Created for positive impact

Text: Mathew 5: 16; 1 Corinthians 2: 7-8; 2 Corinthians 4: 7; Romans 8: 19
Key Verse: Mathew 5: 13, “Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? It is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men.”

What is Positive?
“Positive” means beneficial, good and productive.

What is Impact?
“Impact” means to have a strong effect on someone or something. “Impact” is the effect of an encounter. Positive Impact leaves you better than you were before the encounter, but Negative Impact leaves you either worse than you were or as you were before the encounter. For example, as a Pastor, is your ministry a source of inspiration and encouragement to the people? Or as a leader in your organisation, are you influencing your subjects positively to be better than they were before you encountered them? Are you adding value to the lives of people that encounter you?

Nil Impact: is leaving a person the same way you met him. That is, you do not leave that person better or worse than you met him. This type of impact is not positive impact.

Jesus’ ministry on earth was characterised with changing lives positively and adding value to the people’s lives. Jesus went about doing good and making people better than they were before they met Him. Acts 10:38, “How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power, and how he went around doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil, because God was with him.”

Jesus Christ went about promoting the well-being of men wherever He went. He did what He could wisely do for the bodies of men, healing the sick, supplying physical wants; but more especially, He sought to promote the highest spiritual good of the people, teaching, warning, rebuking and entreating, as circumstances seemed to require, ever more intent upon promoting the highest human happiness by every means in His power.

Jesus business was simply doing good – the thing He had above all things else at heart and that is creating positive impact in people’s lives. He came to do good and not evil; to bless and not to curse; to fill the world with peace, love and happiness, so far as lay within the range of His influence. The good of man was the great object, which He sought.

It is said of Christ—“Who, for the joy set before Him, endured the cross, despising the shame” (Hebrew 12:2). Observe, He had no special regard to His own personal happiness. This was not the direct object He sought; and yet He enjoyed doing good to others. He found happiness in blessing others. His doctrine was—“It is more blessed to give than to receive.” Thus, when He met the widow at Nain—saw her sorrows; came up and touched the bier, and they that bare it stood still; -when in this affecting case He called this young man to life and restored him to his mother.

We are created unto good works. We are called even to do good to our enemies. Are people around you feeling the impact of your good works? Your impact is measured by the vacuum your absence creates. You are making a negative impact, when you leave an environment and no one remembers you.

The book of Romans 8 says that the world waits for your manifestation. The expectation of God from you is that you shall impact your environment positively with the hidden treasure He Has deposited inside of you. That hidden treasure is for your glory and God’s glorification. You borrowed this life from your parents and you must give it back to your children. You can only give it back in “value” or in “vacuum.”

You can become the answer to that problem that everyone is complaining about. You are created to make positive impact on everything that you come in contact with, be it human beings or otherwise. You are the salt of your environment and do not lose your value.
Today’s Nugget: You can only give in “value” or in “vacuum.”
Prayer: Father, help me to make positive impact on everyone I meet in Jesus Name, Amen.
Dr. Chidi Okoroafor, General Superintendent Assemblies of God Nigeria
09078154261; evangelgospel@yahoo.com