He who walks with the wise grows wise, but a companion of fools suffers harm. (Proverbs 13:20, New International Version)
For the past several years, I have been part of a Facebook Bible reading group. The 166 (currently) members of this group live all over the world and are involved in a variety of ministries. We read a chapter a day (determined by the group moderator) and are invited to briefly share how God spoke to us through the reading. We are also encouraged to share prayer requests with the group and encourage each other.
Often the thoughts I share on this blog and with my own Facebook group, Dr. G’s Morning Cup of Encouragement, are expansions of what I read as a part of that group reading assignment. Since we are currently reading through Proverbs in the first group, a lot of thoughts on Proverbs are showing up here.
Actually, being a part of both these groups is an example of the truth of today’s verse. I am actually growing wiser and stronger by intentionally hanging out with people who are also on a journey to growing wiser and stronger.
I have quoted before the phrase popularized by business leader Jim Rohn: “You become the average of the five people you spend the most time with.” I won’t take time in this post to unpack that beyond this: Make sure you are spending more time with people who are where you want to be than you are with people who are where you used to be.
Sometimes that means spending time with them in person. Sometimes that means reading or listening to them. Sometimes that means being a part of something like the above mentioned Facebook groups or other possibilities that today’s technology provides.
For followers of Jesus, it always means spending time with Him in prayer, interaction with His word, and worship.
Question: Who are the five people who are most influencing your journey right now?
