A while back my sister came to visit and brought her dog, Lola.
Lola and Bear (our dog) quickly became friends. One day, after being let
outside, Lola and bear decided to take a stroll around the neighborhood. They
were shortly returned by our neighbor. This was out of character for Bear, as
he's always stayed close by, even with the gate open. After Lola left, bear
took off again and wasn't returned. Thankfully, after frantically searching and
posting on social media, we found bear at the city pound.
This event immediately reminded me of the power of influence. We
are always being influenced! Paul warns the brethren in 1 Corinthians 15:33, "Do
not be deceived, Bad company corrupts good morals." This does not mean we
should keep ourselves from anyone who is not a Christian, for this would go
against the principle of shining the light. However, we need to be alert to
what and who we are allowing to influence us. No one is immune to negative
influence. Even the apostle Peter allowed the Judaizers to have negative
influence on him in Galatians
2:11-12. Paul says he had to publicly rebuke Peter. In the same way, if we
let our guard down, we can succumb to peer pressure.
We must also remember, as powerful as negative influence can be,
positive influence is equally as powerful. We need to surround ourselves with
those people who influence us to be the people God desires us to be. We also
must seek to be a positive influence on others by shining our light in a way
that men will see our good deeds and glorify God (Matthew 5:16).
Blessings,
Jeremy
