“You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men. Matthew 5:13
And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. Romans 12:2
The word influence comes from an Old Latin word that means to flow into.
Think of water. It flows in and around the tiniest spaces with just a little help from gravity.
Jesus intends for us to take the things we’ve learned and seen from Him and influence the world around us.
It flows from Him through us to others.
But what happens if the flow stops?
It’s contained.
That’s the other thing about water.
If it’s contained, it conforms to the shape of its container.
If we are contained …
By society, by fear, by lack of compassion,
Then we conform to that container.
We are either influencing the world for the Kingdom, or the world is conforming us to its container.