MAKING A DIFFERENCE: GENERAL OVERVIEW

TOPIC: MAKING A DIFFERENCE: GENERAL OVERVIEW

TEXT: MATT. 5:14-16

A town council once recruited a quiet forest dweller to clean the water pools in mountain clefts that supplied their spring. He made sure the water flow was pure by carefully removing silt, branches, and leaves. With its irrigated farmlands, mill wheels, swans, and lovely restaurant views, the small town gained popularity as a tourist attraction.

After many years, the town council looked through the budget and saw the spring keeper's pay. They felt the old man was no longer required and decided to cut off his services.

As a result of his being laid off, the town experienced significant changes, including tree loss, water bodies, yellowish-brown springs, slowed mill wheels, and disease. Tourists and swans left, causing the council to hire the old springkeeper again. The river cleared up, and new life returned to the town.

There is more to this story than meets the eye. It has a vivid, timely parallel that is immediately applicable to the times we live in. Christians are as important to the world as the caretaker of the springs was to the town. God bless any culture that tries to function without our influence, even though we Christians may appear weak, unnecessary, inconsequential, and insignificant in the grand scheme of things.

We are called to make a difference by influencing and impacting the world around us.

Matthew 5:14–16 shows that "making a difference" means being a "light of the world," actively shining our good deeds and positive influence so that others can see them and be drawn to God. In other words, by intentionally and visibly living out our faith, we are essentially acting as a beacon of goodness and hope in a dark world; just as a city on a hill cannot be hidden, so too should our good deeds be visible to others, inspiring them to praise our heavenly Father.

The well-known Methodist author, evangelist, and missionary, Dr. E. Stanley Jones, was asked to pinpoint the church's main problem. He swiftly responded that it was "irrelevance."

We are a beacon of light to the world, and reducing ourselves to less would limit the power, authority, and grace of Jesus Christ. God has called us to influence our world, especially as we consider our theme for 2025.

Remember that song, which many of us sang as children:

"This little light of mine, I'm gonna let it shine. This little light of mine, I'm gonna let it shine. This little light of mine, I'm gonna let it shine. Let it shine, Let it shine, Let it shine."

Prayer: Lord Jesus, help me influence all those I come across and chase away darkness. Amen.