We all have an influence on those around us. The question is what kind of influence are we? To influence someone is to have the capacity to have an effect on their character, development, and behavior. If we ask what kind of influence we want to be, we would all say we want to be a good influence. Sounds like a lofty desire, but as Christians, we should want to be not just good, but a godly influence. Before I can be a godly influence, I must make sure of my own salvation. Before I can be a sanctifying influence, I need to be pushing forward in my own sanctification. After I have received Christ as my personal Savior, I am to be in the process of becoming more like Him until the day I die.
I must have the attitude of David. In Psalm 25:11, David understood that his sin, or any sin, is great in the sight of God. Too many times we see our sins as little and big, and we justify and rationalize our actions. God sees sin as sin. We need to see our sin as David did in Psalm 25:11 and Psalm 51:1-3. We are guilty of sinning against a holy God and we should seek repentance.
Psalm 25:11 “For thy name’s sake, O LORD, pardon mine iniquity; for it is great.”
Psalm 51:1-3 “Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me.”
We should never forget where we came from and the price that was paid for our sins. If we want to have a sanctifying effect on others, we need to be real and sincere. It doesn’t matter what we profess, it is what we possess that shows through.
Our sanctification should be extremely important to us. We should have a strong desire to be like Jesus. Do you long for a cleansing fountain to wash over your heart until you feel clean before the Lord? We need to be diligent and anxious about seeking purification of our hearts. We cannot have a sanctifying influence on others until we allow the Holy Spirit to push us forward in our quest for sanctification.
Another aspect of being a sanctifying influence is the matter of pursuing people. How often do you talk to others and try to get to know them? You will not be a huge influence if you don’t spend enough time with others for them to know you and your habits of life. It takes communication and genuine concern for others to build a relationship that influences others. This will take time, love, effort, and maybe even money.
It is our responsibility to grow to be more like Christ each day, and it is also our responsibility to influence others to do so. I believe there are many who start on the journey to follow Christ that somehow seem to lose their way. I wonder how many of those causalities could be avoided if more Christians would live to be an influence and reach out to help others be more like Christ?
We should live as Paul and be so close to Jesus that we could tell others to live as we live. No matter who we are if we are a follower of Jesus, we should be able to use our own life as an example. We should exhort others to study because after talking with us they know that we have studied. We should exhort others to pray because they see our prayers being answered. They can tell by the way we talk we have spent time with Jesus. Paul was not exalting himself, but he was exalting Jesus. In I Corinthians 11:1 Paul lets them know he was not worthy to be followed because of anything he did but because he was following Jesus. Paul always wanted those he instructed to model their life after the Savior. Jesus put the needs of others first and was willing to set His own rightful claims aside in serving others. He humbled himself for our benefit.
I Corinthians 11:1 “Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ.”
Do you live in such a way that your walk with the Lord is desired by others? All of us can say we still have much to learn and much to do in the process of sanctification but are we pushing forward enough that others want what we have? Are you seeking a sanctifying influence on those who are around you by allowing them to see Jesus in you? Are you making an effort to get to know others so you can be an influence? If not, then why!
I Corinthians 9:19 “For though I am free from all men, yet have I made myself servant unto all, that I might gain the more.”
