WISDOM WALKS WITH MEN OF INTEGRITY
The proverbs of Solomon son
of David, king of Israel: for gaining wisdom and instruction; for understanding
words of insight; Proverbs 1:1-2
How
many of us long for insight and wisdom.
How many of us long to be men of integrity. We have the instructions set before us as to
how to gain it. Years ago, a mentor told
me that the best thing I could do to become a man of integrity would be to plant
myself around wise men and pattern after their ways. It didn’t take long to
realize that if I did that, I would be able to learn from their wisdom and grow
from their good character.
He who walks with the
wise grows wise, but a companion of fools suffers harm. Proverbs 13:2
Do
you have a wise man around you in whom you can confide? Is there a colleague or business associate to
whom you can go for biblical advice. Going to and learning from others is an
act of humility in which we can use to garner good common sense and
integrity.
There
are many men of wisdom and integrity still infiltrating this politically
correct environment we live in today.
But sometimes it is hard to find someone who has the time to mentor
others. So when you do find someone,
latch on to them like glue, and absorb all the wisdom and common sense you can
and use it for the kingdom.
God
expects us to be a lifetime learner, and sometimes, I feel like only a
beginner. Wisdom comes from walking with
the wise, not flirting with fools.
So
where do you go to find wise people? Where
better than the Church could you find people of this quality and
character? And once you find them, get
to know them well. See if what they do
aligns with what they say, by feeling out their wife or watching how they
respond to their children. If at all
possible speak with their friends or relatives to see if that alignment holds
true in all walks of life. Once they have
been vetted as much as possible, get with them, stick right by their side, and
if they will permit it, walk with them on the journey. Good people, engage with other good
people. In our society today, there is
so much influence of skilled people with corrupt morals that we have to face on
a daily basis. We are sometimes misled
by bad company, which corrupts what we are trying to do. We must intentionally work hard at obtaining integrity.
Beware
of those who do not follow through on what they say they will do. That is not integrity. Some are able to talk the talk, but do not
practice what they preach. Author Don
Galer says “Integrity is what we do, what we say, and what we say we do.” Integrity comes through honesty. We must first tell the truth to ourselves,
before we are able to tell the truth to others.
Then we must be persistent and consistent to look for those who are
likeminded and can help us grow in the faith.
Dock
Caton 02/17/13
