Midweek Encouragement - "Bad Influences”

"Bad Influences”

     ^{“Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take
    or sit in the company of mockers,”}

^{Psalm 1:1 NIV}

         ^{There was once a young woman who was being shown around a large coal-mining camp in West Virginia along with a group of businesspeople. All the others on the tour were dressed in jeans and work shirts, while she wore a sparkling white dress.}

^{As the group got ready to enter the shaky old elevator that would take them down the shaft into the underground coal mine, their guide paused and looked at the woman in the white dress.}

         ^{“Ma’am are you sure you want to go down to the mines?” he asked her.}

^{The woman, looking slightly offended, responded, “Well, why not?”}

^{The guide cleared his throat nervously. “You’re wearing a white dress,” he said.} 

^{“Anyone can see that,” the woman answered. “There’s nothing to prevent me from wearing a white dress into a coal mine if I want to.”}

^{The guide nodded and shrugged. “Yes, ma’am,” he said as he closed the door to the elevator behind her and the others. “But there’s plenty to keep you from wearing a white dress out of a coal mine.”}



         ^{That guide knew that no matter how white her dress was when she went into the coal mine, it wouldn’t be white when she came out. Coal mines tend to rub off on a person, and that’s not just true of coal mines. It’s also true of other things . . . like habits.}

^{If you’re like most people, you have friends who don’t always make the right choices. You may even have some friends who almost never make right choices. You might feel like that woman: “There’s nothing to prevent me from hanging out with that person if I want to.”}

^{And you might be right. There may be nothing wrong with hanging out with that person. After all, didn’t Jesus tell us to love everyone, even those who often make wrong choices? But remember, habits . . . like coal dust . . . tend to rub off on a person. You may enter a friendship wearing a white garment of pure thoughts and good intentions, but your outfit might not stay “white.”}

^{The Bible says you’re much better off if you don’t “walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take” (Psalm 1:1). That doesn’t mean you should be rude or unkind to the people who seem to make a lot of wrong choices. It simply means that you should stay away from coal mines and bad influences because both tend to rub off on us.}

         ^{Today, ask God to help you be like that person described in Psalm 1:1, a person who doesn’t let others influence you to do wrong. Ask God to help you find satisfaction in His Word and keep a healthy distance from those who might influence you in the wrong way. Surely reach out and develop relationships with those who don’t yet know Jesus as their Forgiver and Boss, but watch that you don’t fall into their nasty habits.}

^{Praying that you’ll be a positive influence for Christ in others without allowing their sinful habits influence you,}

^{Pastor Dale}

Pastor Dale (PD) and Pamela his wife are honored to serve the Mt. Laurel Church of God. If this Mid-Week Encouragement has helped you, perhaps it may encourage someone else. Feel free to share this email with anyone you choose. And if for some reason you'd like to stop receiving PD's Mid-Week Encouragement, just send me an email (kingdomguy@gmail.com) and I'll accommodate your request.