ARE YOU LIVING OUT YOUR FAITH THE WRONG WAY?

Ever since I was a kid I have had the idea that if I want to be the best kind of Christian, I have to be a pastor, missionary, or evangelist. And if I am not one of those, I at least need to do the kinds of things they do as often as I can in order to practice my faith the way God wants.

I talk to a lot of Christians who feel this way. For whatever reason, we think doing "spiritual" works makes us good Christians. We realize that we can't earn our salvation through works; it is by God's grace alone and the sacrifice of Jesus Christ that we have the hope of salvation and eternal life. Yet, we still feel we need to be spiritual in order to please God. We envision carrying our Bibles around all the time and talking to everyone we meet about Jesus. We probably will not actually do those things but still think that if we did we would be better Christians.

DO YOU EFFECTIVELY LOVE AND INFLUENCE THE PEOPLE YOU WORK WITH?

I want to do more than just show up to work and collect a pay check. I want to be more than the status quo. I want the people around me to be more effective, feel more encouraged and happy, and ultimately be drawn closer to God as a result of my having been there. As such, I'm always trying to find better ways to connect with and influence the people I work and spend time with. Several weeks ago, I heard something that made me think about it from a different perspective. Instead of considering how I could best influence those around me, I thought "who are the people that have influenced me the most and why?" Perhaps I could identify what those people did or said that made such a difference for me and use it to try to make a difference in the lives of others.