What Will Your Life Mean?

Daniel 12:3 “Those who are wise will shine like the brightness of the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars for ever and ever.”

This verse made think about what it means to shine like the brightness of the heavens. If I am honest, I’ve never thought too deeply into what this means. I think shine like the heavens means sharing the Gospel and be the hands and feet of Jesus Christ. I do think that’s exactly what we need to do as often as possible. If fact, yesterday while out at the seminary basketball gym our family has access to, a new student who was visiting during orientation asked my teenagers if they’d like to play a quick game of basketball. After they played, and as the young man was leaving, he asked my son if there’s anything he could be praying about for him. We shared a prayer request with him.

Yes, we need to shine and share the Gospel and reach out to people. But it didn’t occur to me how doing so will impacts us – and those we meet. What this young man did is shining like the heavens. I wonder if his parents taught him to shine like the heavens.

What You Say…

 I am reading a book, my new birthday book I mentioned in yesterday’s post and the book’s central theme is living our lives in such a way we cause a ripple effect of godly influence. I like the example the author gives in the book about how people are always watching us whether we believe it or not – or realize it or not. People make decisions based on how we influence them. I touched on this point in my post Committed to Sin. How we live matters. What we say matters. What we post on social media has an influence whether we realize it or not. The scary part about it is people don’t always tell you they’re watching you, so we tend to think no one is looking, when they are.

How many times has someone you hardly talk to mentions something you posted on social media weeks ago? That person did not interact with your post at all. In fact, that person hardly interacts with what you post on social media. But they mentioned something you posted when you ran into them. Do you not find that creepy when it happens?

I do.

But it proves the point that people are always watching you.

What do they see? What will they say about you?

What Type of Influence Do You Want?

So, considering this verse and the book I am reading, I am more and more inspired to leave a positive godly influence. I am sure you are too. But let’s go a little deeper with this. I often think of the ways we desire to have influence. Sometimes we’d prefer our influence to be on a platform, or by writing a book or here writing on a blog, you know – at a distance – to an audience. Do we consider our influence inside our homes? Do we consider how we talk to our spouse and how we talk to our children? The way we influence our spouse and children will have an impact on how our spouse and children influences their world. What will people say about them and your family?

Daniel 12:3 “Those who are wise will shine like the brightness of the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars for ever and ever.”

If we speak poorly to our spouse – it might cause our spouse to perform poorly on things at work and he or she could lose their job which will impact your family’s finances. It might make him or her snap at their coworkers. It might make him or her flirt with the opposite sex as they look for someone to make them feel good about themselves. What will people say and think about your family then?

The way we speak to our children, they might have a hard time concentrating at school which can cause poor grades which can cause them to grow up feeling inferior. They might bully other children. We experienced a pastor’s child mistreat our then seven-year-old and it was very hurtful. But to be honest, although I was upset and hurt for our child, I was sad for this other child who did the bullying because this child was obviously hurting which likely stemmed from inside the home.

On the flip-side if your children don’t bully other children they might retreat and become shy and unassuming if they already feel like they don’t matter at home.

So, this is something for you to ponder today.

How do you want to be remembered?

How do you want your marriage to be remembered?

How do you want your children to remember you?

Leave a Legacy

In this book I am reading the Foreword is done by the son of the author who praises his mom for her godly influence. He praises her for believing in him. He praises her for setting a good example inside their home for her children to follow. God is using both this mom and son in a mighty way today!

How do you want to be remembered?

Daniel 12:3 “Those who are wise will shine like the brightness of the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars for ever and ever.”

What will your spouse say about you if you write a book?

What will your children say?

Make an intentional effort starting today to care about your influence. Care about how to you talk to people around you and be the hands and feet of Jesus Christ. But first friend, be the hands and feet inside your own home – and cause your positive godly influence to start where it matters first – and it will cause a ripple effect of God’s influence outside your home and beyond.

~Saleama A. Ruvalcaba, MATS

Do you know Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. If not email me today and I will pray with you.