Proverbs 19:20 declares, “Listen to advice and accept instruction, and in the end you will be wise.” To be known as someone who is wise is generally considered a good thing. The demonstration of true wisdom is assumed a valuable thing by many people.
Dictionary.com defines the word “wise” as: 1. having the power of discerning and judging properly as to what is true or right; possessing discernment, judgment, or discretion. 2. characterized by or showing such power; judicious or prudent: a wise decision. 3. possessed of or characterized by scholarly knowledge or learning; learned; erudite: wise in the law. 4. having knowledge or information as to facts, circumstances, etc.”
This single verse in Proverbs demonstrates both the importance of who you listen to and the value of having a high teachability index. “Listen to advice.” There is value in listening and paying attention only if the source of your advice is trustworthy and comes with reliable validation. How many times removed from the source is your advice? What kind of personal opinions and agenda are influencing and motivating the information being given? When you listen to advice you must use discernment in order to make the right decisions in regard to what you are hearing.
There is also the need to “accept instruction.” To what degree are you willing and committed to the application of the instruction in your life? If you do not follow through and take some sort of action within 48 hours of receiving instruction you will move into a stop mode and will very likely not take action at all. I heard last evening some advice from one of my mentors, Don Boyer, who said if someone responds to you with the words, “I’ll think about it,” they will not likely proceed. Delayed action means stopped action. Another response from someone you should watch for is, “I’ll try.” Try means, I am putting in place the opportunity, which I will likely take and not follow through.
The wise person is the individual who listens, decides and takes action to follow through. If you were to ask your self the question, “How many people do I know who live with this attitude? I hope it is many people, but within the general population the percentage is not overwhelmingly high. They listen to the wrong people and therefore do not get the best advice. They fail to accept instruction, because they are not willing to learn and not willing to change. In other words their teachability index is low. What is the result? They do not make wise choices and fall short of being the best version of themselves they could be.
What we think and what we believe and what we say and the intention of our heart matter, because it impacts our actions which determine the outcomes in our life. “Listen to advice and accept instruction, and in the end you will be wise.”