You may have heard it said, “You become who you run with, and they become you.” I don’t remember being told this when I was younger, but I must have been, because I remember having thoughts in disagreement with that opinion. I thought, “my character is what it is, and who I hang around with will not change it.” As I got older, I realized my view was not realistic. I also recognized that it is very difficult to evaluate one’s own situation objectively, while in it.

1 Corinthians 15:33-34 says, “Do not be misled: “Bad company corrupts good character.” Come back to your senses as you ought, and stop sinning.” The Revised Standard Version translates it, “Bad company ruins good morals.”

It is important to periodically evaluate with whom we are spending our time. True, we can be the positive influence on others who need improvement in their behavior, but we should be part of a group that has a high moral standard and the whole group can be the influence on those who need improvement, rather than us, individually, trying to lift up the standards of the rest of the group.

In modern times, it is not just the people we physically spend time with that influence us, it is also the people we follow on twitter, facebook, youtube, TV and radio that are influencers of our character. We need to evaluate these, as well.

Dear Lord, part of the Christian life is choosing those with whom we socialize, and you provide us good guidance in your word. Help us follow our conscience, and avoid the situations and if necessary the people, that erode our good morals and character. in Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

Jesus teaches his disciples to pray what we call the Lord’s Prayer in Luke 11. In verse 2 Jesus says, “When you pray, say: “Father, hallowed be your name…” Jesus teaches them to start their prayer with praise and acknowledgment of the power and awe of God. In a similar way, David prays in 2 Samuel 7, going on in many verses about how great and amazing God is.

There is a point to beginning our prayers this way, acknowledging the power, glory and amazement of God. It puts God in the proper place above us in our minds, so that we bring our requests and concerns to God, humbly recognizing that he knows better than we do, and we submit our desires to his will. As Jesus’ tells us in Matthew 6:8, God knows what we want before we ask.

Dear Lord, How amazing and almighty you are thank you for hearing our prayers, and giving us what we need. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

We see in the Bible accounts of people who are following God’s instruction but for different reasons they lose their discipline, and begin doing things they know are wrong, and putting things above God in their lives. One small step at a time and they end up completely disobeying God’s direction; People like Solomon and the Jews in the wilderness after leaving Egypt. We see this in our lives today, as well, people we know who were faithful members of our churches, and even pastors, fall away and then begin making bad decisions that drag them further astray.

Maintaining our faith requires the discipline to read God’s word, think about it, pray, worship and strive to practice God’s direction. Like maintaining our bodies, we need to eat well in order to stay healthy.

I think this is the idea Jesus was trying to deliver in the story of his temptation, while he was fasting in the desert, recorded in Matthew and Luke. Matthew 4:3,4 says, “During that time the devil came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become loaves of bread.” But Jesus told him, “No! The Scriptures say, ‘People do not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.”

Just like food is for life, God’s words of instruction, education, and salvation are the food we need for our Christian life on earth and eternally, without it we are starving ourselves, making us weaker and easier prey for temptation.

Dear Lord, thank you for your word that provides us the spiritual food we need to make us strong and resilient. Help us have the discipline to study it regularly to keep ourselves firm in our faith. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

If you are like me, you probably pray often for your family, friends, and for your own wants and needs, but maybe not as much for those outside that circle. We need to make an effort to expand those for whom we pray. Lately, I have been trying something new. When I am inclined to be irritated with someone, I try to use this feeling as a reminder to pray for them instead.

I like the way the Living Bible translates, Paul’s direction in his letter to Timothy, 1 Timothy 2:1, “Here are my directions; Pray much for others; plead for God’s mercy upon them; give thanks for all he is going to do for them.” the passage continues, in verse 3, “for this is good and pleases God our Savior, for he longs for all to be saved and to understand this truth.”

Dear Lord, There are so many people who need help, and we are just one person. Help us remember to use our prayers to intercede for them, and give thanks that you hear us. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

There is a personal development expression I heard that goes, “There is no growth in the comfort zone, and there is no comfort in the growth zone.”

In a way, this is what Paul meant in Hebrews 12:10-11 where he wrote, “but God disciplines us for our good, in order that we may share in his holiness. No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.”

My definition of discipline is, “knowing the right thing to do, and doing it.” God’s discipline may be helping us see the right thing so we will do it, or it may be giving us discomfort doing the wrong things until we do the right thing. Either way, the right thing is often the more difficult and uncomfortable thing to do.

When we are experiencing difficulty and challenges, we should try to think, “Is God disciplining me for some reason?” “What am I supposed to be learning from this negative experience?”

We know, however, as Paul says in Hebrews 12:6, “For the Lord disciplines those he loves, He disciplines each one he accepts as his child.”

Dear Lord, Thank you for caring about us enough to discipline us. Help us see our challenges and discomforts in the right context so that we may grow and become better servants for you. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.