You Need the Counsel of Others!
(Prov 11:14 KJV) Where no counsel is, the people fall: but in the multitude of counselors there is safety.
This morning we continue our series. In this verse Solomon contrasts the difference between those that are willing to accept counsel and those that attempt to make all decisions by themselves.
He tells us that those without counsel we will fall, whereas those with a multitude of counsel we will enjoy the safety of collective wisdom. This is especially true where leaders are concerned. It is one thing to lead yourself (and some struggle at accomplishing that), but it is quite something else to lead others.
Solomon was a leader’s leader; he was considered by most to be the greatest King Israel ever had. He knew the importance of others. Actually, he wrote this verse as counsel for leaders. You cannot really get that from the King James Version, but it is clear in other versions.
The New Living Translation says, “Without wise leadership, a nation falls; there is safety in having many advisers.” Solomon understood that leaders cannot accomplish everything by themselves. Great leaders surround themselves without other gifted leaders and they utilize their resources for the collective good.
John Maxwell says, “One is too small a number to achieve greatness.” He calls this, “The Law of Significance.” Think of anything truly significant that has happened in history and you will find that one person did NOT accomplish it.
John Maxwell also said, “We tend to think of great thinkers and innovators as soloists, but the truth is that the greatest innovative thinking doesn’t occur in a vacuum.” Ken Blanchard said, “None of us is as smart as all of us!” Yes, there is a certain level of safety in knowing that your plan(s) has been vetted by other great minds.
If anyone understood the value of a good team, Solomon did. He had too much to accomplish to allow pride to keep him from involving others. Let’s just use the building of the Temple as an example. When Solomon was ready to build the Temple the Lord told him to build, he knew that he needed cedar wood and that his people were not skilled woodworkers. So he partnered with the King of Hiram.
He contracted Hiram to provide the wood and skilled carpenters from Lebanon. Solomon then, knowing that he would need skilled carpenters in his country, in the future, hired 30,000 Israelites to learn form Hiram’s men. The project also required 75,000 stone carriers, 80,000 stonecutters and 33,000 foremen to supervise the project (see 1 Kings 5).
Overall, the project took about seven and a half years to build and when it was complete it was one of the wonders of the world. Could Solomon have accomplished this on his own? Of course not, and you won’ be able to do all that God desires for you to do by yourself either.
So what does this mean to you? It means that you should not allow pride or ego to keep you from tapping into the gifts the Lord has placed inside of others. You cannot do everything on your own and Solomon warns you that if you attempt to, you are opening the door failure. Spinning more plates does not increase your talent; it increases your likelihood of dropping a plate.
The day you realize that other people can help you do a better job than you can do alone is the day you start your journey towards maximizing your purpose and potential in the earth. The Father’s plans for your life are too big to be locked in one person. If you are going to maximize your potential it WILL require others!
Father, I thank You for Your Word. I receive, believe and apply Your instruction this morning. I know that it is foolish to attempt to make every decision on my own. There is safety in the multitude of counsel and I declare, by faith, that I will tap into the counsel You have placed around me. I know that I need others to maximize my purpose and potential. Therefore, I will draw/learn from others as I seek to please You with my life. Thank You Father for not sending me out to live my life by myself! The journey is more pleasant when I experience it with others! In Jesus’ name. Amen.
(Prov 11:14 KJV) Where no counsel is, the people fall: but in the multitude of counselors there is safety.
This morning we continue our series. In this verse Solomon contrasts the difference between those that are willing to accept counsel and those that attempt to make all decisions by themselves.
He tells us that those without counsel we will fall, whereas those with a multitude of counsel we will enjoy the safety of collective wisdom. This is especially true where leaders are concerned. It is one thing to lead yourself (and some struggle at accomplishing that), but it is quite something else to lead others.
Solomon was a leader’s leader; he was considered by most to be the greatest King Israel ever had. He knew the importance of others. Actually, he wrote this verse as counsel for leaders. You cannot really get that from the King James Version, but it is clear in other versions.
The New Living Translation says, “Without wise leadership, a nation falls; there is safety in having many advisers.” Solomon understood that leaders cannot accomplish everything by themselves. Great leaders surround themselves without other gifted leaders and they utilize their resources for the collective good.
John Maxwell says, “One is too small a number to achieve greatness.” He calls this, “The Law of Significance.” Think of anything truly significant that has happened in history and you will find that one person did NOT accomplish it.
John Maxwell also said, “We tend to think of great thinkers and innovators as soloists, but the truth is that the greatest innovative thinking doesn’t occur in a vacuum.” Ken Blanchard said, “None of us is as smart as all of us!” Yes, there is a certain level of safety in knowing that your plan(s) has been vetted by other great minds.
If anyone understood the value of a good team, Solomon did. He had too much to accomplish to allow pride to keep him from involving others. Let’s just use the building of the Temple as an example. When Solomon was ready to build the Temple the Lord told him to build, he knew that he needed cedar wood and that his people were not skilled woodworkers. So he partnered with the King of Hiram.
He contracted Hiram to provide the wood and skilled carpenters from Lebanon. Solomon then, knowing that he would need skilled carpenters in his country, in the future, hired 30,000 Israelites to learn form Hiram’s men. The project also required 75,000 stone carriers, 80,000 stonecutters and 33,000 foremen to supervise the project (see 1 Kings 5).
Overall, the project took about seven and a half years to build and when it was complete it was one of the wonders of the world. Could Solomon have accomplished this on his own? Of course not, and you won’ be able to do all that God desires for you to do by yourself either.
So what does this mean to you? It means that you should not allow pride or ego to keep you from tapping into the gifts the Lord has placed inside of others. You cannot do everything on your own and Solomon warns you that if you attempt to, you are opening the door failure. Spinning more plates does not increase your talent; it increases your likelihood of dropping a plate.
The day you realize that other people can help you do a better job than you can do alone is the day you start your journey towards maximizing your purpose and potential in the earth. The Father’s plans for your life are too big to be locked in one person. If you are going to maximize your potential it WILL require others!
Father, I thank You for Your Word. I receive, believe and apply Your instruction this morning. I know that it is foolish to attempt to make every decision on my own. There is safety in the multitude of counsel and I declare, by faith, that I will tap into the counsel You have placed around me. I know that I need others to maximize my purpose and potential. Therefore, I will draw/learn from others as I seek to please You with my life. Thank You Father for not sending me out to live my life by myself! The journey is more pleasant when I experience it with others! In Jesus’ name. Amen.
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