Psalm 67-74: The Power of Our Influence

Psalms 69:6  Let not them that wait on thee, O Lord GOD of hosts, be ashamed for my sake: let not those that seek thee be confounded for my sake, O God of Israel.

There is a very powerful tool that we have at our disposal that is often neglected to the detriment of others and the ministry of the Gospel.  This powerful tool is our influence.  Here we see the psalmist speaking of his influence and some precautions that he is going to take to protect that influence and insure that it does the most good possible for the cause of Christ.  There are two things that the psalmist was aware that his influence could do if he were not careful.

First of all he says that his influence, if he was not careful, could become an embarrassment to other Christians who are serving God.  This may sound real strange to people today who have been taught that the only person they have to be concerned about is themselves.  This unbiblical view is shattered by the psalmist's concern that his life not contradict the teachings of the Bible and become the whip in the hand of the scorners that would scourge the Christians who sought to evangelize them.

Secondly, the psalmist expressed a concern that his influence might hinder people coming to a saving knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ.  Again, this seems quite foreign to the thinking of people today that have been taught that people are not to judge them by what they are doing but by what they say.  The psalmist is saying that he does not want to confuse people who are in need of salvation by living a life that is more like the life of the unregenerate than like the life of the redeemed and the Redeemer.  The psalmist knew that if he lived by his own standards of right and wrong instead of following the absolute moral standards of the Bible, that he would confuse the lost and cause them to think that every person can make their own decisions about what is sin instead of relying on God's revelation of truth, and they would not understand their need of the Savior.

We must all give serious thought to the powerful influence that God has given to each of us.  We must ask ourselves how is our life influencing others.  Is the life we live part of the argument of the unbelievers against the need of religion?  Are we a hindrance to those who are seeking to evangelize the lost world because we live for our pleasure without considering the dictates of Scripture?  Are we a hindrance to those who need the salvation that was purchased through the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ because they can't see any difference between their lives and ours?  Only through living a biblically informed and directed life will we be able to influence people to repent and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ.  Let us not neglect this area of ministry as we live a life that is influencing Christians to live for God and non-Christians to find eternal life through the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Daily Devotion:  Proverbs 10