Be Concerned about Your Companions

Pray – (1/2 minute)

Read – (2 1/2 minutes) – “Woe to you, O land whose king was a servant and whose princes feast in the morning. Blessed are you, O land whose king is of noble birth and whose princes eat at a proper time – for strength and not for drunkenness.”
(Ecclesiastes 10:16-17)
      Passage: 1 Corinthians 15:33; Proverbs 27:17

         Many years ago, at a conference I attended, a precious lady who was in her mid-90’s (as I recall), was interviewed during one of the sessions. In the opening remarks, the interviewer asked what the best thing was about being her age. Her reply was priceless. She answered, “No peer pressure.” Though I still laugh at her good wit, the reality of life is that, whether one outlives most of his/her age group, he/she will always be susceptible to being influenced by others.
        Solomon understood that. He painted a picture of the negative consequence to a land with a king whose companions (princes) were irresponsible and self-absorbed versus the positive impact of a king whose companions were wise and responsible. His own son, Rehoboam was in the first category. In 1 Kings 12, describes how Rehoboam rejected wise counsel from those who were Solomon’s peers and accepted the foolish counsel from his own peers regarding how to rule as king. That foolish decision led to the division of the United Kingdom of Israel. One of the most important things you can do is surround yourself with people who love Jesus and challenge you to grow in your faith and be the best you can be. Be wise in your closest companions and live wise.   

Apply - (2 1/2 minutes)
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Pray - (1 1/2 minutes)