The Company We Keep

"The Lord announced the word, and great was the company of those who proclaimed it" (Psalm 68:11).

When I was 16, I got a summer job working for a master carpenter. We remodeled houses, built decks, and repaired roofs. One morning my boss approached me and asked, "Are you serious about learning the carpenter's trade, or is this merely a summer job for you?"

I must have looked curious, so my boss went on to explain, "If you want, you can be my apprentice, and I will take the time to teach you everything I know about carpentry. But if you just want a summer job," he continued, "that's fine with me. I just don't want to invest a lot of time teaching you if you're not really interested."

I had to be honest. Though I enjoy building things, I couldn't see myself making a career out of carpentry. "It's mainly just a summer job," I told him. As a result, I spent most of the summer carrying lumber, installing insulation, and doing other tasks that required a lower level of skill. I made some money for college, and I've never regretted my choice. But I also have never forgotten that carpenter's words: "If you want, you can be my apprentice."

Look up disciple in the dictionary, and you'll see that “apprentice” is one of the definitions. Christians are disciples of Jesus—apprentices of the Master Carpenter. We follow him, learn from him, imitate him. We have accepted his invitation, "Take my yoke upon you and learn from me" (Matthew 11:29).

Your life will be changed when you spend time in the company of a skillful teacher. Jesus said, "A student is not above his teacher, but everyone who is fully trained will be like his teacher" (Luke 6:40). What a sobering thought for those who teach! Students don't merely recall their teachers' words; they reflect our lives. They mirror our attitudes, our opinions, even our mannerisms. No wonder "we who teach will be judged more strictly" (James 3:1).

Teaching is a solemn responsibility—and an honorable one. Who can measure the positive impact of a loving, Christ-like teacher? Thank God for faithful teachers who spread the Lord's truth and love in public schools, Christian schools, homeschools, university lecture halls, and Sunday school classrooms. They are part of a great company of believers down through the ages who have passed along "the faith that was once for all entrusted to the saints" (Jude 3). Look around your church (as I do mine) and you'll see teachers like: Betty, who makes sure babies and their parents encounter the love of Jesus in our church's nursery every Lord's Day; Ed, a busy executive during the week who pours his heart into teaching fifth-graders on Sunday morning; Matt, a lawyer and a Bible teacher who devotes many hours each week preparing to teach his adult class with excellence; and Gail, who organizes life-changing Bible studies for women.

Many influential teachers, though, have no formal classroom in which to teach. They are simply the company we keep—parents who pass along their values, friends who shape our thinking, influential church members whose opinions we respect. "Bad company corrupts good character," the Bible warns (1 Corinthians 15:33). But consider the flip side: "God is present in the company of the righteous" (Psalm 14:5b).

What kind of company do you keep? Has God given you teachers who have helped to shape your life? Appreciate them. Savor the time you spend in their company. Join them as apprentices of the Master Teacher whose carpenter's hands stay constantly at work building strong, sturdy lives.