"I want to be an Influencer," was the response of a student to the question, “What do you want to be when you get older?” An influencer is a person who shapes decisions made by individuals about a product or idea with their endorsement or opinions about the product. Social Media has created a large platform to create influencers. Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and others have allowed people to generate followers and influence. In my lifetime, an influencer has actually become a job.
I have some great news! You are an influencer. In the Bible story of origin, God's instruction was to influence, rule, lead, serve, and multiply all over the earth. You do not need to become an influencer because you already are. Do you know what this means? We are stewards of influence.
For years I have heard that leadership is influence. I agree, but more than that, leadership is stewardship of your God-given influence. We already have it, because we were made for influence. How we use our influence is what shapes the character of our leadership.
So, if I am an influencer and leadership is how to steward my God-given influence, how can I be a better steward of this influence? Here are a few ideas that I hope encourage you:
Make it simple. Be consistent. Focus on others.
Make it simple.
"I wish I could give you a lot of money, but all I can do is pray." I stopped her and said, “Let's erase that sentence from your sentence catalog forever.” No person who prays lacks great influence. The reality of taking a person's name to the creator is not small. It is great. Why have we decided that prayer is the small side of generous influence?
Here is a way to keep it simple. Remember, God will never hold us accountable for how we used what we did not have. When we stand before God, he will measure the simplicity of our stewardship by how we used what he gave us. Keep it simple. A kind word. A faithful prayer. An act of kindness. As Jesus once said, “Even a cup of water to a little one in my name will receive a reward.” Matthew 10:42
Be Consistent
I saw a huge stone with a well-worn hole in it and asked my friend, “How do you think this hole got here?” His response was a lesson in influence. Pointing to the rocks above, he said, “For many, many years, water has poured onto this surface and over time, it changed the shape of the rock.”
What a lesson in the consistency of grace and truth in the life of another. How amazing and powerful was a few drops over time in the shape of this rock. How much greater a constant dripping of God’s grace is in the lives of those around us.
Focus on others
Last week I asked, "What would you be willing to do for the sake of others?" We cannot escape the words of Jesus to love others as he has loved us. Being others focused is how we steward our God-given influence.
When Jesus, Paul, and James wanted to sum up the entire meaning of the commandments God gave to his people, they did with two equal instructions. “Love God with all you got and love others as yourself.”
Stewardship starts with loving God, and loving God begins with being loved by God. But the circuit is not complete until we love others. In a sentence: I am loved by God, I love God, and I love others.
That is influence. More than a job, it is a way of life.