Do not be bound together with unbelievers; for what partnership have righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship has light with darkness? Or what harmony has Christ with Belial or what has a believer in common with an unbeliever?      2 Corinthians 6:14-15 HCSB

You may have heard it said, “You are the company you keep.”  I want you to give that some serious consideration. One of the biggest fears I had when I rededicated my life to Christ was the fear of losing close friends. I had not been a shining example of a Christian and I was afraid some of my closest friends would not be impressed with the new creature in Christ I was striving to become.

I had returned to Christ out of desperation. I could no longer live my life of sin. I could no longer take the chains, and the bondage sin had become for me. I had to break free and the only way to get free was through Jesus.

But praise God and His goodness and His mercy something strange began to happen. When I turned to Christ, I noticed some of my closest friends were doing the same. They weren’t abandoning me; they were joining me. They too were beginning to walk with Christ. They too were choosing to exchange the bondage of sin for the freedom found in our Lord and Savior.

I did lose some so-called friends. I realized they had merely been acquaintances. They did not appreciate my desire to follow Christ and that’s okay. Things have not turned out so well for them, but they can’t say I didn’t try to help them to find the freedom, peace and joy that I found. It was their choice to remain as they were.

I told you all this to help you understand you truly are the company you keep. You may have heard it said you will never soar like an eagle as long as you hang around with a bunch of turkeys.

Yes, Jesus hung out with sinners, but He was Jesus Christ. He had the power to save them. I’m not telling you not to try to save those who are lost. When we are saved, we want everyone to experience the freedom, peace and joy we have found. I get it. We want to share Christ with those around us. We have to accept, however, that many will reject Him. Many will reject us as we follow Him.

Following Him may mean walking away from certain friends and family members.

When we associate with non-believers, we run a greater risk of falling back into our old sinful ways. Many people come to Christ through tragedy. I know I did. It was personal tragedy. My life was spiraling out of control. I didn’t like who I had become. Since I couldn’t move away from myself, I surrendered to Christ and became that new creature. The creature I could live with, the one who had peace and joy in their life regardless of their circumstances.

I am not willing to risk that for any mere mortal, are you? The Bible warns us against this. Our Scripture passage for today tells us we have nothing in common with non-believers. 1 Corinthians 15:33 warns us that we must not be deceived because bad company corrupts good character or good morals.

We are also told in Proverbs 27:17 that iron sharpens iron as one man sharpens another. My friend I understand wanting your friends and your family members to join you in your freedom and wanting them to have the peace and joy you have found in Christ, but if they reject you move on. Pray that you have at least planted the seed and God might send someone else to water it.

Things are tough in this world. They are going to get tougher before Jesus returns for us. Line yourself up with good, Christian friends. Get yourself adopted into a good church family where God’s word is taught and preached.

I’ve heard it said that friends don’t let friends go to hell. I say to you, however, if they are determined to go there don’t follow them.

Have a great day!