Good Morning Everyone,
Our theme for this month: “Mistakes”
Our Bible verse for today: “Therefore, dear friends, since you know this in advance, be on your guard, so that you are not led away by the error of lawless people and fall from your own stability. But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” 2 Peter 3:17-18 (HCSB)
Our thought for today: “Don’t make the mistake of being influenced by ungodly people.”
As I write this it is early Monday morning. If you’re a practicing Christian then in all likelihood yesterday you were safely surrounded by your church family. It was probably a joyful, encouraging, and nurturing time and chances are the influences you were exposed to were positive and they made you a better person. But where will you be today? What kind of people will you be around on your job, at school, in the store? What kind of language will the conversations consist of? Will the business dealings be honest? Will people be treating others with kindness and respect?
The world can often be a harsh place, and the influences we’re exposed to out there are frequently bad. As Peter alludes to in the passage above, we know this in advance. It shouldn’t catch us by surprise that the world is like that and that we will find ourselves confronted with negativism, dishonesty, profanity, unkindness, and much more. So we have to be ready for it. We must have taken the steps in advance so that our faith is strong, our convictions are firm, and our knowledge of the Bible is such that we can immediately recognize right from wrong, good from evil – and then act accordingly.
If we’re not properly prepared to face the world we will quickly discover how easy it is to get steam rolled by peer pressure and swept along with the cultural tide. Many Christians make the mistake of being naive about what they are going to be faced with each day out there in the world and they don’t prepare themselves for it.
It is essential that we protect ourselves by being strong in the Lord. Don’t make the mistake of allowing yourself to be influenced by ungodly people.
God Bless,
Pastor Jim
Oak Hill Baptist Church 