Keep Good Company

“Do not be deceived: ‘Bad company corrupts good morals.’ Become sober-minded as you ought, and stop sinning; for some have no knowledge of God. I speak this to your shame.” 1 Corinthians 15:33-34

God has blessed me with many wonderful and godly friends through the years but I still recognize the need to pray that I will continue to guard my heart and my mind against the enemy in his attempts to deceive and corrupt me. I want to be used by God and I want others to see Him at work in me but I also know that bad company does corrupt good morals. I don’t ever want to lose sight of the fact that God hates sin yet loves the sinner and that I have a responsibility to love the sinner as He does without being corrupted by their sin. Always remember that you are in the world and not of it so that your alliances won’t cause you to bring dishonor to God’s holy name.

This is another area where I have first hand knowledgeand sadly bad company can be found even in the church; that’s why we must continually guard our hearts against deception. Pastor Holder has said many times that the values and the character of our friends are a pretty good reflection of our own morals and it is certainly true. Remaining sober-minded and focused on Him will keep you from being deceived, misled or corrupted while showing God’s love to the sinner.