food for thought - choosing friendships

August 28, 2011

He who walks with the wise grows wise, but a companion of fools suffers harm. (Prov. 13:20)

He who keeps the law is a discerning son, but a companion of gluttons disgraces his father. (Prov. 28:7)

Do not join those [associate - God's word translation] who drink too much wine or gorge themselves on meat, (Prov. 23:20)

The first verse shows what is true of all circumstances. Be a companion of wise people, and you will inevitably grow wise through your interactions and discussions with them. Be a companion of fools, and you will inevitably grow foolish because of their influence and interactions. We may think that we're the one 'wise' person who can stay in the midst of fools and not be influenced, but if we really thought about it, we'd know there are no exceptions. In a similar thought process, look at who your friends are, who you hang out with often, and know that they reflect who you are.

The second and third verses tell us to not be a companion or even associate with those who drink too much or are gluttonous. Do we take that third verse seriously enough? Or do we gloss over it because we think we're an exception, because we don't want to lose friends, because we think we know better? God knows us better than we do, and we honestly do not value our soul enough in comparison to friendships and the activities we choose to partake in. I think it terribly sad to see proclaimed Christians hanging around people prone to drinking/drunkenness and those who like to feast too much, because I have yet to see one case where they themselves did not occasionally fall into getting buzzed/drunk and I have yet to see one case where they themselves can honestly say they are driven in holy and pure passion for God and have touched God because it really doesn't make sense to tolerate sins in your life but say you have a holy and pure passion for God.

Do we really uphold in our life the principles laid out for us in the Bible? Or do we rather give way to comfortableness, and uphold the idea that we and our friends that fall into these categories are an exception? We know what is right but we don't do it. Oh, that the Holy Spirit would convict us more of our sins and the ways that we uphold our own 'intelligence' over the principles and truths of the Bible.