Making A Difference

Each one of us has the opportunity and the responsibility to make a difference. So let us be like salt and light and make a difference in our sphere of influence.

It is my prayer that you would enjoy the knowledge that, no matter what you are facing, HE is with you in everything.
May you have a wonderful week.

You and I have the wonderful privilege to make a difference in the world in which we live. You can make a difference! A life only becomes effective when it touches the life of another.
In the New Testament we see a story of a young man by the name of Timothy. Timothy was Paul’s spiritual son and later became the Bishop of Ephesus. There were two women who played a role in this young man’s life. It was his mother, Eunice and his grandmother Lois. We don’t know much about these ladies, but we know that they played a very important role. We know that they were Jewish believers.
We do not know much about Timothy’s father besides for the fact that he was Greek and a gentile. But, Eunice, his mother had a great influence on the upbringing of Timothy as a Christian. Both these ladies played a significant role in his life and as a result he was used by God and for His purpose.
This story is an example to us of how we can touch the lives of others and make a difference. These two ladies were just ordinary people, but their influence was something we still celebrate today.2 Timothy 1:5 I am reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also.
2 Timothy 3:14-17 But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, and how from infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.
1. YOU CAN MAKE AN ETERNAL DIFFERENCE IN THE LIVES OF OTHERS!You can have an influence in the lives of those around you. In fact, it is part of your calling and destiny as Christians that we would be like salt and light.
• Salt brings flavour
Matthew 5:13 You are the salt of the earth.
Matthew 5:13 “You are the world’s seasoning, to make it tolerable. If you lose your flavour, what will happen to the world? • Light brings hopeMatthew 5:14 You are the light of the world.
Matthew 5:14-16 You are the world’s light—a city on a hill, glowing in the night for all to see. Don’t hide your light! Let it shine for all; let your good deeds glow for all to see, so that they will praise your heavenly Father.There are so many ways in which we can have an influence in the lives of others. This influence can have eternal ramifications. Through what we say and do and how we conduct our lives, we can so influence people’s lives that they too may choose to follow after God. You have a unique opportunity to do just this.
It has been said the average person influences 10,000 people in their lifetime. As such your life is powerful and the question is what influence are you having?
Just because you are here, you have the potential of making a difference. Use this potential to make an eternal difference in the lives of others and in particular those around you.
2. PASS THE FAITH ALONG2 Timothy 1:5 I am reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also.Notice that this was a living faith that lived first in the grandmother Lois. However it did not stop there. Lois had successfully passed this living faith on to her daughter and they had successfully passed it on to the child Timothy. This made Timothy different to the point where the Apostle Paul can say that He is persuaded that the same faith lives in Timothy. What a great commendation!
Eunice, Timothy’s Jewish Christian mother and his grandmother Lois must have been Timothy’s significant teachers of Christian faith and of the Scriptures. As Jewish women Eunice and her mother Lois would have known the Old Testament Scriptures and passed it on to Timothy. They must have done the same with their Christian faith.
The influence and the spiritual instruction of his grandmother Lois and his mother Eunice on Timothy was of such a nature that Paul could make the connection and he could appreciate and point to Lois and Eunice as models of faith for Timothy. Can people, your children, point to you as a model of faith?
3. LIVE A LIFE OF GENUINE FAITH AND DEVELOP IT IN THOSE AROUND YOUEndeavour to develop a deep, real and meaningful faith in your family.2 Timothy 1:5 I am reminded of your sincere faith…… Other translations use the words ‘genuine faith’. It was what other translations call ‘unfeigned faith’. The emphasis here in the original Greek is that their faith was without hypocrisy. It describes sincere behaviour free from hidden agendas (selfish motives).
I would dare to say that both the mother and the grandmother exhibited a real and a consistent faith. These ladies were genuine. I would venture to say that the way they lived was the same at home as it was in public. They did not blow hot and cold, they were consistent – without hypocrisy! The way we live our lives should be the same.
Paul tells us that these ladies were believers. This was a term used to describe people who believed in Jesus Christ.
Acts 16:1 Paul came to Derbe and then to Lystra, where a disciple named Timothy lived, whose mother was Jewish and a believer but whose father was a Greek.
If we are going to touch the lives of others we must know in whom we believe. There should be no hesitation or doubt. Their faith was genuine because they believed in Jesus and could not be shaken. Even in difficult situations and in spite of opposition their faith remained true. A genuine abiding faith is something contagious. Keep on burning for God and the warmth will change even the coldest environment.
4. START EARLY2 Timothy 3:14-15 But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, and how from infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. From this scripture reference we can see that the influence of these two ladies began when Timothy was very young. It speaks about the fact that from infancy he knew the scriptures. Perhaps they had instilled it in him even during pregnancy.
Sometimes we think we will wait to influence people for the right time or the perfect moment. Don’t waste one moment of time, start early and influence others. The truth is that others are learning from our lives from the moment we come into contact with them. When it comes to making a difference in the lives of others, never say, "Come back at a more convenient season". "Behold, now is the accepted time!"
Paul goes on and reminds Timothy why he can have confidence in the influence he received: ‘because you know those from whom you learned it’! These women’s lives were reason enough to believe in the message they had imparted. If our lives are a living testimony, then others will be able to have confidence also. 
5. HOLD ONTO GOD'S WORDFinally Paul gives Timothy some sound advice. He encourages him to hold onto what he was taught and what he has learnt in particular to God’s words. The Word of God has benefit for everyone, throughout the length of life. Timothy 3:14-17 But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, and how from infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.He reminds him about the ‘Holy Scriptures’ and then goes on to remind Timothy that all Scripture is God-breathed. He was reminding him that God’s word could be depended on, that it was reliable and trustworthy.
Never let it be said from your mouth that; ‘it doesn’t work for me!’ Rather let those around you know that you have full and complete confidence in God even if things don’t look ideal at that moment.
As a result of these two ladies and their influence on this young man’s life, his life was something that people noticed and as a result he could speak to them with authority and influence them in turn. It opened the door for him to have influence.Acts 16:1-2 Paul came to Derbe and then to Lystra, where a disciple named Timothy lived, whose mother was Jewish and a believer but whose father was a Greek. The believers at Lystra and Iconium spoke well of him.
"A life is not significant except in the impact it has on other lives" Jackie Robinson We must choose to live the kind of life that impacts others. Look for somebody you can mentor. Be a person of impact. Go out of your way to volunteer and get involved and take responsibility for helping others. Teach where you can and be an authentic role model. Remember your life is a book that others are reading. Make your life count by making a difference.