You Have More Influence Than You Think

By Allen White

Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.

Matthew 5:15-16

For some of us, these verses have been with us from the time we learned the song, “This Little Light of Mine.” One pastor tells the story of a child visiting their children’s ministry who had never been in church before. This child’s version of the song went “hide it under a bush, Hell no!” What he lacked in understand, he more than made up for in zeal.

An unbeliever’s attraction to the Gospel isn’t centered on a well-crafted explanation of the message. If that were the case, then Christian television, radio, stadium events, tent meetings, websites and tweets would have already saved everyone by now. Words are only words until their made flesh (John 1:14).

The unbeliever with the best chance of accepting Christ is the unbeliever who is surrounded by believers. The presence of believers who understand what they have in Jesus Christ is significant. Prayers are answered. The discouraged are encouraged. The lost are found.

You may be saying at this point, “Okay, I’m saved. I go to church every morning. I don’t hide the fact that I’m a Christian. But, I’m not seeing these things happen.” If that’s the case, then my guess is that you’re too busy to allow these things to happen.

For God to use you to influence another, you have to be available. Most of us simply aren’t available.

When we tell God that we are available, then we have to pay attention to what’s going on around us. When we see someone who needs help, then we actually need the time to help them. Now, you may be thinking, “Well, I don’t really have time for that.” If you’re too busy to do God’s will, then you’re too busy.

If we want God to use us, then we have to create margin in our lives to actually be used. We have to say “no” to some of the things in our lives that don’t really satisfy us anyway. We have to give others our time and attention. Our presence in the lives of others is far more significant than most of us realize.

John Maxwell says that “Leadership is influence.” Leadership is not merely a title or a trait. As Rick Warren says, “If you think you’re a leader, and you don’t have any followers, you’re only taking a walk.” Who do you have influence with?

Who will try a new restaurant because you recommended it? Who will avoid a bad movie based on your review? Who will change their view of things, either positively or negatively, based on your attitude? You have more influence than you think.

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You’re Brighter Than You Think

By Allen White 

You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Matthew 5:14

One of my favorite spots in the world is the Point Piños Lighthouse near Monterey, California. It’s one of the oldest lighthouses on the west coast and is just up the coast from Pebble Beach.

The cool thing about the lighthouse is that in addition to housing the light, it also housed the lightkeeper. Just imagine the million dollar view. Of course, lightkeepers worked at night….

In the days of lightkeepers, the light needed to be tended. The lightkeeper would turn it on, turn it off, and keep it going in-between. Today, even the Point Piños Lighthouse is automated. Retired Coast Guard supervise the tours, but the light doesn’t need anyone to run it.

The formula is simple: when it’s dark, the light shines. The light doesn’t need to work hard to shine. It just shines. It’s positioned to been seen from far off shore. It’s not on a high hill, but it’s positioned to warn ships based on the curvature of the earth.

We don’t possess the light because we are so bright. The light is the light of Christ. It originates from Him, not from us. For instance, John the Baptist who pointed to Christ tended the light, but didn’t produce it. “John himself was not the light; he was simply a witness to tell about the light. The one who is the true light, who gives light to everyone, was coming into the world” (John 1:8-9, NLT).

The difference between believers today and John the Baptist is that the light of Christ was with John, but the light of Christ is in us. “For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ” (2 Corinthians 4:6).

Light in a dark place is obvious. It doesn’t have to jump up and down. It doesn’t have to make a lot of noise. Light simply shines.

How is your life positioned to shine the light of Christ? What is it about your life that shows you possess the light of Christ? I don’t say that as some guilt-inducing attempt to make you try harder. Your trying harder wouldn’t get you there.

We possess the light of Christ. Yet, many of us don’t really understand the significance of what we’ve been given. We pray about nothing, when we’re instructed to pray about everything (Philippians 4:6), and then we attempt to live our lives for Christ without His Power or Presence. No wonder we feel frustrated and defeated.

Ask Jesus to show you what it means to possess His Light. Then, notice how the light of Christ can affect the darkness around you.

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Are You Worth Your Salt?

By Allen White

You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot. Matthew 5:13

Salt has many purposes. It can melt the ice on our sidewalks, freeze our ice cream, and even preserve food. But, the most common way that we use salt is to season food.

I watch a lot of shows on the Food Network. The unfortunately thing is that none of those delectable dishes automatically appear in my kitchen during the shows. What happened to that food machine that the Jetsons’ used?

In food competitions, the cardinal sin is to present unseasoned or under-seasoned food to the judges. The implication is that if the chef doesn’t know to season his food, then why is he even a chef? Why is he on the show? Was he headed to the Price is Right and ended up in the Food Network studios? Even I know that you should season your food. Come on.

Salt elevates the taste of food. But, salt eaten by itself is not that great. During years of summer camp outside of Wichita, Kansas, it would get very hot and humid. Added to this, our church had a very high value on modesty. Interpretation: even though it was 110 degrees, we still couldn’t wear shorts at camp. The Solution: salt tablets.

Have you ever had a salt tablet? It’s not pleasant, even if you swallow it. Supposedly it kept us from getting sick or having a heat stroke or something. Honestly, I would have rather been part of some liberal shorts-wearing denomination, but that’s for another day.

Salt by itself is abrasive and rather disgusting. But, salt with something is great. Lindt sells chocolate bars season with sea salt. Unseasoned French fries aren’t worth their salt, so to speak. No one wants to taste salt for salt’s sake, but we do want salt that will enhance the dish.

“You are the salt of the earth,” Jesus said. That doesn’t mean that we come out once a year to cover the sidewalks when Greenville, SC gets half an inch of snow. Perhaps our purpose is to elevate the appeal of what God has created.

If we present our faith as salt tablets, then the response will be “Yuck!” No wonder we dislike contrived efforts at evangelism. But, what if we embraced the parts of our lives in Christ that are better than life without Christ?

Don’t get me wrong. I didn’t say that Christians are better than non-Christians, because we’re not.

How is living in community with other believers better than living among non-believers? Do your friends pray for you? Do other believers point you back to Christ when you are discouraged? Does your circle “bear one another’s burdens” (Galatians 6:2)? If not, the believers you hang with might not really understand what it means to belong to Christ.

How do non-believers see Christ working in you? I didn’t ask, “How do they see you working to pretend to be like Christ?” How do they see Christ’s work in you? How is your saltiness? Would others respond with “Yum” or “Yuck”?

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Most Read Post of 2014: #1 God Doesn’t Want You to Worry

By Allen White

Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life? Matthew 6:27

We can’t add anything to our life by worrying. We might even shorten our lives by worrying.

When we worry about something, we put ourselves through the same physiological state as if the event was actually happening. Our brain knows the difference between what’s real and what’s imagined, but our nervous system does not. Worry puts our bodies in a state of emergency – fight or flight.

Our blood pressure goes up. Our heart races. Our palms begin to sweat. Our stomachs produce extra acid to digest what’s there. No wonder worriers end up with ulcers. The body doesn’t know the difference between a real emergency and an imagined one.

Our lives are in God’s hand. The length of our lives is determined by God Himself (Job 14:5). We can’t add to that. God is in control. We are not. So, what do we do when we’re overcome with worry?

The Bible says, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:6-7).

Since God is in control, there is really no reason to be anxious about anything. But, when we do feel anxious, it means that we’re out of our depth. We are worrying about things that are well into the future and out of our hands. When that warning light pops up on the dashboard of our souls, we must take the next step.

Give our worry to God in prayer. If we’re still worried about it after we’ve prayed, then give it over to God again and again and again. Wash, Rinse, Repeat.

God knows the resolution to every one of our problems. God knows what we’ll feel like when our current problem is resolved, so before the problem is even resolved, God gives us something that we don’t deserve. He gives us the peace that we will experience when everything is okay. But, He gives us the peace now, even though the resolution is still in process.

What are you worried about today? Stop and give the situation to God. Even if your prayer is “God, I don’t know what to do. Please take this over and help me.” He will help you.

Then, when you start worrying about it again (and you might), stop and pray again. If that warning light comes on again, stop and pray again.

I share a story in my stress management class about a woman who went to see a psychologist about worrying. The doctor prescribed a biblical remedy. He gave her a card with the word “STOP” on one side and Philippians 4:6-7 on the other side. He told her that every time she started to worry, she should get the card out and read it out loud.

The next week the patient was pleased to report that the first day she had to use the card 20 times, but by the end of the week she only had to use it twice a day.

What are you worried about right now? A worry is something you think about three times a day or more. What are those worries?

God doesn’t want you to worry. He’s got this one (and the next one). Place your worries into God’s hands, and He will give you His peace in return.

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Most Read Post of 2014: #2 Emotions Are So Unreasonable

By Allen White

Then Jesus went with his disciples to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to them, “Sit here while I go over there and pray.” He took Peter and the two sons of Zebedee along with him, and he began to be sorrowful and troubled. Then he said to them, “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.” Matthew 26:36-38

Death is not a normal thing to volunteer for. Jesus spoke of His mission on this earth over and over with His disciples. Jesus knew that the end of His mission would result in death. But, even for our All-Knowing God, Jesus had never personally experienced sin and death. His Divine mission was confronted with a strong human reaction.

Jesus took Peter, James and John, His inner circle, a little further into the garden. He knew that His betrayal would happen sooner rather than later. He asked them to keep watch while He prepared Himself in prayer.

Jesus was overwhelmed. The Son of God, the Master and Creator of the Universe, the Savior of the world was overwhelmed. And, He should have been.

Emotions are just so unreasonable. Our emotions motivate us toward things that defy our logic. Some of us were even taught that emotions were scary or bad or both. But, emotion is a part of who we are.

No one should feel okay at a loved one’s funeral. We should grieve. Everyone should feel overwhelming joy and excitement on their wedding day. And, there are days when the circumstances of our life are completely overwhelming. There’s only one place to go on those days.

Jesus, being fully human and also fully God, was overwhelmed. With His disciples keeping watch, He chose to go by Himself and to connect with the Father. No person would understand His plight. No amount of ranting and raving would cure what ailed Him that day. Only a connection with the One who completely understood Him and His circumstance would help.

Where do you go when you are overwhelmed? Do you escape into a bad habit? Do you go to bed? Do you go ballistic? There is only One Person in your life that can take what you’re dealing with, and it’s also the only Person who will fully understand – your Heavenly Father.

God is not surprised by your circumstance. God wired you to feel what you feel. When you are completely overwhelmed, He completely understands.

What are you feeling overwhelmed by today? It’s time to get alone with the One who understands.

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Most Read Post of 2014: #3 What If We Stopped Complaining?

By Allen White


Do everything without grumbling or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, “children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation.” Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky as you hold firmly to the word of life. And then I will be able to boast on the day of Christ that I did not run or labor in vain. Philippians 2:14-16


For some of us, these verses seem impossible. Grumbling and complaining might feel like breathing. Or, if it’s not a complaint, it comes out as sarcasm. Whether our snide remarks are resentful or recreational, they reflect the condition of our hearts.


Grumbling and complaining comes from the simple fact that the world is not as we think it should be. Whether our expectations are realistic or not, when our lives don’t measure up to our expectations, we grumble and complain. When our lives are less than what we think they should be, we grow resentful and sometimes angry.


The problem, according to this passage, is that grumbling and arguing are obstacles to becoming blameless and pure. The ugliness of our attitudes corrupts the purity of our souls. When we are saved, God declares us to be righteous (Romans 4:5) and purifies our hearts (Hebrews 10:21-22). Negative attitudes can pollute what God has purified.


Sometimes we excuse our attitudes, because of the world that we live in and what we have to deal with. The world is an unfair and an unjust place. Just watch the evening news – there’s plenty to be bitter about. Just look at how people treat each other – there’s plenty to resent.


Don’t you find it odd that the first century A.D. was regarded as “warped and crooked”? If that generation was warped and crooked, then what does that make our generation? They didn’t even have Lady Gaga back then.


Paul wrote this letter to the Philippians from prison. That wasn’t fair. Why wasn’t Paul bitter? Paul knew, as we know, that neither people nor evil are ultimately in charge of the universe. God is.


One day, every wrong will be righted (Revelation 19:11). One day, justice will prevail and evil will disappear (Revelation 20:10). Until that day, we must choose to trust that God loves us, He has a plan for us, and He knows what we’re dealing with. If we choose to trust rather than complain, then we “shine among them like stars in the sky.” 


What are you known for these days – the light of Christ or grumbling and complaining? Complaining is really just a bad habit. There are times to bring things up. But, if the person that we’re talking to is not part of the problem or part of the solution, then it’s just grumbling and gossip.


It’s our choice to either become blameless, pure and bright or grumbling, complaining and dull. God will help us shine like stars. If we choose the other path, we’re on our own, consequences and all.

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Most Read Post of 2014: #4 Getting What You Deserve

By Allen White

But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times. Micah 5:2 (NIV) 

God delights in the obscure and the humble. Bethlehem wasn’t the big city. In fact, for Joseph and his family, Bethlehem was a good place to be from. The town was important for Joseph’s ancestral heritage. But, that’s about where Bethlehem’s importance ended for them.

Lowly Bethlehem was much like its most famous resident: King David (Luke 2:4). When Samuel, the prophet, approached Jesse’s family to anoint the new king of Israel, Jesse lined up all of his sons. Well, almost all of them. Jesse presented the top seven of his sons anyway, but “Samuel said to him, ‘The LORD has not chosen these.’” (1 Samuel 16:10).

“So he asked Jesse, ‘Are these all the sons you have?’

“‘There is still the youngest, Jesse answered, "but he is tending the sheep’" (1 Samuel 16:11).
David wasn’t his father’s choice for king. In fact, David wasn’t even considered a possibility in his father’s mind. David was tending the sheep. Yet, this humble shepherd became the king of Israel and the great, great, great, great…grandfather of the King of kings.

Jesus was born in humble circumstances. Not only was his birthplace in a small town, he was born in a stable in a small town. Jesus was born into a working class family that didn’t have a lot of money. We don’t even know that Jesus received a formal education. From a worldly point of view, Jesus really wasn’t set up for success. These were humble circumstances for the Son of God, the Savior of the world.

God’s power doesn’t need a “leg up” from our social standing, education, wealth or pride. In fact, God’s power is clearly demonstrated in weakness, not in high stature. When we see God use a person who we might not expect Him to use, then we can see God’s hand very clearly. When we humbly submit ourselves to Him, and He allows opportunities or gives insights into situations we wouldn’t have on our own, we know that God is working in us.

How is your heart inclined today? Are you working hard to promote yourself or to humble yourself? A clear indicator is what you feel that you deserve right now. The less deserving we feel, the more humble we are becoming.

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