Devotion 91

How do I be a Positive Influence?

Ah, the discoveries we may make, when we dig deeply into Torah, the Divine Word. Take, for example, what Avraham did, while he and Sarah lived in Beersheba, as explained to us in Genesis 21:33 – Avraham planted a tree in Be’er-Sheva, and there he called on the name of Adonai, the everlasting God. In Hebrew, the word for ‘tree’ is eishel. In the context of Genesis 21, especially verses 22-24, in which we find, At that time Avimelekh and Pikhol the commander of his army spoke to Avraham. They said, “God is with you in everything you do.  Therefore, swear to me here by God that you will never deal falsely with me or with my son or grandson; but according to the kindness with which I have treated you, you will treat me and the land in which you have lived as a foreigner.  Avraham said, “I swear it.”, the significance of eishel becomes even more poignant.

Not only does eishel mean tree, it also means ‘inn’. In light of Yahveh’s blessings and goodness, which He bestowed upon Avraham, Sarah and the promises for their progeny, we may infer Avraham’s sharing the Word of God with many others, who wandered through the Sinai and ventured into Beersheva. Through his behaviours and attitudes towards strangers and foreigners, Avraham became a positive influence on the world, in his time. And what about us?

How do we become a positive influence in these latter days, as we draw closer to the current world and draw closer to the beginning of His Millennial reign? How much of His light is shone through us into the world?

As you interact with others, friends and strangers, does His love come through your attitudes and behaviours or your desires and biases, economic, social, political? What do others ‘see’ when they watch your interactions? Let me ask a more cogent question: How do you know what others see in you?

Most of us today, believer, seeker or unbeliever, travel through our days blithely unaware of how others do see how we act, the attitudes we display or in whom we believe. Why is that? Could it be we are unaware of the environments around us? Could it be that we display other than what we think we believe?

Beloved, being a positive influence requires us to very aware of what we believe; how those beliefs influence our attitudes and our behaviours and how others really ‘see’ us.

CONSIDER: If you do not know how others ‘see’ your behaviours, your attitudes and/or your beliefs, I urge you to share this question with those whom you trust. If they are as trustworthy as you believe, they will answer you honestly. The question is: How will you receive their answer?

ACT: Become very aware of the environments in which you live (work, home and family, play with friends, etc.). Develop an inquisitive attitude of wanting to know how others relate to you (attitudes and behaviours).

PRAY: Beloved Yahveh, our Great Abba, You are the King of my life; You are the One Who rules my very existence. I ask you to help me expand my understanding of what goes on around me. I ask you to help me develop an awareness of how my behaviours are affecting those with whom I interact. In Your Beloved Name I pray.
