There are many people tugging at us in life. Some urge us to do what is good, while others tempt us to do evil. Few influences are greater than that of our friends.
At school, we have daily opportunities to make friends who can shape our lives. Continual association (friendship) with others affects us for better or worse, and the decisions we make influence those around us. Consider the impact friends can have on your path:
“He who walks with wise men will be wise, but the companion of fools will be destroyed.” — Proverbs 13:20
“Do not be deceived: ‘Evil company corrupts (ruins) good habits.’” — 1 Corinthians 15:33
Choosing Wisdom Over Folly
If you want to be wise, you must surround yourself with friends who love wisdom. When your friends make wise choices based on Bible teachings, you are far less likely to get involved in activities that displease God.
If you want to make good decisions, do not choose friends who do not care about God’s standards or the consequences of their actions. Spending time with people who ignore the impact of their behavior will lead you to make foolish choices. This can limit your future opportunities and pull you away from God.
A Cautionary Tale from High School
I had a high school friend who was quiet and highly responsible. In Boy Scouts, he was an excellent Patrol Leader, and in school, he was a good student.
However, during our junior year, he began hanging out with boys who skipped classes and did not care about their future. They wasted time causing trouble until one night, things went too far.
They broke into the school to steal sound equipment. The police chased their truck as they fled down the school driveway. The boys threw the equipment out of the back of the truck to get rid of the evidence—damaging it completely—but the officers caught them.
Because my friend had no prior criminal record, the judge allowed him to move to Florida to live with his father. This was a massive, forced change. It broke his connection to those bad influences and forced him to start over. He knew his problems began with a poor choice of friends.
Walk in the Light
Choose your friends with care. Focus on relationships that build you up instead of tearing you down.
“Do not enter the path of the wicked, and do not walk in the way of evil. Avoid it, do not travel on it; turn away from it and pass on. For they do not sleep unless they have done evil; and their sleep is taken away unless they make someone fall.
For they eat the bread of wickedness, and drink the wine of violence. But the path of the just is like the shining sun, that shines ever brighter unto the perfect day. The way of the wicked is like darkness; they do not know what makes them stumble.” — Proverbs 4:13-19
Private Reflection Journal
What is one thing from this study that you can apply to your life today? Jot down your thoughts below.