After splitting from his nephew, Lot, because the land was unable to support all of their property in Genesis 13, Abram settled in the land of Canaan. Abram did this after Lot chose to dwell in the fertile Jordan Valley near the city of Sodom (Genesis 13). Lot's family and all their possessions were taken into captivity from Sodom by the four Mesopotamian kings. The choices Lot and Abram made and their end result are significant. Lot chose the worldly advantages of living near wicked Sodom and lost everything he had, not just once, but twice! Abram was the one who saved Lot twice, first of all in Genesis 14, and later in Genesis 19. When Lot was separated from Abram, he suffered loss. He became influenced by the world and its ways. When he was with Abram, however, he was blessed.
There is a great lesson to be learned from this fact alone. It is more than acting prudently; it is absolutely necessary that we protect our own salvation by surrounding ourselves with like-minded individuals who hold the same values as we do. This is why the Apostle Paul said to the church in Corinth, 33. Do not be deceived: “Bad company ruins good morals.” 14. Do not be mismated with unbelievers. For what partnership have righteousness and iniquity? Or what fellowship has light with darkness? 15. What accord has Christ with Belial? Or what has a believer in common with an unbeliever? 16. What agreement has the Temple of God with idols? For we are the Temple of the living God; as God said, “I will live in them and move among them, and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. 17. Therefore come out from them, and be separate from them,” says the Lord, “and touch nothing unclean; then I will welcome you, 18. and I will be a father to you, and you shall be my sons and daughters,” says the Lord Almighty. (1 Corinthians 15:33, 2 Corinthians 6:14-18)
The word of God teaches us in Proverbs 18:24 [RSV], “There are friends who pretend to be friends, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.” Good friends not only are a joy to be with, but they also help us to be better people. When you surround yourself with friends who hold the same, Christian values as you do, people who do what is right and are honest, and who treat others with respect, then you are better able to follow these same principles yourself. As the Apostle Paul once wrote, “None of us lives to himself, and none of us dies to himself” (Romans 14:7 [RSV]). Paul is making the point that people we surround ourselves with influence and have an affect upon our lives, and we also influence and affect those around us.
Jesus wants us to influence others, but He wants us to influence them rightly: “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father Who is in Heaven” (Matthew 5:16 [RSV]). So please, remember to guard your salvation by seeking good companions so that you may remain a beacon of hope to others.
There is a great lesson to be learned from this fact alone. It is more than acting prudently; it is absolutely necessary that we protect our own salvation by surrounding ourselves with like-minded individuals who hold the same values as we do. This is why the Apostle Paul said to the church in Corinth, 33. Do not be deceived: “Bad company ruins good morals.” 14. Do not be mismated with unbelievers. For what partnership have righteousness and iniquity? Or what fellowship has light with darkness? 15. What accord has Christ with Belial? Or what has a believer in common with an unbeliever? 16. What agreement has the Temple of God with idols? For we are the Temple of the living God; as God said, “I will live in them and move among them, and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. 17. Therefore come out from them, and be separate from them,” says the Lord, “and touch nothing unclean; then I will welcome you, 18. and I will be a father to you, and you shall be my sons and daughters,” says the Lord Almighty. (1 Corinthians 15:33, 2 Corinthians 6:14-18)
The word of God teaches us in Proverbs 18:24 [RSV], “There are friends who pretend to be friends, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.” Good friends not only are a joy to be with, but they also help us to be better people. When you surround yourself with friends who hold the same, Christian values as you do, people who do what is right and are honest, and who treat others with respect, then you are better able to follow these same principles yourself. As the Apostle Paul once wrote, “None of us lives to himself, and none of us dies to himself” (Romans 14:7 [RSV]). Paul is making the point that people we surround ourselves with influence and have an affect upon our lives, and we also influence and affect those around us.
Jesus wants us to influence others, but He wants us to influence them rightly: “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father Who is in Heaven” (Matthew 5:16 [RSV]). So please, remember to guard your salvation by seeking good companions so that you may remain a beacon of hope to others.
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