Friendship for a Life Time by James Ryle

Last updated on: January 14, 2012 at 2:50 pm by editorconvergingzone

Friendship for a Life Time by James Ryle 2012-01-14T14:50:34-08:00 editorconvergingzone

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“He that walketh with wise men shall be wise: but a companion of fools shall be destroyed” (Proverbs 13:20).

solzhenitsyn_b Renowned Russian author and historian, Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, said, “Treasure above all else in the world those who love you and wish you well.” We find friendship for a lifetime when we reconnect to community as God designed it to be.

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.

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 9:7, 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).

The Bible says, “He that walketh with wise men shall be wise: but a companion of fools shall be destroyed” (Proverbs 13:20). In other words: Spend time with losers, and you will become a loser. Spend time with a godly man or woman, and you will become godly. So, who are you spending time with these days?

Recently I heard someone say, “Show me your friends and I will show you your future.” Look around you at those you’ve chosen as close confidants – is that the kind of person you want to be? And, here’s an even more penetrating question — If someone spent time with you, what kind of person would they become?

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