Walking With The Worthy

Psalm 101:1-8 ¹ I will sing of mercy and judgment: unto thee, O LORD, will I sing. ² I will behave myself wisely in a perfect way. O when wilt thou come unto me? I will walk within my house with a perfect heart. ³ I will set no wicked thing before mine eyes: . . .

So many in our day struggle to walk the spiritual walk.  New Christians seem to struggle the most.  They struggle to live a life of holiness and righteousness.  They struggle to put on the new man, as the Bible calls it, and to put off the old man.  It is hard to let God change our old ways for His wonderful new ways.

A part of this struggle to change and to live the Christian life revolves around our associations.  Those we hang around with, those we spend our time with, those who influence our choices and our manners.  The Bible says it best when it states,

1 Corinthians 15:33 ³³ Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners.

The Psalmist expresses the need for a godly person to be aware of whom they have as their friends.  The psalmist literally lists some characteristics that should not mark those who are our friends and mentors.  From this list I have developed a positive list of traits that should mark one’s friends.  From this Psalm we discover that our friends should be,

1. God Lovers (vs 3) – Those who love the Lord will not “turn aside” or turn away from God.  They will bring nothing into their presence that would turn them away from their Heavenly Father.
2. Straight Walkers (vs 4) – “Frowardness” means to be crooked, hence godly friends will strive to walk in the straight and God honoring way.
3. Sweet Talkers (vs 5) – Godly friends will speak words of kindness and edification.  Their speech will be permeated with the sweetness of God’s grace and the light of God’s truth.
4. Mature Nourishers (vs 6) – Godly friends, who walk in Spiritual maturity can “serve” you.  They serve you by challenging and building you in Christ.  Ephesians 4.15-16 states that you are nourished by God honoring friends.
5. Honest Providers (vs 7) – Honesty and integrity will mark their lives.  Godly friends are trustworthy.

Godly friends are worthy of our time and confidence.  They strengthen our spiritual journey and help us to draw closer to our Lord.  Husband’s ought to be such friends for their wife.  Wives ought to be such friends for their husbands.  Families ought to give such godly encouragement to their household.

Are you struggling to walk a Christian life?  Consider, who are your friends?  Who do you hang around with?  What do they contribute to your Christ-Like walk?  Are your friends worthy friends?

CrossRoads Email - June 23, 2009

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