Who Are We Listening To

Here are a few verses from Proverbs 14 that spoke to me today. I really could have posted the entire thing, but in an effort to keep this short, I only put a few.


12. There is a way that appears to be right, 
   but in the end it leads to death. 
23. All hard work brings a profit, 
   but mere talk leads only to poverty.

29. Whoever is patient has great understanding,
   but one who is quick-tempered displays folly.

Today I'm pondering my connection to those God puts directly in my life. We, as a nation and generation of the world wide web, value the opinions of many. We seek knowledge from various sources. We read and read and read about various topics, trying to stay current on everything humanly possible. But, today I've stopped to ask the question: Should we only be listening to those God has put in our path? 

God has a message for each of us. When you read his word, it may speak to me differently than it does you based on my life and what is going on. If God wants to reach me with a particular message, maybe he has given me a husband, a pastor, a friend to deliver that message to me. Certainly he can use the internet, the television, but he is such a personal God that I have to believe these people he has placed in my path may be a more direct connection to his message for me. 

Like I mentioned, I'm just pondering this thought today. I'm not saying I 100% have reached a conclusion. I'm wondering if maybe I should listen more closely to what those around me are saying and stop pursuing outside sources. Maybe everything God wants me to know is right in front of me, and I'm missing it. Information is good, but things can get lost in our age of information overload. That is all I'm saying.