This is the first in a short series on separation. I hope you get a blessing from it.
SEPARATION FROM SINFUL PEOPLE
Ps 1:1 Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.
It never ceases to amaze me that many of the people who want to counsel others,that is, to give advice, are people who are not really doing so well themselves. Did you ever notice that those with ungodly agendas never seem to be satisfied. They gripe, they complain, they put down everything positive and they never really seem to contribute anything to society. It is best to avoid taking advice from these people. If you are not careful you could wind up as miserable as they are.
When I was young my mother used to tell me that I would be known by the company I kept. What she meant was that if I ran with the wild crowd, no matter what I did, I would be branded as one of them. I learned that not only would I be branded as one of them that I would eventually become one of them. People really want to be accepted by others. If you stand in the way of sinners I have found that they will not accept you unless you engage in their sin. On the other hand I have found that a good spiritual loving church will even accept sinners and will encourage them to change their lives for the better. Other Christians should and usually do set a good example for others an encourage them to a better quality of life.
There are those who mock and ridicule everything. Avoid them if possible, they will cloud your outlook and keep you from seeing the good in yourself and others. Of course we realize that the only good in any of us comes from a good relationship with Jesus. How can the scornful recognize what they have never experienced, being loved and accepted by a loving Savior that loves us in spite of everything.
While the world is telling us that we should be accepting and tolerant of all sorts of ungodly things, the Bible teaches us that we should separate ourselves from some things. Who are we going to listen to, the world, or the one who created it?
When I was young my mother used to tell me that I would be known by the company I kept. What she meant was that if I ran with the wild crowd, no matter what I did, I would be branded as one of them. I learned that not only would I be branded as one of them that I would eventually become one of them. People really want to be accepted by others. If you stand in the way of sinners I have found that they will not accept you unless you engage in their sin. On the other hand I have found that a good spiritual loving church will even accept sinners and will encourage them to change their lives for the better. Other Christians should and usually do set a good example for others an encourage them to a better quality of life.
There are those who mock and ridicule everything. Avoid them if possible, they will cloud your outlook and keep you from seeing the good in yourself and others. Of course we realize that the only good in any of us comes from a good relationship with Jesus. How can the scornful recognize what they have never experienced, being loved and accepted by a loving Savior that loves us in spite of everything.
While the world is telling us that we should be accepting and tolerant of all sorts of ungodly things, the Bible teaches us that we should separate ourselves from some things. Who are we going to listen to, the world, or the one who created it?
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There are a couple of people that I work with that are negative people, and its really frustrating to hear that all the time. It keeps me from doing God's will because I get angry with them, I guess keeping my distance is the best thing !?
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