Think Ahead: 7 Decisions You Can Make Today for the God-Honoring Life You Want TomorrowSample

I Will Be an Influencer When you know who you are, you’ll know what to do. Right? I imagine if a plumber is at a party and someone comes screaming out of the bathroom, “The toilet is overflowing! The toilet is overflowing!” that plumber will burst into action. Why? When you know who you are, you know what to do. So, who are you? Jesus said if you belong to Him, you are the salt of the earth and the light of the world. That’s who you are. You are salt. You are light. When He said those words, people considered salt the second most important commodity on earth. The sun was number one, as it was the source of light. Salt was number two because of all it could do, especially in an age before refrigeration and modern conveniences. Jesus says, “You are salt.” What does salt do? First, salt preserves. As Christians, we know we should have a preserving influence in the world. We represent the Kingdom of God and His holiness by our good, pure lives. Second, salt heals. Salt speeds up the healing process. In the same way, God sends us to bring healing to people who have been wounded in life or hurt by religion. Third, salt creates thirst. As a Christian, when you’re full of God’s love, you will create a divine thirst in other people. They’ll ask, “What is it about you? Why are you so full of joy? I want what you have!” Salt creates thirst. Jesus said, “You are salt.” He also said, “You are the light of the world” (Matthew 5:14). Jesus was telling His followers, who would always live in a dark world, never to cover their light. He was helping them understand they could live a life others want. As salt and as light, we will pre-decide: I will be an influencer. God wants you to effect change in people as you point them to Jesus. That happens as you are salt and light. The world needs salt because the world is impure. The world needs light because the world is dark. Because you are a light, you don’t run from the darkness, you shine into it. Because you are salt, you don’t run from the impurities, you cleanse them. And God uses you as an agent of change as you set an example of purity, creating thirst in others. You are salt. You are light. And when you know who you are, you’ll know what to do. How you love, how you care for people, flows out of who you are. So many Christians today want to run from the darkness. They see people who listen to mainstream music and drink alcohol and have tattoos and watch Game of Thrones and they want to run from all of it. No. Darkness is not something you run from. You are light, so you shine into it. That’s what light does. That’s why we pre-decide, “I will influence with my example and see the darkness as an opportunity to shine.” That’s what we do. We are salt and light, and when we live that out, people will notice. They’ll notice, and they’ll be changed.