August 8
Esther 1-2
Psalm 89:27-37
Proverbs 20:1-2
I Corinthians 15:20-34
Bad Company
“Do not be misled: Bad company corrupts good character.” I Corinthians 15:33
There is an old Assyrian proverb that says, “Tell me who your friends are, and I will tell you who you are.” The people who we hang out with really do affect us. If we hang out with gossipers, we are going to become gossipers. If we hang out with drunkards, we will more than likely become drunkards. If we hang out with cheaters and liars, we will become liars and cheats. If we hang out with people who are constantly grumbling and complaining, we will fall into their negativity. It usually doesn’t happen suddenly. It begins with a little compromise here and then an indulgence there. Before we know it, we are doing things that we would not have thought we would do, and we find ourselves making excuses and believing it is ok. At first our conscience kicks in and we feel guilty, but the more we ignore it, the less guilt we feel, and we can convince ourselves that what we are doing is fine. And then eventually we believe we are justified and what we are doing is actually good. Peer pressure is a powerful influence. We want to believe that we will be able to influence them for good, but that is rarely the case. If you are in a hole and someone tries to help you out, it is lot easier for you to pull them down into the hole with you than it is for them to pull you up and out of the hole. This principle is multiplied if you are hanging out with a group of people who are doing things that you know you shouldn’t. It is much easier for all of them to convince you to do bad, than for you to convince them to stop.
Proverbs 13:20-21 says, “Spend time with the wise and you will become wise, but the friends of fools will suffer. Proverbs 24:1-2 tells us, “Do not envy the wicked, do not desire their company; for their hearts plot violence, and their lips talk about making trouble.” Psalm 26:4-5 encourages us, “Do not spend time with liars, nor make friends with those who hide their sin. Hate the company of evil people and do not sit with the wicked.” The argument we often hear is that Jesus spent time with sinners, and we cannot stay in our holy huddles if we want to reach the lost. I totally agree with this. I am not suggesting that we do not associate with people who don’t have the same moral beliefs that we have. What I am saying is that they cannot be the people you hang out with all the time. They should not be your best friends. Jesus had his twelve disciples that He spent most of His time with. We need a group of people who love us, want what is best for us, and who will hold us accountable in our Christian walk. They should be the ones we spend most of our time with. They should be the ones who influence us and who we do life with. It is important to evaluate periodically who our friends are. Even our Christian friends may be having a negative influence on us if they are encouraging us to do things that do not glorify God. If we find ourselves struggling with some area of sin, we may need to look at our friends. If they are having a negative impact on us, we may need to distance ourselves from their influence and instead spend time with people who lift us up and encourage us spiritually.
Comments