Who Influenced You?

If you're alive, there's a purpose for your life.  Rick Warren

Have you ever asked yourself that question?  Each of us has someone or multiple someone’s who have influenced what we do every day.  Is there someone in your life who made a lasting impression on you that made you want to devote your time to God’s purpose? 

In my life the people who influenced me the most as a child were my Mom and Dad and my grandparents.  They pointed me in God’s direction.  I didn’t learn until much later in life what my purpose on this earth is, but I had influencers along the way.  Cancer was a great influencer.  That one circumstance forever changed me.  It was one of the greatest blessings of my life.
 
The pastor of my church, Pastor Steve Stroope, has influenced who I am today.  Pastor Rick Warren is another.  Both of these pastors tell it like it is.  They don’t sugar coat life or beat around the bush when it comes to truth telling. 

I read the story from Rick Warren this morning entitled “Why I Do What I Do”.  He talks about the person who had the greatest influence on his life.  If you are interested you can read it by going to the following link. I pray that one day I will be like Rick Warren’s dad, whose sole purpose in life up until he died of cancer was to “Save one more for Jesus”. 

I don’t know about you, but I have a long way to go, but it is the influencers in my life who pointed me in the right direction and encouraged me along the way to be a better person for God’s purpose.  I thank God for bringing them into my life.

https://www.facebook.com/pastorrickwarren?ref=hl

Prayer for the Day: Heavenly Father, you placed people in my path who have greatly influenced my life.  They have taught me about Your love for me and how to be a better person. I pray for Your strength to step out in faith to save one more for Jesus.  

      

Scripture:  Remember Take Up the Cross and Follow Him

Then He said to them all, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.  For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it.  For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and is himself destroyed or lost? For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words, of him the Son of Man will be ashamed when He comes in His own glory, and in His Father’s, and of the holy angels. But I tell you truly, there are some standing here who shall not taste death till they see the kingdom of God.”  Luke 9:23-27