Sometimes we may think that what we do and how we live only impacts us personally, so if I make certain choices or behave a certain way, that’s my problem and no one else’s. Such a concept is completely foreign to reality and, for sure, foreign to Scripture.
For example, did you know that whether a man is qualified to serve as an elder or as a deacon in the church is directly affected by the choices and behavior of others? Specifically, the wives of elders and deacons “must be reverent, not slanderers, temperate, faithful in all things” (1 Tim. 3:11). A man may meet all of the other qualifications given by God, but if his wife is not qualified, then he is not qualified.
Of course, our choices on a daily basis have an impact on lots of folks—for good and for bad. My actions can either cause others to be “sharpened” (Prov. 27:17) or they can cause others to “stumble” (Rom. 14:13). May God help us to be ever conscious of our influence on others!