Surround Yourself With Good People

D. Ward
12/27/15 - General

As a garden needs mulch so does your life so begin mulching today, 'being filled with the fruits of righteousness which are through Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God' (Phil. 1:11). Surround yourself with good people who will encourage you and teach you, who will set good examples, and whose needs will keep you so busy serving you don't have time for sin. Spend time with the word of God, reading, studying, attending Bible classes, and listening to sermons. Pray as often as you can, not just before bed and at meals. Cram so much righteousness into your life that no room remains for anything else. Then watch how seldom you sin and how much you grow, less of the one and more of the other than ever before.

"For this cause we also, since the day we heard, do not cease to pray and make request for you, that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding to walk worthily of the Lord unto all pleasing, bearing fruit in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God; strengthened with all power, according to the might of His glory unto all patience and longsuffering with joy." Col. 1: 9-11

Don't take strong Christians for granted, thinking they don't need any special care. People get so used to them being strong that no one checks on them, no one asked how things are going; no one gives them an encouraging word — that's what they are supposed to do. The worst thing you can do to a strong Christian is tell him or her that you know he is strong and can take anything. Sometimes they can't. Sometimes it just gets to be too much, and instead of having brethren who will pull them out of the abyss, they must climb out all by themselves because no one thinks they need help.

"[Paul said] Finally, brethren, pray for us." II Thess. 3:1