With whom are you surrounding yourself?

Today’s reading:  1 Corinthians 15 and 16

Have you ever had a friend whose presence seemed to alter the course of almost every situation (and not for the good)? Reflecting over my childhood years, a few of these people come to mind. I was generally a pretty good kid, but when one of these friends was around, things always seemed to go downhill. My parents knew who these “bad seeds” or “ring leaders” were. I knew it too, I was just never willing to concede. Admitting my folks were right may have propelled me to make a different choice, which may have led me to miss out on the fun. No thanks.

Do not be misled: “Bad company corrupts good character” (1 Corinthians 15:33).

Now that I’m old, and have kids of my own, the wisdom found in 1 Corinthians 15:33 means more to me than ever. Funny thing is, this truth applies no matter how old we are. While one bad apple can spoil the whole bunch, it works the other way too.  One good, influential person can also raise everyone else’s game.

On the way to Springfield last Saturday, B.J. and I were listening to Craig Groeschel’s leadership podcast. The topic for the day was – your potential to lead others is a result of how you lead yourself.  According to Groeschel, what you put in your mind is a main determinant of what comes out in your leadership.  If inputs are what determines outcomes, where should we focus?  You guessed it, on the inputs.

Groeschel went on to break down inputs into 3 main categories:

  • What you consume – you conform to what you consume
  • What you attempt – growth comes from doing more of something or doing something different
  • With whom you surround yourself…sound familiar?

Motivational speaker Jim Rohn says we are the average of the five people with whom we spend the most time.  He asserts that surrounding yourself with people that look like you want to look and/or act like you want to act, increases your propensity to become who you want to be.  I’ve read other studies that refute this point, saying far more people influence you than your closest 5.  But either way, we are for sure influenced by the people with whom we surround ourselves.

While 1 Corinthians 5:33 puts us on our guard to avoid surrounding ourself with bad influences, is this enough?  Its kind of like physical health.  Cutting out junk food and not sitting all day helps, but just cutting things out won’t make us healthy.  We have to intentionally engage in healthy activities – eating right-sized portions of healthy foods, regularly exercising and getting enough sleep.  In the same way, avoiding bad company helps, but it alone won’t lead a fulfilling, God-honoring life.

Today, I challenge you to consider who you are spending time with and how they are impacting you. Are they influencing you for good?  Are they modeling spiritual disciplines?  Are they spurring you on to a closer relationship with Christ?

As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another (Proverbs 27:17).