Who is influencing you?
I asked this question during our devotional time at our last meeting. You can imagine my surprise when this question was asked of me during a lunch meeting the very next day. The minister I was meeting with asked it just like that. “Who is influencing you?” I had already been thinking over this and examining this question in my own life, but I could not help thinking about it even more intently after being asked out loud. It was that little event that leads me to this posting, first for those that were not able to meet with us, but to also further challenge each of us to examine those things that we allow to influence us in our decisions, perspectives, and patterns of living.
Our world is full influences. We are constantly being bombarded with information. Everywhere we turn; there are advertisements, editorials, images, opinions, movies, people and even the every day circumstances of life in which we find ourselves. Some of this information is sought out voluntarily, and some is thrust at us from all different directions. Whether we like it or not, all of it has the ability to make some change in the way we think and feel about the topic to which it pertains. The question then becomes what do we accept as relevant and what do we discard?
We can find a solid answer for this in scripture. Take a second and check out Psalm 1. In this Psalm, you will see a comparison of a righteous life being lived in obedience to the Lord and a life being lived in accordance with all that is opposed to that. The fact, as demonstrated in this Psalm, is that one path leads to a fruitful and productive life, while the other leads to emptiness, despair, and ultimately death. It is at the source of this contrast that we find the one influence that we can accept as trustworthy and that will lead us to that fruitful productive life.
Look at those first three verses again. The man that does not accept the wisdom of the world is blessed. No one wants to say it out loud because it can be offensive. However, the truth of the matter is that the world’s wisdom is based upon a very limited perspective. No matter how hard it tries, the world cannot give the depth of insight required. To be completely honest, the world’s greatest wisdom is truly foolishness when compared to God. This man is blessed as he focuses not on worldly wisdom or ways but on the law of the Lord. He is like a tree planted by a river that in turn bears the fruit that it had always been meant to bear.
Notice that he was not blessed because he sought out his own ways to make himself fruitful. He did not devise profitable ways to live and then become fruitful. He did not figure out on his own what good works he could do to become fruitful and productive. He simply meditated, or focused, on the Lord and His ways, and the natural reaction was the fruit of God’s grace became evident. He became just like that tree that was given exactly what it needed to become what it was meant to be. Jesus taught good trees bear good fruit and bad trees bear bad fruit. What type of fruit are you being influenced to bear?
This psalmist is not teaching avoidance or separation from the world, but is speaking about who and what we pattern our life after. Therefore, sit in humility before God, stand by His power in faith and forgiveness, and walk in the way He leads allowing His influence to be what grows you into all that you can be.
Let me challenge you to read His word daily, read and listen to solid Christian sources teaching His truth (these must all be measured in light of scripture), pray for the help of the Holy Spirit, and ask for God’s wisdom. As you can see from the words in this psalm you will not be disappointed.
Our world is full influences. We are constantly being bombarded with information. Everywhere we turn; there are advertisements, editorials, images, opinions, movies, people and even the every day circumstances of life in which we find ourselves. Some of this information is sought out voluntarily, and some is thrust at us from all different directions. Whether we like it or not, all of it has the ability to make some change in the way we think and feel about the topic to which it pertains. The question then becomes what do we accept as relevant and what do we discard?
We can find a solid answer for this in scripture. Take a second and check out Psalm 1. In this Psalm, you will see a comparison of a righteous life being lived in obedience to the Lord and a life being lived in accordance with all that is opposed to that. The fact, as demonstrated in this Psalm, is that one path leads to a fruitful and productive life, while the other leads to emptiness, despair, and ultimately death. It is at the source of this contrast that we find the one influence that we can accept as trustworthy and that will lead us to that fruitful productive life.
Look at those first three verses again. The man that does not accept the wisdom of the world is blessed. No one wants to say it out loud because it can be offensive. However, the truth of the matter is that the world’s wisdom is based upon a very limited perspective. No matter how hard it tries, the world cannot give the depth of insight required. To be completely honest, the world’s greatest wisdom is truly foolishness when compared to God. This man is blessed as he focuses not on worldly wisdom or ways but on the law of the Lord. He is like a tree planted by a river that in turn bears the fruit that it had always been meant to bear.
Notice that he was not blessed because he sought out his own ways to make himself fruitful. He did not devise profitable ways to live and then become fruitful. He did not figure out on his own what good works he could do to become fruitful and productive. He simply meditated, or focused, on the Lord and His ways, and the natural reaction was the fruit of God’s grace became evident. He became just like that tree that was given exactly what it needed to become what it was meant to be. Jesus taught good trees bear good fruit and bad trees bear bad fruit. What type of fruit are you being influenced to bear?
This psalmist is not teaching avoidance or separation from the world, but is speaking about who and what we pattern our life after. Therefore, sit in humility before God, stand by His power in faith and forgiveness, and walk in the way He leads allowing His influence to be what grows you into all that you can be.
Let me challenge you to read His word daily, read and listen to solid Christian sources teaching His truth (these must all be measured in light of scripture), pray for the help of the Holy Spirit, and ask for God’s wisdom. As you can see from the words in this psalm you will not be disappointed.
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