Reflection
God’s plan for Israel was that they would get rid of everyone living in Canaan, but by the end of Joshua’s life, there remained pockets of Canaanites living among the Jewish people. Joshua warns Israel not to get involved with them – not to intermarry or to take on their cultures and religions. In Judges 2, we learn that Israel did exactly what Joshua and the Lord told them not to do. Because of the people they let influence them, Israel stopped serving the Lord, lost their identity as a holy people to God, and they were never able to win on the battlefield.
In my own life, there have been times where my failure to walk with the Lord can be directly tied to the people I’ve hung around with. It’s not to say that they are to blame for my lack of spiritual discipline, but it speaks to the power people have of influencing others. Someone wise once said, “Show me a man’s friends, and I’ll show you his character.” It is so important to teach our children this lesson, because friends have such a powerful influence. We must say to them, “Choose friends that you want to emulate, because spending time with them will cause you to be like them.” At some point, children will make decisions for themselves, and we can only hope and pray that they will adhere our counsel and choose godly friends and a path of following the Lord.
This is also a warning for us adults. It is a reminder to be careful of the people we spend time with. The tough part about our “grown-up lives” is that most of the time, we don’t get to choose who we spend time with. We take jobs where we are surrounded by all sorts of people. Some have terrible attitudes, foul mouths, licentious behavior, and they live for the drunken stupor they will experience on the weekend and complain about how miserable they feel on Monday. We must not let their contagious behavior affect us, so therefore, we must be suited with the full armor of God. Sometimes, we may even need to make the tough choice of leaving jobs infected with such behavior.
Let your light shine before all men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father who is in Heaven. – Matt 5:16
But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander.
Prayer
Ask God to help you find godly friends in your workplace. Ask the Lord to bring people in your life who can have a godly influence on you, and who you can also encourage to walk with God. Ask the Lord about ways you can be connected to people at church so that relationships can develop and grow stronger. Pray for strength and wisdom in sharing about the peace you have in Christ.