To Become Wise, I Need to Spend Time with Wise People

In review of Proverbs 13:20 it says, ”Spend time with the wise and you will become wise, but the friends of fools will suffer” (NCV).

Today’s verse is Proverbs 13:20. It advises me to walk with the wise and become wise; associate with fools and get in trouble.

There is an old phrase, “If you want to soar with the eagles, you can’t run with the turkeys”! Therefore, If I’m going to be wise, I’ve got to get some wise people in my life.

I don’t need a lot of friends, nor do I need to be popular. I just need a few good friends who will help build me up, not tear me down—people who are wise, not fools. For If I hang around with fools, that’s what I’ll become.

I’m reminded this morning that we always grow in community. I’m not sure I can really grow to spiritual maturity by myself. I could become a hermit and move to the top of a mountain and spend my life sitting in silence and reading books. I would grow in knowledge, but I wouldn’t grow in wisdom.

What I’m learning is that wisdom is all about love. Wisdom shows up primarily in relationships. That’s why some people have educational degrees, but their marriages are falling apart. They’re educated, but they’re not wise.

The Bible says in Proverbs 13:20, “Spend time with the wise and you will become wise, but the friends of fools will suffer” (NCV).

If I stand on the edge of a stage, and I’m trying to pull someone up while they are trying to pull me down, which is easier to do? It’s always easier for somebody to pull me down than pull me up. People who pull me down are not my friends. Friends will pull me up. Friends will encourage me in my pursuit of godly wisdom by offering their own.

So this leads me to ask myself, who in my life is giving me input for good on a routine basis. I need someone giving me input for good on a regular basis? I need this kind of encouragement if I want to be a wise person.

Bottom Line:

Be with wise and become wise. Be with evil and become evil.

What this means to me:

If I keep company and walk with the wise, I'll become wise. However, I'll only hurt myself by hanging around with fools.

In summary, if I keep company with the wise, I can become wise. However if I associate myself with fools I'll only be feed with wrong thinking. I really need others in my life who can help build me up, not tear me down. Being with wise people means I need to be in community and in relationships.

Honestly, I do not have close individuals in my life who are giving me input on a routine basis. I know this is an area I need to shore up. I have a few individuals that I just need to reach out for ask if they want to have coffee. Also, this reminds me that I should also be mentoring others in the same way. I do have someone I can do this with. I’ll just need to pull the trigger and initiate that contact.