Ever considered the impact the company you keep has on your life? Ever paused to consider the company you are keeping and how they are impacting your life? Are you hanging out with the wise? Or could it be that you are hanging out with fools? What if you discovered that you are hanging out with bad company? Let’s pause and consider what impact that can have on our lives.
Impact explained through Proverbs:
Proverbs 13:20 (NIV) states, "Walk with the wise and become wise, for a companion of fools suffers harm." This verse highlights the idea that the people you surround yourself with can significantly influence your character, decisions, and ultimately, the course of your life.
Choosing wise and godly companions aligns with biblical principles and can lead to positive outcomes. Fellowship with those who share similar values, moral standards, and a commitment to living according to God’s Word can provide support, encouragement, and accountability in your spiritual journey.
Impact of running with a bad crowd:
Conversely, associating with those who do not share or undermine biblical values can lead to negative consequences. The Bible warns against bad company in 1 Corinthians 15:33 (NIV), stating, "Do not be misled: 'Bad company corrupts good character.'" Being in the company of individuals who engage in ungodly behavior may lead you astray and compromise your commitment to a righteous and godly life.
Choose the company you keep wisely:
Therefore, it is crucial to choose your companions wisely, seeking relationships that align with biblical principles. Surrounding yourself with those who inspire spiritual growth, integrity, and love for God can positively impact various aspects of your life, fostering a supportive environment for personal and spiritual development.
This year I am using the 365 Daily Devotions book I received for Christmas and applying it towards being dads. It’s called WALKING WITH GOD by DAVID JEREMIAH. It’s exciting to get to learn from a new resource this year as we have tried different options the past two years and will keep working through this one for 2024. For more information about the author and his ministry, visit: DavidJeremiah.org.
Topic: GOOD COMPANY
Verse: 2 CORINTHIANS 8:16-23
Thanks be to God, who put into the heart of Titus the same concern I have for you. For Titus not only welcomed our appeal, but he is coming to you with much enthusiasm and on his own initiative. And we are sending along with him the brother who is praised by all the churches for his service to the gospel. What is more, he was chosen by the churches to accompany us as we carry the offering, which we administer in order to honor the Lord himself and to show our eagerness to help. We want to avoid any criticism of the way we administer this liberal gift. For we are taking pains to do what is right, not only in the eyes of the Lord but also in the eyes of man. In addition, we are sending with them our brother who has often proved to us in many ways that he is zealous, and now even more so because of his great confidence in you. As for Titus, he is my partner and co-worker among you; as for our brothers, they are representatives of the churches and an honor to Christ.
Dads need to protect their families by keeping good company
Therefore, let’s be the dads who are keeping good company who have the same concerns we have. Additionally, let’s be the dads who partner with and are co-workers with our wives in the raising of our children and ministering to our world. Moreover, let’s be the dads who answer the call of God and live as representatives of the church in ways that will honor Jesus.
For greater impact, don’t go it alone!
Today’s Devotional speaks to the importance of not going it alone. It uses the examples of mountain climbers and scuba divers to amplify the importance of going in teams. So, let’s be the dads who don’t try to do it all in our own strength and by ourselves but instead “realize the necessity sticking together in our pursuit” to be the dads our wives, kids, and world need us to be.
Today’s Devotional points to Paul as an example in his ministry adventures of not going it alone as an example for each of us. We need to be the dads who aren’t going it alone and are choosing to make “an investment” into each one we team up with. Let’s be the dads who are “mentoring and challenging” our kids and those we are teaming up with so that “they can live out God’s purposes in their lives” and setting them up to continue the process by being able to lead others.
Today’s Devotional closes out with this thought and challenge:
- “we never have to go it alone”
- God has given us our wives, our kids, and others “whom we can take a deep interest in and spur on”
Let’s be the dads who look for opportunities to come alongside our brothers and help spur them on to be all that God has created and purposed for them to be. Let’s be the dads who take up the torch in order to be able to “climb higher and dive deeper” for the glory of God and the benefit of our wives and kids.
The truth is that teamwork is at the heart of great achievement.
JOHN MAXWELL
