How do we overcome? How do we succeed? How do we change?
In the previous post, we looked at the importance of remembering what is biblically true, of who we are in Christ. In this post, we’ll ask the question: who do we hang with?
Who do we spend time with? Who are our companions? We like to think who we spend time with doesn’t matter, that who our friends are is not important. The biblical reality is that we become like those we spend time with. If we spend time with those who love Christ and seek to follow Him, we will become more like those who seek to obey Christ. If we spend our time with those who prefer sin, who like to follow the dictates of this world, who never think of, and disregard Christ (except as a swear word), then that is what we will become. Proverbs 13:20 sums it up: “He who walks with wise men will be wise. But the companion of fools will suffer harm” (NAU).
Psalm 1:1 describes the downward spiral: “How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, nor stand in the path of sinners, nor sit in the seat of scoffers” (NAU)! Note the progression: the person starts by walking with the wicked, listening to their counsel. The next step is to stop moving, to stand with sinners in their path, engaging in sin. Finally, one lands in the seat of scoffers. No longer moving, not even standing with the potential to move, the person is now sitting in the worst possible place. At that point one not only is sinning, but also scoffing at what is right. The person has taken up residence the scoffers. The person has become like those he’s been spending his time with. As the Psalmist points out, blessed is the person who doesn’t do this.
Instead, as verse 2 states, one is to delight in the law of the Lord, and think about that day and night. When a person is dwelling on God, one will be staying far away from the counsel of the wicked, the way of sinners and sitting with scoffers.
What we focus on matters, and we will continue the discussion in the next post.
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