WHO ARE YOUR FRIENDS?

"You are right now, or soon will be, what your friends are." This is a quote from a preacher I heard at a youth rally, years ago. It has been embedded in my mind ever since. I was not a teenager at that rally, I was a grown woman, working with teenagers. However, it struck me that even as adults we need to be careful who our friends are. After all, our closest friends do seem to have the greatest impact on us, regardless of our age. The quote came back to my mind recently when I was having devotions. In my devotions, I read a Psalm every day. This particular day it was Psalm 26, "A Psalm of David. Judge me, O LORD; for I have walked in mine integrity: I have trusted also in the LORD; therefore I shall not slide. Examine me, O LORD, and prove me; try my reins and my heart. For thy lovingkindness is before mine eyes: and I have walked in thy truth. I have not sat with vain persons, neither will I go in with dissemblers. I have hated the congregation of evildoers; and will not sit with the wicked. I will wash mine hands in innocency: so will I compass thine altar, O LORD: That I may publish with the voice of thanksgiving, and tell of all thy wondrous works." I have read this chapter many times before, but when I got to the end of verse 7, I just stopped. This phrase, "That I may publish with the voice of thanksgiving, and tell of all thy wondrous works." Made me go back and re-read the verses before it. Whomever you are friends with, or associated with, or hang out with, or however you say it, make a difference in your life. Some of those choices you make while with those friends may even affect you for the rest of your life. I caution my children all the time that they think things through carefully. Sometimes, we make life altering decisions on a mere whim. Why do we do that? And when we make these decisions they are most often irreversible, and the results are most times heartbreaking. But once they are made, you can't go back. You have to live with the consequences. And friends, especially close ones, are often part of those choices. I Corinthians 15:33 says, "Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners." Bad company can corrupt the morals of a righteous person. And II Corinthians 6 :14-18 says, "Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty." Though we are in this world, to be a witness for Christ, we are not to be "of" this world. What business does a Christian have "hanging-out" with lost folks? What if you or I were the only testimony for Christ that our friends will ever see? Would they be won by our choices? Or have they already affected us and our worship? Those with whom you fellowship will have an affect on your worship of Christ, now AND in the future. These people are described in Psalm 26 as vain persons, evil doers, dissemblers, and the wicked. We are not supposed to associate with these folks because it will eventually affect how we voice our thanksgiving and publish the Lord's wondrous works. Look at Proverbs 13:20..."He that walketh with wise men shall be wise: but a companion of fools shall be destroyed." How do you know if someone is a fool or a wise man? Well, Proverbs describes what a wise man or son is, over and over. It says he will hear his father's instruction and will not forsake the law of his mother. It says that a wise woman buildeth her house. It says a wise person is discreet and chaste. The list goes on and on. But how do you know who a fool is? Well, the easy answer would be someone who is the opposite of all those things. Remember this, a fool is not someone born with difficulty comprehending or reasoning. A fool is someone who is what he is by his own choice. Now back to Ps. 26:7. It speaks of a thankful heart, a voice of thanksgiving, or one who can boast of all the Lord's wondrous works. This comes so much easier to those who have made right choices. It is so much easier to be thankful for what you haven't done. It is a better testimony too. I say that because you can share your testimony without having to be ashamed of all the wicked choices you've made. Of course anyone can share their testimony but we also know that in order for it have a great spiritual impact, it is better if it is a pure one. Philippians 2:15 is a verse that was instilled in me from the age of seven and it has never left me. You might even say, it haunts me sometimes. :-) It says, "That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world;" So no matter how old you are you must remember that our goal is to be a light in this world. Do your friends see your light? Do they even know you have one? Do they have your character, or have you adopted theirs? The Bible says, "Iron sharpeneth iron" so we need to be careful to choose the right friends so that they can "sharpen" us, and we in turn can "sharpen" them.