Freinds


If you asked me what one thing had the biggest impact on my life, I would say friends.

Here is why. When entered high school I was young an innocent and very naïve and I had just transferred from a Evangelical Christian School, a private Christian school, to Riverdale High School, a stereotypical redneck school. And I was your classic prep school graduate who liked video games and reading, so it could be said that I wasn't exactly well known among this crowd. So it was only natural that I was a little desperate to make friends. Unfortunately I was not very discerning about who I became friends with. So I made friends with just about anybody that would talk to me... and pretty girls.

Whats so wrong with this you ask? This is how friends are made, you say, well just listen.

Like I said I was the innocent and naïve one, and it showed. In fact it was so bad, that I was told I shouldn't curse because it sounded wrong coming out of my mouth. So my friends, being so kind and considerate, decided to take it upon themselves to corrupt me. Hence began their campaign to dirty my thoughts, pervert my speech, and sour my mood. Soon I was listening to Green Day's Boulevard of Broken Dreams, cursing like any other high school student, and had become talented at crafting dirty jokes. Exactly the kind of person you would expect a son of God to be, right?

The problem was that I didn't head the advice of Psalms 1:1 - Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; - These people were not people of God and where not concerned with Him nor His statutes an where thus evil people. It was in there counsel I walked, I stood among them, and I sat in fellowship. I partook in there deeds, as they would partake. Now I live with the consequences. What they did to my mind can not be undone only subdued.

But there is a flip side to this story.

I now have great friends, who love God and encourage me in my walk with God. They keep me focused on God and confront me when I am in sin. These are the truest friends I have ever had in my life. They are legitimately concerned with my well being, not how far into depravity they can pull me. Instead then pull me into righteousness by being righteous themselves. These are the types on friends you should have.

So what now? What should you do with your depraved friends?

I wish I could say that the best thing to do it to dump all the bad influences in your life and marginalize friends who don't care about God, but I personally know that sometimes this isn't an option. For example, I have a friend whom if I were ever to abandon would curse God and my religion. Its a catch twenty-two, if I remove the this person from my life I would tarnish the name of the One whom I am trying to worship by leaving this friend. So I can personally attest to the fact that it is never as easy as it sounds. So I give you this advice, put your Godly friends above those who are not, but do not abandon the others, pray for them and witness to them, so that one day they might become a friend that is as close as a brother.

1 comment

Kait said...

Bueno! Well said. I've fought with some of these same things, but also with my own little twists. It seems to be, that Satan uses friends in the trickiest of ways to pull us away from God.

-Kait

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