Matthew 5:14,15 “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house.”
On the toptens.com website, it lists the world’s top ten most influential people of all time. The list includes the Apostle Paul, Buddah, Ghandi, Confucius and Einstein. Jesus Christ is at number one. How is it that a carpenter from Galilee, who only spent three years teaching those around him, is still being cited as the number one most influential person of all time?
Influence is the ability to alter or sway an individual or a group’s thoughts, beliefs, and actions. How did Jesus do it? Did he fit in with the movers and shakers and try to influence from within? Did he suck up to those in authority to gain leverage for his cause? Did he preach a message that made his listeners feel good about themselves? Was he so attractive and charismatic that people just wanted to follow him to bask in his reflected glory? No, he preached and embodied a counter-cultural, simple message of repentance, humility, hope, and healing. His authentic demonstration of costly love was so attractive to the sick, the marginalized, and the disenfranchised that the news spread far and wide to the nations through the centuries.
So, what about us? Are we blinded by the bling, convinced by the crowds, followers of fads and tuned in to trouble? Do we bring a message of hope and healing or of drudgery and despair? Do our friends seek us out for encouragement or to share gossip? Do we give off a fragrant aroma or a putrid stench? Do we raise the bar or slip to the lowest common denominator?
Lord, I choose with your help to shine brightly for you today, to radiate hope, to influence those I come into contact with positively for your glory. Amen!
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