The post Focus on the Right Voice {The Atlanta Journal-Constitution} appeared first on Soaring With Him Ministries.

You are the salt of the earth, but if the salt has become tasteless, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men. You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; (…) “Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.” Jesus Christ – The Beatitudes – Gospel of Matthew.

I came across an acquaintance’s social media profile this week that made me ponder about the broad meaning of the word “Influence.” Her profile read in big letters, “Influencer.” As I browsed her pictures, I realized that she has successfully become a fashion ambassador for several brands. Because she has acquired a large following, companies are investing as she promotes stores and labels in her profile.

I remember when she started — fun, lighthearted posts, showing how a woman in her 40s can still wear trendy clothes and look “sexy.” Her beautiful figure and carefree personality helped increase followers, which, in the social media world, means you have become an “Influencer.”

As I looked at the big words on the profile, a smile crossed my face.

“I want to be an influencer,” I said out loud.

My mind was lightyears away from the fashion and fitness world, however. Instead, my thoughts were drawn to Jesus’ words at the end of the Sermon of the Mount — a passage which I have studied in depth.

After addressing the crowd that came to hear His teachings, Jesus turned to focus the discourse on His disciples — the very men who he would later commission to spread the gospel to “Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and the ends of the earth.”

The Master knew the challenges ahead of His followers. They would encounter avid opposition, face persecution, temptations and resistance from the Jews and the mighty Roman empire. They would undoubtedly be tempted to take matters into their own hands and succumb to pressure.

Instead of practical instructions about how to persevere, Jesus’ words were a reminder and a warning concerning the disciples’ attitude: “You are the salt of the earth and the light of the world.”

The Jews understood the symbolic meaning of salt in their culture. In the book of Numbers, God’s everlasting covenant with the Jewish people was referred to as “a covenant of salt.” Likewise, the gospel that the disciples would spread to the world would be an everlasting gospel.

Salt was required in every sacrifice in the Old Testament, representing cleansing and preservation. The disciples, therefore, were to become instruments for bringing life, purity and light to the world. They were to become light-bearers in the dark places and influence the world for good. Moreover, Jesus admonished them that if they lost their “salt and light” qualities, their influence for good would likewise diminish or die altogether.

Jesus' #disciples are called to be light-bearers in the dark places and influence the world for good. If we lose our “salt and light” qualities, our influence for good will likewise diminish or die altogether. @AJC #MondayDevotional…
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The concept should give us pause.

Our social media followers may be few. We may be far from being labeled as an “influencer” by the powers that be. But there is no question that we are all influencers in our environment to one degree or another.

Our social media followers may be few. We may be far from being labeled as an #influencer by the powers that be. But there is no question that we are all influencers in our environment to one degree or another.@AJC #MondayDevotional…
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We may not receive the call to be missionaries across the seas, but every child of God has a sphere of influence, whether they realize it or not.

Our children, grandchildren, nieces and nephews are watching our words and attitudes. Our friends pay attention to how we face life’s circumstances. And let us not forget — our social media followers are reading our posts, whether we share a Bible verse or rant about politics. People cannot be fooled.

We may talk a big game about our faith and commitment to God and his principles, but if our walk does not match our talk, we have lost the salt and light qualities that once made us stand out, “season” and “brighten” the world around us.

We may talk a big game about our faith and commitment to God and his principles, but if our walk does not match our talk, we have lost the salt and light qualities that once made us 'season' and 'brighten' the world around us.
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Jesus’ message to the men and women who would become the greatest influencers in the first century still resounds to 21st-century believers everywhere: Be salt. Be light. Period. That’s the only influence that truly matters.

“My life shall touch a dozen lives before this day is done; leave countless marks for good or ill, ere sets the evening sun. This is the wish I always wish, the prayer I always pray: Lord, may my life help other lives it touches by the way.” — Anonymous

Jesus’ message to the men and women who would become the greatest influencers in the first century still resounds to 21st-century believers everywhere: Be salt. Be light. Period. That’s the only influence that truly matters. @AJC…
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This article was originally published in Patricia’s column for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution on Saturday, April 10, 2021. Find it on the AJC’s website HERE.

The post We Are All Influencers {The Atlanta Journal-Constitution} appeared first on Soaring With Him Ministries.

One of the most beautiful sceneries that I recall from those days was the sight of the lake at night. As you drove on the interstate beside it, the vision would fool any stranger to the area. One could swear that the lake was instead a village, filled with street lights. Around 5 p.m. each day, our neighbor fishermen would come by grandma’s house, carrying their nets in large wicker baskets, along with kerosene lamps that would go on the poles by their fishing site. One by one, the fishermen would set their trap to catch shrimp, using giant nets and a small kerosene lamp.

The fishermen in the village know it too well. The shrimp in that lake will not come unless the light attracts them. No light, no shrimp.

In the Gospel according to Matthew, Jesus challenged his disciples to be fishers of men — something he reiterated in what is known as the Great Commission later in that chapter. His command in the Great Commission was that his disciples would spread the good news of salvation to the world. But in that first passage, when he called his followers to be fishers of men, Jesus’ words pierce a little deeper into our spiritual makeup. He challenges his followers to shine God’s light wherever they go so that they may attract people, not by their words alone, but by their acts of love.

I love God’s wisdom poured through this teaching. Like the fishermen in my childhood village, we cannot fish in the dark either. As a matter of fact, if our light does not shine wherever he plants us, people are more likely to flee, not flock, to the God we preach.

We cannot fish in the dark. As a matter of fact, if our light does not shine wherever He plants us, people are more likely to flee, not flock, to the God we preach. #MondayDevotional #MondayMotivation #Jesus
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I have seen it one too many times. Children of churchgoers (and even ministers) rebelling against God because their parents’ talk and their walk did not match. How many people cringe at the name of Jesus because they were around self-righteous Christians whose words did not translate into actions?

The apostle Paul said it this way in his letter to the Ephesians: “For once you were full of darkness, but now you have light from the Lord. So live as people of light!”

For once you were full of darkness, but now you have light from the Lord. So live as people of light! Ephesians 5:8 #MondayDevotional #MondayMotivation #Jesus
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Indeed, we should take this light-shining business seriously because the implications of having an unsavory and dim life can be devastating.

We may go to church every Sunday, serve on 10 committees, sing in the choir and teach, but if we come home and make our family life miserable because of an inconsistent walk, we will push the fish swimming near our nets away from God instead of closer to him. And what kind of Christian would I be at work, if I had verses hanging all over my cube, but was known as the office gossiper? Or did a careless job?

In 2012, I came across a beautiful song titled: “What will they say when you leave?” That was the year I had cancer only months before my brother-in-law died in a tragic accident. It was a truly challenging year for my family and me.

During that time, the reality that life is but a vapor challenged me like never before. It was also then that I often pondered the fact that, when life is over, everything that we strive so hard to acquire is left behind. Only the gestures that show that we care truly remain: the times we wipe tears away and kiss booboos. The times we said, “I love you.” The forgiveness we extend when someone hurts us. The smile that we offer when no one else seems to care. These little beacons of light are indeed the only meaningful heritage of our journey on earth.

When life is over, everything that we strive so hard to acquire is left behind. Only the gestures that show that we care truly remain. #MondayDevotional #MondayMotivation #Jesus
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“What will they say when you leave?” That’s a good question indeed.

I used to say that it did not matter what people thought about me, but that has changed through the years. In a sense, it does matter, for I hope that every time I leave a room or, ultimately, the day I leave this world, people will say that the Gospel I believed in and preached about reached past my words and into my daily walk.

This article was originally published in Patricia’s Column for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution on Saturday – December 8, 2019. Find it here: AJC Website

The post What Will They Say When You Leave? {The Atlanta Journal-Constitution} appeared first on Soaring With Him Ministries.