January 1, 2025 Devo

On this day in 1929, the California Golden Bears were playing the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets in the Rose Bowl. Halfway through the second quarter, Georgia Tech fumbled the ball, and it was picked up by a California player by the name of Roy Riegels. He ran toward the sidelines, bounced off a couple of players, and started running hard for the goal line—the WRONG goal line! The Georgia Tech players and fans were all cheering for him, which made him run harder, while one of his own players chased after him. Finally, he was tackled by that player on the 3-yard line. He had run 69 yards the wrong way.
Our passage today reminds us that you have to be careful whom you listen to. Some people who are cheering you on are not nudging you in the right direction. The Psalmist reminds us that moving away from God starts with listening to the advice of people who are not godly. They may be people in your life who encourage you to cut corners, to take money “under the table,” or to just “stretch the truth a little bit.” Their advice often isn’t horrible. It’s just not godly. It’s a compromise of what you know in your heart to be right and true.
You may be hesitant at first, but if you give them your ear long enough, they start wearing you down. They say things such as, “Everybody does it,” or, “It’s not a big deal,” or, “No one will ever know.” This is where we give the Enemy room in our minds to operate. He begins to throw in a whole lot of justifications as to why we might as well do it. He’ll say things to you such as, “You NEED this,” or, “You deserve this,” or, “It’s okay; God will forgive you.” The longer you listen, the more susceptible you become.
Your ears are one of the doorways to your heart. When you open your ears to the wrong people, you open your heart to them. It’s not hard to find people in your life who will cheer hard for you—even if you’re running the wrong way. Don’t lend them your ears. Filter what you hear with the Word of God, the Spirit of God, and the counsel of godly people. That which has your ears has YOU! That’s God’s Word for you today.