Have you seen any friends go astray? Have any gone off to college and surprised you? Why is that? What keeps some people walking with the Lord, while others go off on foolish, sinful paths of error and evil?
One factor is peers.
1 Corinthians 15:33 warns, “Do not be deceived: bad company corrupts good morals.”
When you hang out with bad people, you will become bad—slowly, perhaps, but eventually, you will slide down that slippery slope until you reach their level. That’s why Paul writes “DO NOT BE DECEIVED.” It WILL happen.
The writer of Proverbs says the same thing.
“The one who walks with the wise will become wise, but a companion of fools will suffer harm.” Proverbs 13:20.
This verse includes both the negative warning of 1 Corinthians 15, but also the positive promise: If you walk with the wise, you will BECOME wise. Isn’t that great? This is one of the things that motivated me to keep my children in a Christian school: every time I was ready to move them elsewhere, God reminded me of the private school’s positive influence. Of course, neither the kids nor the adults were perfect. But overall, the influences at a Christian private school are better than they are in a public school. Sure, there are drinkers, drugs, sex, bullying, whatever—but not to the same degree as in a public school. And sure, public schools have some great Christian kids in them—but not to the same degree as the private school.
The Biblical principle above will always apply to your lives, both in college and beyond. As you choose your friends, choose WISELY. Pray about your friendships.
Ask God to bring you friends who will encourage you to love God and walk with Him faithfully every day. Ask Him to send you WISE friends, so that you can “walk with the wise and become wise.” Ask God also to protect you from becoming the companion of fools—because those who do will suffer harm.
ΑΩ
Household Words: 