Godly Peer Pressure

I was talking with a co-labor of the gospel today about peer pressure. The short chat focused on good peer pressure. Living in the midst of teens I often here about how bad peer pressure is. This is certainly true. Let me name a few that have probably already popped into your mind:

1. Drugs - alcohol, weed, meph, crack, cocaine, heroine, etc.
2. Sex - how often, with who, for what reason, sex drive, etc.
3. Cheating - getting good grades puts a lot of pressure on teens.
4. Parents - parents put A LOT of pressure on teens.
5. Image - appearance, what you have (gf/bf)
6. Friends - who is your friend on FB? who do you hang with? How often?

This interesting thing about peer pressure is that it really has a HUGE negative vibe. Meaning, most of us would assume that any peer pressure is bad - especially after reading the list above. However is it possible and more refreshing if we could view this from a Christ-centered perspective. The apostle Paul had this in mind when he told church after church that he was, "Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God," (Col. 1:1a, 1 & 2 Tim. 1:1a, Eph. 1:1; Gal. 1:1a; 1 & 2 Cor. 1:1a). Basically what he is saying is that he comes to each church with God's authority/power! Now if someone comes to you and says I am from this organization or that organization (depending on its power) we can be pressured into doing something. In the positive however St. Paul comes into each church with a positive peer pressure - one that points to Jesus Christ as central in all things. May you and I today take seriously godly peer pressure and view it not as something negative but by the precious blood of the Lamb positive!
Amen.
RJO