March 7, 2016

Surround Yourself With Godly People

See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the elemental spiritual forces of this world rather than on Christ. -- Colossians 2:8

A sweet friend offers this advice: If you’re wearing a white t-shirt and you keep brushing up against a dirty t-shirt, pretty soon your white t-shirt is going to be dirty too.

She tells this as a warning to those who think they can hang out with anyone they choose without the other person’s bad habits influencing them negatively. Of course it will. It’s the slippery slope downward to sin.

Don’t misunderstand what I am saying. We all sin. All of us. But it helps when we surround ourselves with people who are trying to do right instead of surrounding ourselves with people who will entice us to do wrong.

It’s like when you go on a diet. Do you want to hang out with people who will try to convince you to eat cake and ice cream or do you want to be around people who will support and encourage you?

I have been blessed with some wonderful friends. I know the ones who will always tell me the truth. Always. Especially when it’s not what I want to hear. I trust them because their words come from love and the values that we share.

I also have people in my life that I really like. But I keep them at a distance. Why? Because they are quick to make excuses for doing the wrong thing. Cheat on your taxes? Sure, everyone does it. Take extra time off work without reporting it? Why not? They don’t know or care. Take a long look at someone who isn’t your spouse? Who does it hurt?

Do you understand the difference? Surround yourself with people you admire, people who will hold you accountable and people who expect you to hold them accountable. Don’t let yourself be deceived by the sweet talking lies of others.

Thursday, May 17, 2012

Avoid Bad Influences

Dear brothers and sisters, if another Christian is overcome by some sin, you who are godly should gently and humbly help that person back onto the right path. And be careful not to fall into the same temptation yourself. -- Galatians 6:1

Some people are best avoided. I know. It’s just plain and simple advice. All of us have people in our lives who bring out the worst in us and the best way to deal with it is to just avoid being around them as much as we can.

The reasons they are a bad influence are varied. Maybe they aren’t honest. Maybe they have a drug or alcohol problem. Maybe they don’t share your values. Whatever the reason, they seem determined to take you down with them.

You’ve heard the comments. “Oh, what’s one more drink?” or “Surely, you can afford to buy that for yourself?” or “It’s okay. Nobody will ever know who took it.” Yeah. They’ve got a lot of excuses.

And if you don’t go along, they’ve got plenty to say about that too. “What are you, a goody two-shoes?” “Surely you don’t need to check with your spouse about every thing you buy?” or “Are you afraid you can’t handle it?” They’d like to force you into doing what they want by turning it into an issue of pride or respect.

If you’re wise, you resist. But sometimes it’s hard. It really is. Because you want that new pair of shoes you really don’t need and can’t afford. Or you figure who’ll notice those office supplies missing. Or you tell yourself that one more drink can’t possibly make that much difference in your ability to drive home. Temptation is everywhere.

There’s another group of people that’s best to avoid as well. Those are the ones who really get on your nerves. They call you incessantly. They ask the same questions again and again. They’re slow. They’re clumsy. They’re, well, they just can’t help being who they are anymore than you can help being who you are.

But they make it really hard to control that evil tongue of yours. You find yourself wanting to lash out in the worst way. You dislike yourself for disliking them. You even think bad thoughts about them. You know it’s all sin. We’re supposed to love everyone, especially the people we really don’t like.

So, sometimes the best course of action is to stay away from people who lead you to sin. I know sometimes it’s not easy. Family members are some of the worst when it come to this. But the more you limit your time with them, the easier it will be to resist the temptations. And the more you resist the temptations, the better influence you’ll be for them.

And that’s how it should be. Paul tells us to help people return to the right path but he also warned us about not falling into that temptation ourselves. Sometimes that means keeping those who tempt us with their sin at a healthy distance from our lives.