Young men wanna be street-smart. Players and coaches wanna be game-smart. Everyone wants to be money-smart. God wants us to be life-smart and to be wise on all fronts. And so He guides us to become just that, moving us toward wisdom.

Today's proverb highlights two of these wise moves.

1. WALK WITH THE WISE: Do life with them. Keep making that move. Wisdom is both a relationship-driven and footwork-driven thing. You find wisdom when you find wise people, and then walk with them. You grow in wisdom when you walk with a wise person. Take a special stroll with Jesus and find out.

2. STEER CLEAR OF FOOLS: See the fool coming and recalculate your route. Keep making that move. When you walk with a “wise guy” (a fool), there's spillover.

The harm that comes to fools comes your way too. Guilt by association plays out, like it or not. Foolishness has its victims: innocent bystanders. Keeping company with a fool hurts me more than I think.

So watch whom you stroll with. Keep seeking out godly, wise people with whom to walk. Select carefully. Don't get fooled. Don't go it alone.

"The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but a wise man listens to advice" (Proverbs 12:15). There are lots of fools pretending to be wise who will want to walk with you. Pick both your path and your company well. Both your wisdom and pain indexes pivot on this point.

Reflect: Whom are you walking with? (Going it alone may be foolish too.) Are you walking in wisdom? Is it time to change company or change paths? Are you getting in enough strolls with Jesus?

A prayer to consider: LORD, thank you for Jesus who committed to walk with us. Grant me sight to see this true Wisdom and always walk His way. I must see Jesus.

Help me to keep finding godly-wise people along the way too. Grant me courage to walk with them and reject the constant offer of fools to take a stroll. May I grow wise and not suffer the harm that fools and foolishness bring. Amen.