Friendship for a Lifetime

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"The righteous should choose his friends carefully, for the way of the wicked leads them astray." (Proverbs 12:26).

The friends we choose shape our lives in ways that determine the quality of life we end up having -- or not. Solomon said, "Stop being gullible. Leave the company of foolish people, and live. Follow the way of knowledge; walk in the way of insight and understanding." (Proverbs 9:6, pastor's paraphrase).

Paul echoes this in the New Testament. "Don't fool yourselves,” he writes, “Bad friends will destroy you. If you hang around and associate with evil people, your good character will become corrupted and your good morals depraved. Don't let anyone deceive you about this. Associating with bad people will ruin decent people. Wicked friends lead to evil ends" (1Corinthians 15:33, pastor's paraphrase).

There is a clear connection between the quality of life we live, and the type of friends we choose. We have all heard the old idiom that goes, “Birds of a feather flock together.” Another way of putting this is eagles fly with eagles, and turkeys stay with turkeys.

While the animal kingdom may be set by its fur and feathers, man is afforded a higher option. In other words, you can choose the sort of people you want to associate with; the kind of people you want to be around. But realize this – those you spend your time with will shape your thoughts, your character, and your future. Choose wisely.

“Treasure above all else in the world those who love you and wish you well.” (Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn).
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