None of us can deny the importance of our Christian service and influence upon the world around us. Someone has said, "The best defence of Christianity is a dedicated Christian. A Christian is either a blight or blessing, but never a blank." Influence is like our shadow on a sunny day. It's always with us. We can't escape it. It follows us wherever we go. Much like the old song, "Me and My Shadow," implies, our influence is always there, affecting those around us for better or worse.
Sometimes when you walk into a crowded room notice the people around you. Each one in the room will be doing two things. Each heart will be beating, faithfully pumping life-giving blood, laden with essential oxygen and nutrients, through the miles of arteries, veins and capillaries of the circulatory system. And returning waste that would soon form deadly toxins and poisons, back through the veins to the organs that process and dispose of it. Each pair of lungs will also be faithfully performing their vital function of oxygen acquisition and carbon dioxide disposal as a basis of the oxidation processes that are the foundation of continuing life. These functions are controlled at a subconscious level of the brain. No one really sits around all the time and thinks and commands, "Beat heart!" "Breathe lungs!" It just happens naturally and automatically. This is all part of what is called the autonomic functions of our body
It's the same with our influence. It is somewhat reflexive as well. It goes on naturally and automatically. But, unlike our heartbeat and breathing, it is not always a positive function. It is not always for the best. We can either have a good or bad influence. But we will have an influence, an effect on those around us. We will either build them up or tear them down. We will either help or hinder them on their way through life. We will either heal or hurt, encourage or discourage those we contact from day to day.
Even though our heart beat and breathing are both, to a great degree, autonomic brain functions, we do have a certain degree of control. We can breath faster to the point of hyperventilation or hold our breath for a deep dive under water. We can increase or decrease our heart rate by exercise. Some studies indicate we might even be able to consciously slow or speed up our heart through practising certain thought patterns.
By God's power we can control the positive or negative effect of our ever present influence and cast a shadow of good influence on those around us. The shadow of our influence will one day be cast all the way to the Judgement Seat of Christ. Will we then hear Him say, "Well done thy good and faithful servant...?"? - Pastor John White
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