If we want to be a bad friend, then we should lead our friends to make bad decisions. It’s easy to mislead friends in our culture. Social media allows us to portray all kinds of false truths. For instance, anyone can post a photo of himself and make it seem that his life is nearly perfect, when deep down, he is struggling. We have become the kings and queens of presenting perfection when our lives are far from it. We mislead everyone around us. Paul encourages us not to be misled or mislead others. He quotes ancient Greek playwright Menander: “Bad company corrupts good character,” alluding to the fact that we shouldn’t hang out with friends who pull us away from God; we should distance ourselves from them. We should never let friends take us away from our relationship with the Lord.

• How have you seen yourself corrupted by bad company?
• Do you consider yourself to be someone with good character? Why or why not?