"Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven."
-Mathew 5:16
We've all heard the phrase, "making your life count for something." Most of the time we understand this to mean; live your life in earnest, or purpose to do something with your life that is positive and productive. Whatever effort we make in carrying this out makes all the difference in the world as to how we can influence others with the gospel.
Influence is a powerful tool. I'm reminded of the influence that John felt from having lived in the presence of Christ for nearly three and a half years. When writing his epistle, he began with these words: "That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life; For the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness and show unto you that eternal life which was with the Father and was manifested unto us" (1 John 1:1-2). I'm also reminded of Peter's statement when many of Christ's followers left him for the hard saying he made in John chapter six. Jesus asked his own disciples, "Will ye also go away? Peter answered, Lord, to whom shall we go? Thou hast the words of eternal life." (John 6:67-68).
One of the greatest instruments in influencing and affecting others is what we hold inside. Paul said, "But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us" (2 Cor. 4:7). As believers, we carry a sacred gift. It is the gift of eternal life, and that life has a heavenly influence that can make a mark in this world. So often, folks misunderstand the gift of life. They have this mistaken idea that having eternal life is like holding on to an airplane ticket. One day, when life is over and they leave this world, they have the guarantee they will arrive in heaven, and experience the promise of eternal life. Thank God for heaven. I wouldn't think of trying to take anything away from the promise of such a glorious place. But friend, going to heaven is not how we are going to influence those that need it most. We have to do that here, while the opportunity is ours to make a difference!
In Aesop's fables, there is a story of a miser who sold everything he had and melted his coins together into a single lump of gold. To keep anyone from discovering what he had, he buried it in a hole in the ground. Every day he would go and dig it up, brush off the dirt, and simply admire his possession. He would return it to its hole for safe keeping until the next day. After several weeks had passed, someone happened to see him digging up the gold. When this old miser had left the spot where the gold laid, they came and dug it up and stole the lump of gold. The next day the miser found out his gold was gone, and wept bitterly for his loss. A neighbor heard what happened, and suggested to him that he find a brick and bury it in the same place, pretending it to be gold. Bewildered as to why he would do such a thing, this neighbor said, "You won't be any worse off, seeing when you had the gold it was of no earthly use to you anyway!"
Jesus gave a parable of the talents. In it, he tells of giving one five, another two, and another one. Each one went and doubled what was given them, except the individual who had one. Instead, he went and dug a hole in the earth and buried it. The Bible tells us the Lord was very angry and called this man slothful and unprofitable.
You have been given a precious gift - don't bury it. The light that you have inside was never meant to be put under a bushel, but to be put on a Lampstand for all to see. You can make your life count by letting your light so shine that it becomes a great influence in helping others.
