Proverbs 13:20
He who walks with the wise grows wise, but a companion of fools suffers harm.
I always found the chinese term to describe friends who are actually scums, Pig & Dog friends, to be rather hilarious. But it is also a wise point for us to find ourselves good friends.
Behavioural psychologist state that we surround ourselves with people whom we admire and inspire or likeminded people who spur us. But in this day and time, we often have many friends and often anyone around us is loosely classified as a friend. But the mettle of true friendship is only tested in trials and hardships of life. you never know who is a true friend until a tragedy strikes.
I was taught once this lesson which I still hold in my head, be selective with how you define your friendship. Generally, everyone whom I know is an acquaintance and should not be considered a friend. This covers from colleague, classmate and church mates. The moment I classify the person as a friend, he/she is someone which I'm willing to open myself to and invest my time and effort on. A close friend is harder to find and this is someone which I'm able to have close communications and can rely on in my days of trouble. Therefore, I'm extremely selective and never really consider everyone whom I know to be a friend.
In the age of technology, I realised that the Gen Y people of today have many friends and buddies around them. Everyone knows someone who knows someone else, and with the explosion of social networking on the internet, it's become a global village. You must be either very aloof or have something wrong with you to have few friends. But, it also works both ways for someone to know so many people and surround themselves with so many contacts. After all how much good is derived from having so many contacts?
I do want to caution, however, the type of peers which you should have around you. In the corporate world, the best people often surround themselves with great leaders or peers because these people either provide the much needed wise counsel or they would spur them on to achive a higher sense of excellence. But if you select a group of whiny losers, it's unlikely you'll go anywhere. afterall, King of the fools is still a fool.
As a Christian, you have a responsibility to walk well and be that wise counsel to the non believers around. Importantly, are you also walking today with people who say things which you desire to say but are actually fools who are not spurring you ahead? We are all called to be the salt of the world, but we are also challenged to not foolishly seek after the company of fools. Who's a fool? He who says in his heart, there is no God.
Today may you reflect hard on the people whom you surround yourself with. Are you providing the wise counsel and light of God onto their paths. Or are they dead spiritually and preventing you from achieve a higher purpose in your life? Choose well your friends and the people whom you surround yourselves with daily.
blessings,
M.
"on behalf of a man he pleads with God as a man pleads for his friend." (Job 16:21)
11 May 2008
Pig & Dog Friends
Proverbs 13:20
He who walks with the wise grows wise, but a companion of fools suffers harm.
I always found the chinese term to describe friends who are actually scums, Pig & Dog friends, to be rather hilarious. But it is also a wise point for us to find ourselves good friends.
Behavioural psychologist state that we surround ourselves with people whom we admire and inspire or likeminded people who spur us. But in this day and time, we often have many friends and often anyone around us is loosely classified as a friend. But the mettle of true friendship is only tested in trials and hardships of life. you never know who is a true friend until a tragedy strikes.
I was taught once this lesson which I still hold in my head, be selective with how you define your friendship. Generally, everyone whom I know is an acquaintance and should not be considered a friend. This covers from colleague, classmate and church mates. The moment I classify the person as a friend, he/she is someone which I'm willing to open myself to and invest my time and effort on. A close friend is harder to find and this is someone which I'm able to have close communications and can rely on in my days of trouble. Therefore, I'm extremely selective and never really consider everyone whom I know to be a friend.
In the age of technology, I realised that the Gen Y people of today have many friends and buddies around them. Everyone knows someone who knows someone else, and with the explosion of social networking on the internet, it's become a global village. You must be either very aloof or have something wrong with you to have few friends. But, it also works both ways for someone to know so many people and surround themselves with so many contacts. After all how much good is derived from having so many contacts?
I do want to caution, however, the type of peers which you should have around you. In the corporate world, the best people often surround themselves with great leaders or peers because these people either provide the much needed wise counsel or they would spur them on to achive a higher sense of excellence. But if you select a group of whiny losers, it's unlikely you'll go anywhere. afterall, King of the fools is still a fool.
As a Christian, you have a responsibility to walk well and be that wise counsel to the non believers around. Importantly, are you also walking today with people who say things which you desire to say but are actually fools who are not spurring you ahead? We are all called to be the salt of the world, but we are also challenged to not foolishly seek after the company of fools. Who's a fool? He who says in his heart, there is no God.
Today may you reflect hard on the people whom you surround yourself with. Are you providing the wise counsel and light of God onto their paths. Or are they dead spiritually and preventing you from achieve a higher purpose in your life? Choose well your friends and the people whom you surround yourselves with daily.
blessings,
M.
"on behalf of a man he pleads with God as a man pleads for his friend." (Job 16:21)
He who walks with the wise grows wise, but a companion of fools suffers harm.
I always found the chinese term to describe friends who are actually scums, Pig & Dog friends, to be rather hilarious. But it is also a wise point for us to find ourselves good friends.
Behavioural psychologist state that we surround ourselves with people whom we admire and inspire or likeminded people who spur us. But in this day and time, we often have many friends and often anyone around us is loosely classified as a friend. But the mettle of true friendship is only tested in trials and hardships of life. you never know who is a true friend until a tragedy strikes.
I was taught once this lesson which I still hold in my head, be selective with how you define your friendship. Generally, everyone whom I know is an acquaintance and should not be considered a friend. This covers from colleague, classmate and church mates. The moment I classify the person as a friend, he/she is someone which I'm willing to open myself to and invest my time and effort on. A close friend is harder to find and this is someone which I'm able to have close communications and can rely on in my days of trouble. Therefore, I'm extremely selective and never really consider everyone whom I know to be a friend.
In the age of technology, I realised that the Gen Y people of today have many friends and buddies around them. Everyone knows someone who knows someone else, and with the explosion of social networking on the internet, it's become a global village. You must be either very aloof or have something wrong with you to have few friends. But, it also works both ways for someone to know so many people and surround themselves with so many contacts. After all how much good is derived from having so many contacts?
I do want to caution, however, the type of peers which you should have around you. In the corporate world, the best people often surround themselves with great leaders or peers because these people either provide the much needed wise counsel or they would spur them on to achive a higher sense of excellence. But if you select a group of whiny losers, it's unlikely you'll go anywhere. afterall, King of the fools is still a fool.
As a Christian, you have a responsibility to walk well and be that wise counsel to the non believers around. Importantly, are you also walking today with people who say things which you desire to say but are actually fools who are not spurring you ahead? We are all called to be the salt of the world, but we are also challenged to not foolishly seek after the company of fools. Who's a fool? He who says in his heart, there is no God.
Today may you reflect hard on the people whom you surround yourself with. Are you providing the wise counsel and light of God onto their paths. Or are they dead spiritually and preventing you from achieve a higher purpose in your life? Choose well your friends and the people whom you surround yourselves with daily.
blessings,
M.
"on behalf of a man he pleads with God as a man pleads for his friend." (Job 16:21)
