I Corinthians 15:33 ” Don’t be misled: Bad company corrupts good character.”

J.C. Ryle was an Anglican bishop who served in Liverpool most of the 19th Century. He was a prolific & passionate writer with a very straight forward no-nonsense approach who once wrote, “Nothing perhaps affects man’s character more than the company he keeps.” And we only need to read in Proverbs 22:24-25 to understand the dangers of unwise friendships. So today we should take stock of the people we run around with. Are we influencing them or being wrongly influenced while in their company? Are we easily being led astray when they’re around us, or are we standing up for what’s good & right? Finally, are we picking up bad habits that we’d normally never do because of their control over us? So ask yourself one question…Do you feel good about yourself & your relationship with God when you leave their company…or do you feel shameful, deceived, compromised, and defeated once again? The answer will tell you much about that relationship and whether you should continue in it or not.

Galatians 1:10 ” Am I now trying to win approval of men, or of God? Or am I trying to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I wouldn’t be a servant of Christ.”

We all seek favor & approval from others…to fit in & please everyone, hopefully without strife or confrontation. But there are many people out there that will take advantage & bully their way through such relationships… not caring what carnage they leave in their path. This leaves us in very painful & awkward situations regarding forgiveness & reconciliation. On the one hand, we are told to forgive one another, & forgiveness is our choice to make, whether the other person has come seeking it or not. But there are times when forgiveness will not, nor should it culminate in reconciliation. For if there’s a pattern of the other person demeaning, degrading, & demoralizing you it’s probably not wise to attempt reconciliation without other resources in place first. You can choose to forgive regardless…for that brings freedom into the situation. But then you need to use wisdom and discernment to guard your heart wisely.

John 21:21-22 ” When Peter saw him, he asked, ‘Lord, what about him?’ Jesus answered, ‘If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you? You must follow Me.’ “

Jesus’ rebuke to Peter could easily apply to any of us today. “What is it to you what I do or don’t do in another person’s life? You must follow Me.” But we love running interference for others and getting in God’s way…thinking we know more than Him. But that’s way above our mental capacity and not at all something we’re even responsible for. “You must follow Me.” In other words, Jesus is their Savior, not you…and your only duty & obligation is to maintain an abiding fellowship in belief, trust, and obedience in Jesus…following His leadership, and focusing on your fidelity to His plan & purpose in your life, not others.

John 4:48 ” ‘Unless you people see miraculous signs and wonders,’ Jesus told him, ‘you will never believe.’ “

The crowds that followed after Jesus wanted to be entertained. They were miracle junkies wanting another fix of excitement. They were chasing after wonders not Jesus…they were looking past the Savior for signs…they were running after the Miracle Worker and totally missing the Messiah. That’s because real faith isn’t dependent on signs but on Christ. Romans 10:17 tells us that, “Faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the Word of Christ.” So all the signs, and wonders the people came looking for could not save their souls. But if they truly listened & received after being first drawn by the miracles, it would all point them to Jesus Christ the Savior of the world.

Psalm 139:1 “O Lord, You know me…”

Yes, the Lord really does know you. To Him you aren’t just some nameless face in a crowd of billions of people. He knows your name & it’s engraved on the palms of His hands…not should God forget, for His memory is infallible. No, God has written a permanent reminder on His hands to constantly remind Him of you. (Isaiah 49:16) He knows you and has an intimate understanding of everything that’s ever happened in your life… that’s because He is omniscient…aware of your most private thoughts and areas of life that you thought no one knew about…for they’re not hidden from God. Finally, God knows your heart, (Psalm 44:21) loves you for who you are, and wants only the very best for you.

Job 23:13 ” But He stands alone, and who can oppose Him? He does whatever He pleases.”

We can foolishly think we can somehow manipulate God or influence Him with our selfish wants…or we can stubbornly resist what He’s doing & refuse to acknowledge His Sovereignty in our life. Either way we’re gonna lose. Psalm 115:3 is quite plain about this, “Our God is in the heavens; He does all that He pleases.” Need more proof? Read Isaiah 44:24-28 which essentially says, I Am the Lord Who does all things according to My desires. So how does God accomplish this? Through His Word. Or as Isaiah 55:11 says, “So is My Word that goes out from My mouth: It will not return to Me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.” The Lord and His Word are unchangeable, sovereign, and will always fulfill His divine plan and purpose.

I Corinthians 12:12-13 ” The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ. For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body – whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free – and we were all given the one Spirit to drink.”

Like here and in Romans 12:4-8, Paul is using the analogy of the human body and its many parts to illustrate the nature of the Church…(the human body having 206 bones, 650 muscles, 78 organs, and billions of smaller structures of cells and tissue.) And like the human body, the Church is also comprised of billions of parts, each of which (like our bodies) has its own unique purpose and significance…each part not functioning independently, but cooperating mutually together in its unity, diversity, and service together. Paul too makes a point to show that as the body of Christ, we are all one in Him…the wall of separation, prejudice, and favoritism is gone…we are united together as one body (The Church) in Him.

John 6:28 ” Then they asked Him, ‘What must we do to do the works God requires?’ “

The crowd that had just been fed by the miracle of loaves & fishes finally found Jesus and they were ready for more entertainment & food. But instead Jesus had challenged their carnal thinking & told them, “Don’t work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life.” … quoting from Isaiah 55:2 which says, “Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, & your labor for that which does not satisfy?” But they only latched on to the word “work” and asked Him, “How consistent must we be then in working to keep God’s commandments, and what is the bare minimum work we must do?” In other words, looking at it from a totally legalistic & temporal viewpoint. But then Jesus totally blew them out of the water with His reply as He clarified what God truly required of them.. “The work of God is this: to believe in the One He has sent.”

I Corinthians 13:13 “And now these three remain: faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love.”

In this verse and in fact in the entire 13th Chapter of I Corinthians (Which is called the Love Chapter) Paul not only distinguishes among faith, hope, and love, but links them together to show their mutual dependance on each other. In Matthew 22:37-40 Jesus gives us the first & greatest commandment, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” Unlike the passive type of love we usually think of…this type of love – Agape love- is active and was shown by God the Father to us when He gave us His one and only Son to die in our place…it is a perfect love that proceeds out of a heart of care & concern for others…all others. But we need faith, a trust and belief in Jesus, actively expressing itself to manifest this love. (Galatians 5:6) While hope is no more than faith looking towards the future with sure confidence & expectation. Paul sums this up wonderfully in I Thessalonians 1:3, when he wrote, “We continually remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.”

I Corinthians 10:13 “No temptation has seized you except what is common to man.”

Temptation itself isn’t sin – it’s something we’re bound to all face simply by being a sin-natured human being. Even Jesus Himself was tempted for 40 days in the desert by the devil. (Matthew 4:1-11) And that’s where the big difference lies…God tests, the devil tempts. James 1:13-14 is clear, God cannot tempt us, but our temptations are included in His Sovereign plan for our good. For if we overcome temptation, we are strengthened spiritually…but if we succumb to our unrighteous passions & desires, we will be hit with our own desperate need for further sanctification & grace. God will test us, but He will never tempt us in the sense of enticing us to sin. And if we need a good example of this, we only have to look to His Son, Jesus, Who was tested & tempted in every way, yet was without sin. (Hebrews 4:15)