Now that’s provocative …

Whether you’re a leader or a follower, every one of us brings a certain amount of influence into the lives of other people.

When we have a moderate to strong influence that motivates attitudes and/or actions from others, we’re actually provoking the thoughts, feelings, and behaviors of others. That’s a huge step into someone else’s life, one which comes with very real responsibility. To that end, we have clear biblical guidance about the influence we bring to bear:

“Let us think of ways to motivate [provoke] one another to acts of love and good works” (Hebrews 10:24).

When you look at that statement, we see our influence with others should be to provoke a greater Christlike response. “Let us think of ways …” indicates that we should give focused thought, effort, and even creativity to this kind of influence.

What kind of feelings and responses do you provoke from others? How does your influence with others motivate them to “acts of love and good works”? How can you improve your influence so that you provoke a greater Christlike response?

Scotty