Our Closest Friends

   No one wants to befriend a thief and killer and other negative traits. There are very few 8 year olds that think they will joyfully enter into a life of crime. Yet it starts with the friendships formed and it grows and unfortunately there are those who have grown up on the wrong side of the law. Proverbs 1:11-19 tells us that we need to beware of the friends we make. From v11-14 there is a description of these people. They prey on the innocent, and kill people needlessly. They are thieves and they take what they want. Then in v15-19 we see the reason why we need to be careful of these kinds of people. They are those that end up destroying themselves. This father, like most others, warns his son that he should not get taken into this trap. The idea is that this son would not follow after people that would bring him down, where he would walk in their midst as one of them. It starts out small but it soon becomes a large problem
   We must also be wise and careful of who we share friendships with. The closest friend to a believer should be the Lord Jesus Christ. Other believers should be closer as well. The best thing for any Christian is to have close friends that are also believers. The encouragement from a good Christian friend is a blessing. We as Christians should always encourage others to live for God. Here, in Proverbs we see the warning that we should be careful who we fellowship with. Who are your closest friends? Are they believers or unbelievers? Does your friendships influence your decisions for Christ, or do those decisions pull you away from God?
    - Assistant Pastor Rick Mitton