Daily Devotional For Monday, April 20, 2026
Good morning Southside! I pray all is going well with and for you today. Our devotional for today comes from Proverbs 12:26:
“The righteous is a guide to his neighbor, But the way of the wicked leads them astray” (NASB).
The Book of Proverbs is filled with verses that refer to the righteous and for good reason. They are a blessing to the Lord. As you read this Proverb you can tell it is what we call a comparative proverb. The first line reflects something or someone godly and the second line reflects someone ungodly. Scholars and translators have struggled for years to translate this specific proverb accurately. Some begin it this way: “A righteous man is a guide to his friend.”
The issue resides with the word translated as “guide.” This is the Hebrew word [יָתֵ֣ר, yater]. This word is a military term that is often translated as “to investigate” or “to make reconnaissance.” This means that a godly person does some careful research before entering into a deep friendship with someone. The Book of Proverbs has many proverbs dealing with friendship, but the emphasis is on the beginning or the early stages of developing a friendship with someone.
When we see it this way, then the second line makes more sense. This is an area the wicked are weak and fail to protect. Godly friends will influence us to bring glory to Jesus Christ; ungodly friends will lead our hearts away from God, to the point our heart becomes hardened. We can see some parallels to this in a parable by Jesus in Luke 12:28-32, where Jesus emphasized “counting the cost” before we do anything.
The wicked are easily swayed to be more wicked for two reasons: (1) They are wicked and (2) because they are associating with the wrong “friends.” We are known by the company we keep. We have a saying in the South that goes like this, “Birds of a feather flock together.” 1 Corinthians 15:33 says, “Do not be deceived: ‘Bad company corrupts good morals’” (NASB). It is not enough to make our closest friends someone who goes to church. For example, walking into a church no more makes you a Christian as walking into a garage makes you a car. Our closest friends should be those who point and push us to obedience in Christ.
Reflection Assignment: Would the Lord say that your closest friends push you to be more like Him? Would the Lord say He is pleased with who you say are your closest friends? When you see the potential for the growth of a new friendship, do you do your own reconnaissance on that person to see if they should be a close friend? Why or why not?
Scripture To Meditate On: Proverbs 13:20, “He who walks with wise men will be wise, But the companion of fools will suffer harm” (NASG).
Prayer To Pray: “Dear Lord, help me and convict me to choose my closest friends carefully. I don’t want just great close friends, but godly ones. I want godly friends who push me to You and I push them to You. I love You Lord. In Jesus’ name, Amen!”
I love you Southside – Pastor Kelly