You Influence People (Proverbs 14:34)
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Proverbs 14:34
Righteousness exalts a nation,
but sin is a reproach to any people.
To one a lifting, the other a lowering — that’s the picture painted here in Proverbs 14:34.
Righteousness LIFTS and exalts a nation; sin is a REPROACH, a lowering, to any people.
With a verse like this that mentions the “nation,” we instinctively aim it at D.C. or the U.N.—and yes, leaders can raise or ruin a people. But wisdom walks it into our doors: homes, friendships, teams.
A point not to overlook here is that you are not neutral; you are a lift or a weight. You influence every single person you interact with.
Now herein comes the challenge and conviction: we’re more inclined to ruin than to raise.
Enter Jesus.
2 Corinthians 5:21 “21 For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”
Jesus doesn’t just model righteousness; he gives it. He takes our reproach and credits us his record. Then his Spirit begins to make us the kind of people who, almost without trying, create lift—at the office, on the team, on the street corner.
What do you think that would look like for you as we close out this week?
Could be truth-telling when exaggeration would help you.
Keeping a promise and doing the right thing when no one’s checking.
Leveraging power to protect the person with the least power.
Refusing the cheap laugh that costs someone else their dignity.
These are small acts, but they don’t stay small. Righteousness scales. It exalts a people.
So yes, pray for leaders. But also ask: in my circles, am I more like salt or acid?
In Christ, you’re not working to earn a verdict—you already have one. That security frees you to be the lift your community is starving for.
Let’s pray.
