Proverbs 21.11 says, When the scorner is punished, the simple is made wise, and when the wise is instructed, he receiveth knowledge. The basic difference between a wise man and a fool is the fact that the wise man listens to wise counsel and receives it, while the fool listens but really pays no attention to it. It's like when a supervisor looks at a subordinate and says, now, I'm going to leave the room. Don't touch that red button. Do you hear me? And the subordinate says, yeah, I heard you. But as soon as the supervisor walks out of the room, he starts leaning over and messing around. Eventually, he gives in to curiosity and pushes the button. And that red button triggers the sprinkler system and does a huge amount of damage. And the supervisor confronts him and says, I thought I told you not to touch that button. You said you heard me. The second guy says, I heard you, but I didn't say I would obey you. That's how the fool functions. Every so often someone will say, this such and such person in my life always comes to me for help, but never listens to anything I say. And I always say, well, now you know what it's like to be a pastor. Through the years, I've had dozens of people come to me for biblical counsel. And when the Bible directly speaks to their issue, I tell them, now this is not Greg or my opinion, this is the Bible. I give them the scripture to read and prayerfully consider. I tell them I'll be praying for them to do the biblical thing. And better than 75% of the time over the years, they've completely ignored what I've said. And if it were just my opinions, that'd be one thing, but I'm showing them what God Almighty has said in his perfect word, and they still ignore what I'm telling them. And that's all you and I can do. Regardless of who it is asking, we should do our best to give them biblical advice directly from God's word when possible. And when the wise is instructed, he receiveth knowledge. On the flip side of that fact is that most people are fools. I've had people come to me about shacking up, marriage and divorce, what the Bible says about guns or friendship or parenting, church attendance, tithing, abortion, capital punishment, the Jews and Israel, you name it. And I'll show them right from God's Word what the Bible says, and I emphasize that it's not my own opinion, but that they should prayerfully come to a decision whether what I'm saying is scriptural or not. Is it really biblical? That's the attitude of the Bereans in Acts 17 11. These were more noble than those in Thessalonica in that they received the word with all readiness of mind and searched the scriptures daily whether those things were so. And I've had people look at me and look me right in the eye and tell me that they know that what I've told them is biblical and true, but that doesn't change their mind. I quote on several occasions, I know that's what it says, but I don't care. And like a man walking off a cliff, they go right on with their plans, rejecting that knowledge and the instruction of God's word. And when the wise is instructed, he receiveth knowledge. So don't stop speaking the truth of God's word. I know it can get discouraging. But that's all God has asked us to do. It's all we can do. When someone comes to us, we should seek to give them God's word whenever possible. There's many things the Bible speaks clearly about, there's no question about. And that's all God's asked us to do, is remind people of his word or teach people his word, and then it's in their hands. We've done all we can do. But also, Be sure that you are wise and that you are always ready to receive the instruction from the wise and to receive the knowledge of God's Word. We should seek or desire to be that good ground with a heart of obedience that Jesus spoke of in Luke chapter 8 verse 15 in the parable of the sower. We don't have the time to read the whole thing, but it comes down to the end. The last group he talks about is, but that on the good ground are they, which in an honest and good heart, having heard the word, keep it and bring forth fruit with patience. That is the wise man.