Who Influences Us?
Joash did what was right in the eyes of the LORD all the years of Jehoiada the priest.
2 Chronicles 24:2
Think about how other people have influenced your life. One couple I know, Brett and Kayla, were profoundly influenced by others. Brett had played multiple sports in high school and enjoyed a wonderful mentoring relationship with one of his coaches. But after he started playing sports in college, he found that it wasn’t the game he cared about as much as it was his former coach, and he ended up dropping out of athletics. Similarly, Kayla became active in her church’s women’s ministries because of the great lessons she had learned from the women’s leader in her previous church.
Influence is powerful. We often want to emulate good leaders and follow their examples. The high priest Jehoiada was a great influence on little King Joash, who was only seven years old when he became king. Joash needed some help ruling the kingdom, and Jehoiada stepped up as his helper and adviser. He chose two wives for Joash and helped Joash restore the temple in Jerusalem and resume worship of the Lord there.
Joash was heavily influenced by others—first by Jehoiada, who led him in the ways of God, and then, after Jehoiada died, by the officials of Judah, who abandoned God and worshiped other gods. When Jehoiada’s son Zechariah spoke out against idol worship, warning the king and his people that God would forsake them because they had forsaken God, Joash and his leaders had Zechariah stoned to death.
Like Joash, we have people who have had a major impact on our lives, and we feel lost when they are no longer with us. We may even think that we need others to step in to fill that gap. But like Joash, depending too much on others can prevent us from learning to make critical decisions in our lives.
The best role of a parent, mentor, teacher or pastor is that of helping others to learn how to think for themselves. If Jehoiada had taught Joash to think for himself, the story of this king might have had a different ending. Instead of being led by others, Joash might have been a strong, decisive king who set before the people a lifelong pattern of trusting God for guidance and direction.
My friends James and Elaine relied on the leadership and guidance of key people until they were in a couples’ group at church. The rule in that group was that everyone was expected to think about and discuss key issues and situations. The group then asked everyone to take one more step: Each couple was expected to reach their own conclusion on an issue, based on Scriptural guidelines, and explain to the group how they had come to that decision.
Learning and practicing that kind of decision making changed their marriage forever as James and Elaine learned how to think for themselves. Reaching their own conclusions on various issues became a lifelong pattern of learning God’s lessons without leaning on others to do it for them.
John R. Throop
Let’s Talk
- Who has greatly influenced our lives? Did they teach us mostly what to think or how to think? Describe their approaches.
- How are leaders or role models helpful for us? How can they be negative influences? How can we turn negative influences into positive results?
- What are some good ways for us to blend the positive influences of others into our lives? How can their lessons shape our faith and our values?
Replies
I must say that my Grandmother on my mother's side was the greatest influence and made the greatest impact on my life. She was a devout, saved WOG, full of the Holy Ghost. Who took me to church, taught me the importance of a strong prayer life. She taught me how to fast unlike today, we neither drank any beverage or ate any food for 24 hours during the fast and sometimes shut-ins, are the duration of our fasting. I can't remember ever seeing her sitting down with out having many BIBLES in front of her, with concordance's study BIBLES, and her bible study and Sunday School lessons. All day and even when she went to bed she would be in bed with her Bible. I believe she passed the mantle down to me because I find myself enjoying the word of God as well and want to do in-depth studying of God's word. I still enjoy fasting and shut- ins. We are having one the day after Thanksgiving 2013 I'm excited the churches seem to have gotten away from laying our prostate before the Lord in fasting and praying. The negative aspect was the whippings of the other children. I can't remember her ever wiping me. not saying she didn't, I guess I may have been to young to remember. I felt so bad for them I would ask her If I could take their whippings. I did a few times and realized their must be a better way I could help them. So I began teaching them to be obedient, keep quiet, listen, and to apologize for the wrong they had done. They still thank me today. The same principles My grandmother taught me concerning where my soul would spend eternity if I didn't obey Gods word I used to teach and instill in my children. I Thank God for my grandmother, It paid off .Hallelujah...Hallelujah Thank you Jesus. Now I am working on my grandchildren, It is a challenge because there are other influence's and environment outside of their homes with relatives who are not saved..Please keep them in your prayers. When I was out in the world I remembered my grandmother praying for me, life's lessons she taught me. All the bible verses we had to learn, the fasting and praying and the shut-ins it brought me back to God. The word say's to Train up a child in the way he/she should go and when they are old they shall not depart, from it. It didn't say they wouldn't stray but the teaching's in them and the WORD of God through the Power of the Holy Ghost will draw them back to God.