by Jeffrey W. Hamilton<\/p>\n
One of the sadder things I keep hearing is about the people you choose to be around. I know why you choose them: they don’t remind you that you are destroying yourself with drugs because they are in the process of doing the same thing. You call them “friends,” but what friend harms his companions?<\/p>\n
“Do not be deceived: “Bad company corrupts good morals”<\/em>” (I Corinthains 15:33).<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
If you take your blinders off for a moment, you can see that in your own life. You told me many times that alcohol isn’t a problem for you because you don’t like the taste. Now you drink frequently. You use profanity, though you know it is wrong. And though you claim you’re going to quit marijuana, you continue to use it. Why? Because the corrupt people you select as your “buddies” all do it.<\/p>\n
The simple fact is that until you once again seek out people who care about you, you’ll never be able to resist the urge to use one more time.<\/p>\n
“Do not enter the path of the wicked, and do not walk in the way of evil. Avoid it, do not travel on it; turn away from it and pass on<\/em>” (Proverbs 4:14-15).<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tPrior Lesson\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSearching for My Friend\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tNext Lesson\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
With “Friends” Like These … by Jeffrey W. Hamilton One of the sadder things I keep hearing is about the people you choose to be around. I know why you choose them: they don’t remind you that you are destroying yourself with drugs because they are in the process of doing the same thing. You…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":25976,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-65756","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":65751,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/bible-studies\/searching-for-my-friend\/compromised\/","url_meta":{"origin":65756,"position":0},"title":"Compromised","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"January 12, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"Compromised by Jeffrey W. Hamilton \"Compromise\" is an interesting word. By itself, we tend to talk about two people who find a middle ground on which they can come to an agreement. But add a \"d\" on the end and it means \"expose or make liable to danger, suspicion, or\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":8454,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/bible-studies\/preparation-for-a-lifetime\/family-and-friends\/","url_meta":{"origin":65756,"position":1},"title":"Family and Friends","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"August 27, 2006","format":false,"excerpt":"Family and Friends The early days of a marriage are full of adjustments. However, it is not just the newlyweds who must adapt to the new situation. Your parents, siblings, and friends have spent many years thinking of you as a single person. It takes some time to realize you\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":6641,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/bible-studies\/job\/jobs-response-an-eliphazs-rebuttal\/","url_meta":{"origin":65756,"position":2},"title":"Job’s Response and Eliphaz’s Rebuttal","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"July 22, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Class 4, Chapters 12-15 Chapter 12 Job 12:2\u2014Well you guys really know it all. You\u2019ve got it all figured out! When you die we won\u2019t know anything. 12:3\u2014I know all of this stuff already\u2014so does everybody!! 12:4\u2014Look at what\u2019s happened to me. I\u2019ve spoken to God and I\u2019m blameless but\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":15404,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/bible-studies\/moral-principles-for-young-people\/going-with-the-flow\/","url_meta":{"origin":65756,"position":3},"title":"Going With the Flow","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"November 14, 2003","format":false,"excerpt":"Going With the Flow by Jeffrey W. Hamilton We would like to think of ourselves as independent thinkers. We chose what we want to do and where we want to go. But an odd thing happens along the way. While the decisions may be different from our parents, the decisions\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/flow.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":66415,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/bible-studies\/the-gospel-accounts-a-chronological-harmony\/relationships\/","url_meta":{"origin":65756,"position":4},"title":"Relationships (Gospel Accounts)","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"February 8, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"Relationships Reading Assignment: John 15:1-16:4 \u00a0 Did you understand what you read? Who or what is The true vine? The vinedresser? The branches? The fruit? How were the disciples made clean? What does it mean to \"abide?\" Who must abide in whom? How do we abide in Christ's love? What\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":65740,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/bible-studies\/searching-for-my-friend\/rock-faces\/","url_meta":{"origin":65756,"position":5},"title":"Rock Faces","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"January 12, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"Rock Faces by Jeffrey W. Hamilton \"O LORD, are not Your eyes on the truth? You have stricken them, but they have not grieved; You have consumed them, but they have refused to receive correction. They have made their faces harder than rock; they have refused to return. 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