Your Influence
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http://www.forthright.net
Straight to the Cross
GUEST COLUMN
Your Influence
by Warren Baldwin
Have you heard the saying, "Your influence counts:
use it"?
George Bernard Shaw wrote, "This is the true joy
of life, being used for a purpose recognized by
yourself as a mighty one; being thoroughly worn
out before you are thrown on the scrap heap; being
a force of nature instead of a feverishly selfish
little clod of ailments and grievances,
complaining that the world will not devote itself
to making you happy."
Ouch! Instead of being a problem, we ought to be a
solution. Instead of expecting the world to make
us happy, we ought to be working on someone else's
behalf. Instead of just letting life happen,
determine a truly worthy purpose for your life and
spend all your energies on it.
Jack London said it this way: "I'd rather be ashes
than dust! I'd rather my spark would burn out in a
brilliant blaze than be stifled by dry rot."
Same idea as Shaw's, just put another way. "You
won't find me decaying from within due to lack of
something worthy to do. I'll burn my life out in a
worthy endeavor of my choosing."
Jesus said it like this: "You are the salt of the
earth ... you are a city on a hill that can not be
hidden ... you are lights in darkness ..."
(Matthew 5:13-16). How are we salt, a city, and
lights? By our good deeds.
Too many people let life happen to them. Jesus
says life is something that is within us. In a
world of darkness, Christians can be light. In a
world of despair, Christians bring hope. In a
world of violence, Christians work for peace. In a
world of selfish pursuits, Christians think of
others. In a world of blandness (don't let
exciting computer games and ritzy clothing styles
mask the blandness that is within), Christians are
salt.
The ideal is ...
We don't blindly follow customs ... we set them.
We don't acquiesce to societal norms ... we
question them.
We don't despair at a community's questionable
ethics ... we challenge and change them.
An easy calling? No. But has God called us to a
life of ease? Or to be a "force of nature"? Do we
want to fade out of the picture, or be a
"brilliant blaze" in a world that needs light? Are
we truly ready to be salt, a city, and light by
the undeniable quality of the good lives God has
called us to lead? Does our influence really
count? Or are we content to leave it hidden in the
safety of church buildings?
A small village received a beautiful sundial. The
villagers were thrilled with the gift, but soon
worried: Might the sun and rain deface their gift?
They decided to protect it for future generations.
So they built a roof over it.
God does not intend for your influence to be
hidden or protected by the safety of the
sanctuary. He wants it "out there," challenging
the way "things are."
You can't find a better purpose for life to spend
your energies on than that of the life-long search
for truth, godly living, and making a positive
difference in the lives of others.
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