Our Family Time with God

Nov. 8, 2009

DON'T RUN WITH A SKUNK

Scripture Reading--1 Corinthians 15:33--"Be not deceived: evil communications

corrupt good manners."

Amos 3:3--"Can two walk together, except they be agreed?"

Whether we like it or not, we usually become like those with whom we spend our time. The influence of companions can impact our lives greatly.

Sixth grade was a really tough year for me. My family had moved to the area several months earlier, and I began sixth grade in a new school with a classroom of students who had been together their whole lives. They all knew each other, but nobody knew me.

I decided to make a move. Five boys who had banded together called themselves "The Vikings." They were big, bold, and bad ( or at least as much as sixth-graders can be ). I started hanging around them, talking like them, and acting like them. Not long after, they took me in. Before long, I was also big, bold, and bad ( or at least I thought so ). Unfortunately, I was soon getting in trouble with them, too. Their influence had impacted me negatively.

Someone once said that you can't run with a skunk and smell like a rose! That's the truth--and the warning--our Scripture reading teaches. "Evil communications" means those with whom we communicate--in other words, our companions. "Good manners" means the rules we live by or our moral standards for living.

Tragically, bad people can ruin good things in our lives. Many young people have made the mistake of choosing wrong friends and have paid dearly for their decision. The skunks they chose to run with turned them into rascals who rejected authority and convictions, even God himself.

What kind of person do you want to be? Your answer depends on what kind of people you choose to be with. Before long, you may be just like them.

EXERCISE: Make a list of good qualities you would seek in those who would make good friends.

--Tom Palmer--