“Wisdom is less about what you know and more about who you are.”
Thoughts from daily Bible reading for today – November 7, 2024
Walk with the wise and become wise, for a companion of fools suffers harm. Proverbs 13:20, NIV
Wisdom is less about what you know and more about who you are. Of course, these are not mutually exclusive, as knowledge is a key component of our being, yet it is far too easy to isolate knowledge as a mental abstraction when, in truth, it is meant to animate and shape the lives we lead. It is the integration of knowledge and behavior that leads us in the way of truth.
In Proverbs 13, we are given a key insight into how we can become wise, not just know about wisdom. Our lives are transformed as we journey with others along the path of discipleship. Your life with Christ is never meant to be lived in isolation. As I’ve heard it said over the years, Christianity is a team sport, and one of the most effective ways to become the man or woman God has made you to be is to live life with those whose faith you respect and admire.
Who do you know that is wise? Do you admire them from a distance, or have you made intentional decisions to draw near to them and learn from them in close proximity? Walking with the wise assumes a life of intimacy and close connection. We can admire public figures or trustworthy voices from the past, but we do not walk with them day in and day out. What is most needed in our lives is wise friends and companions for the journey.
And just as we become like the wise when we walk with them, so too does our proverb remind us of an opposite yet equal danger. If we surround ourselves with foolish people, chances are we, too, will become fools. For good or for ill, the people we spend our time with shape us and mold us in profound ways. Wisdom invites us to acknowledge this truth and live with a keen awareness of both the danger and the opportunity of life with others.
Today, reflect honestly and openly upon the people with whom you share life and consider steps of courage, vulnerability, and trust that you can take in order to be someone who is becoming wise each and every day.
Prayer
Father, give us the strength to align our lives with others who are fully submitted to you, that together we may be transformed and renewed by your grace. Amen.
Application
Meditate upon this question today: Are you becoming wise, or are you a “companion of fools”?
Related Reading
Psalm 1:1; Proverbs 12:15; Proverbs 27:17
Worship Resource
Kari Jobe: Revelation Song
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