Hey Bible readers, I'm Tara Lee Cobble, and I'm your host for the Bible Recap.

As we continue in Proverbs, we read more of Solomon's words. Chapter 13 juxtaposed the consequences

of walking in wisdom and walking in foolishness.

He almost makes it sound like the wise person will live a charmed life and have exactly zero problems.

Think about the wisest person you know. Have they suffered at all in their life? And wouldn't they

probably say that their suffering is what has produced some of their wisdom? I know my suffering has

certainly taught me things I wouldn't have learned otherwise. Wisdom and suffering aren't mutually

exclusive like proverbs can occasionally make them seem. So it bears repeating, these proverbs are

general guidelines for wise living, not promises or prophecies. So the good news for all of us is that

if we're having a hard time, it doesn't

necessarily mean we're foolish. But it might mean we have a chance to grow in wisdom, which will

always last longer than the suffering itself. Speaking of wisdom, verse 20 is one of my favorites

from this chapter. It says, whoever walks with the wise becomes wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm.

You've probably heard the quote that's attributed to Jim Rohn that says,

You're the average of the five people you spend the most time with.

And as smart as he was, Jim probably got that idea from Solomon.

Paul says it this way in 1st Corinthians 1533.

Do not be deceived. Bad company ruins good morals.

The wise aren't just attentive to their words, like we've seen repeatedly. They're attentive to

their company as well. If you don't know a lot of wise people, or you've tried and failed to find a

mentor, or most of your coworkers or family members aren't believers, you may have a

greater difficulty in making this happen. But fortunately, we live in a time where you can access

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