Influence Upon People

Have you noticed that the more time you spend with complaining people, the more you complain? The more time that we spend with happy people, the more time we spend happily enjoying the time and experience. We become like the people we spend time with. On the other hand, people who spend time with us are affected by our attitudes and character.

II Corinthians 13:11 says, “Finally, brothers, rejoice. Aim for restoration, comfort one another, agree with one another, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you.” If we want peace and love in our lives, we must take the actions consistent with peace and love. Therefore, we must by God’s Spirit be instruments of comfort, agreement, peace, restoration and joy as we interact with people. Our God of peace and love will be with us as we become these types of people. Then, people who spend time with us will also become people of peace and love.

Equipped Messenger

Suppose you had important information to pass onto someone in a remote area, without access to technology. You want to send this information by a trusted messenger. Giving the messenger the information is only part of this situation’s need. You must equip the messenger with everything needed for the task. So you give them all the training, supplies, warnings, and resources to be able to accomplish the task. So now you have a trusted messenger equipped with the necessary resources.

Hebrews 13:20-21 says, “Now may the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant, equip you with everything good that you may do his will, working in us that which is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to who be glory forever and ever. Amen.” We trust God to work within us to provide every good attribute and ability to do His will. When we fully trust Him in this way, we please Him by becoming the person He wants us to be and by doing all that He has called us to do. We become His trusted messengers to bring good news to the world.

In His Image

As our children grow up, they relate to us in different ways. At first, they are completely dependent upon us and want to stay close to us. As they grow a little older, they begin to desire and demonstrate more and more independence. As teenagers, the relationship completely changes and often is one of tolerance, rather than appreciation. As they moved into adulthood, they realize that we have more to offer than they previously thought and begin to look upon us with respect. During this whole process, parents have a huge impact upon the lives of their children. We are trying to build them into the image of a confident and mature adult, with compassion for others and a love of God.

Psalm 100:3-4 says, “Know that the Lord, he is God! It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise! Give thanks to him; bless his name!” God considers all those who trust in Him to be His children. As His child, we were given new life in order to conform to His image and glorify Him. We are granted the honor of coming into His presence, but we should do so with thanksgiving and praise. When we come to Him, He provides the instruction, leading, and ability to become like Him as we spend time with Him.

This World Is Not My Home

Revelation 22:1-3 says, “Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb through the middle of the street of the city; also, on either side of the river, the tree of life with its twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit each month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. No longer will there be anything accursed, but the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and his servants will worship him.”

All the pain and suffering in the world and that we experience comes because of sin. When Adam and Eve rejected God, sin and its consequences entered into our world. Since that time people have yearned for something more than what we have on this earth. Deep down we understand that this place is not the home that we desire.

Heaven is the home that we long for because all the pain and suffering will be removed. Life, as God created it, will be ours forevermore. Live like you belong in Heaven. This life begins with trusting in Jesus as Savior and Lord. Through faith we are given new life, eternal life, and our citizenship in Heaven is established.

Gracious and Merciful

Humans are notoriously awful at judging the motives of other people. In fact, we can’t do that, because we only see the behavior and do not know the thoughts and experiences behind that behavior. We only observe the outward characteristics of a person and do not know the character of the person developed over time through a variety of circumstances and experiences.

In Exodus 33:19 God tells Moses, “I will make all my goodness pass before you and will proclaim before you my name ‘The Lord.’ And I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy.” God chooses to reveal His goodness, grace, and mercy to us. It is His declaration of His character. We can observe His character when our hearts and minds are alert to see Him move.