#bookofproverbs #friends #relationships #wisdom #wisdomquotes #honesty
The Sway of They | Fool | Pastor Ed Young
The book of Proverbs is full of wisdom about how we should conduct our lives. We’re looking specifically at who our friends are. Proverbs 27:19 says it plainly. “A mirror reflects a man’s face but what he’s really like is shown by the kind of friends he chooses.” We have the opportunity to choose who we associate with. Have they influenced you in a positive or a negative way?
Friends, the foundational relationship in everyone’s natural domain. In friendship, we’re constantly walking with people, sometimes toward them when we should be walking away. Because some people in your life and mine keep us from being the kind of people that God desires.
What do your friends influence you to do that you would not have done if they hadn’t been around?
Sometimes we need to walk away from some of the relationships we’ve established. Proverbs 14:7 tells us in The Message version, “Escape quickly from the company of fools; they’re a waste of your time, a waste of your words.” You may recognize your friends in some of the following people; people you should walk away from.
Display. The display 'they' are people who always try to one-up you. Oh, you just got back from a vacation in Cancun? Well, I chartered Bill Gates’ yacht and we sailed the Greek Isles for two months! They raise the bar on whatever you say. They are interested in not only looking good but looking better than you.
Proverbs 13:20 says, “Be friends with those who are wise and you’ll become wise.” Choose fools to be your friends and you’ll have trouble. The right 'they' always have HE in the middle. They’re people who love God with the totality of who they are, and they love their fellow man. They have been a part of the change that Jesus has brought about and it segues into their friendships and their relationships.
Paul states it plainly in 2 Corinthians 6:14 (NIV) “Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness?”
Some people may think God is being discriminatory or cruel, but I’ll tell you why God insists on being equally yoked. He cannot imagine, and he does not want two people, being together in marriage or who are dating, who cannot share that which is most near and dear to their heart, a relationship with Jesus.
The Bible also says in Deuteronomy 22:10 (NIV) “Do not plow with an ox and a donkey yoked together.” To do so can literally kill the ox because of what the donkey eats and the breath he exhales after eating. This verse can be related to the verse in 2 Corinthians. Our marriage, dating, and friend relationships should be with other believers.
Obviously, we should have friends in our lives who are far away from God. Otherwise, how can we tell them the Good News of the Gospel? I’m talking here about your close, deep, and emotional friendships. The church is a great place to find friends.
The Right People
Teachable. Hang out with people who want to learn, who are open, and who listen. Also, find people who ask questions. Proverbs 9:9, “Give instruction to a wise man and he will still be wiser. Teach a righteous man and he will increase in learning.” Be teachable and look for others who are
Honest. Proverbs 11:3 says, “The integrity of the upright will guide them, but the perversity of the treacherous will destroy them.” There’s a wholeness to someone who is honest. Don’t lie and don’t hang around with people who lie.
Encouraging. Don’t waste time trying to get others to like you. Instead, be with those who will celebrate with you.
Yielded. The Bible says in Proverbs 16:3, “Commit your work to the Lord and your plans will be established.” I commit everything I do to the Lord, and I want my friends to do so also.
It Begins With Jesus
Study the life of Jesus. Jesus is the perfect example of the person to be and the people you want to do life with. We spend a lot of time looking for ‘the best;’ the best doctor, dentist, and accountant. Why shouldn’t we look for the best relationships? We need to be intentional about who we choose to gather around us.
Pause and Reflect
It begins with a decision to know Christ because he has extended his nail-pierced hand to every single person. Jesus says I want to be your forever friend. I want to walk with you here and through eternity. Have you received Jesus? Have you received the Lord? Because that, friends, is the most important friendship ever.
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19 май 2018
