Connections

I was sitting in on our Young Adult Bible Study last night and Pastor D was reading from II Samuel 13, this tells the story of Amnon (David’s half brother) and the rape of Tamar (David’s sister). I was blindsided by what I read in the first five words of verse three (you gotta love it when God smacks you with a 2 by 4 up side the head) “But Amnon had a friend…” Amnon was cool; he realized that the things he was thinking about could not come to past. But that friend not only brought the thoughts back but helped him plot his demise.

We all have that one friend…
· That one you know you should let go of, but can’t because you’ve been friends since you were kids
· That one that we like to hang out but our other friends can’t stand
· That one who, despite always putting on their best face to you, just seems to be slowly tearing you apart from the inside out
· That one who keeps falling into weird, random dramas (most of the time taking you with them)
· That one that you just can’t tell nothing, because they don’t get that “Loose Lips Sink Ships”

The list could go on and on but you know “That Friend.” Why do we hold on to these people? We go through unnecessary drama after drama after drama because of these folks but they are still on our friends list. They usually never have our best interests at heart, never have our backs, and usually thrust the first knife in said back. But, we as gluttons for punishment keep them around.

A friend can be a blessing or a curse. The company you keep determines the life you live, because our friends have the power to influence us. When we choose the right friends, they will empower us to succeed but on the other hand, the wrong friends will empower us to fail. We must choose our friends wisely. Our character is partly shaped by the people with we spend our time with. Don’t be deceived, the wrong associations (evil companionships) will corrupt good manners or character (I Corinthians 15:33). There’s a saying, “Birds of a feather, flock together.” So, if you associate with thieves, more than likely you are a thief or are on you way to being one.
I hear you saying, “But I am ministering to them.” There is a difference in being friends with and ministering to people and seeing a life change vs. being friends with, and pacifying their life choices. The Bible tells us that we get to decide whether we’ll walk with the wise or flounder with fools. Which will you choose?

Does it really matter which friends you select? After all, shouldn’t a Christian be willing to have anyone around as a friend? It Does Matter Who Our Friends Are! The Bible has many timeless lessons and instructions that deal directly with these important issues. The book of Proverbs is full of instructions concerning how we can do well and become successful, including instructions on how we should choose our friends. Proverbs 13:20 instructs us that “he who walks with the wise grows wise, but a companion of fools suffers harm.”

When we apply Proverbs 13:20 to our lives we reap the benefits of it. There is no escaping the truth that if we surround ourselves with good, wise friends throughout our lives, we will reap limitless benefits in the forms of success, happiness and personal contribution to others. My charge for you today is to begin replacing your negative or morally deficient friends with good ones. This might not be easy, but it is necessary to avoid having them influence you toward unchristian values. The only way to avoid is to make a clean yet polite break with the negative group and then gradually make friends with individuals who are moral and positive. These friends will elevate you to higher standards and will help you reach your potential.

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