A Whack Up The Side Of The Head

If you ever find yourself falling in your faith, feeling a little off track, and need a really good boost listen to Billy Graham.

One particular sermon I heard him speak is from his 1979 Crusade in Tampa, Florida. Some of the Christian channels will broadcast these sermons and it is worth checking the TV listings to find them. They will be listed as Billy Graham Classics, and they certainly are. They can also be found on YouTube. Just search Billy Graham. Sometimes we need a good "whack up the side of the head" with our faith. We fall, we forget, we get too busy, and we simply fail to spend time with our Bible and thinking about our faith. 

The solid, stern teachings of Billy Graham will help you get back on track.

1 Corinthians 15-33

"Do not be misled. Bad company corrupts good character."

- 1 Corinthians 15-33

I was searching the internet for Scripture on the subject of Character and found this passage on BibleGateway.com. Very powerful: "Do not be misled. Bad company corrupts good character." What does the Bible mean when it says, "Company." I think it is much broader than the people we spend time with, the "company" we keep. To me, "company" can be nearly anything: our attitude, the television we watch, the thoughts we have. "Company" can be quite the bag of tricks. 

It is difficult to watch out for certain elements of Company we have in the course of a day. In many instances it is impossible to avoid it, but I think we have to keep an antenna up when Company comes around. These are part of the challenges we face as individuals trying to walk with Christ, to be persons of excellence, persons of Character. It can be tough.

Romans 5:3-5 goes into this further: "We also have joy with our troubles, because we know that these troubles produce patience, and patience produces character, and character produces hope, and this hope will never disappoint us, because God has poured out his love to fill our hearts." As I read further I found a Scripture which really spoke to me: Romans 5:6-8, "When we were unable to help ourselves, at the moment of our need, Christ died for us, although we were living against God.... Christ died for us while we were still sinners." While some may read this as saying that we were so terrible that Christ died for us (and they would be right), I take it a step further: By saying Christ died for us while we were still sinners, I think the scripture is also saying that Christ's death is a covering, a Scriptural back-up plan, if I can say it that way, in that when we fail, when our character falls short, Christ is there to remind us and lift us up, bringing us to the Bible to get back on track. The moment of our need can happen again and again.