Author: astherainandsnow

“I urged you… charge [them] not to teach any different doctrine, nor to devote themselves to myths and endless genealogies, which promote speculations rather than the stewardship from God that is by faith. The aim of our charge is love that issues from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith. Certain persons, by swerving from these, have wandered away into vain discussion, desiring to be teachers of the law, without understanding either what they are saying or the things about which they make confident assertions… I received mercy for this reason, that in me, Jesus Christ might display his perfect patience as an example to those who were to believe in him for eternal life. To the King of the ages, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever….

“This charge I entrust to you, Timothy,.. wage the good warfare, holding faith and a good conscience.”

“Do not neglect the gift you have, which was given you… O Timothy, guard the deposit entrusted to you. Avoid the irreverent babble and contradictions of what is falsely called ‘knowledge,’ for by professing it some have swerved from the faith.” 1 Timothy 1:3-7,16-19a; 4:14a; 6:20-21

The gift of faith, breaking in on wayward rebels, is serious business, and so is the stewardship of that faith. Paul knew well the allure of education, pontificating about knowledge, and misdirected passion leading in the wrong direction. Yet once saved, his will redeemed, his care and employment of God’s indescribable gifts became his charge and end. Faith from the Lord would be used for Him and His purposes. (Acts 22:3-8; 2 Corinthians 9:15; Ephesians 2:8-9; 1 Timothy 1:12-15)

This charge can present constant tension for the child of God. News and new discoveries, a plethora of interpretations and opinions, multiple choices of belief and behavior are constantly before us, vying for attention and allegiance. Faith is questioned, criticized, tested. Rather than it serving as fuel and substance we begin to sequester faith to certain days and projects. Danger pounces the moment we doubt its efficacy by God’s hand to save and transform and encompass all of life, and relegate it to a specific siloed role. (1 Timothy 4:1-3,6-11)

Are we constantly contending to prove ourselves, achieve a personal agenda, attach ourselves to worldly thought, or is our passion to know and accomplish the tasks the Lord’s entrusted to us? Stewardship of faith is revealed in how we manage resources, close relationships, work assigned, ministry duties, and the eternal results they bear. How seriously do we take these? What self-serving motives, disordered interest, or prideful control is God’s Spirit convicting us to relinquish? How can we more honorably, directedly, passionately exercise the Lord’s gift of faith, and encourage others in the same? (Titus 1:13-14; 3:1-9)

“A charge to keep I have, 
a God to glorify, 
a never-dying soul to save, 
and fit it for the sky. 

To serve the present age, 
my calling to fulfill, 
O may it all my pow’rs engage 
to do my Master’s will! 

Arm me with watchful care 
as in Thy sight to live, 
and now Thy servant, Lord, prepare 
a strict account to give!

Help me to watch and pray,
and still on Thee rely,
O let me not my trust betray,
but press to realms on high.” ~Charles Wesley (1762)

Lord, teach me honorable, fruitful stewardship of Your gracious gift of faith, to Your ends and glory.

 “Go to the ant, O sluggard;
    consider her ways, and be wise.
Without having any chief,
    officer, or ruler,
she prepares her bread in summer
    and gathers her food in harvest.
How long will you lie there, O sluggard?
    When will you arise from your sleep?
A little sleep, a little slumber,
    a little folding of the hands to rest,
and poverty will come upon you like a robber,
    and want like an armed man.”

“Like vinegar to the teeth and smoke to the eyes,
    so is the sluggard to those who send him.”

“The soul of the sluggard craves and gets nothing,
    while the soul of the diligent is richly supplied.”

“The sluggard does not plow in the autumn;
    he will seek at harvest and have nothing.”

“I passed by the field of a sluggard,
    by the vineyard of a man lacking sense,
and behold, it was all overgrown with thorns;
    the ground was covered with nettles,
    and its stone wall was broken down.
Then I saw and considered it;
    I looked and received instruction.
A little sleep, a little slumber,
    a little folding of the hands to rest,
and poverty will come upon you like a robber,
    and want like an armed man.”

“The sluggard says, ‘There is a lion in the road!
    There is a lion in the streets!’
As a door turns on its hinges,
    so does a sluggard on his bed.
The sluggard buries his hand in the dish;
    it wears him out to bring it back to his mouth.
The sluggard is wiser in his own eyes
    than seven men who can answer sensibly.” Proverbs 6:6-11; 10:26; 13:4; 20:4; 24:30-34; 26:13-16

The only thing the sluggard accomplishes in the book of Proverbs is to appear in a variety of colorful descriptions and analogies that draw negative, and humorous, attention. Indolent, adrift, craving, grating, he is one to understand, then avoid. The Lord peppers through much wide wisdom the consistent warning to avoid laziness. It creeps and seeps and destroys ambition, vision, desire. It is the opposite, and destroyer, of vigilance and holy passion.

The sluggard’s warning is repeated because God knows the inclinations of the human heart. He targets the folly of settling into ease, relishing personal rights without responsibility, the ever-present allure of pride, sloth, and greed. Aiming to sanctify, He pokes warnings at our resolve and determination. With every illustration, He reminds us to get up, exchange ambivalence for spiritual clothes, and act like mature men. (Jeremiah 17:9; 1 Corinthians 16:13; 1 Peter 5:8)

In what areas do I tend toward a sluggard? In what responsibilities do I procrastinate? What inspirations and divine promptings do I neglect, or cast aside? When will I put this sin to bed once for all, and rise up to obey?

“Rise up, O saints of God!
Have done with lesser things;
Give heart and soul and mind and strength
To serve the King of kings.” ~William Pierson Merrill (1911)

“O to grace how great a debtor
daily I’m constrained to be!
Let that grace now, like a fetter,
bind my wandering heart to thee.
Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it,
prone to leave the God I love;
here’s my heart; O take and seal it;
seal it for thy courts above.” ~Robert Robinson (1758)

Lord, may I leave sloth behind and wholeheartedly follow and serve Thee.

“Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or worthy of praise—think about such things.” Philippians 4:8

“The law of the Lord is perfect,
    reviving the soul;
the testimony of the Lord is sure,
    making wise the simple;
the precepts of the Lord are right,
    rejoicing the heart;
the commandment of the Lord is pure,
    enlightening the eyes;
the fear of the Lord is clean,
    enduring forever;
the rules of the Lord are true,
    and righteous altogether.
More to be desired are they than gold,
    even much fine gold;
sweeter also than honey
    and drippings of the honeycomb.
Moreover, by them is your servant warned;
    in keeping them there is great reward.” Psalm 19:7-10

“If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.” Colossians 3:1-2

The mind is a momentous gift from God, one of the unique aspects of humans being made in His image. By it He reveals Himself to man, and by the whole of it we can love Him- to our ultimate good and fulfillment and His glory. What we take in to our minds dictates how we will understand God’s world, and Him as its source, sovereign, and end. We choose daily either to delight in Him and His word, or to deter His influence in preference for the false, transient, and unlovely things of earth. (Genesis 1:26-27; Psalm 1; Mark 12:30)

Each choice determines mindset, motive, and motion. Taking time in thoughtful prayer to review the objects of our meditations will serve us well as we set out every day. With all the allures for our attention, on what, exactly, do we set our minds? Would we be deliberate to fix them on whatever is…

True: Does my opinion or choice line up with scripture? Am I willing to consider different sides and discern by the light of God’s word and earnest investigation? Do I embrace internet snippets or jaded opinion without knowing their source? How can I better balance what I take in?

Noble: Does this attention nourish my soul? Would others see this activity as noble?

Right: Am I spending inordinate time on wrong, unrighteous, conniving, dark thinking? Would I choose instead to be biblically enlightened, wise, grateful? (2 Thessalonians 1:3)

Pure: Am I habitually reading or listening to prurient things, engaging in caustic or crude talk, disregarding their affront to the Holy One, and my soul? Am I serious about repentance?

Lovely: Why fill my mind with what’s ugly, despicable, spiked with horror? Lofty thought does not dwell in the lowlands. When will I take time for beautiful music, sights, conversations?

Admirable: Do I waste concern on greed or salacious living, gossip that titillates impulses and imagination? Googling personalities that are anything but admirable? Whom do I admire, and how am I investing to learn from and emulate them?

Excellent: Learning from jobs well done raises standards for every effort. Do I tolerate mediocrity or am I committed to excellence?

Worthy of praise: If my chief end is to glorify God, am I behaving in a way that is worthy of praise? That points others to praise Him?

Father, fill my mind with Thee, to Your magnified praise.

“Now there is in Jerusalem by the Sheep Gate a pool, in Aramaic called Bethesda, which has five roofed colonnades. In these lay a multitude of invalids—blind, lame, and paralyzed. One man was there who had been an invalid for thirty-eight years.  When Jesus saw him lying there and knew that he had already been there a long time, he said to him, ‘Do you want to be healed?’  The sick man answered him, ‘Sir, I have no one to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up, and while I am going another steps down before me.’  Jesus said to him, ‘Get up, take up your bed, and walk.’ And at once the man was healed, and he took up his bed and walked.” John 5:2-9

Thirty eight years and unable to see or move. His only refuge was the shade of the stone structures, his imagination for healing was paralyzed. When the Son of God approached and asked if he wanted to be healed, the invalid, blind to that possibility and lame to hope, was inept to make the slightest move in faith. Life had become dependence on others, and blaming the very ones who helped him at all. When Jesus invites his desire and gets no answer, He breaks into his infirmity of soul and heals him, giving what the man cannot express he wants out of pure grace.

When we live in the shallows of mediocrity, busyness, and wasted time, our vision for what could be is limited. Lives ingrained in this world seldom imagine the joys and freedom of the heavenly one. Provinciality inhibits compassion for a wider reach to others, self-interest prevents us from investing in rich relationships, and personal ambition excludes generosity and availability. We do well enough what we always have, so see no need to seek what the Lord wants to expand for us going forward. We can settle in place paralyzed with fear of the unknown, unable to take up new ideas or correction, blind to hope. According to our inclination and history, change is impossible.

But the Lord wants His people singing new songs. He came to earth to awaken the dead, revive the flagging, restore the broken, feed the hungry, redirect the wandering, heal the sick, strengthen the weak, embolden the timid, enlarge our borders. He longs to break in and arouse faith, calling us to get up and walk in new life. (Deuteronomy 19:8-9; 1 Chronicles 4:10; Psalm 96:1-3; Isaiah 40:28-31; Mark 2:17)

Where do we want the Lord to heal us so we can rebuild a relationship, conquer besetting sins, respond with courage to a new calling? He asks, standing ready to save! He’s able and willing, and requests what we want, and often we only make excuses: It’s too hard. That’s impossible. This is all I have ever known. They are against me. They never do their part. When will we respond in bold faith to His ask, declare what we need, and pick up whatever has enabled our paralysis and walk with Him? If we genuinely want His to work in and through us, we will cooperate with His commands and experience His power. (Isaiah 43:19; Philippians 3:13-14)

Lord, help me want what You want, and walk in faith rejoicing.

“He stretches out the north over the void
    and hangs the earth on nothing.
He binds up the waters in his thick clouds,
    and the cloud is not split open under them.
He covers the face of the full moon
    and spreads over it his cloud.
He has inscribed a circle on the face of the waters
    at the boundary between light and darkness.
The pillars of heaven tremble…
By his wind the heavens were made fair…
Behold, these are but the outskirts of his ways,
    and how small a whisper do we hear of him!
    But the thunder of his power who can understand?”

“Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth?
    Tell me, if you have understanding…
when the morning stars sang together
    and all the sons of God shouted for joy?

“Have you commanded the morning since your days began,
    and caused the dawn to know its place…

“Can you bind the chains of the Pleiades
    or loose the cords of Orion?
Can you lead forth the Mazzaroth in their season,
    or can you guide the Bear with its children?
Do you know the ordinances of the heavens?
    Can you establish their rule on the earth?” Job 26:7-11,13-14; 38:4,7,12,31-33

“When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers,
    the moon and the stars, which you have set in place,
what is man that you are mindful of him..?

Yet you have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings
    and crowned him with glory and honor.
You have given him dominion over the works of your hands;
    you have put all things under his feet.” Psalm 8:3-6

“There are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and varieties of service, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone. To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good… apportion[ed] to each one individually as [God] wills… God arranged the members in the body,.. as he chose.” 1 Corinthians 12:4-7,11b,18

The Big Dipper stands on end in the pre-dawn, held erect by gravity, as though awaiting God’s grip to scoop and strew the myriad of stars like sparkling diamonds across the indigo sky. Each twinkles perfectly in place, connect-the-dot designs decorating the heaven-fingered canopy. Each is named, like each man known, held, and gifted by the Almighty. These are but a majestic whisper of His infinite ways, hushing the child of God into wonder and worship. (Psalm 147:4; Isaiah 40:26)

Consider the stars, and constellations upheld by God’s power, when considering His design for His children. Sometimes He appoints them for big things: to birth discoveries, movements, inventions. But many more times He uses them for small things that are part of His handiwork: the implementation of an idea, an introduction between strangers, a single life helped, comforted, admonished, or directed to Him. All are created and gifted for His purposes. (Acts 17:26-27; Colossians 1:16-17)

Where has He appointed me? What part am I taking in His grand design to further His kingdom, show kindness, fill a need? Am I frozen by intimidation or lack of confidence that focuses on me, or eager and willing to step into His marvelous plan and serve as He asks and enables? The Lord whispers daily through His people as we shine and fulfill our assigned purpose.

Lord, may my exercise of Your gifts display Your magnificent ways and glory.

“Encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.

“We ask you, brothers, to respect those who labor among you and are over you in the Lord and admonish you, and to esteem them very highly in love because of their work. Be at peace among yourselves. And we urge you, brothers, admonish the idle, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with them all. See that no one repays anyone evil for evil, but always seek to do good to one another and to everyone. Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. Do not quench the Spirit. Do not despise prophecies, but test everything; hold fast what is good. Abstain from every form of evil.

“Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it.

“Brothers, pray for us.

“Greet all the brothers with a holy kiss...

“The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.” 1 Thessalonians 5:11-26,28

Paul never minces nor wastes words. He packs his writing full of cogent truths and instruction. To cogitate on a sentence or two of his inspired letters is to be convinced, convicted, or compelled. Indeed, God’s inspired word is living and powerful for all of life, steeling into our senses and prodding us to action. (Psalm 119:105; Hebrews 4:12; 2 Timothy 3:16)

God intends that His instructions have their potent way both in and through us. Encourage and build one another up. His end is our sanctification. Respect and esteem your leaders. Be at peace and patient. Admonish the idle, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak. God’s words encompass all His children and concern their spiritual development and welfare. Be vigilant to guard against evil and seek and hold fast to good. Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks. There is no room for laziness, apathy, or grumpiness in the Christian life. Do not resist or despise or ignore Him, test everything. In all these commands, we are assured that God’s Spirit is at work and He is faithful to perform His bidding in and through us as we obey.

How carefully do we discern and heed God’s words? Are we in the practice of quenching His Spirit with excuses, disinterest, or deliberation? What commands have we chosen to ignore? What areas of spirit, soul, or body is He intent on sanctifying that we have resisted? When will we confess, repent, and yield, trusting His grace and enabling?

How thoughtfully do we consider our written and spoken words? How can we better pack a punch of gospel truth in secular conversations and opportunities to witness? With our children or others we teach, is instruction vague and benign, or direct and substantial? Do we waste words on insignificant trivialities, or when we speak, do others pay attention because our words build up and nourish? For every audience the Lord provides, may He help us prayerfully think through and communicate for maximum eternal effect. (Proverbs 25:11)

Father, fill me with truth and love so my words convey Your grit, grace, and glory.

“Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy,

“To the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ:

“Grace to you and peace.

“We give thanks to God always for all of you, constantly mentioning you in our prayers, remembering before our God and Father your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ. For we know, brothers loved by God, that he has chosen you, because our gospel came to you not only in word, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction. You know what kind of men we proved to be among you for your sake. And you became imitators of us and of the Lord, for you received the word in much affliction, with the joy of the Holy Spirit, so that you became an example to all the believers in Macedonia and Achaia. For not only has the word of the Lord sounded forth from you [there], but your faith in God has gone forth everywhere… For they themselves report concerning us the kind of reception we had among you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come.” 1 Thessalonians 1:1-10

The salutation was warm, effusing from hearts saturated with love and care and gratitude. The vibrant faith of this church was colorfully evidenced in powerful transformation, lively joy, generous hospitality, and meaningful testimony. Those who had by faith planted, ministered among, and prayed for them were naturally full of delight to learn of the Thessalonians’ ongoing labor of love, steadfast hope, and loud, potent faith.

In the Body of Christ, the working of faith by the hand of God has many components, and can be seen, heard, and felt in a variety of ways. It is expressed in individuals, the church, and culture in ways visible and invisible, silent and spoken, gripping, changing, releasing, and compelling. Active faith results in personal boldness, encouragement in prayer, comfort in distress and affliction, joy in assurance of loved ones’ security and progress in Christ. Are we experiencing this going forth of God’s gift? (Ephesians 2:8-10; 1 Thessalonians 3:6-10; 3 John 4)

In a culture punctuated with persuasive and perverted voices, what priority does a growing, widespread faith take for me? Am I more concerned with expanding knowledge, notoriety, and worldly success, or living out and speaking forth the gospel? How am I pursuing and exercising faith in Christ, and how has He worked in response?

How often do I ask others about and speak good news of faith, expressing thanks for all God has done? How can I direct conversations to encourage this gracious gift, and exalt the sovereign Savior? If this is my desire and earnest prayer, God will open opportunities. (1 Thessalonians 3:11-13)

“Like a mighty army
moves the church of God;
Brothers, we are treading
where the saints have trod;
Hell’s foundations quiver
at the shout of praise;
Brothers, lift your voices,
loud your anthems raise!” ~S. Baring-Gould (1865)

Lord, please increase my faith and multiply its effective going forth in Your kingdom, for Your glory.

“O Lord, our Lord,
    how majestic is your name in all the earth!
You have set your glory above the heavens.“

“The Lord is in his holy temple;
    the Lord’s throne is in heaven;
    his eyes see, his eyelids test the children of man.”

“On every side the wicked prowl,
    as vileness is exalted among the children of man.

How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever?
    How long will you hide your face from me?
How long must I… have sorrow in my heart all the day?
How long shall my enemy be exalted over me?”

“The Lord looks down from heaven on the children of man,
    to see if there are any who understand,
    who seek after God.” Psalm 8:1; 11:4; 12:8-13:2; 14:2

Vileness is exalted, enemies are exalted, but God is exalted above all. The highest things of earth strut below the Highest God of heaven. Wicked men rise up and wreak havoc with cities and families, worldly gods and godless efforts permeate the seen and unseen, but the supreme Lord reigns in absolute power and perfection over all. Whatever troubles or forces, His rule prevails and His love never fails. (Psalm 97:9; 113:3-4; Romans 8:33-39)

As the psalmist well knew, our times are saturated with a loud exalting of vileness, corruption, and influencers who have wicked sway. We cannot escape the drone of coarse language, violence, injustice, and salacious enticements. The enemy sometimes prowls in quiet disguise and sometimes roars with such volume we’re deafened to reason and beauty. It’s crucial for daily victory to acknowledge Who is eternally exalted and reigning over all. Reminding ourselves of God’s unshakable sovereignty readjusts perspective and reinforces our clutch on Him.

“Crown him with many crowns,
the Lamb upon his throne.
Hark! how the heavenly anthem drowns
all music but its own.
Awake, my soul, and sing
of him who died for thee,
and hail him as thy matchless king
through all eternity.” ~Matthew Bridges (1851)

Where and when are we tempted to despair? Are we so consumed with the ills that take prominence in the world that we’re more prone to fear, anger, and negativity that trusting the King of kings?Lift our eyes! God alone is truly exalted!

What practices keep us from lifting high the Lord? What needs to be turned off, tuned out, or rejected altogether? How can we magnify Him this day?

“Rejoice, the Lord is King:
Your Lord and King adore!
Rejoice, give thanks and sing,
And triumph evermore.
Lift up your heart,
Lift up your voice!
Rejoice, again I say, rejoice!

Jesus, the Savior, reigns,
The God of truth and love;
When He has purged our stains,
He took his seat above;
Lift up your heart,
Lift up your voice!
Rejoice, again I say, rejoice!

His kingdom cannot fail,
He rules o’er earth and heav’n;
The keys of death and hell
Are to our Jesus giv’n:
Lift up your heart,
Lift up your voice!
Rejoice, again I say, rejoice!

Rejoice in glorious hope!
Our Lord and judge shall come
And take His servants up
To their eternal home:
Lift up your heart,
Lift up your voice!
Rejoice, again I say, rejoice!” ~Charles Wesley (1744)

Lord, keep me rejoicing in and trusting and exalting You as supreme Lord of all, forever.

“And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent…

“For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily, and you have been filled in him, who is the head of all rule and authority. In him also you were circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the powerful working of God, who raised him from the dead. And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross. He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him.” Colossians 1:18; 2:9-15

“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.” John 1:14

Words are packed with meaning, sentences swell with description, messages conveyed are replete with power to convey the fullness of our Lord and Savior. Ponder the fullness of deity, grace, and light within the flesh- limited Christ, bursting with the perfection and love and goodness and power of God the Father. Can the mind hold it all in? He is completely sufficient and able and fills all in all. (Romans 8:31-32; Ephesians 1:22-23)

And this divine fullness is available to His children! We who know Christ and have been saved by His blood own within His limitless Spirit. His grace availed toward us enables us to avail ourselves of all His supply. (1 Corinthians 2:12; Philippians 4:19)

Yet often we live in the lowlands and allow this wondrous reality to get lost in the mayhem of daily life. We fuss and dicker and fritter around in foolish frenzies of fear and fretting. We accept forgiveness but forget all it affords. What could be daily hope-filled experience and fullness of joy gets shoved to the wayside by lesser things.

How do we go about tapping into the fullness of Christ? Can we identify the insignificant concerns that consume us? Would we confess our weakness and self-absorption and ask God’s help to desire and employ His riches? How will we avail ourselves of His wisdom in challenging situations? How readily will we wield His power over temptation and besetting sin habits? We own these heavenly treasures! (Ephesians 1:3-10)

“All hail the power of Jesus’ name!
Let angels prostrate fall.
Bring forth the royal diadem,
and crown him Lord of all!

Let every tongue and every tribe
On this terrestrial ball,
to him all majesty ascribe,
and crown him Lord of all!

Oh, that with all the sacred throng
we at his feet may fall!
We’ll join the everlasting song
and crown him Lord of all.” ~Edward Perronet (1780)

Lord, help me rejoice in and live out the fullness of all You are and share, so You are exalted and desired.

“Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise,
    but the companion of fools will suffer harm.” Proverbs 13:29

“Blessed is the man
    who walks not in the counsel of the wicked,
nor stands in the way of sinners,
    nor sits in the seat of scoffers;
but his delight is in the law of the Lord,
    and on his law he meditates day and night.” Psalm 1:1-2

“Leave the presence of a fool,
    for there you do not meet words of knowledge.”

“Make no friendship with a man given to anger,
    nor go with a wrathful man,
lest you learn his ways
    and entangle yourself in a snare.”

“Iron sharpens iron,
    and one man sharpens another.” Proverbs 14:7; 22:24-25; 27:17

“Do not be deceived: ‘Bad company ruins good morals.'” 1 Corinthians 15:33

“Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For… what fellowship has light with darkness?” 2 Corinthians 6:14

“So flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart.” 2 Timothy 2:22

“And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.” Hebrews 10:24-25

Since God pronounced that it was not good for man to be alone, and created Eve for Adam, man has lived in community with others. The Lord works through the delights and challenges of relationships to teach, refine, and sanctify His people. The company His children keep dictates the direction they put down roots and the nourishment they take in to grow and flourish. (Genesis 2:18-25)

People come in numberless varieties, and a great joy in life is intermingling with those of different upbringing, experiences, and perspective. Ideas and personalities stimulate mind and senses and stretch horizons. Righteousness believed and exemplified stokes godly creativity, while foolishness entertained and espoused can taint attitudes and rob of wholesome productivity. In keeping company, it’s prudent to make wise choices and maintain healthy boundaries. In order to be effective salt and light in an unsavory, dark world, it’s crucial to remain in robust, godly fellowship.

If we are languishing in purpose or rigor or fruitfulness, it would be wise to consider the company we keep. If we have fallen into apathy or sloth, regularly waste precious resources, or constantly entertain meaningless intrusions, we might have welcomed detrimental companions. They come in human form or by way of media, visual input, or imagination. With whom and what am I spending the majority of my attention and time? Do those things or people drain or enrich my energy, outlook, and output? What companionships need I release? We cannot avoid every uncomfortable interaction and relationship, but we can be fortified to wisely make the most of them.

With whom do I share friendship and fellowship that mutually builds up in wisdom, faith, and boldness? Who helps sharpen a godly perspective, and holds me accountable? How am I encouraging others in truth? Where am I stimulating integrity and eternal fruitfulness? Investing time, affection, and prayer in healthy relationships benefits all. (Proverbs 27:9)

Lord, help me walk with the wise and wisely, that Your people and kingdom might flourish to Your glory.