December 1, 2015

 

So the other day my small group and I met and we looked through another one of our Transformed sessions, this one was talking about our relational health.  When I first read the title, the session was nothing like I had pictured, it was completely different, but very helpful.

I think the number one take away that I received that night was from the section “Five Kinds of People to Avoid as Close Friends.”

• Lazy People (2 Thessalonians 3:6)
• Angry People (Proverbs 22:24-25)
• Immoral People (1 Corinthians 5:9-11)
• Greedy People (Proverbs 23:6-7)
• Unbelieving People (2 Corinthians 6:14)

Now, for me personally, these descriptions can fit with quite a few people in my life, not to say they are close friends, but people I work with and I may associate with.  Now please don’t misunderstand, we shouldn’t neglect them completely, they need something that we have, and that is Christ, but what I am saying is that you don’t want to put yourself in situations where people like that can rub off on you.  Using people like that is one way that the devil can get his foot in the door in your life, don’t let him.

This verse really stood out to me, Philippians 2:14-15, Do everything without complaining and arguing, so that no one can criticize you.  Live clean, innocent lives as children of God, shining like bright lights in a world full of crooked and perverse people.  Don’t be a chronic complainer, people always can find things to complain about, but why don’t we, children of God, find something to rejoice about instead.

“Are any of my friends, family, or anyone I know going to be in Heaven because of me, or are they going to be in hell because of me?”  Every time I hear this phrase or anything similar to it, it always makes me stop and wonder.  But how many people will I see on that day of judgement that looks at me and says, “Ryan! you knew and didn’t tell me, why didn’t you tell me?”  How devastating that will be for not only them, but for us, having to depart from people that we could’ve shared Christ with and saved them from an eternity in torment and punishment.  Don’t make that mistake, share Christ with the people around you.