Chaplain Ronnie Melancon
Companion of Fools
Proverbs 13:20 – “Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm”
Have you ever got into trouble because you were with someone not doing right? As a child, I received quite a whipping from my Dad because my older brother played with matches and caught a tree on fire.
I was a victim of association. I was only watching. When his foolishness blew up, I caught the shrapnel. That’s what the wisdom of this scripture warns us of. If you keep company with fools, you will eventually catch shrapnel when their foolishness blows up.
The Biblical definition of a fool is someone who knows right from wrong but doesn’t care (Psalms 14:1 ). Wisdom says – don’t do life with a fool! Find the wise and make them your companions.
I know most people think they choose their friends, but really we gravitate to people who accept us. If we are to grow in wisdom and be safe from foolishness, we must become intentional in our relationships. Structured relationships require an intentional effort.
We take jobs with people we don’t know for the sake of a paycheck, which is an intentional structured relationship. We send our children to school to be educated, which is an intentional structured relationship.
If you desire your family to know God and walk upright, you must be intentional in your relationships. You have to part-company with the foolish and intentionally put effort into relationships with the upright. You need to get involved in a Church.
God designed His Church to help shape your life. If you disconnect with Godly believers, your Spiritual life will unravel. If you keep company with a fool, you will suffer harm. If you intentionally join fellowship with the wise you will grow wise, be blessed, and reap the benefits of wisdom.
Wise friends help the direction and quality of your life.
Your value system will change to the positive or the negative according to who you do life with.
Lord Bless,
Chaplain Ronnie Melancon
Related articles
- (Un)Wise Decisions (mypathtowalk.com)
- Wisdom, Fools And Counsel (touchingtheworld.wordpress.com)
- The Man God Called a Fool! (walkwithmee.wordpress.com)
Categories: Chaplain Ronnie Melancon
Wise words indeed. Great advice for all of us, for life in general but especially in performing our role in law enforcement.
The way we treat a member of the public, the consideration we show for victims and whether we recognise the humanity in the offenders we deal with.
Whether we ever turn a ‘blind eye’ to conduct lacking in integrity – do we accept a practice if the outcome ‘justifies the means? Would you ever ‘manipulte crime or detection figures to make the appearance of your department seem better than it is.
All are options on the path of the foolish but the wise offcier recognises the importance of the values of the office we hold….
Martin Fotheringham,
Superintendent, Police Scotland
Hi Martin,
All awesome points you make and thanks for taking your time to share.
Stay Blue
Scott
For a long time, I always thought the company I kept wasn’t as important as how YOU yourself act, but now I am much wiser to those ways. I see now the obvious problems with that. By keeping company with those that more closely follow our Lord, I am able to follow his Word more closely. More obviously, I am more easily able to make the right choices and avoid unnecessary inclusion in negative acts just because of those around me.
I encourage others to take a good long look at those around you and ask yourself if you can walk with them in the light of God’s will. If not, perhaps it’s time to surround yourself with those who can.