Day 2887 of the 7 day Bible verse challenge.

1 Corinthians 15:33 NIV

If we’re learning the wrong lessons from the wrong teachers, we are heading the wrong direction.

To assume that everyone around us is genuinely looking out for our best interests is an extremely common belief. But in reality, in this place, it's an assumption we should not be willing to lean upon. Because when things start falling apart, and they most certainly will, if we're left to fall into that assumption that nobody led us in the wrong direction, we'll likely find ourselves sadly mistaken as we're suddenly proven horribly wrong.

Should it be that way? No. But this society we're in clearly doesn't hold much concern about the ways in which things should be done. Instead, what we find is a people impressively focused on self and almost entirely uninterested in and unwilling to legitimately care about anyone else. Truth be told, so many are so happily lost that they'd just as soon have everyone else join them in their depraved debauchery than to actually seek to better themselves.

Because it’s just easier to reel others into your chosen pit of filth than to pull yourself out of it.

But, as truly sad and shameful as that truth is, what tends to make matters even worse is this personal assumption that each of us have that tells us that we're fully above being corrupted. We've gotten it in our minds somehow that we're all but immune to external influence, and apparently, no amount of evidence to the contrary seems to be enough to convince us otherwise.

You'd honestly think that we could take an objective look at the choices we've made, why we've made them, who or what may have influenced them, and the results we got from them and realize that we’re not always the ones making our choices but that those outside influences do actually have more of an impact than we ever cared to imagine.

Truth be told, we should be so invested in our well-being that we're willing to be brutally honest and take a candid look at the current state of our lives. But instead, I'm afraid we tend to fall into this mindset that's obviously all the rage that has people believing, again entirely reliant upon assumption, that they're doing just fine and aside from some fairly minor tweaks here and there, nothing really needs to be addressed.

What is it about our disinterest in change that has us all but adamant that we don't need to? What do we find so fulfilling about these lies that lead us to letting our guards down? How did we become so trusting of those who've proven themselves untrustworthy that we've accepted that nobody would possibly lead us wrong or risk our well-being, whether momentarily or eternal?

The reality is that, and again, I know it's something that many don't really want to admit or consider, but each of us are fully responsible for the choices we make and the lives they all end up adding up to. We are the ones who will be judged by God when our time is up. And while that may not register as many in this place still find plenty of ways to doubt and deny Him, if we hold to any concept of the truth of Scripture and the faith it's meant to be a blueprint for, then we ought to be at least somewhat concerned about how we're living and why we're living that way.

As we discussed yesterday, we're surrounded by an absolute mess in this world. Things are completely, thoroughly, totally, wholly unholy and for us to turn a blind eye to that or to assume that we'll just get lucky in our social interactions is not only foolish, but it's all but guaranteed to lead to some rather monumental issues from which we may not return.

Believe it or not, those around us have a huge impact on us. Not because we're not these highly independent individuals that we've made ourselves out to be, but simply because we're all still learning. We still hear things. We still notice habits. We still find ourselves openly invited to partake of the party lifestyle that so many are enjoying. We are in every way stuck in this world that is fleeing from Christ and more than welcoming to any and all who are down to do a little running of their own.

It doesn't take any effort to see just how dangerous outside influences can be. Just look at the entertainment that people are sharing and consuming. Gone are the days when you could flip on some cartoons on a weekend morning to entertain the kiddos while you got some things done after a busy week. This messed-up disaster of a society has even found ways to draw darkness into shows for kids! Music is no different. News is no different. The internet is all but a cesspool filled with more garbage than the city dump.

My point is that we are in fact encircled with a kind of filth that should absolutely terrify us, not lull us into letting down our better judgements. Yet, when we lean back on that assumption that most things are fairly harmless and that nobody is actively trying to dismantle morality in this world, we'll pretty quickly find ourselves being a little too friendly with the very filth that's doing all it can to wreck our faith, ruin our minds, and risk our souls.

But I know what you're probably thinking, that you're more than solid in your faith and therefore more than able to withstand the onslaught of the wickedness spinning around. Okay. Cool. Fine. Run with that if you so choose. But, perhaps we look at another little message from here in 1 Corinthians: So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall! 10:12, by the way.

The point being that just because we think ourselves immune to influence, our confidence should never be mistaken for absolute certainty. Because, as our pasts will testify, we don't usually have much trouble being proven wrong. And so, for us to feel absolute certain that we're untouchable really only does but one thing, and that's cause us to stop paying as much attention as we need to.

Truth be told, we can't help but be influenced by the world around us. Unless you live in the woods without a neighbor within 100 miles, (oh how I sometimes wish!), there are messages always being shared that are being heard even by ears that we feel are impervious. We are not some stranded creatures all alone in this world. We're sharing this rental with billions of people, and like it or not, not all 7something billion people here share our beliefs, our care about looking out for our best interests, or our hope for the same salvation we've been yearning for.

Unfortunately, as we'd do very well to remember every single day, wide is the road that leads to destruction, AND MANY ENTER THROUGH IT!!! Not some. Not a few. Not just the ones they keep locked up in cells. But many. In my personal estimation, which granted I have absolutely no say in, but I feel as if what we're seeing happen in the world today just goes to show how much narrower the path is that leads to life, and just how few there are interested in finding it.

Long post short, bad company is out there. And depending on how you measure it, I don't think it's a stretch by any means to say that the odds are not stacked in favor of those who care, who try, who believe, and who wish to live lives that prove their redemption. Instead, I'd say the overwhelming majority is comprised of those who refuse Christ, deny the Gospel, deny God, and fully think all this faith stuff is silly. And that is clearly evidenced in the actions and choices and accepted practices that we see all around us.

And, if we are not exceedingly careful, those bad habits and poor ideas and pitiful standards will in fact manifest themselves in our habits, our ideas, our standards. We may like to think ourselves above being dragged back into the mire from which we've been saved. But the cold hard truth is that while in a place filled with people living like swine in the mud, some of that socially endorsed pig-parlor can sometimes start looking mighty fun to us as well.

My whole point is that just because we may feel as though our morals are firmly entrenched and completely unmovable, we simply must understand that we are in fact still humans. We're still in a wicked world filled with people who find comfort in company. We're still sometimes foolhardy and don't necessarily put as much thought or concern into things as we should. We are still prone to suggestion and surrounded by a society that's more than happy to help offer some ideas as to how to live a fulfilling life.

We need to learn to approach life with a healthy hesitancy rather than a half-hearted and hopelessly gullible trust that we're unable to stumble. Friends, all of us have stumbled more times than we care to admit, likely more than we can count. At times, we've looked something akin to a baby deer trying to find its legs and really struggling to stay upright. So to think that all of the sudden we're above and beyond that danger is incredibly foolish. Not because our faith doesn't lead us in the right direction, but because, if we're being brutally honest, all of us have a little bit of Lot's wife in us, and we don't mind looking back to see what we're leaving behind on this narrow road.

Bad company corrupts good morals not by taking away those good morals, but by slowly convincing us that they're not as necessary and valuable as we once thought. Truthfully, it's always just easier to give up and stop trying to do this right, and it's even easier when we look around and see a world selling that same idea. But as easy as it may be to give up, knowing what we're heading for, either promised eternal destination, should be enough to constantly remind us that there's too much at stake to let up along the way.

Given enough time, the selfishness, laziness, foolishness around us will wear away our best defenses if we're not absolutely adamant in fighting to prevent that from happening. And when those complacent ideas seep into our minds, we will find ourselves incredibly willing to just give up and accept defeat. Because that's exactly what most have done.

But friends, let this serve as your friendly reminder that we're called to be very different from most. And in this world where so much sin is tolerated, accepted, and appreciated, we better not fall into this easy assumption that we can simply stay above it. Because while that may make us feel good for a while, the end result will be far less enjoyable when we one day look in the mirror only to realize we were very wrong, and are once again very lost.

Just don't take your eyes off the map. It’s too easy to get the wrong directions from those who don't care to know the way to where we're trying go.

#LeaveNoSoulUntold