Do
not learn the ways of the nations. (Jeremiah 10:2)
When
my son Ben was about 4 years old (he’s now 20), he witnessed a little girl
launch a tantrum to assert her will over her parents. I could see the wheels
turning in his little head: Brilliant! He
tried it a couple times but found out it wouldn’t work with us… not usually
anyway.
On
more than one occasion I have counseled my children: “Be a good influence on
your friends; don’t let them be a bad influence on you.”
Perhaps
a similar sentiment can be found in God’s heart for his people Judah as
communicated through the prophet Jeremiah. The indictment is that Judah has
been persuaded to walk in the ways of its neighbors and follow their gods.
It
is a dangerous thing to brush shoulders with those who do not hold our values
and beliefs. We are called to be the salt of the earth, but salt must come into
contact with food to season or preserve it (Matthew 5:13). We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his
appeal through us (1 Corinthians 5:20). As ambassadors we have to ask
ourselves, “Am I rubbing off on society – or is society rubbing off on me?” How
can we live in the real world without getting sucked in?
Do not conform any
longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your
mind (Romans
12:2).
How can we be a good influence on others (or society)
without others (or society) society being a bad influence on us?
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