INFLUENCESample

The Right Ingredients

I’m a pretty good cook. I can make a mean chicken parmesan and I can scramble eggs like nobody’s business. But baking is another story. Everything in baking has to be precise, and I’m something of a freestyle artist. Once I was making cookies and couldn’t find a teaspoon, so I just eyeballed the amount of salt being called for. Big mistake, the whole batch ended up tasting terrible. I only missed the mark by maybe ten percent, but the damage was irreversible. 

Paul likes to use bread metaphors for some reason. Maybe because the Hebrew Jews have such a strong history with bread. Yahweh sent mana during the Exodus. Jesus called himself the bread of life. 

Much like the way Paul talks about the church as a body, where every member serves a purpose, a loaf of bread is an amazing picture of God’s design for us. Every ingredient serves a purpose, and every ingredient has to be in perfect balance for the bread to turn out right. 

It’s so important to be aware of the things that we allow to influence us as well as the influence we add into the recipes of those around us. IT ONLY TAKES A LITTLE BIT, Paul says, to permeate the whole thing. A little bit of love and grace makes a sister feel more at home. A little bit of anger destroys a relationship.

It’s a warning and an encouragement. 

It’s a warning because we need to be aware of the influence we have on those around us and the influence they have on us. What kind of things are we allowing people to add to our recipe? What are we adding to theirs? 

But it’s also an encouragement, because while too much salt can really mess up a batch of cookies, some extra chocolate chips can really make them great. 

The final recipe is up to us. 

Challenge:

1. THINK ABOUT IT! What have you allowed to have influence in your life and how is it affecting your spiritual health? 
2. REFLECT! How are you helping those around you to keep their life recipe in holy balance? 
3. Pray that God will keep you aware of your influence on others so that you can be a healthy and godly presence in their life.