In case you missed it yesterday… Get wisdom! Again we see that all other good things flow from Wisdom.
“Exalt her, and she will promote you; She will bring you honor, when you embrace her. She will place on your head an ornament of grace; A crown of glory she will deliver to you.” Hear, my son, and receive my sayings, And the years of your life will be many. … When you walk, your steps will not be hindered, And when you run, you will not stumble.” (Proverbs 4:8-10, 12 NKJV)
How can we know we are operating in wisdom? Solomon gives a way to tell in the form of observation of the company you keep.
“Do not enter the path of the wicked, And do not walk in the way of evil. Avoid it, do not travel on it; Turn away from it and pass on. For they do not sleep unless they have done evil; And their sleep is taken away unless they make someone fall. For they eat the bread of wickedness, And drink the wine of violence.” (Proverbs 4:14-17 NKJV)
Based on that, here are some questions to ask about your friends and associates. Are they evil? Do they delight in seeing others fall? Are they restless until they have done evil? Do they enjoy violence? These questions seem simple to answer for us today, but are they? Many of us and our friends do not enjoy violence, at least not in the real world, but how about in video games? What about on television? Doesn’t it feel good to see someone “get what’s coming to them” in a movie. To see a “justified killing” produces in us a sense of right overcoming wrong, but it’s still violent.
Digital association is a powerful tool, for good and for evil. What is digital association you ask, it is a connection between things or people via a digital medium or other technology. Some examples would include CDs or DVDs of a leadership coach, the more you listen or watch them, the more you will think and act like the coach recorded on them. Conference calls, Skype, chatrooms, all of these given enough time will shape our thoughts and actions to be more like the people producing or participating in them. Podcasts, television shows, movies, these are all forms of digital association. Some forms are stronger than others, but all have the power to shape our thoughts and actions given enough time and re-enforcing behavior.
Back to the question at hand, am I living in wisdom? Take stock of what you are doing with your time and association in the above questions, and you are well on your way to knowing if you are walking with the wise or spending too much time with fools.
