How Your Friends Shape Who You Become

Hey, carpool crew. Maybe you're sitting on the couch right now wrapped in a blanket, or maybe you're riding in the car, looking out the window, enjoying the view. Either way, I'm really glad you're here. I'm Pastor Justin, and I'm so thankful you're listening to Carpooling with Jesus on Pure Flix today. Let's jump in together. Our verse today is from Proverbs chapter 13, verse 20: the one who walks with the wise will become wise, but a companion of fools will suffer harm. See, in Bible times, walking with someone meant more than just going somewhere together. It meant doing life with them, choosing to follow their lead, letting their voice become part of your decision making. Solomon is saying your closest friends are either helping you grow into a wise person that God wants you to be, or they're setting you up to fall, to make mistakes, regrets, things that you would probably want to go back and change after you did them. And Jesus, he picked his closest friends very carefully. He taught them, he corrected them. He walked with them. He spent time with them, ate meals with them. Imagine you and your friends at the lunch table. Jesus did that with his friends all the time. So let's break this down. Walk with the wise. That means spend time with people who make smart, godly, wise choices. The people you spend your time with shape you. You'll become wise too. What does that mean? It means it rubs off. It means the stuff that you surround yourself with becomes the stuff that you yourself do. If you surround yourself with people who are kind to others, you'll be more kind. And if you surround yourself with people who are mean to others, then you'll become more mean. Companion of fools, that's hanging out with people who ignore the truth. They make reckless choices. They don't care about consequences. They think the rules just don't apply to them. You'll suffer harm. That means you'll get hurt. It might be hurt friendships, it might be a hurt reputation. It might be loss of privileges. Maybe you get grounded or get something taken away at school even if you didn't do anything. Just being around it can drag you down. It can shape the person you are. It's not about being judgmental. It's about being wise and intentional with your inner circle, the friends you trust the most. See, if Jesus sat next to you at lunch and saw your crew acting reckless, he might quietly say to you, you're becoming who you hang out with. Choose wisely. See, Jesus loved everyone, but he didn't follow everyone. He surrounded himself with people who wanted to grow. Imagine you're skateboarding with some friends. Now I know not everyone skateboards, but just imagine it for a second, and you're with friends who take crazy risks. They're grinding on rails over concrete with no helmet, just doing dumb stuff for videos. You are just watching, but the next thing you know, someone wipes out, hits their head hard, and you're looking for a parent or calling 9 1 1 because, well, because that's what happens with that crowd. See, you didn't make the decision, but you were close enough to feel the consequence. Seeing a friend hurt, knowing that this probably wasn't a wise thing to do, that's what Solomon is warning us about. So what are some ways you can apply this today? First, look at your close friends. Are they helping you follow Jesus? Helping you make good decisions? Second, don't just go along to stay included. Choose friends who make you better. And lastly, be wise enough to walk away if a crowd is heading toward trouble, making wrong decisions. See, remember, no matter where you are or how you're listening, God loves you. Now, before you go, answer this question together: are your close friends helping you grow wiser, or dragging you into messes? I'm really glad you joined us for this episode. Don't forget to explore our other episodes of Carpooling with Jesus, and you can follow us on Instagram at Carpooling with Jesus. Thanks for riding along. I'm so glad you're in the Carpool Crew. We'll see you next time.