Daily Devotional by Dr Albert Odulele
Jan. 8th ‘Companionship Choices’
Bible Reading: Numb. 13:26-14:4; Prov. 9:9
Prov. 13:20 ‘he who walks with wise men will be wise, but the companion of fools will be destroyed’
Foolishness is incredibly contagious. The Ebola Virus Disease that’s killed thousands in Africa is transmitted by direct contact with body fluids of those infected. Tragic as this is, foolishness is worse because no bodily contact is required for transmission.
The companionship, conversations, counsel or examples of fools are readily and easily transmitted and this has ruined many lives. Take the Israelites for instance. They had journeyed for 40 years in anticipation of the Promised Land and by listening to foolish counsel ‘perished in the wilderness’.
‘But the men who had gone up with him said, we are not able to go up against the people, for they are stronger than we. And they gave the children of Israel a bad report of the land which they had spied out, saying, the land through which we have gone as spies is a land that devours its inhabitants, and all the people whom we saw in it are men of great stature’ Numb. 13:31-32
What determines the company you keep? Who influences your decisions and choices? How do you regulate your inner circle? The answers to these questions have a huge impact on where you end up in life. ‘He who walks with wise men will be wise’.
Love everyone but ‘walk’ only with the wise. Emulate wise examples, replicate wise counsel and pitch your tent with wise folk. Steer clear of fools and be reminded that ‘the companion of fools will be destroyed’ (because they pick up foolish habits and mindsets)
Prayer:
- That God should show you the unprofitable, unhelpful and unwise influences in your life and how to shut them down. Prov. 12:26; 14:12
- Name family, friends and neighbours that are unsaved. Travail on their behalf and beseech God’s mercy and grace. 2 Cor. 4:4-6
Thought for the day:
One foolish decision can destroy a forty-year journey. Avoid foolish influences like the plague.