Are you influential?

We should help others do what is right and build them up in the Lord. (Romans 15:2 NLT)

I have had both good and bad influences in my life. As a child, I was kind of a follower, doing whatever the others in my neighborhood did. As an adult, I had to reconsider some of my decisions, though. Not all of those choices were wise. Some of the people I hung around with influenced me in a very positive way, while others didn't quite have the same effect. The longer we live, the greater the chances are that we will encounter both good and bad influences. The choice as to which to follow, and thus become, is ours!

We can be quick to point out when another is doing wrong with their life, making unwise choices that don't actually do much to improve their life and possibly even making it a bit worse in the end. Do we consistently do what is right in our own lives? It is likely that we struggle a bit to make wise choices from time to time. The hope is that those unwise choices aren't consistent. We need people in our lives that will help us see when a choice might not be the best and then stand alongside us as we 'reroute' our choices.

Helping others see what is right can be very instrumental in helping them to 'reroute' their lives, but we aren't called to be the Holy Spirit, overriding their every decision. We are called to be examples of right living, in turn helping others see the outcome of those wise choices. Building another up is important when it comes to reinforcing wise choices. Are we there, encouraging one another, pointing out when another has made good choices? If not, don't be surprised that they aren't there helping us see when we haven't been exactly spot-on in ours!

The ministry of an 'encourager' is under-valued at times. Making the right choices isn't always all that easy, especially in the face of others who are influencing us to make wrong choices. Having someone who actually acknowledges that they see us making wise choices might just be what helps us continue in that path. Why? We need to know that the 'first right step' was right! Then we need the encouragement to take the second right step and third and so on. The ministry of an encourager is often what helps us to keep on taking 'right steps' out of wrong choices and into right ones.

Who have you been called to encourage? Where have you been placed in order to be the one God uses to build another up who has been struggling with right choices? Wherever that is, whoever it is you are called to encourage, be quick to do it. You never know when that word of encouragement may be exactly what the other person needs to finally break free of bad decisions. Just sayin!