He who walks with wise men will be wise,
but a companion of fools will be destroyed.
Proverbs 13:20
This world is filled with influences. They are all around us, all the time. Some influences are good, and some are evil. If you welcome good influences and resist evil influences, you are wise, but if you welcome evil influences and resist good ones, you are foolish.
No one in this world can escape being influenced. It is an inescapable fact of life. The only issue is, Are we wise in our choice of influences, or are we foolish?
Good post. I agree, to a degree. It's important to have edifying relationships that help build our faith up. At the same time, if one is looking for answers and truths, sometimes, I feel, they have to broaden their circle. I have both Christian and non-Christian friends. Both of which make me think in different ways. I think it's important not to always be influenced by those who think like you do, but to be challenged in what you believe and to think critically. This, to me, is a way to reaffirm my beliefs while also seeing sometimes some areas that need to be changed.
ReplyDeleteThank you for writing, Jessica. By "good influences", I did not mean to exclude those who bring a new light to us and improve our faith. I just wanted to make this Blog short and not get into details. Sometimes, those who challenge our faith are the best influences of all. And you are right in suggesting that bad influences can be those who think as we do. If we are wrong, every person who agrees with us is a bad influence.
ReplyDeleteAn added issue, which I could have delved into, is the question, "What kind of influence am I?" Each one of us can be a good or a bad influence in the lives around us, depending on the strength of our relationship with Jesus.
Thanks again for writing. May God bless you, and please stay in touch.