The Company You Keep

Day Thirty-Five

The Company You Keep (Read Proverbs 13:12-25)

"Everybody isn't your friend. Just because they hang around you and laugh with you doesn't mean they're for you. Just because they say they got your back doesn't mean they won't stab you in it. People pretend well. Jealousy sometimes doesn't live far. So, know your circle. At the end of the day, real situations expose fake people, so pay attention." ~ Trent Shelton

The adage, “Tell me who your friends are, and I’ll tell you who you are,” summarizes a profound truth about the impact of social relationships on our identities. This ancient saying suggests that our associations reflect our values, beliefs, and behaviors, underscoring the significant role that friendships and social circles play in shaping our character. From childhood to adulthood, the people we surround ourselves with influence our perspectives, aspirations, and even our self-esteem. In an era where social media amplifies our connections, our friendships become systematized rather than cultivated, and understanding this dynamic becomes increasingly essential when attempting to live a life centered on spiritual principles.

When I started my journey to live a Jesus-centered life, free from alcohol and all mood-altering substances, my mentor challenged me to listen to a set of cassette tapes on a series, “The Art of Exceptional Living,” by the late great business philosopher Jim Rohn, I did, and it changed my life. Below are a series of questions from Jim Rohn that helped shape my life. I still reflect on these questions often.

You must constantly ask yourself these questions: Who am I around? What are they doing to me? What have they got me reading? What have they got me saying? Where do they have me going? What do they have me thinking? Most importantly, what do they have me becoming? Then, ask yourself the big question: Is that okay? Your life does not get better by chance but through change. ~ Jim Rohn

Jim’s ideas and questions aren’t original; they come from Scripture. Jim was a devout Christian who often referenced the Bible in his teachings and talks. Today, our wisdom reading centers on influence and the people we choose to surround ourselves with.

²⁰ Walk with the wise and become wise;
    associate with fools and get in trouble.

²¹ Trouble chases sinners,
    while blessings reward the righteous.

"Be courteous to all, but intimate with few, and let those few be well tried before you give them your confidence." ~ George Washington

Today is an excellent day to inventory Proverbs 13:20 by reflecting on Jim Rohn’s questions and philosophy for living an exceptional life. You will experience revelation and inspiration by taking these questions seriously. Your response to these questions will help shape the rest of your earthly life and the life to come in heaven.

May God bless your hearing, understanding, and application of today's wisdom.