Thoughts from The Bible Thoughts from The Bible

Thoughts from the Bible

Wednesday, 20 October 2021 09:07

You Are Making A Difference
by Terry Broome

Do you ever get the feeling that you’re just not needed? Sometimes we judge ourselves so harshly that we find no “redeeming” qualities about our lives. One thing I’ve learned in life is that things may be in the “working” directly resulting from someone’s influence/ action/ choice of direction. I don’t know of anyone who has absolutely no influence on at least someone around them. Even if you happen to be the one person who has absolutely no tie with any family member, no involvement in any work that you consider essential to mankind, even you have the ability to directly affect others by choices you make.
A cheerful good morning as you answer the phone – a quick eagerness to apologize when you detect that someone has been wounded by your words or by your choices – these have the ability to totally reshape the direction another person’s day might be going. The wise man put it this way: Proverbs 15:1, “A soft answer turneth away wrath: but grievous words stir up anger.” Proverbs 25:11, “A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in pictures of silver.” That person who received your “unexpected” note of cheerfulness may in turn decide it’s a better day after all. That change of mood may very well lead to a chain of events that you never will hear about, but may very well link back to a chain reaction that you started.

So, where’s he going with this thought? Simply put, if all God’s children made up their minds that their service, no matter how insignificant we feel it is, is important to someone, and if we behaved with such an attitude that we want God to be able to use anything about our lives that’s usable for His glory, we would be a very surprised and productive people. Start by spreading some sunshine and joy. As the great old hymn puts it, “Brighten the corner where you are.”

To those of you who still have very small children, and to those who will be parents in the near future, realize that the course of direction that you set for your family may very well impact even your children’s children. My parents made a choice to become New Testament Christians very early in their young adulthood. They raised five children with involvement in the Lord’s church as a priority and a joyful way of life. Out of the five, two are full-time pulpit ministers, one preaches weekly as a part-time position while he works in a growing business, one is now deceased but was very active in youth evangelism on foreign soil, one has been a faithful Bible class teacher until her health broke. They have each married faithful Christians who are very active in the church. Of all the grandchildren born in this family, all are faithful in the church. Of the married grandchildren, all have married faithful Christians who are equally active in the Lord’s work. Of the great-grandchildren, all of them are being raised to be active in the church as a way of life. From two, this small circle encompasses some 50 lives now, all of whom are active in the Lord’s church. One cannot even begin to measure the scores, hundreds, thousands of other lives that have been touched by the influence of all the above.

This story is told time and time again of faithful Christians who are instilling the love of God in the hearts of their little children. You do make a difference! Start now, it’s later than you think.
The author can be reached for comments at 256-574-2489.