84/365: The Wisdom Formula

Walk with the wise and become wise, for a companion of fools suffers harm. ~Proverbs 13:20

The people you choose to spend time with, actually does matter. The old saying, "you become the company you keep", is true.

Make the effort to spend time with people who make you better. Test it by going deeper and reading what James has to say about it.

The things we read and the people we listen to - are shaping our wisdom, our decisions, and our future.

GO DEEPER: James 3: 13-18

NEXT STEP: Take a minute and ask yourself, who or what is informing your faith?

TrailsNat

on 03/26/2023 at 12:19 AM

Lord, please give my friends the strength to over come their battles and find you.

Old Dude

on 03/25/2023 at 09:02 PM

@Austin Bowens - I commend you for being a member of the LIVE BOLD band of brothers. I wish I had your maturity in the Lord when I was a teenager. I hung out with all the wrong people, even though I knew the things we were doing did not please our heavenly Father. I wasted a lot of years chasing after the things of the world. Now I am old, and I regret not completely surrendering my life to the Lord sooner. I am grateful that our heavenly Father is faithful to leave the ninty-nine to go after that one lost sheep. Praying that the Lord uses you in the lives of those acquaintances that desperately need His salvation. 🙏🏻

James

on 03/25/2023 at 09:02 PM

I believe wholeheartedly what today's devotional teaches. But can a man be a good man if he does not go to church or believe in God? I have many male friends who are not active churchgoers and who do not seem to be interested at all in practicing any particular faith. That includes a close knit group of 5 or 6 guys. We do many things together, including vacations, Sat night fire pits, concerts, helping each other with home projects, holiday gatherings, etc. We have a tremendous respect for each other and enjoy the time we spend together. But faith is not something we have in common. My closest friend in the group is in fact a believer and we have many great conversations about our faith and our struggles as men. He and his family stopped going to church a few years ago, however, because he became disappointed in the emphasis on money rather than the soul. But he is a great guy, a family man, a man of character and integrity, a hard worker, willing to drop everything on a moment's notice for someone in need... Based on my experience with this group and other guys I know, I believe there are good people who are not believers or churchgoers. But I find that I need my faith, if only to keep me on the straight and narrow...

mike68

on 03/25/2023 at 06:32 PM

I am 72 and spent a lot of time with the wrong men. 20 years ago l decided to follow good men and l never regretted it. l am very glad that God sent them to me!

michael f vinning

on 03/25/2023 at 04:52 PM

Amen Ethan!! Same! Nothing ever changed for me until I became accountable to a group of like minded men!!

Ethan Rogers

on 03/25/2023 at 03:45 PM

Jesus would have hung out with the likes of me. I was a misfit. I was not a criminal in the sense that I violently hurt, robbed, or stole. I was a drug addict, lost, and damaged, but broke the law daily by the possession of drugs. An outcast. Jesus came to me, befriended me, and pulled me from the depths of that hell. Today, I use my experience to help others find a way out, to know there is hope. Faith is necessary for recovery, and the friendships I have now are real. What can we offer to the other to help them, not what can we get that can help me.

Tim Debronsky

on 03/25/2023 at 02:41 PM

Austin that is so true. You’re very wise for a teenager. Keep it up. God has Big plans for you!

Brandon Pembleton

on 03/25/2023 at 01:59 PM

My dad used to say this to me pretty much every time I got in trouble. I being the proud teenager thought he was a crazy old man that didn't know what he was talking about. I thought I'm strong willed therefore I can keep whatever company and do as I wish still. I couldn't be more wrong. After making it into recovery some time ago it wasn't long before all and I mean all of my friends changed. My glasses wiped clean I could see who truly is my brother. I could continue hanging out with my fake alpha friends and continue living the insecure life filled with fear or I could let go and embrace change. The change God brought into my life and embrace new friends in recovery; to which I did. One of the best decisions I ever made. A brotherhood of real friends who will absolutely be there for each other and be kind to others. I am so blessed to have received such a gift God. Help me to use it to help others and be the bright lighthouse those lost at sea may use to guide themselves carefully to Jesus's shoreline. Thank you God!!! I love you amen 🙏

Boyce Moses

on 03/25/2023 at 01:49 PM

You can’t soar with the eagles when you roll around in the gutter with scum. Think about who you associate with. They have much more of an imprint on you than you think, and also what others think of you. The only time to be with scum is to lift them out of it by sharing God’s word with them. Love you Jesus!

Scott Beebe

on 03/25/2023 at 01:36 PM

I once heard, “How are you going to soar like an eagle when all you do is spend time with turkey buzzards?”

Elliott

on 03/25/2023 at 01:19 PM

@Austin very well said. keep showing others what faith is doing in your life. And somebody will say how they found faith through your teachings. keep being a channel of God's love.

Elliott

on 03/25/2023 at 01:13 PM

When I was younger I was trying to tie my shoes, I had a parent show me how to tie my shoe. Then I had a friend show me how he ties his shoes. They may be different ways to tie a shoe, but they both have the same result. A shoe that I can walk, run, hop, skip, ect. ect. my faith is how I practice faith. 1) Men's bible study, being a part of the church outside of church. 2) to show how I received my faith from others 3) watching another man Eyes light up when they are starting to understand the word of God. there is nothing like a mans face when he finally finds Jesus. That's how I practice faith in my day to day activities. Giving it to the next man that is suffering; just like me. I was shown how to find faith, now I try to show other men how i found "Faith".

Austin Bowens

on 03/25/2023 at 01:06 PM

Keeping the good kinda company isn’t always easy. I’m a teenager in high school and this is tough even for me. Where I go, most people, to me, are people I wouldn’t want as company. I find that my church is who I want as company. The people there are kind and fun and caring and when I go to that church I find healing and restoration. Maybe for some of y’all, you need some church friends. I recommend you find some. It’ll be the best decision you ever make once you find that true Christian church friend

Robert McFaddin

on 03/25/2023 at 11:57 AM

I hope the Bible is what informs me the most. I believe every word of it. I had a pastor who was said, “I was asked if a whale really swallowed a man alive. I said I believe the Bible. I believe that a whale swallowed a man alive. If the Bible said a man swallowed a whale I would believe that too”! I say, AMEN. I believe the word of God is inerrant and infallible. I believe it is from God Almighty and it lets us know the truth. In it are the words of life; how to live life and how to have eternal life. It is the story of truth and The Truth. Everything in the Bible points to Jesus. He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. The Bible tells us we are lost and need a savior. It tells us who that savior is and what He did to save us and what we must do to be saved. I love the word of God and I love the God of the word. He is creator of ALL things and He is sovereign over EVERYTHING.

84/365: The Wisdom Formula

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