Walk with the Wise or Get Banned from Walmart
OPENING PRAYER:
Lord, give me honest eyes to see the influences shaping those I love, and humble courage to examine the influence I am becoming. Guard our steps and lead us toward companions who will draw us closer to You.
"Walk with the wise and become wise, for a companion of fools suffers harm." Proverbs 13:20 (NIV)
Proverbs is wisdom literature, a collection of sayings designed to teach practical, godly living. This particular proverb uses stark contrast to make its point crystal clear. In Hebrew culture, wisdom wasn't primarily about intelligence or knowledge; it was about living skillfully in alignment with God's design. A fool, conversely, wasn't someone lacking intellect but someone who rejected God's ways and made destructive choices.
REFLECT:
Pastor Jarred didn't hold back when he called himself "the knucklehead of all knuckleheads." Then he proved it with stories: banned from Walmart for stealing CDs (Matchbox 20, Limp Bizkit, and Third Eye Blind, "and the CDs weren't even that great"), egging houses on Halloween, and getting kicked off the freshman football team for drinking with older friends. Each story landed with the same punch line: "Associate with fools and you get in trouble." But then he said something equally important: the times he made better decisions were the times he walked with wise people.
Here's the thing about those stories: they're funny now, but they illustrate a principle that shapes entire lives. Show me who your friends are and I'll show you who you're becoming. Jarred wasn't fear-mongering about bad influences; he was acknowledging a truth every parent knows in their gut, people shape people, and the friend groups our kids run with will have massive influence over who they become. We've all watched it happen: a kid starts hanging with a different crowd and suddenly their attitude shifts, their language changes, their priorities rearrange. Sometimes those changes are positive, sometimes they're destructive. The question isn't whether our kids will be influenced; it's who will do the influencing. That's why building communities where they're known, where they belong, and where they're pointed to Jesus matters so urgently. We're not just looking for nice friends or polite peers, we're looking for companions who will walk them toward wisdom, toward Christlikeness, toward lives that honor God.
APPLY:
Have an honest conversation with a young person you care about, not a lecture, but a real dialogue, about their friendships. Ask them who they spend the most time with and what they love about those people. Listen without judgment. Then gently ask, "How do you think those friendships are shaping you? Are they drawing you closer to who you want to become?" If they're old enough, you might even share your own story of a time friends led you toward wisdom or toward trouble. End by praying together for their friendships.
I WILL STATEMENT:
I will take one step to help the kid in my life discover community.
CLOSING PRAYER:
Father, protect the young people I love from companions who would lead them away from You. Surround them with friends who will sharpen them, challenge them, and point them toward Jesus. And make me the kind of influence that draws others toward Your kingdom, not away from it.
PRAYER REQUEST:
Share your prayer request and pray for others.