Influence is a powerful thing.
John Hancock once said, “The greatest ability in business is to get along with others and to influence their actions.”
Two kings in particular stand out on both ends of the influencing spectrum. Josiah (2 Kings 22:1-2) became a king and the young age of eight and went on to be one of the best kings that Judah had. He influenced the people to return to God and do away with all the evils that they were so regularly involved in. Manasseh (2 Kings 21:1-2) also began his reign as a boy at the age of twelve. However, Manasseh went the opposite way. He led the people back to all kinds of idol worship and immorality. His influence on the people was so great that it led the people so far away from God that there was nothing left that could save the wickedness from being punished by God.
Influence is a powerful tool to keep in mind. Influence is not always something you can control because there is always someone watching what you do. This is why it is so important how we live our lives because our lives can have an impact on the lives of those around us and therefore the souls around us. If we live contrary to the way that we say we believe then we influence people to disregard God as being something unimportant. But if we live our lives solely for God we can influence others to see the glory of God through us and therefore strive for to be that way themselves. So what kind of influence do you portray? Do you bring people closer to God like Josiah, or further away from God like Manasseh?
Jacob Saarloos
