day. Wow! It doesn't take a genius to figure out that this is bad advice does it?
And while taking Riggle's race advice would probably result in not finishing the race, the Bible tells us in 2 Samuel 13 about even more disastrous effects that taking the advice of a so called "smart" individual can have. You see David's son Amnon was madly in love with his half-sister Tamar-but he knew that acting on his feelings by pursuing a relationship with her was absolutely forbidden. When he asked his friend Jonadab what he should do about it, this so-called "smart" man gave him advice so contrary to God's will that it ended with Tamar being raped and Amnon being murdered for the crime. Not a very happy ending was it?
As both stories illustrate, observing the advice of any person, no matter how knowledgeable or wise they may appear, should always be done with caution remembering this... the words of a truly "smart" person will never contradict with the words of God. Simply said about advice, if it isn't biblical, it isn't acceptable... period.
Heavenly Father, thank you for those friends and mentors that you have placed in our lives to help us walk the Christian walk. Help us to remember that we are all human though and capable of giving bad advice as well as receiving it and that we should always check what we say and what we consider against your Word. It's in your precious name we pray, Jesus. Amen.
Happy Running!!!
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http://www.runnersworld.com/chicago-marathon/watch-comedian-rob-riggle-offers-expert-marathon-advice
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