“Evil company corrupts good habits” #1703

33 Do not be deceived: “Evil company corrupts good habits.” 34 Awake to righteousness, and do not sin; for some do not have the knowledge of God. I speak this to your shame. (1 Corinthians 15:33–34, NKJV)

Sin deceives, corrupts and destroys. The temptation to fulfill the lusts of the flesh immediately and repeatedly lures the naive to their own destruction, and captures those who are very familiar with the depths of Satan (Rev. 2:24). It is foolish to convince ourselves that evil companions have no impact on us. If light and salt influence the world for righteousness, then darkness and bitterness have their corrupting influence, too (Matt. 5:13-16). Being a Christian means having drastically different values and practices from those who do not follow Jesus. We do not live by the motto, “eat and drink, for tomorrow we die,” even though many around us do (1 Cor. 15:32). We must not define and measure righteousness by those who do not know God. The Lord does that for us in His word. Jesus commands us not to sin precisely because we know the truth (Jno. 8:31-32). We need to wake up and not sin. If we slumber and let the world influence us to sin, then we will die with the world (1 Thess. 5:5-10).

Walk with the Wise #1548

“He who walks with wise men will be wise, but the companion of fools will be destroyed.” (Proverbs 13:20, NKJV)

It has been said that courage is contagious. Wise king Solomon said wisdom is, too. Of course, neither courage nor wisdom can be forced into someone’s heart. We must be willing to accept their influence. That’s where choosing to be around people who make wise choices comes into play. Connect with wise people. Watch, listen, and ask their counsel. It will help you become wiser. At the same time, walking life with wise people helps you escape the calamities that confront fools. “Bad company ruins good morals” (1 Corinthians 15:33, ESV). Truly, who we spend time with matters! It is no wonder the psalmist said, “Blessed in the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly” (Psalm 1:1). The ungodly are truly foolish about what matters most (Titus 2:11-12). Walk with those who live wisely. Seek and follow heavenly wisdom and you will be blessed with wisdom (Ephesians 5:15; James 3:13-18).