He was the one who prayed to the God of Israel. 1 Chronicles 4:10a
I have a firm philosophy that people only give reviews for products, restaurants, and other places that they either really love, or really dislike. After all, to take the extra time to provide a review, that product or place must have really left an impression on them, either good or bad. We tend to talk about things that leave lasting impressions on us. That is our very nature, whether for good or for bad. When we talk about people, we do the same thing. When someone has left a positive impression on us, we talk about them. We talk about the impression they made. In the same way, we also talk about the people who have negatively impacted us. To be clear, this is not a positive practice, but in our human nature all the same. I don't know about you, but I want to leave such a positive impact on other people that they speak positive things about me. I want people to see that I pointed them to God and His word. Today we are going to look at what it looks like to live a significant life by the impression that we make in the lives of others.
If you have been following along with us in these daily devotions, you know that we talked about the fact that Jabez, a man mentioned in 1 Chronicles 4, was a man who had an honorable reputation because he prayed to God. Others took notice of the honorable lifestyle that Jabez lived, and God did, too. Make no mistake, my friends, even though Jabez' life was described in three short verses of Scripture, Jabez lived a life of significance. He relied on God to be with him, bless him, and protect him, and others recognized his faithfulness to God as a result.
As you think about your own life, what would you want people to say about you and how you lived? 1 Peter 2:12 says it this way, "Be careful to live properly among your unbelieving neighbors. Then even if they accuse you of doing wrong, they will see your honorable behavior, and they will give honor to God when he judges the world." When we live honorable lives, God gets the glory and people are pointed to Him. What kind of impact for God do you want to make in the lives of those around you? If you overheard someone talking about you today, what would they say? My friend, take strides today to live lives of significant impact.
Take out your notebook or journal and spend some time thinking about what you want people to say about you. What impression do you want to have on the lives of others? Make a list of the things you want people to say when they talk about you. As you make a list, come up with one tangible way this week you can take a step in the direction of each item on your list. Then, take those steps this week.
So get rid of all evil behavior. Be done with all deceit, hypocrisy, jealousy, and all unkind speech. Like newborn babies, you must crave pure spiritual milk so that you will grow into a full experience of salvation. Cry out for this nourishment, now that you have had a taste of the Lord’s kindness.
You are coming to Christ, who is the living cornerstone of God’s temple. He was rejected by people, but he was chosen by God for great honor.
And you are living stones that God is building into his spiritual temple. What’s more, you are his holy priests. Through the mediation of Jesus Christ, you offer spiritual sacrifices that please God. As the Scriptures say,
“I am placing a cornerstone in Jerusalem,
chosen for great honor,
and anyone who trusts in him
will never be disgraced.”
Yes, you who trust him recognize the honor God has given him. But for those who reject him,
“The stone that the builders rejected
has now become the cornerstone.”
And,
“He is the stone that makes people stumble,
the rock that makes them fall.”
They stumble because they do not obey God’s word, and so they meet the fate that was planned for them.
But you are not like that, for you are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light.
“Once you had no identity as a people;
now you are God’s people.
Once you received no mercy;
now you have received God’s mercy.”
Dear friends, I warn you as “temporary residents and foreigners” to keep away from worldly desires that wage war against your very souls. Be careful to live properly among your unbelieving neighbors. Then even if they accuse you of doing wrong, they will see your honorable behavior, and they will give honor to God when he judges the world.
