Devotional With Simon Cowell...What???

I know, I need to explain the title right away.  I was watching something called Master Class With Simon Cowell.  It is a show created by Oprah that lets successful people talk about what has helped them succeed, but they also share their failures.  It is fascinating because you get to know the person behind the celebrity.

Here are a couple of highlights from Simon:

• Talk 10% of the time and listen 90% of the time
• Every single negative can lead to a positive

I don't know where Simon stands in his relationship with God, but it's amazing how much of what he has learned is in the Bible.  Let's break it down:

Talk 10% of the time and listen 90% of the time 

• Proverbs 18:13 ESV - If one gives an answer before he hears, it is his folly and shame.
• Proverbs 19:20 ESV  - Listen to advice and accept instruction, that you may gain wisdom in the future.

Every single negative can lead to a positive

• James 1:2-4 (NIV) - Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. 4 Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.

We have more information available to us than ever before and it can all be incredibly resourceful.  We have books, videos, blogs, articles, twitter, Facebook, etc.  But don't overlook the original.  So many of us think of the Bible has a story book with verses we can highlight and memorize to help us through the dark times in our life.  It's too bad that we often forget that the Bible is our daily bread (Matthew 6:11).  It is a manual that never gets old with outdated information (Hebrews 4:12).

Next time you need some wisdom, don't forget to reach for the most important book on the shelf.  Chances are, a lot of what's mentioned in the other books was borrowed anyway.