Influence
- Jun 17
- 3 min read
My wife and our youngest granddaughter, have a unique relationship. I call them ‘connected at the hip.’ It got me thinking about the things people will remember after we are gone. What will people say about us, or how will they remember us? Our lives will not save the world, nor will we be remembered for our talents, our wealth, or our popularity. What we will be remembered for is how we affected that one person to whom we made a difference. It’s not saving the world, that’s for the movies, but it is about the influence we have with other people. Who are you influencing in your life? Recently, I was reminded about the 10 Commandments. God’s objective was to ensure we know Him, and we treat people right. Make a difference … be an influence. ~Larry Kutzler, Facebook Post
However, personally I feel I can never do enough. My problem is thinking about that I don’t do enough to influence others. I always think there is more. The fact is, there is always more to be done, and instead of focusing on the few people I know I can influence, either I don’t, or I do a poor job in being that influence.
The truth about influence is simple. If you have been going to Church for a while, God has invested a lot into you through sermons, studies, mentoring, and personal experiences. In all that goes into every week in a Christian’s life, what is the percentage of people we influence? It is not unusual to take in much more than what is given out, and, in fact, if there isn’t some kind of emphasis going on in your life to encourage you to influence others, the chances are you won’t do anything. I’m not trying to guilt anyone about the amount of time spent influencing your sphere of relationships, but I know a lot of us have buried what God has given to us to be an influence.
Do you remember the story of the Talents in Matthew 25? Two of the three recipients who received talents or money to invest, did just that, they invested and it gained interest. However, one of the three hid his talent, and it produced nothing. Here is the exchange this one non-investor gave as an excuse to the one who entrusted him with the one talent:
Matthew 25:24-25 He also who had received the one talent came forward, saying, “Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you scattered no seed, so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground.”
Of course, this did not sit well with the financier, and he banished this servant to outer darkness. So, what do we learn from this Parable? It is apparent that God (the Master) wants to see what He has given to us, (His investment in us) to be used to influence others. Influence is our currency in the Kingdom of God … it is what Jesus said, lay up in treasures in Heaven where they cannot be affected by stealing and rust. Your investment in influence cannot be stolen, and it cannot deteriorate. Influence is the value of what interest is with money; you gain more by investing it.
The national statistics on Church members being active in influencing others is between 20-42 percent, or like the adage says, “20% do 80% of the work. Again, like my opening story about my wife, she is influencing her granddaughter and making Jesus real to her. It only takes one person to start the investment, and soon it will grow to make a difference with many. Be an influencer … use what God has taught you to go and teach others. Your reward will be great in Heaven, and your joy will be full here, until then.
Challenging the Culture with Truth … Larry Kutzler