Just this past weekend I was at a conference where the emphasis was on living a life surrendered to God, and along with that to be willing to go and do whatever He asks. I am tempted to say that I am finally doing that because I am now going on a mission trip for the first time in my life; however, I must not discredit where God has me right now! We can be living surrendered lives in our families, communities, churches, and workplaces right now. There is nothing more “spiritual” about those who are called to overseas ministry. There are people right here around us who need to hear about Him and see the fruit of the Spirit in our lives. Why don’t we all commit to having a Christ-like influence on those around us whether we are here in the States or traveling overseas. And then let us see what our influence has been when we step into eternity!
This question can have a few meanings, but the one I want to emphasize here is the influence you have on those around you. What is it? Is it good or bad? You have one, you know; you can’t go through life without having an influence on others. I heard a few weeks ago that the average person influences about 140,000 people directly and indirectly in his or her lifetime. I don’t know if that’s true, but if it is I don’t want to be average – I am planning to influence millions for Christ! Lofty goal, I know, but entirely possible with Christ.
For most of my teenage and young adult years I have had a “theme” Bible verse. It’s 1 Timothy 4:12 and it reads “Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith, and in purity.” Let’s look at it more closely. First, there should be no reason for others to look down on us; and if they do we should prove that our value in Christ does not depend on age or position, but everything we do brings glory to God. Second, everything about our lives should be an example for others in our family of God. Our speech should be “always with grace, seasoned with salt” (Colossians 4:6); our lives should showcase Christ; our love – those outside the faith are supposed to “know us by our love” (John 13:35); our faith should be like that of little children (and we all need to work on that one); and finally, our purity: no one should have to wonder if we are believers or not and no one should have to question if we are living lives worthy of the calling of Christ.
