Be Influential.

My wife and I enjoy watching the TV show, “Dancing with the Stars”. In the current season, they have several “influencers” on the show from Jojo Siwa to Oliva Jade, Amanda Kloots to Suni Lee. All of them have a massive following. Their comments and interests are influencing people all over the world to make choices and not always good choices.

As disciples of Jesus, we are called to be light and salt. Jesus uses those metaphors in Matthew 5:13-16 to tell us we are called to make a difference in the world. The truth is, we never know how one conversation, one word of encouragement, or one expression of love could change someone’s life. You are influencer.

While social media influencers use a platform to use their sway, followers of Jesus recognize that people always come before a platform. Here’s what’s cool about that idea. Each and every one of us have a sphere of influence. Each of us have a friend group, a family, a work place, a neighborhood. Each of those groups of people are subject to your influence.

There’s a great story about Jesus in John 4. The most unlikely influencer is this Samaritan woman Jesus meets at a well outside her village. She’s there mid-day, which is not normal for gathering water. We find out she’s been divorced 5 times and is shacking up with her boyfriend. Her town wants nothing to do with her. But once she realizes who Jesus is, she goes back to the town that doesn’t want anything to do with her and calls them to “come and see” Jesus.

They all come out to meet Jesus and the story tells us many of them believed in Jesus. Now this is so encouraging because it reminds me I don’t have to have it all together to point people to Jesus. We can be broken, messed up and an outcast but be an influencer for Jesus. You don’t need a theological degree or be an awesome prayer warrior…you just have to know Jesus!

You don’t need a platform with 1000s of followers. You just have to care about the person standing in front of you. Who does God use? Not Instagram stars or YouTube gurus or superstar athletes. He just uses normal, everyday, ordinary people like me and you.

You never know how one conversation, one encouraging word or one expression of love can change a person’s life. Go be light. Season those around you with salt. Blessings on the journey.

What's Love Got to Do with it?

This world has gotten cranky. I mean, every little thing offends us. Sports team mascots, the type of car you drive, people not reciprocating a wave, your political party, your skin color, your church…well the list goes on. We act out when people don’t think like us or live like us and we copy Taylor Swift in singing, “Look what you made me do.” We fail to take ownership of our language, demeanor and actions. We’ve gotten good at the blame-game.

But Jesus calls his followers to a different type of living. In Matthew 5, he says we should be salt and light in the world. In Matthew 25, he reminds us that how we treat others is how we are treating him. And in Mark 12, he sums up our Jesus-Following life into two phrases, “Love God. Love People”. It’s just that simple.

We discover that God’s love is counter-cultural. Look around our nation right now. This country is screaming bigotry and violence on every corner. We are withholding compassion because we are not getting our way. We are in-sighting riots and chaos because we feel slighted that other people don’t think like we do. We are literally burning down our country because we didn’t get our way.

But Jesus through the Gospels is doing things no other rabbi is doing in his culture. He’s touching the leper, the blind, the sick. He’s talking to Roman army officers and healing their people. He’s walking into Gentile homes. He’s standing up for the adulterous woman. He’s interacting with a Samaritan woman at a well. He’s inviting a tax collector into his inner circle then going to a dinner party at his home afterwards. Jesus is counter-cultural. We are called to mirror him in our cultural as well. Be salt. Be light. Be Jesus in our current culture.

God’s love is also selfless. Paul reminds us of what Jesus did for us in Ephesians 5:25-27. Paul says to have the kind of love Jesus did for his church. Jesus died…gave his life…for each of us. And we should be that selfless as we interact with our world. Think of others before yourself.

In John 13, Jesus is in the upper room at the last supper with his disciples. Their feet are nasty, dirty, muddy, full of toe jam. Yet the Son of God gets down on his knees with a towel and a basin of water and washes their feet. He even tenderly washes the feet of Judas, who he knows will betray him in a matter of hours. Jesus is selfless and we are called to mirror him in our own lives.

Finally, God’s love is relational. We must break down the stereotypical walls in our cultural and build relationship with those around us…especially with those who don’t look like us. Jesus says in that upper room, “A new covenant or command I give you. Love one another like I have loved you. As I have loved you, love each other.”

Jesus came to give not get. Our country right now is all about getting but that’s not the life we are called to live in Jesus. Jesus says in Mark 10 that he came to serve others, not to be served. He goes on to say those who want to be first must end up being last and slave of all. If you serve like Jesus, people will follow you anywhere. See, our life in him is about showing love NO MATTER the color of skin, culture, background, life choice, denomination, political party, the size of your bank account. It’s an unconditional love!

So that’s the challenge this week. Love like Jesus. Be the servant of all. Put other people’s needs in front of your own. Bring flavor to the world around you. Shine your light into the darkness. What’s love got to do with it? It appears everything! Blessings on your journey.