SPIRITUAL INFLUENCE

SPIRITUAL INFLUENCE

1Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the command of
God our Savior and of Christ Jesus our hope,
2To Timothy my true son in the faith: Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father
and Christ Jesus our Lord.”
(I Timothy 1:1-2)


What will people say of us when we are no longer here? Will we be known as a people who lived for God? Will it be said of us that we drew people closer to God? Will people proclaim that we loved the Lord with all our heart, soul, mind and strength? Will we have made an eternal impact on the lives of people in our realm of influence?

For me, the past few days have been filled with laughter, pain, sorrow, longing, encouragement and challenge. I left last Sunday afternoon to fly to Houston, Texas to join in the celebration funeral service for a good friend of mine, John Dettore. I got to know John 3½ years ago when we moved here to Canton. Over those years I got to know John as a friend, a cook, a confidant, a servant, and a church member. I count it a privilege that I got to know him. There were many that I met at his funeral who knew John for more years than I did and who knew him in ways that I did not. I knew that he loved his family. I knew that he loved his job. I also knew that he loved his Jesus. We talked about his love for Christ many times. My eyes were opened to the impact John had on his co-workers. Time and time again, I heard stories about how John’s faith changed the lives of others. In fact, one individual stated that his own personal walk with Christ was closer because of the walk that John had with his Lord. What an honor to be remembered for that! Are we having that same impact on others?

In Paul’s writings to Timothy, we see the kind of spiritual impact Paul had on him. It was to the point that he called Timothy his son. How would you like to have been able to call Paul your
spiritual father? Paul made a very deep investment in Timothy. It is likely that Paul was the one who led Timothy to faith in Jesus. We even know that Timothy joined Paul and Silas on Paul’s second missionary journey. Timothy personally saw and experienced Paul’s faith so much that he knew Paul as his spiritual father. So then, who are you impacting for Christ? Who is your spiritual father? If you are not using your life to impact others for Christ, then start today. If you do not have a spiritual father, seek and you will find one. May people say of us when we die that their relationship to Christ is deeper because of us.

Aaron Hodges