WHO DO YOU RUN WITH?

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In Christ, Mark

The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

My son, if sinful men entice you, do not give in to them. If they say, “Come along with us; let’s lie in wait for innocent blood, let’s ambush some harmless soul; let’s swallow them alive, like the grave, and whole, like those who go down to the pit; we will get all sorts of valuable things and fill our houses with plunder; cast lots with us; we will all share the loot”— my son, do not go along with them, do not set foot on their paths; for their feet rush into evil, they are swift to shed blood.

How useless to spread a net where every bird can see it! These men lie in wait for their own blood; they ambush only themselves!

Such are the paths of all who go after ill-gotten gain; it takes away the life of those who get it.

Proverbs 1:10-19

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

I remember an old saying that pertained to maintaining a healthy body:

You are what you eat.

Of course, the inference was that if you ate all the wrong things, you can expect your body to reflect that. Unhealthy foods would result in an unhealthy body. I have always loved the saying, not only because it is 100 percent true but also because it has broader applications.

Let me explain.

When my daughters were growing up, I used to tell them, “You are what you eat” but I wasn’t talking about food. Rather, I was referring to being careful about the things they watched and the things they listened to.

There was a perfect parallel. Watch television shows and movies that had inappropriate conduct and language and you would place yourself in a position to be corrupted by it. Listen to music laced with profanity and improper reference to people and life and it can impact the way you talk and see others. Whatever you allow to enter your ears and eyes can be damaging to your mind just as much as eating the wrong foods can harm your body.

As we continue to study from the 1st Chapter of Proverbs, we find yet another application of the “you are what you eat” principle. Look at these verses:

My son, if sinful men entice you, do not give in to them. If they say, “Come along with us; let’s lie in wait for innocent blood, let’s ambush some harmless soul; let’s swallow them alive, like the grave, and whole, like those who go down to the pit; we will get all sorts of valuable things and fill our houses with plunder; cast lots with us; we will all share the loot”— my son, do not go along with them, do not set foot on their paths; for their feet rush into evil, they are swift to shed blood.

How useless to spread a net where every bird can see it! These men lie in wait for their own blood; they ambush only themselves!

Such are the paths of all who go after ill-gotten gain; it takes away the life of those who get it.

These words of caution intend to warn us about the dangers in running with the wrong crowd or relating to the wrong people. The focus here is on the power of influence and how we need to be careful that we don’t find ourselves in cahoots with people who are sinning and committing evil acts. Truly, there have been more than just a few stories that ended badly for people who were generally good until they chose to involve themselves with people who led them to do bad.

In the verses we read, the focus is on associating with people who would kill another and then steal from them but the scenario need not be so harsh. Perhaps you’re involved in a group that bullies or vandalizes or steals and you end up participating in acts with them. If you’re not careful, you can easily find yourself assimilated into their behaviors and as guilty as they are for the resultant actions.

So, the question is:

Who do you run with? Who are you involved with and what kind of influence are they on you?

It’s a question we all need to ponder but the matter of who we allow to influence us needs to be always in the forefront, particularly in keeping the Lord first in our hearts, minds, and souls. When we make a conscious effort to always make this happen, to always run with the Lord in our lives more than anyone else, to “watch what we eat”, then and only then can we ensure that we will be healthy spiritually and ever walking the path of righteousness far away from the path of sin.

Amen. 

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it.

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