Do not learn the ways of the nations. (Jeremiah 10:2)When my son Ben was about 4 years old (now 19), he witnessed a small 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). As Christ's 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 society without society being a bad influence on us?
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