Association

I had been desiring to see sunset and sunrise at Cape Comorin (Kanyakumari) for a long time. We had been to Kanyakumari many times but we used to go in the morning and return in the evening. So, this time we made an earnest attempt but as the Lord willed we could neither see the sunset nor sunrise due to thick clouds! Instead, we were able to see the Thiruvalluvar statue and visit the Vivekananda Rock Memorial which we had not done earlier. Standing at the Vivekananda rock brought to my mind his words about ‘association' which I had read sometime back.

Swami Vivekananda had explained ‘association' as follows: "The raindrop falls from the sky; if it is caught in the hand it is pure enough for drinking. If it falls in the gutter, it's value drops so much that it cannot be used even for washing the feet. If it falls on a hot surface, it perishes. If it falls on a lotus leaf, it shines like a pearl and finally, if it falls on an oyster, it becomes a pearl. The drop is the same, but it's existence and worth depends on with whom it associates." What a beautiful analogy!

The Bible talks of ‘association' in many places. "Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful," says Psalm 1:1. Proverbs 4:23 says, "Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life". If we do not guard our heart and mind against the counsel of the ungodly but stand with them and sit with them, very soon we will be following them into destruction! Sin is usually conceived in the mind first and that leads us to action! We see that Eve ‘saw' that the tree was good for food and then she proceeded to eat the fruit (Gen 3:6).

The world around us is promoting so many ungodly lifestyles and values. These are actually eroding the very social fabric of our society. When promiscuity is promoted as ‘cool', marriages break. When drugs and drinks are promoted as ‘cool' lives are wasted. Unless we diligently guard our hearts and minds against evil associations, we will fall!

My friend, check your associations today. If your friends are engaged in ungodly lifestyles, step out now. If you linger, you will fall and that will be the greatest tragedy! May the Lord give you the strength to walk away!

Categories: Weekly DevotionalsAuthor: Hephzibah StephenDate: 3rd October 2018 Share: newsletterDisplay date: 3rd October 2018

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