Being social is an important characteristic of mankind. However, we can choose to associate with people we shouldn’t. This devotion looks at the advice Solomon gave his son about not associating with people who would lead him into sin.
Nuggets
- Mankind needs to be a member of a community.
- We have to watch the kind of company we are keeping.
- People who have not ABCDed are heading down a bad path — to hell.
Maybe one of the hardest challenges for people during this shelter-in-place time has been the lack of social contact. We spend so much time in and around others.
And then they were gone.
Even introverts like me have been struggling with the lack of contact. We can’t be with people with whom we choose to associate. Truth be known, though, we have long associated with people to stave off loneliness.
Sometimes, that loneliness can tempt us to fall into bad company. Solomon gave his son advice regarding this topic.
Watch Who We Call Our Friends
“my son, don’t travel that road with them or set foot on their path, because their feet run toward evil and they hurry to shed blood” (Prov. 1: 15-16 CSB)
Mankind needs to be a member of a community. Lawson wrote, “The condition and circumstances in which we are placed here are such that society is necessary to the happiness, if not to the very being, of mankind.” Oh, yes. Communities are necessary.
In fact, we are generally members of several different communities.
- Family
- School class
- Work
- Church congregation
- Neighborhood
- Sports team
- Musical or theatrical group
- [Add your groups]
Oh, yeah. The list could go on and on.
We have to watch the kind of company we are keeping. Solomon advised his son to turn around and head away from people traveling toward evil.
Talmage labeled these people as sceptic. He gave examples of their behavior by which we can identify them.
Sceptic people demand for disciples to explain mysteries of the Bible. Some worldview people think they should have all the knowledge that God knows. For example, they think they should know which occurred — creation or evolution (preferably evolution).
One reason sceptic people do this is so that they can diminish God’s omniscience. How could God be all-knowing if they know something, too? Better yet, doesn’t that make them god?
That knowledge would take their belief out of the faith category, though. Believing is about not knowing but accepting anyway. That is what faith means — belief that the doctrines stated in God’s Word are true, even if we do not understand all aspects of them.
They rely on themselves to provide for their future. They puff themselves up and refuse to put their trust in God to provide for them. It is all about them.
Being able to provide for themselves makes them feel omnipotent. They have the power to affect their destiny.
Sceptic people can be idle. In current terminology, they may be labeled as feeling entitled. They believe life owes them something just because they are breathing, or they’ve been unfairly treated — or any number of reasons they could come up with.
God does not owe us anything — even if we are made in His image. We disobeyed Him. We let sin into this world. He didn’t have to design the plan of salvation to restore our relationships with Him.
But God wants those relationships restored.
Pleasure seekers can be sceptic people. No, God doesn’t expect us to be sticks in the mud. He does expect us to be sober. Sober is a character trait distinguished by self-control, genuineness, and sound moral judgment. It is a calm and temperate disposition.
Why is so much emphasis on with whom we keep company? “Do not be misled: ‘Bad company corrupts good character’” (I Cor. 15: 33 NIV).
We may not notice it at first. However, as times goes by, we get complacent with opposing beliefs. Then we start compromising to make things more comfortable for us.
We convince ourselves we are doing the right thing by taking others’ beliefs into consideration. We aren’t “forcing” our beliefs on them.
But God wants us totally obedient to His laws and commandments. Obedience means to hear and carry out the instructions that God gives us.
God doesn’t want us to divide our loyalties between Him and our friends. He wants us totally focused on Him.
There are three arenas Dale identified from which the dangers that blind sceptic people come.
- “evil associations
- “false principles
- “a perverse and wicked heart.”
Dale spent his time writing about the evil associations. He identified three classes of evil associates.
The first group identified were those who search to gain knowledge but do not apply what they read to their lives. It may be that they feel religion is outdated. Instead, they debate with disciples instead of solidifying what they really believe.
Also identified, as Talmage did, were pleasure seekers. Dale felt they entrap believers “… by means of appetites and lusts.” They don’t plan for the future because they feel they have no control over it.
The third group is interesting. Dale wrote that “these are persons who consider religion as a thing decent and proper enough for those who have time to spare, such as children and servants, but account it only the occasional concern of men devoted to study or engaged in business.”
Hmmmm. How would we describe that in today’s speak? Religion is okay for those who want to believe, but really, we can just take it or leave it.
Ooo, baby. Are they in for a surprise! God does matter. Admitting our sins, believing Jesus is our Savior and Redeemer, confessing God as Sovereign God, and demonstrating our submission to His Will by the way we live our lives will be the only thing that will matter.
If you have not admitted that your relationship is not right with God,
have not asked Jesus to be your Lord and Savior,
and have not confessed your sins,
please read through the Plan of Salvation and prayerfully consider what God is asking you to do.
Spreading a Net
“It is useless to spread a net where any bird can see it, but they set an ambush to kill themselves; they attack their own lives” (Prov. 1: 17-18 CSB)
Ooo, baby. That is an interesting verse. Hmmm.
We generally try to avoid the bad things. Sometimes, we can see the net that is set out to trap us. Unfortunately, the sceptic people keep on trucking until they are caught in the net!
Oh, but most of the time, the net is camouflaged. We don’t see it until it is too late. Thomas told us what composes some of those traps: “sensuality, avarice, [and] ambition.”
But isn’t that sin? Satan lays out a net to trap us — even non-believers. He doesn’t want them looking through to prove disciples wrong — and figure out they were wrong.
Wasn’t that what Lee Strobel did? In researching his book, The Case for Christ, he was seeing if there was evidence to show Jesus was real. And he became a disciple. So, it can happen.
Choosing the Path
“Such are the paths of all who make profit dishonestly; it takes the lives of those who receive it” (Prov. 1: 19 CSB)
People who have not ABCDed are heading down a bad path — to hell. They are going to feel worse than a bird caught in a net.
So, instead of navigating down the wide path, disciples need to tell them to heed the warning and head for the narrow gate.
The wide path leads to dishonesty. Jesus is the opposite. “Jesus answered, ‘I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me’” (Jn. 14: 6 NIV).
Making the Connections
It is a stereotypical role that women want to fix men. In a lot of cases, that doesn’t work out as expected.
Disciples are expected to witness to non-believers to encourage them to change. Yep, we have to have contact with them in order to build the relationships needed to proclaim the gospel and make them disciples.
The Disciple’s Job Description
Complete Job Description
Individual Description
Job Duty #4
Proclaim the Gospel (Mark 16: 15)
Job Duty #6
Make Disciples (Matthew 28: 19-20)
Not an easy task sometimes, is it?
But we can’t go sliding toward their beliefs. We can’t get caught in Satan’s net. We have to stay firmly rooted and grounded in God.
One thing we have to remember is that what God has said is a sin will stay a sin. We can’t negotiate so it will be taken off the sin list. There is no debate.
How Do We Apply This?
The ABCDs of Salvation
If you have not become a believer in Christ, please read through the
Plan of Salvation and prayerfully consider what God is asking you to do.
A – admit our sins
B – believe His Son Jesus is our Redeemer
C – confess God as Sovereign Lord
D – demonstrate that commitment by making any changes needed in our lives to
live the way in which God has called us
The Disciple’s Job Description
Searching for and Seeking God
Hearing His Word (Rom. 10: 17).
Reading His Word (Rev. 1: 3).
Praying to Him (Heb. 4: 16).
Studying His Word (Ac. 17: 11).
Meditating on His Word (Ps. 1: 1-2).
Memorizing His Word (Ps. 119: 11).
One of the things we need to focus on when seeking God is exposing the sin in our lives. We have got to get it cut out. All the traps need to be exposed.
We’ve started the Self-Discipline devotions January 11. I know, that seems like a life-time ago!
We are focusing on areas we needed to become more mature in our walk as a disciple. Lately, we’ve been looking at solidifying what we believe and looking at issues that might come up when we are witnessing.
Taylor touched on this. He wrote, “How can a man think to persuade others by that which does not persuade himself?”
It is important that we and those we are witnessing to understand this. If we get caught in the sin trap, it will lead to torment — eternal torment. We’ve got to take the narrow gate instead.
Sovereign God. Lord, we want to only follow You. We submit to Your love. Help us to interact with those who do not know You so that we can lead them to You. Help us be solid in our relationship with You so we don’t compromise where You do not want us to compromise. Amen.
What do you think?
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