Bad Company Corrupts Good Character

The above quote is found in 1 Corinthians 15:33. It is actually a quote from the Greek poet Menander who lived in 342–291 BC

I began reading today the book of Judges. Israel is finally in the land. They at last arrived at the fulfillment of the promise God had made to Abraham four centuries earlier. God Himself gave them victories over their enemies and all they had to do was to be obedient and they would continue to prosper. God had told them specifically,  “do not associate yourselves with the people of the land, they will turn you away from the covenant I have made with you”. God had told them to drive them away but the book begins by saying that Israel, tribe by tribe allowed their enemies to live with them and they begin associating with them. The result is a fallen away from God and His word. It did not happen all at once, it began with just a little association and slowly the association corrupted them and they went from bad to worse and the book of Judges tells their story.

God has called us to be a “light to the world” and a “salt to the earth”.  We are to be witnesses and to declare the Good News. But I fear that we too allow ourselves too much to associate with those who do not share our values and beliefs and just like Israel of old we our character is corrupted. We began to act like them instead of them acting like our salt and us loses its flavor and our light is overcome by darkness. It should not be so!

May the lesson of the book of Judges be a reminder to us not to associate with “bad company” in and out of the church if we want to keep having a good character.

Just a though for today,

Pastor Fernando Carvalho