Have you ever thought about the influence that Jesus had? He was born in a small town in an occupied country. His family was not wealthy and had no elevated social standing. He only had a ministry for three years, and yet He had more influence on the world than anyone who ever lived.

We know that He was the Son of God and taught truths that went counter to the world He lived in. We know that He performed miracles and attracted thousands who came to hear Him and be touched by Him. He was The Ultimate Influencer and yet, he had no social media footprint.  He did not have a cell phone and was not on Instagram, Twitter or Facebook. 

What He did have was right priorities. He knew that in order to influence others, He must spend quality time with the Father. We read in Scripture that He would go out to a lonely place to pray. There, He learned the Father’s will, heard the Father’s words and was filled and empowered by the Spirit of God.

He did not seek the attention of the crowds. He chose twelve men whom He could pour His life into and spent three years living with them and teaching them. He was not interested in the number of  His followers because He knew what was in men’s hearts. He knew they were fickle and would follow Him one day and be gone the next.

There’s a lesson here for those of us that wish to influence others towards a deeper relationship with Christ. We must do as He did. We must spend time, real time with the Father, and learn His will through reading His word. We must not focus on the number of followers we have but choose to invest our time, energy and words with those who are really interested in going deeper with Christ. Followers, as Jesus knew, will eventually come and go. We must  follow His example and seek to do the will of God, in the power of God, for the purposes of God, in order to have real meaningful influence in the world. 

Photo by Dorothee’ Quennesson. Courtesy of Pixabay