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A Network of Virtuous Influences, June 14
I am a companion of all them that fear thee, and of them that keep
thy precepts.
Psalm 119:63
.
Young people desire companionship, and just in proportion to the
strength with which their feelings and affections fasten upon those with
whom they associate, will be the power of those friends to be either a
blessing or a curse to them. Then let parents beware. Let them guard
every influence of association. “He that walketh with wise men shall be
wise: but a companion of fools shall be destroyed” (
Proverbs 13:20
). The
youth will have associates and will feel their influence....
Wax does not more certainly retain the figure of the seal than does
the mind the impressions produced by intercourse and association. The
influence is often silent and unconscious, nevertheless it is strong and
impressive. If wise and good men and women are the chosen companions,
then you put yourself in the direct way of becoming sound in thought, in
ideas, and correct in principles. And such intimacies are of highest value
in the formation of character. A network of virtuous influences will be
woven around you, which the evil one will not be able to break with his
seductive wiles....
But let the youth choose the influence of, and become associated with,
men and women of bad principles and practices, ... and they are polluted.
Silent and unconscious influences weave their sentiments into their lives,
become a part of their very existence, and they walk on the very brink of a
precipice and sense no danger. They learn to love the words of the smooth
tongued, the honeyed words of the deceiver, and are restless, uneasy, and
unhappy unless they are carried to the pinnacle of someone’s flattery....
To walk in the counsel of the ungodly is the first step toward standing in
the place of sinners and sitting in the seat of the scornful.
The only safe course for the youth is to mingle with the pure, the holy,
and thus natural tendencies to evil will be held in check. By choosing
for their companions such as fear the Lord, they will seldom be found
disbelieving God’s Word, entertaining doubts and infidelity. The power
of a truly consistent example is very great for good.
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