Acts 15:38

But Paul thought not good to take him with them, who departed from them from Pamphylia, and went not with them to the work.

One of the tour golfer’s biggest assets is a dependable and knowledgeable caddie. He is part golf coach, another part friend with a side of psychologist. Reading yardages, wind direction, and the grain of putting surfaces are only part of the story. When adversity rears itself during a tournament, the golfer needs a caddie who is a calming influence while still giving the golfer all available information to make an informed decisions. Disagreements often occur and the golfer feels it necessary to move on to another caddie. Our walk in life is no different as the people we walk with are major influences for either our success or our failure. Paul and Barnabas were close friends. However, the two split ways after a disagreement whether to embark on a missionary journey with Mark. Mark had previously prematurely went back home unexplainably to Jerusalem during an earlier trip. Paul evidently did not feel Mark could be dependable to complete the current missionary journey while Barnabas wanted to give him another opportunity to redeem himself. There comes times in life when we need to advance to higher levels in our spiritual lives. Unfortunately, our advancement does not include everyone in our circle. Some are prepared to move forward with us, while it is necessary for other to stay behind. We are to surround ourselves with people who give us the best opportunity for spiritual success. We need people who will not only support us, but also those who will “set us straight” when we make questionable decisions. In Proverbs 27:17, it is written, “iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend.” “Yes Men” are flattering to have within our circle, but they do nothing to sharpen our character or spiritual well-being. My prayer today is for the ability to discern those who are beneficial to my spiritual health from those who need to be left behind on my journey.