Five Approach Scenarios

The word “approach” means different things in context. Here are five examples related to dogs, communications, relationships, investments, and God:

Dogs: Approach a dog slowly and let it sniff your hand before you try to pet it. This is talking about physical positioning and speed.

Communications: Her thoughtful approach made her instructions easy to understand. This says something about knowing the audience and clarity in communications.

Relationships: The married couple took the gentle understanding approach to resolve disagreements. This meant they had to do more listening, more thinking, and careful speaking.

Investing: Wayne’s long-term approach to investing focuses on diversification, increasing income from dividends, and steady growth. This approach can incorporate multiple investment approaches.

God: He who approaches God through any way other than the one God has approved is just adding to the evil already committed. God has already defined what He finds acceptable, and it isn’t our good works.

Communication Approaches

The book of Proverbs cautions against answering before hearing the whole matter: Proverbs 18:13 calls it foolish and shameful to answer before listening. Proverbs 18:17 adds that the first account can seem convincing until another person questions it. “The one who states his case first seems right, until the other comes and examines him.”

Approaching (Dogs and Disputes)

You can find Proverbs for most of these. Apparently there is an African proverb that says, “Do not call to a dog with a whip in your hand.” Figuratively, it means you can’t expect trust when you  approach someone in a threatening way. That includes dogs. Proverbs 26:17 says, “Whoever meddles in a quarrel not his own is like one who takes a passing dog by the ears.” The dog image illustrates how risky and unwise it can be to barge into someone else’s dispute.

Relationship Approaches

Proverbs 12:15 says, “The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but a wise man listens to advice. Proverbs 13:1 declares: “A wise son hears his father’s instruction, but a scoffer does not listen to rebuke.” Proverbs 15:31 says your ear is central to wise living: “The ear that listens to life-giving reproof will dwell among the wise.” Finally, you can despise yourself if you refuse to listen: “Whoever ignores instruction despises himself, but he who listens to reproof gains intelligence.” Proverbs 15:32

Investing Approaches

There are at least four common investing approaches. They are value, growth, index, and income focused. You don’t have to pick one. You can do all four. For example, our portfolio contains elements of all four of these. Sadly, far too many choose the “risk averse” approach, not realizing that they have introduced another set of risks related to growth, income and inflation protection.

Value investing is the practice of buying investments that appear undervalued compared with their underlying worth. Growth investing seeks companies expected to increase sales or profits rapidly.

Index investing looks for funds that track a market index or some other index or sector weighting, rather than choosing individual stocks. Income investing focuses on investments that generate regular income, such as dividends or bond interest.

Approaching God

Here are some common misconceptions about how we can approach God. The first is very prevalent: “I am better than most people, so God will accept me.” Many people picture entry into heaven based on a kind of moral scorecard usually defined as “be a good person, do enough good deeds, or meet certain religious expectations.” In a 2020 survey, 48% of adults said a generally good life or enough good deeds could earn someone a place in heaven.

Does God agree? Let’s examine God’s point of view. One of many clarifying statements is found in Ephesians 2:8-9. Paul makes the only option very clear. “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.”

We must approach God humbly and turn toward God: James 4:8–10 says to draw near to God and humble yourself before him. In the New Testament God says we can come to God with confidence through Jesus: Hebrews 4:14–16 invites people to approach God’s throne for mercy and help. The confidence is an invitation to seek grace, not a claim of personal perfection.

Five Minute Friday

This post is part of the weekly Five-Minute Friday link-up.

All scripture passages are from the English Standard Version except as otherwise noted.