Verses 33-34

"Do not be misled, bad company corrupts good character. Come back to your senses as you ought, and stop sinning..." 1 Corinthians 15:33-34

What a verse to start the weekend, huh?! Continuing my study of 1 Corinthians 15, this verse really jumped out at me. At first, I was confused. Aren't we called to be a light to those who don't know Christ? Aren't we supposed to show how to live a Godly life, by example, to those who don't know Him? The answer is yes. As I thought about this verse, I felt like the Lord gave me clarity on its meaning. Going back to the first verse of this chapter, we are told to hold firm in our faith. We are not perfect, and there will be times and people, especially people, who make it difficult for us to hold to our faith. Instead of setting a good example for them, they set a bad example for us. Maybe it's drinking too much alcohol, maybe it's gossiping, maybe it's using bad language. If we are honest, there are all types of ways that we can be slightly influenced in a negative way, and before we know it, you couldn't tell who is the committed Christian, and the atheist. Ok, perhaps an extreme, but you know what I mean.

One specific way I have seen this play out is in the stay-at-home mom decision. I have seen mothers completely confident in the fact that God told their family this was the right decision, yet they allow others' comments, judgements, and worldly views start to shake their confidence. The enemy is tricky. Rarely does a spiritual downward spiral happen overnight. It is typically little digs that add up over time. We should choose wisely those we associate with IF we know their influence makes us struggle with our commitment to Christ. Then, we should pray for spiritual confidence to mature in us about that subject...our passion for staying at home, for example. Relying in the Lord, He will be faithful to show us the right time to bring those people back into our lives, where we can then be a light for Him without the worry of being pulled down.

Perhaps you got a completely different meaning from the verse, but I felt enlightened enough to share mine with you. I hope it was a blessing. As always, enjoy the gift of this weekend with your families. I will be back next week, with a new computer :-) Be blessed, mommies!