1 Corinthians 15:33
(God’s Word Translation)
Don't let anyone deceive you. Associating with bad people will ruin decent people.
(New Living Translation)
Don't be fooled by those who say such things, for "bad company corrupts good character.”
(International Standard Version)
Stop being deceived: "Wicked friends lead to evil ends."
1. Osmosis
Egg Osmosis
Osmosis is the process by which water enters our tissues. All of our cells are surrounded by a membrane that selectively allows in anything the cell needs but prevents unwanted molecules from entering. Weigh the uncooked eggs and carefully place them into a large glass of vinegar, cover and leave for 2 days. It might start to look a bit like beer but please don't drink the liquid, its not nice!
Remove the eggs and rinse gently under the tap. All of the shell should be gone by now (you can wipe off little bits still left over). Weigh the egg again. You need to be really careful with the egg now as it is still raw and if you burst the outer skin, it will make a big mess. Put some of the eggs in corn syrup and some in water. Leave overnight, rinse and weigh again. (If you have no scales you can look at the egg and record any differences that way!) Try adding some food coloring to the water and see what happens.
If you now put the egg in water, it will grow in size a lot more due to the much larger water concentration gradient across the membrane. If you add food coloring to the water you can see the process of osmosis in action as the colored water passes into the egg. Water is known as hypotonic, ie. very dilute and contains more water than the egg.
If instead you place the vinegar soaked egg in corn syrup you will see the opposite. There is a much higher water concentration in the egg than in the syrup so water will pass in the opposite direction. This means that the egg will shrink in size. The corn syrup is a hypertonic liquid, ie. very concentrated with not much water compared to the egg.
Spiritual Application
1 Corinthians 15:33 (God’s Word Translation)
Don't let anyone deceive you. Associating with bad people will ruin decent people.
The Bible gives us a good indication about the effects of associating with what is called “bad people”. Some kind of Osmosis happens.
You know (reverse) Osmosis can be used as a scam to sell you water filtration systems. Sales people from various water purifier companies of late are making use of a so called “Precipitator” or Jam Jar Purity Test to supposedly prove that all water except for the water produced via their purification equipment, is impure and subsequently unsafe for human consumption.
The fact is that is possible to purify water using a reverse osmosis system (RO) has very little or no minerals present in the water, thus the water will not conduct electricity and the precipitation will not result. So normal tap water with minerals in it seams to be dirty and water “purified” by reverse osmosis looks crystal clear.
Well let me tell you that coming to Church will produce spiritual purification in your life in the measure that you associate with Jesus Christ and with men and women of God
Acts 4:13 (ISV)
Now when the Jewish leaders saw the boldness of Peter and John and found out that they were uneducated and ordinary men, they were amazed and realized that they had been with Jesus.
2. Empathy
Now let’s use another difficult word... Empathy is the capacity to recognize and, to some extent, share feelings (such as sadness or happiness) that are being experienced by another sentient or semi-sentient being. Someone may need to have a certain amount of empathy before they are able to feel compassion. Empathy is an ability with many different definitions.
Showing Empathy
To show empathy is to identify with another's feelings. It is to emotionally put yourself in the place of another. The ability to empathize is directly dependent on your ability to feel your own feelings and identify them.
Acts 5:1-2 Now a man named Ananias, together with his wife Sapphira, also sold a piece of property. With HIS WIFE’S FULL KNOWLEDGE he kept back part of the money for himself, but brought the rest and put it at the apostles’ feet.
We see in Scripture that one couple, even though outwardly they seemed GENUINE and GENEROUS, in the real sense, they still struggled with issues…yes, money issues. While it’s true the land belonged to Ananias, when he had made up his mind to sell it, it was a pledge he had made unto the Lord. But when in reality the money transaction was sealed, he felt as if he had made a raw deal. God will understand, I can only imagine him thinking as he kept some of the money for himself. But here is the problem. His wife, Sapphira never tried to convince him otherwise. Of course, she had the opportunity to SPEAK UP, but she preferred to KEEP SILENT and go along with his game. What she didn’t know was she was about to pay a VERY HIGH PRICE not for her direct sin, but for the SIN OF ASSOCIATION.
Empathy can lead to compassion if we are in control of our lives
Empathy can lead to sin if we allow spiritual Osmosis to happen in our lives.
Some people unwittingly choose destructive relationships over and over again. The consequences of their choices are painful and emotionally damaging, yet those that engage in this repetitive behavior never seem to learn from their experience. Instead they go from one bad partner to the next, much to the chagrin of those closest to them (including pastors) who pull their hair out trying to stop them.
SO WHAT CAN WE DO TO AVOID BAD EMPATHY TO HAPPEN?
1. Get rid of people that are a bad influence in your life
Either accept your friends for who they are or get rid of them. Negativity is a cancer that appears in many forms. Ridicule, guilt, prejudice, condescension, intimidation, and self-doubt are only a few of the ways negativity manifests itself. While some kinds of negativity come from within and cannot be easily controlled, most are caused by other people. I believe that everyone is entitled to rid themselves of these negative people in order to enjoy happier lives. Certainly, there are situations where it is difficult to implement this philosophy of purifying your social circle. Obligations must be filled. But I urge you to examine those obligations very carefully; compare the benefit you receive from them to the amount of negativity they bring into your life each day. The older you get, the harder it is to recognize and rid yourself of the sentiments that have set into your mind. Don’t let negative people interfere with your most precious natural gift: the capacity to love life and to walk in God’s will.
2. Become Strong in the Lord
Ephesians 6:10 -11 "Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil."
Osmosis happens if you have a weak membrane between you and a hostile environment. Strengthen your life by praying, reading the Bible and coming to Church.
Do you not realize that he who has intimate relations with a prostitute is one with her in body?—for it says, “The two shall become one flesh.” (17) But he who is in union with the Lord is one with him in spirit. (1 Corinthians 6:16-17). Spiritual Osmosis can happen either for bad or for good. The choice is yours!
