June 13, 2012
In talking to young people about preparing for the future, I’ve had several say something like this: “We must get into the world to experience ungodly situations and ungodly people in order to grow stronger.”
This kind of thinking has swallowed up many immature Christians and eventually turned them against God. Sure, we’re in the world (John 17:15) and we’re exposed to non-Christian situations (school, job, neighborhood), but we need to be careful that exposure to those situations does not lead to embracing ungodly philosophies. All of us would mature faster by following the divine pattern suggested in Psalm 1:1.
First, let’s not let our decisions and choices be controlled by the “counsel of the ungodly.” Second, we shouldn’t put ourselves in a place where those who don’t know Jesus can unduly influence our thought processes. Third, let’s avoid getting comfortable with those who mock God, His Word, and His role in our life so that their thinking seems right to us.
Counsel from such sources leads us away from God. Instead, it’s best to get our training, our guidance, and our advice from God’s holy Word and those who know it and love it. God and His Word, not experiences, are our best teacher.
To help us grow, mature, and learn,
To teach us from Your written Word,
So truth from error we’ll discern. —Sper
Read: Psalm 1
