Good Morning Everyone,
Our theme for this month: “Wisdom from Proverbs”
Our Bible verse for today: “The one who walks with the wise will become wise, but a companion of fools will suffer harm.” Proverbs 13:20
Our thought for today: “There’s a good reason God repeats this lesson so often.”
Bible scholars (and anyone else who diligently studies the Bible), all know that when God repeats a lesson over and over again it’s because that lesson is so important and God wants to be sure we get it. That’s the case with Proverbs 13:20. This is just one of numerous passages in the Bible in which God warns us to choose our friends and associates carefully. In Proverbs God had Solomon write about it multiple times.
It’s a basic truth of human nature that over time we become like those we associate with. That being the case, we must decide what kind of a person we want to be and then we must spend time with those kinds of people. Our verse today is about wisdom. It’s the kind of Godly wisdom that results in a person knowing essential Biblical principles, and then applying them in a practical way in everyday life. If you want to be wise like that, then you need to spend time with others who are wise in that way.
There are many ways to accomplish that. The first and most obvious way is through your choice of companions. Who do you spend the most time with socially? Are they mature Christians who know God’s ways and then live by them? The people we spend the most time with in a social setting tend to be people we like, admire, and are comfortable being with. Therefore those are the people who really have the most influence on us.
Another important way in which we soak in and absorb the Godly wisdom modeled for us by others is by being fully involved in the life of a good church. A good church is filled with mature Christians who are truly living what they profess to believe. The more you’re involved with them, the more their wisdom will rub off on you.
Another way to associate with wise Christians and to be influenced by their wisdom is through books (this is one of my personal favorites). I’ve never met C.S. Lewis, Philip Yancey, Brennan Manning, Os Guinness, Richard Foster, or Dallas Willard, but I’ve read virtually everything they’ve written and I’ve learned so much from them!
Finally, perhaps the most important and essential way of being positively influenced in the direction of Godly wisdom is to have a mentor. Moses was mentored by Jethro; Joshua was mentored by Moses; Timothy and Silas were mentored by Paul. For me it was my pastor Oren Teel. We all need an older more spiritually mature Christian in our life from whom we can learn. And then, we all also need to be that person for someone else. You should have a Paul in your life (a mentor), and you should also have a Timothy in your life (someone you are a mentor to).
Choosing to “walk with the wise” is a lesson God teaches repeatedly in the Bible – and there’s a good reason He does! I encourage you to find one of those wise people and spend some time with them on a regular basis.
God Bless,
Pastor Jim
Oak Hill Baptist Church 