Matthew 8:21 And another of his disciples said unto him, Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father.

Following up on yesterday’s should devotional, allow me to cover would. Would is one of those excuse words. “I would but I already have plans.” “I would but I need to …….” You fill in the blanks.

Where would any of us be if Jesus had said, “I would but I didn’t do anything wrong.” That’s the danger of the would be condition. We do not see the long term consequences. We make choices every day. We make excuses, good and bad. We set priorities and somehow because we have set them we are unwilling to relinquish control.

Is God your first priority? In your heart you might well say yes and mean it. Do your actions support that claim? The reason I can ask that is because I have first hand experience. Are you any different? That doesn’t make us hypocrites, it just means we lost focus on our priorities. It happens.

We live in the now. God is eternal and sees all things, meanings and consequences. So I ask you, if God knows, why would we forget to make time with Him a top priority?

2 Chronicles 30:5 So they established a decree to make proclamation throughout all Israel, from Beersheba even to Dan, that they should come to keep the passover unto the Lord God of Israel at Jerusalem: for they had not done it of a long time in such sort as it was written.

Let this be an encouragement to return to that which has been neglected.

Days should speak, and multitude of years should teach wisdom.

Great men are not always wise: neither do the aged understand judgment.

OK, so I left out the address on these quotes. That isn’t the only thing I left out, as you will see later when I give you the address on these quotes.

Should is one of those words isn’t it? It indicates the promise of success and a warning of failure all at the same time. Should says if you don’t get it, something went wrong, something is missing for success.

That something is the verse planted between these two lines of scripture. Do you know them? Do they seem familiar? Is it Proverbs? Is it Psalms? Could it be Ecclesiastes? You know it isn’t Paul, you’ve read enough of Paul’s writings to know his style. There is a subtle hint, it isn’t NT. What is missing is the reason not all great men are wise and not all of age understand judgment.

Job 32:8 But there is a spirit in man: and the inspiration of the Almighty giveth them understanding.

Did you get it? Did you remember it came from the book of Job? If you remember it was Job, do you also remember that it wasn’t Job who said it?

Job 32:6 And Elihu the son of Barachel the Buzite answered and said, I am young, and ye are very old; wherefore I was afraid, and durst not shew you mine opinion.

If God were to inspire someone in your life to speak truth into it, that wasn’t your pastor, teacher, counselor or trusted friend, would you hear it?

Do you know the voice of truth when you hear it?

You should.