Being a Person of Influence

Mess here. Work to do there. Correspondence to deal with. Meals to prepare. People that need care. The list goes on and on…

Juggling all we need to do in life is usually lots for our brains. Sometimes it is hard to think about being a Christian influence in the midst of it all. How does God want us to live our day to day lives with eternal purpose in mind?

When we wonder what direction our Christian life should take, it is good to look at Biblical examples. As we observe the lives of the early Christians, we have many ideas for caring for our own spiritual well-being and for furthering the spread of the Gospel.

One such person is Joanna. She was a woman of influence in Jesus’ time. Her husband Cuza, was the manager of Herod Antipas’ household. It is likely she would have been affluent and a member of high society.

When Jesus was travelling from town to town in the Galilean countryside, He was accompanied by the 12 disciples as well as a number of women. Joanna is listed as one of those women. Scripture indicates that Joanna was healed of either an evil spirit or a disease as were the other women listed.

Joanna was an important part of Jesus’ ministry. She used her own financial resources to support the work of Jesus and His followers. Joanna lived her life in service to Christ. She went out of her rich, comfortable zone to follow Jesus. In doing so, she was risking her life as she was going against the wishes of the court of Herod.

Scripture mentions Joanna by name one more time – in the resurrection story. Joanna is one of the women who took spices to the tomb to prepare Jesus’ body. She was a witness to the resurrection and she shared with the disciples what they had witnessed.

Joanna was a dedicated follower of Jesus. She chose to accompany Jesus and help others to learn more about Him, rather than stay in her secure, wealthy surroundings.

Sometimes we are called to be like Joanna and broaden our horizons of Christian influence. God also calls us to be His lights right where we are. Wherever God places us, we are to use everything at our disposal to share the Gospel as she did. Our time, our talents, and our treasures are all needful to bring the saving news of Jesus Christ to those in the world around us.

Like Joanna, we have a wonderful Lord to serve. May we open our hearts and minds to the ways we can be an influence to let others know the great love of our Lord and the hope that we have in Him alone.

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