people of impact…
But you, man of God, flee from all this, and instead pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness. 12 Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses. 13 In the sight of God, who gives life to everything, and of Christ Jesus, who while testifying before Pontius Pilate made the good confession, I charge you 14 to keep this command without spot or blame until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ... (1 Timothy 6.11-14)
People can be divided into three groups: those who make things happen, those who watch things happen, and those who wonder what happened! Timothy, the subject of this Scripture passage, is clearly intended to be in the first group. In other words, God intends him to be a man of impact.
Today, there are three main reasons why our world needs followers of Jesus Christ who will be people of impact. First, our world is changing. Assuming this devotional takes you 3 minutes to read, there will be 27,000 more people in the world than when you started!. Who will lead them? Will our leaders develop or destroy them? Who or what will shape their understanding of God, grace, truth, justice, morality, and destiny?
Second, many in leadership positions have abdicated their responsibility— either intentionally or functionally. In the United States, the majority no longer considers character an essential ingredient of good leadership, are cynical about leaders in general, and consider pastors irrelevant and untrustworthy.
Third, people fear change! Change will occur whether there is effective leadership or not. Without positive leadership, change will bring deterioration and destruction rather than growth and improvement. A leadership crisis occurs because change will not wait for leadership. Society is unlike a car parked in a driveway waiting for a driver. It is like an automobile careening down the freeway at 100 mph without a driver— it will surely crash. If the driver is reckless or drunken, the results will be tragic. If the driver is misguided, the destination that the hearts of humanity yearn for will never be reached.
Every person who follows Jesus Christ is called to be a person of impact. The Spirit of God forbids you to remain silent or passive while a leaderless and broken world plunder and cripple lives that we are called to influence and transform.
You have an “Impact Zone.” Your Impact Zone will include yourself, your friends and/or family, your neighborhood, and your co-workers. While their size and scope may vary from person to person, mark this: your temperament neither accredits nor disqualifies you. It is your responsiveness to God’s call and your readiness to do His will that certifies you to be a Person of Impact.
A Person of Impact will deliberately exert special influence within their Impact Zone in order to move women, men, youth, and/or children toward a destination established by God. To accomplish this
¬ People of Impact will realize that vision is the foundation of their leadership. Vision is a revelation of the will of God for us. Spiritual vision doesn't simply fix what is wrong or broken— it redesigns.
¬ People of Impact set goals of beneficial permanence that fulfill God's wishes and address people's real needs.
¬ People of Impact recognize their responsibility to take initiative and not remain passive. People of Impact will take deliberate action in keeping with God’s call, grace, and truth.
¬ People of Impact understand their need to cultivate personal discipline and purity.
Neither the world nor the Church need a coterie of elitists who talk about love and compassion while isolating themselves from real people. People are not looking for a retinue of cliche‑spouting, self‑avowed “quick fix” magicians. The world is looking for authentic people of impact— only women and men committed to Jesus and compassionately concerned for others will make a lasting difference. I believe these are the “laborers” Jesus envisioned when He urged us to pray to the “Lord of the harvest” to send laborers.
Can we agree to pray this prayer and step forward in hopes of being the answer as well?
