Tag Archives: Proverbs 13:20

He Who Walks With The Wise

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Discipleship Devotional Study Guide - Promises - Day 267 - Proverbs 13:20 - Walks With The Wise- Growing As Disciples

Discipleship Devotional Study Guide – Promises – Day 267 – Proverbs 13:20 – Walks With The Wise- Growing As Disciples

He who walks with the wise grows wise, but a companion of fools suffers harm. Proverbs 13:20 (NIV) 

Grow Wise

Do you want to grow wise? Who would say no to that? Who wouldn’t want to grow wise? You would be surprised. How so? There is a cost to growing wise. Growing wise will require some diligent effort. Growing wise does not come naturally. Growing wise does not happen automatically. How then does one grow wise? That is a very good question. That is the starting point. The first step in growing wise is to admit that you are not wise. I have no problem admitting my lack of wisdom. You will also need to come to understand that you have blind spots. I have no doubt that I have many blind spots. There are countless times that you have thought and spoken and acted foolishly without knowing it. It will be rare that you will clearly recognize your own blind spots and acts of foolishness. Oh, you will recognize your own blinds spots and acts of foolishness once you have suffered because of them. That is a painful process. I know that painful process quite well. Yes, you do. You also know how slow and painful that way is to grow wise. That is not my plan for you. That is not how I want you to grow wise. For that, I am thankful and grateful. The second step in growing wise is choosing your companions. How so? You can choose to be a companion of fools. That would be a very bad choice. A companion of fools suffers harm in two ways. First, whatever harm a fool brings into their life, will certainly spill over into your life, if you allow them to be your close companion. That is bad enough, but you will become a fool just by being a close companion of a fool. Their foolishness will rub off on you. Does this sound familiar? Too familiar, I need no convincing. Well then, who must you make your companions? I will choose to make wise people to be my companions. Good answer. Here is where the real effort is needed. You must work hard to build and maintain close relationships with wise companions. Not only will you need to work hard on these relationships, but you must be willing to practice what you hear and see and receive from these wise people, I will bring into your life. Will you do both? Will you build long and lasting relationships with wise companions? Will you hear and see and receive wisdom from wise people that I bring into your life? Yes Lord, I will. That will be very good. 

Lord, I know that I will never grow wise by living in isolation and remaining distant from other people. I also know that I will grow foolish if I allow myself to be a companion of fools. Help me to build relationships with wise people so that I can also grow wise. Amen

Key Question…  When has a wise person told you what you didn’t want to hear but needed to hear?

Living It Out…  Take time to cultivate lasting relationships with wise people so you will also be able to grow wise.

Seeing It Happen…  Have faith that the Lord will use wise people to help you to become wise in your thoughts, words, and actions.

Get Ready To Share…  Share with another person or your small group how a wise person has helped you to think, and speak, and act wisely.

Prayer To Bless Others…  May you walk with the wise so you can grow wise.

Prayer To Bless Others…  May you take a day a week to rest so the Lord can revive, refresh, and restore your soul.

For today’s complete 4 page Discipleship Devotional Study Guide click here:

Promises – Day 267 – Proverbs 13-20 – He Who Walks With The Wise – 4 Page Discipleship Study Guide

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By Jon Ulrich © All rights reserved                   Copying not permitted                      www.GrowingAsDisciples.com

Walks With The Wise

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Discipleship Devotional Study Guide - Becoming Like Christ - Day 8 - Proverbs 13:20 - Walks With The Wise - Growing As Disciples

Discipleship Devotional Study Guide – Becoming Like Christ – Day 8 – Proverbs 13:20 – Walks With The Wise – Growing As Disciples

He who walks with the wise grows wise, but a companion of fools suffers harm. Proverbs 13:20 (NIV) 

Suffering Harm

Well, I have done plenty of that. You have done plenty of what? I have suffered plenty of harm. Why is that? I have wrongly chosen to become a companion of foolish people. Sometimes, I have wondered what has been wrong with me. How so? I have attracted so many foolish people into my life. Is that right? Yes, it is. In that case, who would be a foolish person? That would be me, without any doubt. It is also true without a doubt and without any exception that a companion of fools will suffer harm. It is not a question of “if” it is just a matter of “when”. Harm comes to all those who make themselves to be companions with fools. That is true. I need no convincing. That is good.

What do you want to do with what you have learned? First, I will distant myself from foolish people. I will not let foolish people into my inner circle. I will not allow foolish people to become my counselors. I will not tag along with foolish people as they go down the path, that will certainly end in harm. Having said all of this, I will still minister to everyone who needs to come to know you. The most foolish decision of all is to live a life without you. I will allow you to use me to rescue those that are on the path that leads away from you. I will hope to be used by you ,to bring people to you, so that they will come to know and love you as their Savior and Lord. That will be very good.

What else will you do with what you have learned? I will seek to walk closely with wise people that you will bring into my life. Why is that? Walking distantly with wise people you bring into my life will be of no benefit to me. I will not become wise unless I walk closely with the wise. Walking closely with wise people will help me to see what I cannot see. Walking closely with wise people will help me to know what I have not known. Walking closely with wise people will help me to do what I almost certainly would have never done. You want to use wise people to help me to become wise. That is true. So, I will allow you to do what you want to do. I will walk closely with the wise people you bring into my life. That will be very good.  

Lord, I have made terrible choices about who I would walk with closely in life. I can’t tell you how many times I have suffered harm by allowing myself to become a companion of a foolish person. Help me now to walk closely with wise people you bring into my life. Amen

Key Question… How has your life suffered harm because you were a companion of a foolish person?

Living It Out… Make it your plan to walk closely with the wise people the Lord brings into your life.

Seeing It Happen… Have faith that the Lord will help you to grow wise as you walk closely with the wise people He brings into your life.

Get Ready To Share… Share with another person or your small group how walking closely with other wise people has helped you to grow wise.

Prayer To Bless Others… Walk closely with the wise people the Lord brings into your life.

For today’s complete 4 page Discipleship Devotional Study Guide click here:

Becoming Like Christ – Day 8 – Proverbs 13-20 – Walks With The Wise – 4 Page Discipleship Devotional Study Guide

Please consider sharing these devotionals with others through the social media you use.

Individual users may save the Discipleship Devotional Study Guide to their desktop for private use. All the blanks in the study guides are fields that allow typed responses. To use the fields on the study guide you may need to open the guide with a free version of adobe reader.

By Jon Ulrich © All rights reserved                   Copying not permitted                      www.GrowingAsDisciples.com

A Companion Of Fools Suffers Harm

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Discipleship Study - Wisdom - Proverbs 13:20 - A Companion Of Fools Suffers Harm - Growing As Disciples

Discipleship Study – Wisdom – Proverbs 13:20 – A Companion Of Fools Suffers Harm – Growing As Disciples

He who walks with the wise grows wise, but a companion of fools suffers harm. Proverbs 13:20 (NIV)

Choosing Friends

Be very careful about how you choose your friends. Why is that? You tell me. I will become like my friends. If my friends are wise I will grow wise under their influence and encouragement. If my friends are foolish I will become foolish as I follow their bad example. That’s right. That’s quite clear and very simple to understand isn’t it? Yes, it is.

How will you go about choosing your friends? What will you be looking for in a friend? I will ask myself if I would be happy if I became like my friends. That’s a very good question. I will consider my friend’s wisdom. What kind of wisdom will you be looking for? I won’t be looking for wisdom from this world. I will be looking for wisdom that comes from you. So my closest friends will need to know you. I will be expecting you to speak to me through my closest friends. I want my closest friends to be completely honest with me. I want them to point out what I can’t see. I have lots of blind spots. I have flaws that have gone unnoticed and uncorrected. Close and good friends will tell me exactly what I need to hear and see. I will give my closet friends permission to speak into my life. I will listen attentively to the close friends that you will bring into my life. So, you are expecting that I will bring close friends into your life? That’s for sure; I’m counting on you for that. That’s good.

What else will you be looking for in a friend? I don’t want all my friends to be exactly like me. I’m glad that you brought that up. Why is that? You said something that will not end up being true. What’s that? You said that all your close friends would need to know me. Do you really think I will only bring you friends that know me? No, now that you mention it, that doesn’t seem right to me. I’m guessing that you will bring people into my life that don’t know you. Some of these people will become my friends. Some of these people will come to know you through the friendship I share with them. That’s exactly right. So, don’t exclude people who don’t know me as your friends. There is a big difference between someone who does not yet know me and someone who is a fool. A fool does not want to know and live by the truth. A fool has rejected and is walking away from the truth. A fool has no interest in coming to know me. I will bring friends, who don’t yet know me, into your life. They will be hungry to know me. They will want to live the life that you are living with and for me. They will want what you have. I have you. You are my Savior and Lord. Yes, I am. You can plan that I will bring friends of all kinds into your life. They will speak into your life and you will speak into their lives. I’m looking forward to it. That’s very good.

Lord, I have had a tendency to choose foolish friends. I have suffered harm when I have allowed myself to a companion of a fool. Help me now to choose wise friends that will help and encourage me to grow in wisdom as I follow you. Amen

For today’s complete 4 page Discipleship Devotional Study Guide click here:

Wisdom – Proverbs 13-20 – A Companion Of Fools Suffers Harm – 4 Page Discipleship Devotional Study Guide

Please consider sharing these devotionals with others through the social media you use.

Individual users may save the Discipleship Devotional Study Guide to their desktop for private use. All the blanks in the study guides are fields that allow typed responses. To use the fields on the study guide you may need to open the guide with a free version of adobe reader.

By Jon Ulrich © All rights reserved                   Copying not permitted                      www.GrowingAsDisciples.com