Kids Bible Devotional for October 15, 2024
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Focus Verse
Proverbs 22:24 Make no friendship with an angry man; and with a furious man thou shalt not go. (KJV)
Jump Start
Recognize these sayings? A man is known by the company he keeps. Or birds of a feather flock together.
There is an Aesop’s Fable about a farmer who went to market to buy a donkey. He worked out a deal with a merchant to let him try out the donkey for a little while. When he brought the donkey home, he placed him in the stable. The next morning, the farmer found that the donkey had chosen a place next to the laziest, greediest beast he had.
He saddled up the donkey and returned him to the market.
“Back so soon?” the merchant asked. “How could you possibly have tried him out that quickly?”
“I don’t need to test him anymore,” the farmer replied. “I could see what sort of beast he was from the companion he chose for himself.”
Choosing the right friends is important. If you choose the wrong friends, they can lead you astray. This is especially true when you make friends with negative, angry, and bitter people.
Today's Devotion
Simone’s mother looked up from her book as her daughter came through the front door. “I thought you were going over to Marcia’s house this afternoon to study,” she said.
“I was,” Simone said, dropping into the recliner. “But Marcia is in one of her moods again.”
“Why is Marcia upset?” Mother asked.
Simone threw her hands up. “Why is Marcia ever upset? Because the sky is too blue. Because rain is too wet. Today, she accused me of talking about her to Jill.” Simone’s voice went a pitch higher. “I never said a word to Jill. She gets things in her head and goes bonkers.” Simone made circular motions around her ears.
“Maybe it’s time you think about finding a new friend,” Mom said.
“Marcia’s okay,” Simone sighed. “She just needs time to cool off.”
“Wait right here. I’ve got something I want to show you.” A few minutes later, her mother returned with a cracked hand mirror which she gave to Simone. “Do you remember how this got broken?”
Simone blushed. “Yes. I threw it last week when I couldn’t fix my hair. But I said I was sorry.”
“You did.” Mom sat across from Simone. “Now, look at your reflection. What do you see?”
“It’s hard to make out,” she said.
“Before you started hanging around with Marcia, you hardly lost your temper. Now, it doesn’t take much to light your fuse. No matter how many times you apologize, you can’t un-crack that mirror. The Bible says not to make friends with an angry person because you can pick up their bad behavior.”
Simone gazed into the mirror. “You’re right. I don’t like the person I’m looking at right now.”
“That’s because she’s a distorted image of who you really are,” Mom said. “But I know the real Simone. And so do you.”
Wrap Up
You have probably heard the saying, “guilty by association.” This stems from the fact that we make friends with people of like-mindedness. If we are always angry and negative, who better to condone your hostility than people of the same mindset?
As Christians, we are told to guard our hearts from influences that can detract or detour us from God. For this reason, we must be careful of the friends we make. Their bad habits can become ours as well.
Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 15:33, “Do not be misled: ‘Bad company corrupts good character.’” We should always be friendly and loving to everyone we meet. But we should take care of who we invite into our close circle of friends. Choose to surround yourself with God-loving people. The holy habits of Christ-followers will rub off on you.
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