Choose Your Counselors

Rehoboam rejected the advice of the elders and…

asked the opinion of the young men… 

1 Kings 12:8

Despite his quirky name, Rehoboam had been born with a silver spoon in his mouth. Son of King Solomon and heir to the throne, he had enjoyed a life of luxury with his buddies. When time came to make him king, he assumed his young party friends would make good advisors too. What did the gray-hairs know? That poor decision divided Israel and set them up for centuries of internal wars. Because the new king was not careful about who influenced him, he brought down a kingdom.

We don’t always know how our influence is going to affect others. Rehoboam’s buddies probably never realized how their arrogant, unwise advice would affect their homeland. Urging the new king to assert his power may have been just another day in leisure-land for the spoiled rich boys, but they ended up destroying their very foundations. 

“Sure, tell your boss what you think of him!” our friends urge. 

“Dump that husband of yours. He deserves it!” 

“Quit your job, that’ll show them!” 

Friends may never realize the power of their influence, nor do we. 

When we have earned the trust and respect of another, we owe it to them to offer wise counsel, even counsel they may not want to hear. Rehoboam’s friends held the future of Israel in their beer mugs and didn’t even know it. And we, too, may never know the result of our words, so we must use our influence wisely.

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Influence Under Wraps

…many ..would not confess Him…for they loved human praise more than praise from God."  John 12: 42-43 

Elias rearranged scrolls and tried to keep his expression neutral while his fellow priests ranted. That new Rabbi was getting under everyone’s skin and the leaders were becoming agitated. There was even talk about stoning Him. Curiosity had first driven Elias to the countryside to listen to this Man some called the Messiah, but it was conviction that propelled him back again and again. He had seen a sack lunch become a feast. He had watched Jairus’ dead daughter brought to life and heard the mute man speak. Only God could do such things, but saying that would cause problems. So He kept silent. No one could know he believed this Man’s words and that his heart burned for more. The price for confessing his faith was too high.

How often have you kept your influence under wraps because the price was too high? People might look at you funny. Friends might walk away. You’d get a reputation for being a religious wacko, so you stay silent. Maybe you’ve even joined in when people mocked faith, trashed the Bible, or relegated Jesus to the role of a social reformer. You believe in Him, but the price for letting people know is just too high. Their opinions matter more to you than His approval. So you tell yourself that faith is a private matter. No one’s business. 

Jesus doesn’t agree. He said if we confess Him before men, He will confess us before His Father (Luke 12:8). Confessing does not mean words alone, but a lifestyle of discipleship. Influence under wraps is worthless.

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How Do You Get That Light?

When they saw the boldness of Peter and John… 

they recognized that they had been with Jesus. 

Acts 4:13

Maybe you’ve known people like this. There’s nothing remarkable about them on the surface. They’ll never win a Pulitzer Prize, Person of the Year, or even the Publisher’s Clearing House, but they have a presence about them that is compelling. Maybe they never finished high school, but they talk about Jesus like He lives next door. They may have a past that belongs on the post office wall, but they talk about forgiveness and grace like they invented it. No seminary training could produce the glow that lights their faces when they talk about the Lord. They’re humble and astonishingly non-religious, but not afraid of the truth no matter who is offended. There are still Peters and Johns among us who cause the world to take notice.

What is that quality that separates Peter and John from the rest of us? Why do some professing Christians seem indistinguishable from the world, while others exude a radiance found only in the presence of God? Jesus said that radiance is available to anyone. Peter and John were ordinary men, but Jesus told them, “You are the light of the world.” We are too. We get that light by spending much time in His presence and in His word. When we’ve basked in His glory, the world holds little fascination for us. And whatever fascinates us is what people notice about us. No one cares about religious jargon or churchy talk. They notice the light. When Jesus is the strongest influence in our lives, people can tell that we’ve been with Him.

Have you spent enough time in the presence of Jesus that others can tell?

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Stay Salty

“You are the salt of the earth. But what good is salt if it has lost its flavor?”  Matthew 5:13

“This chili is awful!” Brad said. “Did you forget to season it?” Mike frowned. “No, same as always. My firehouse chili is world famous.” Brad shoved his chair back and rummaged through the cabinet. “Is this the salt you used?” he asked, holding up a container. When Mike nodded, Brad jabbed a finger into the container and touched his tongue with it. “Ugh! Bland. Look, it’s all clumped. This stuff must be ten years old.” He tossed the salt container into the trash can and picked up his bowl. Dumping the contents back into the kettle he said, “Turn the stove back on. I’m going out for more salt.”

When Jesus compared His followers to salt, He knew we would understand the metaphor. Anyone who has tasted an unsalted meal knows the difference salt makes. Salt not only brings out the best in food, it also preserves food and can disinfect wounds. But when salt has had a long exposure to air and moisture, it loses its effectiveness. It is then good for nothing. Likewise, when we expose ourselves continually to worldly opinions, philosophies, and attitudes we lose our effectiveness for Christ. We no longer bring out the best in the world around us when we have become just like it. We cannot preserve truth, neither can we heal spiritual wounds, when we’ve lost our flavor. Worldly salt is good for nothing in God’s kingdom.

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What's Your Aim?

Then Saul said to Samuel, “I have sinned…I was afraid of the people and so I gave in to them.” 

1 Samuel 15:34

Joanna clattered down the stairs and stopped at her mother’s shocked expression. “What?” she said a bit too loudly, slapping at a long strand of dyed-black hair. A long moment passed before her mother spoke. “I’m concerned about you,” she said. “You’re changing. You’ve stopped going to church…your head is half shaved…lots of new piercings…and, is that a skull tattoo?” Joanna rolled her black-rimmed eyes. “Mo-om, I’ve told you about my new friends. I’m trying to influence them and this is how we…I mean, they, do things.” Her mother slipped an arm around Joanna’s shoulders. “Honey, if you’re changing who you are for someone else, then it is not you who is influencing them. They are influencing you.”

Like Joanna, we fool ourselves. We all have an inborn desire for the approval of other people. That isn’t wrong until we start believing that our worth is based upon what others think of us. Then we are no longer serving Christ. Popularity should never be the goal in our desire to influence because popularity strives for the approval of other people; influence strives for the approval of God. Galatians 1:10 says, “Am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ.” We cannot serve both God and popularity because those paths will part at some point. When our commitment is to Christ and His word, the world’s changing whims won’t unseat us.

Are you seeking to be a good influence or seeking to be popular? 

You have to choose one or the other.

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