Friends, Foes, and Fools

“Walk with the wise and become wise, for a companion of fools suffers harm.” Proverbs 13:20

John D. Rockefeller was the first billionaire in the history of the world. At one time, the company he started, the Standard Oil Company, controlled and marketed 90% of the oil produced in America. If you ever see an Exxon, Mobil, Amoco, or a Chevron, it is because of this man’s vision and ingenuity. For the greater part of his life, he was by far the richest man in the world. When he died in 1918, he was valued at about $1.5 billion. His worth was the equivalent of almost 2 % of the U.S. economic output that year. He would be worth the equivalent of $341 billion now.

When Rockefeller was asked the secret to what made him so successful he said, “People will pay more for the ability to deal with people than any other ability under the sun.” There is an old saying, “It is not what you know; it’s who you know.” The truth is actually deeper. It is not just who you know, but how you know who you know that really matters. Every part of your life is built around relationships.

There was a man by the name of Solomon who became one of the greatest kings in history. He wrote a letter to his children called, “Proverbs.” In this letter, he shared several secrets about how to build the kind of relationships that will help you to be everything that God wants you to be. King Solomon addressed how we are to build relationships with trusted friends, graciously handle our foes, and wisely deal with the foolish people we encounter.

Friends, foes, and fools…life is full of all three. Thankfully, we do not have to leave friendship up to chance. God has told us in His Word how to nurture deep and meaningful friendships.

Dear Lord, it is my desire to surround myself with quality friendships and relationships. Please, God, give me wisdom as I choose who to associate with and who to stay close to. In Jesus' name, amen.