March 1, 2020

The Shepherd's Corner

2 I’s = 1 I

     How do you live your life to leave an impact? Think with me for a second of why we’re really living? We may live 50 years, 80, or even make it to 100 years old. Then we can spend eternity with God. Our lives are filled with moments of joy, pain, celebration, disappointment, hard work, full of relationships, experiences, and memories. We tend to work so hard and worry so much about things that in the end of life may not matter as much as we thought they did at the time. 

     Often this is our life. And how we live it matters to God. 

     How we live it will leave an impact, 

     But how do we make sure that impact is good? Is what we want? Is what God wants? 

     We keep in mind the 3 “I”’s. 

  We will all influence people towards or away from God. There is no neutral in following God. God created us, called us, equipped us, and resides in us through His Holy Spirit to be an influence wherever we are. Then, how do we become the best influence that we can? Through 2 other “I”’s.

     Let’s keep in mind this week that God calls us to be the right type of influence in others’ lives, so that when they see us, or think of us, they see and think about God. That’s when our lives become a living testimony to others. 

     Peter writes, “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.” 1 Peter 2:9

     Part of why we should live life for Christ isn’t for our own good, but so that we can influence others and “proclaim” how good God is. 

Pastor Steve

More Shepherd's Corner Articles

The Shepherd's Corner - December 31, 2023
The other day there was a heart-warming article in the Times about the Weingarten couple who have been married for 82 years.  Jack is 105 and his wife Carla is 100; and they are still holding hands.  What is their secret?  Well, jokingly Jack used to tell their two sons that the key t...
Read More
The Shepherd's Corner - August 28, 2022
2 possible results of challenging times Why do bad things happen to good people? Well, keep in mind, bad things happen to all people. Depending upon where we are in our relationship with God, it’s during those times that we typically either move closer to God, or further away from God. Keeping the...
Read More
The Shepherd's Corner - May 15, 2022
I often say that the greatest gift we can ever give to the one who will marry our child is a stable and healthy upbringing.  In the early days of ministry, I knew the importance of family’s upbringing through books that I had read.  But now decades later, I know how important one’s upb...
Read More