Choosing Your Circle: The Power of Relationships

Devotional

Day 1: The Power of Influence

Our circle of friends significantly influences our decisions and character. Just as Jesus redefined familial bonds based on spiritual kinship, we must prioritize relationships that align with our spiritual values and goals. The people we surround ourselves with can either uplift us or lead us astray. Jesus demonstrated this by choosing disciples who shared His mission and values, emphasizing the importance of spiritual kinship over biological ties. In our lives, we must be intentional about who we allow into our inner circle, ensuring they encourage us in our faith and help us grow closer to God. [04:37]

"Do not be deceived: 'Bad company ruins good morals.' Wake up from your drunken stupor, as is right, and do not go on sinning. For some have no knowledge of God. I say this to your shame." (1 Corinthians 15:33-34, ESV)

Reflection: Who in your life currently influences your decisions the most? Are they leading you closer to or further from your spiritual goals?

Day 2: Consequences of Unrighteous Relationships

The company we keep can lead us towards or away from God's kingdom. Unrighteous relationships can exclude us from experiencing God's blessings and kingdom. The Bible warns us about the dangers of associating with those who do not share our values, as they can lead us into sin and away from God's path. It is crucial to evaluate our relationships and ensure they align with our spiritual journey. By doing so, we can avoid the pitfalls of unrighteous relationships and remain steadfast in our faith. [07:22]

"Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness?" (2 Corinthians 6:14, ESV)

Reflection: Is there a relationship in your life that may be hindering your spiritual growth? How can you address this in a way that honors God?

Day 3: Intentional Relationship Building

We must choose our relationships carefully and purposefully, ensuring they are supportive and mutually beneficial. True friends help each other succeed and offer accountability and insight. Building intentional relationships requires discernment and a commitment to surrounding ourselves with those who share our values and goals. By doing so, we create a support system that encourages us to grow in our faith and pursue God's purpose for our lives. [11:07]

"Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up!" (Ecclesiastes 4:9-10, ESV)

Reflection: Who in your life provides you with spiritual support and accountability? How can you strengthen these relationships?

Day 4: The Danger of Indiscriminate Tolerance

In a world that promotes indiscriminate tolerance, we must be discerning about who we allow into our inner circle. The Milgram experiment illustrates how easily we can be influenced by those around us. It is essential to be cautious about the values and beliefs we adopt from others, ensuring they align with our faith. By being discerning, we protect ourselves from compromising our values and remain true to our spiritual convictions. [13:24]

"Test everything; hold fast what is good. Abstain from every form of evil." (1 Thessalonians 5:21-22, ESV)

Reflection: Are there areas in your life where you have been too tolerant of influences that contradict your faith? How can you address this today?

Day 5: Choosing Righteously

Our relationships should be rooted in shared spiritual values. We must prioritize relationships that align with our spiritual journey and avoid being unequally yoked with unbelievers. By choosing righteously, we ensure that our relationships support our faith and help us grow closer to God. This requires intentionality and a commitment to seeking out those who share our values and encourage us in our walk with Christ. [31:46]

"Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm." (Proverbs 13:20, ESV)

Reflection: What steps can you take to cultivate relationships that are rooted in shared spiritual values? How can you be intentional about this in your daily life?

Sermon Summary

In today's message, we embarked on a journey to explore the significance of relationships, particularly focusing on the concept of "your circle." We delved into the importance of choosing our friends and close associates wisely, as they have a profound impact on our lives and spiritual journey. Drawing from Mark 3:31-34, we examined how Jesus redefined familial bonds, emphasizing spiritual kinship over biological ties. This sets the stage for understanding that our relationships should be rooted in shared spiritual values and goals.

Reflecting on personal anecdotes, I shared how my own youthful indiscretions were often influenced by those around me. This highlights the critical role our circle plays in shaping our decisions and character. Relationships are not just a social construct but a divine design for human flourishing. Jesus' prayer in John 17 underscores the unity and oneness He desires for us, mirroring the relationship He shares with the Father.

We explored the consequences of unrighteous relationships as outlined in 1 Corinthians 6:9-10, emphasizing that the company we keep can either lead us towards or away from God's kingdom. The wisdom of Jim Rohn's quote, "You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with," serves as a reminder to evaluate our closest relationships critically.

In a world that often promotes indiscriminate tolerance, we discussed the necessity of being discerning about who we allow into our inner circle. The Milgram experiment was a stark illustration of how easily we can be influenced by those around us, even to the point of compromising our values.

We concluded with three guiding principles for choosing our circle: choose carefully, purposefully, and righteously. Proverbs 12:26 and Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 remind us of the importance of intentional and supportive relationships. Finally, 2 Corinthians 6:11-18 calls us to be unequally yoked with unbelievers, urging us to prioritize relationships that align with our spiritual journey.

Key Takeaways

1. The Power of Influence: Our circle of friends significantly influences our decisions and character. Just as Jesus redefined familial bonds based on spiritual kinship, we must prioritize relationships that align with our spiritual values and goals. [04:37]
2. Consequences of Unrighteous Relationships: The company we keep can lead us towards or away from God's kingdom. Unrighteous relationships can exclude us from experiencing God's blessings and kingdom. [07:22]
3. Intentional Relationship Building: We must choose our relationships carefully and purposefully, ensuring they are supportive and mutually beneficial. True friends help each other succeed and offer accountability and insight. [11:07]
4. The Danger of Indiscriminate Tolerance: In a world that promotes indiscriminate tolerance, we must be discerning about who we allow into our inner circle. The Milgram experiment illustrates how easily we can be influenced by those around us. [13:24]
5. Choosing Righteously: Our relationships should be rooted in shared spiritual values. We must prioritize relationships that align with our spiritual journey and avoid being unequally yoked with unbelievers. [31:46]
** [31:46]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[00:30] - Introduction to Righteous Relationships
[01:15] - The Importance of Your Circle
[02:45] - Personal Anecdotes and Influence
[04:37] - Consequences of Unrighteous Relationships
[06:30] - The Power of Influence
[07:22] - Jim Rohn's Quote on Influence
[09:00] - The Necessity of Discernment
[11:07] - The Milgram Experiment
[13:24] - The Danger of Indiscriminate Tolerance
[15:30] - Choosing Carefully
[17:33] - Jesus' Model of Relationships
[19:57] - Choosing Purposefully
[26:45] - The Role of Accountability
[31:46] - Choosing Righteously
[39:51] - Conclusion and Prayer

Sermon Clips

Because of the people that I was hanging out with. You know, relationships are important to God. Like, especially important. The whole thing that God wants us to have is a relationship with Him. I mean, think of the prayer of Jesus. I want you to look at this. This is what Jesus prays in John 17. This is like His last big prayer that we see captured. He says, I do not pray for these alone. Talking about His disciples, the apostles. He says, I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in me through their word. [00:03:19] (30 seconds)

That all may be one as you, Father, are in me and I in you. That they may also be one in us. And that the world may believe that you sent me. And listen, and the glory which you gave me, I have given them, that they may be one, just as we are one. I in them, you in me, that they may be perfect in one, and that the world may know that you have sent me and have loved me as you have loved me. [00:03:49] (29 seconds)

If we don't choose wisely, there's going to be dire consequences, and you know that, but think about that. Just have that idea in your mind. If we don't choose wisely, there are consequences. As we read from Paul, what he says is the outcome of the unrighteous person. So listen to the outcome. 1 Corinthians 6, 9 through 10. [00:04:37] (20 seconds)

He says, Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God. So the unrighteous don't go to heaven. Is that right? They don't inherit the kingdom of God. [00:04:57] (30 seconds)

There's a quote that you may have heard of. It's by Jim Rohn, who's a business guy. And he said something like this. He said, you're the average of the five people you spend the most time with. We'll let you think about that for a second. Who are the five people you spend the most time with? Because whatever they are, at whatever level they're at, that's you. [00:06:32] (26 seconds)

Now, the truth is, in today's world, we're told, like, you've got to be tolerant and indiscriminate. You know, you're not supposed to evaluate people, and you're not supposed to make determinations about who's in your circle. I mean, if you do, now you're a holier-than-thou person. You're a Bible-thumper. You're a religious person. You're an extremist. But let's be honest. [00:07:35] (25 seconds)

can i can i just make an observation i think i think we're more careful to avoid foods in our lives that are bad for us than we are the people in our lives that are bad for us i mean we get i mean people get radical about their food nowadays it's not allergy everything right i mean you go into a hotel let me see your gluten-free you know it's got to be everything free and if so how dare you you know i mean people get like really crazy about this stuff [00:08:55] (33 seconds)

So let me just tell you something. In a span of 30 to 40 minutes, an absolute stranger was able to persuade someone to administer, to basically murder someone else. because that's essentially how much energy it would be. And you would think, no, these were smart people. These were not just, you know, these were people that many of them were college students. So I guess smart is relative. Just playing, just playing. [00:13:08] (33 seconds)

So it's essential for us to learn how to develop righteous relationships in our circle and choose our friends carefully. Wouldn't you agree? Now, here's the problem. Choosing our circle of friends is our responsibility. And I want you to think about this. You regularly reap a harvest from the fields that you're working. So the more you invest in something, that's what produces in your life. [00:14:48] (30 seconds)

You need to choose your friends carefully because they're influencing you, whether you know it or not. And probably what you want to do is consider who you want to be like and whose behavior you wouldn't be embarrassed to pick up. and especially choose those who are living righteously. I mean, who's around you that you wouldn't bring home? That person might need to go out of your circle. [00:21:17] (33 seconds)

a true righteous relationship is not one-sided it's not about what i can get from the people around me you know people are not tissues use them and throw them away people are meant to add something to you but you're there to contribute to them so choose purposefully and intentionally for mutual benefit now sometimes you don't always know like what do i bring or you know sometimes we just look at ourselves like i got nothing to offer and that's not true [00:29:15] (33 seconds)

Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness? And what accord does Christ with belial? Or what part has a believer with an unbeliever? And what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For you are the temple of the living God. As God has said, I will dwell in them and walk among them. I will be their God and they shall be my people. [00:31:02] (29 seconds)

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