With Chapter 13 the contrast between the wise and the foolish continues. In one of my 'read throughs' of the Bible with "The Word as a Way of Life" my notation for this section was the first part of verse 3... "He that keepeth his mouth keepeth his life". Very simple but very difficult to accomplish. James chapter 3 questions who can tame the tongue. It is dependent on the 'abundant' part of life that Jesus said was ours in Him.
Another important feature to today's reading is found in verse 20. We can get very comfortable with our opinions about ourselves because we are not like so - n - so! Our reality check is quite simple... who are our companions? Although not a proverb in the biblical text there is a saying: "birds of a feather, flock together". You never see a mix of sparrows, crows, and red-wing black birds. Are your companions likeminded with your walk with Christ? If you have to compromise your walk with Christ around your companions what would wisdom say? God wants us to keep our talk and our walk toward that which pertains to life!
See you tomorrow, Pastor Herb