Bad Company [And Habitual Sins] Corrupt Good Character

hay capstone! it's me again. don't you guys/gals get tired of me posting? post something so that the blog isn't just andrea ramblings :P!

anyway, recently God has been teaching me about relationships. 1 Corinthians 15:33-34 says, "Do not be misled: 'Bad company corrupts good character.' Come back to your senses as you ought, and stop sinning; for there are some who are ignorant of God—I say this to your shame."

this verse applies to me more personally than in the context of the passage. here, Paul is talking about the resurrection of the dead and how if we don't believe that people can be resurrected from the dead, then we don't believe that Christ has been resurrected from the dead, and the Gospel is useless. Paul then says "bad company corrupts good character" because some followers of Christ have been tricked into believing that the dead are not raised (v.33).

i, however, take this in the context of friendships or relationships. oftentimes the people we surround ourselves with have a lot to do with what we believe or how we live our lives. most of our friends share our similar interests. thus it is necessary for us to be wary of the people we spend our time with, because we know that we are influenced by them.

similarly, we have influence over others. our sins affect the people around us. Paul says, "Come back to your senses as you ought, and stop sinning; for there are some who are ignorant of God, I say this to your shame" (v.34). do your actions or speech or thoughts make the people around you "ignorant of God"? do your habitual sins stumble your brothers and sisters in Christ? [do your actions or speech or thoughts cause your brothers and sisters to sin as well? do they look at what you do/say/think and follow suit?]

and not only your Christian friends, but your non-Christian ones as well...do you uphold the name of Your Lord with them? then, do they help your relationship with God? or do they hinder it?

i've been convicted of this many times during my first year of college. i was guilty of both. in the beginning of the school year, i hung out with people who hindered my relationship with God. when i stopped hanging out with them, however, positive growth didn't automatically occur. in fact, i think i was on a steady decline for awhile. my own sins (ie. pride in my talents, idolizing relationships, etc.) stumbled my brothers and sisters to gossip. and soon, i earned a bad reputation of hanging out with certain people.

this coming year, i made the commitment of cutting off relationships and cleansing myself from certain habitual sins. but i know i cannot do it on my own.
Titus 2:11-14 says,
11For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. 12It teaches us to say "No" to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, 13while we wait for the blessed hope—the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, 14who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good.

God revealed to me through my weekly devotions that i can rely on Him, that the Gospel brings me hope that i am no longer a slave to sin but a slave to righteousness. because i know God is gracious in forgiveness and, especially, that Jesus died once for all of my sins, i have power from Him to continue to do what is holy in His sight, to say "'No' to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live (a) self-controlled, upright and godly (life) in this present age, while" i eagerly anticipate for Christ's return, for my restoration to perfection in godliness (v.12). surely, i want to be a member of Christ's body, to be "(redeemed)...from all wickedness and to (be purified)..., eager to do what is good" (v.14). don't you?

i challenge you to a duel! wahaha... (okay, that didn't sound as corny in my head):
1) judge your relationships~ are you pleasing God in them? are you words glorifying to Him, your actions representing Him, your thoughts centered on Him?
2) judge yourself~ is there habitual sin in your life? does this sin affect not only your relationship with God but your relationships with your non-Christian and/or Christian friends? remember you are accountable to God first, and to your other relationships second. pray to Him to help you rid yourself if this sin.

in Christ alone,
Andrea