Your life has an impact

 

Each of us has a purpose and a role to play in YHVH’s plan. I saw a short video last week of dominoes, gradually increasing in size, that illustrated this beautifully. You may have seen it too. The biggest domino was standing almost half a meter tall and the smallest was so small it had to be put in place with  tweezers. That smallest domino was set in motion with the slightest movement of the tweezer, though it started the action of throwing over all the dominoes, even the greatest one. Even the slightest action has an effect of great significance.

I want to encourage you with this. Each of us, no matter how insignificant we are in our own eyes or the eyes of others, has an important role to play in YHVH’s plan. We may not even know what impact we make, but we do.

A word or warning before we continue. Our impact can also be a negative one. We are to be so careful with what we do, but more so with our words. Words can bring life, but it can also cause pain and trauma. I recently found out that I have caused severe pain with a thoughtless remark I have made many years ago. We seldom know the impact of our words, especially when conveyed through social media. Please learn from my mistake, think before you speak or respond. Weigh your words carefully. Be sensitive to what others may be experiencing and do not condemn. We don’t have the right to. We are to love others and our words are to be like balm and honey, especially if another is suffering. We may not even know about their suffering, but each of us has a struggle we have to face each day. Remember that, before you jump to conclusions about somebody and say harsh words.

We are to love each other and love is about being sensitive to others. May our words and deeds bring glory to our Father in heaven. May we be useful in YHVH’s Kingdom.

Our work in YHVH’s Kingdom

If we have chosen to follow YHVH and made ourselves available to Him, He will use us for His Kingdom. We don’t have to become missionaries in order to work for YHVH. Each of us, living our lives in obedience to YHVH is a light in the darkness. We sow little seeds wherever we go. These seeds, YHVH will cause to grow.

1 Corinthians 3:6–7
⁶ I planted, Apollos watered, but Elohim was causing the growth. ⁷ So then neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but Elohim who causes the growth.

When we live our lives in obedience to YHVH, we are vessels that can be used by YHVH for His purpose. It does, however, depend on how much of us we make available to YHVH. It reminds me of the parable about the talents (Matt 25:14-30). Each of us has the potential to do much for YHVH’s kingdom and we will be rewarded according to what we have done with what YHVH has given us.

Psalm 62:12
¹² And lovingkindness is Yours, O YHVH, For You recompense a man according to his work.

Jeremiah 17:10
¹⁰ “I, YHVH, search the heart, I test the mind, Even to give to each man according to his ways, According to the results of his deeds.

Paul confirms this also in verse 8 of 1 Corinthians 3.

1 Corinthians 3:8–10
⁸ Now he who plants and he who waters are one; but each will receive his own reward according to his own labor. ⁹ For we are Elohim’s fellow workers; you are Elohim’s field, Elohim’s building. ¹⁰ According to the grace of Elohim which was given to me, like a wise master builder I laid a foundation, and another is building on it. But each man must be careful how he builds on it.

We are Elohim’s fellow workers… Did you know the Hebrew word “avodah” means both work and worship? Greek has different words.

The root word means to work or serve. To serve YHVH, is to worship Him. From this, we can deduce that if we do any service as to YHVH, we worship YHVH. That can put a completely different perspective on work. The question is can we generalize and say all work we do is as worship to YHVH? I don’t think so, as some people commit crime or do other jobs contrary to scripture. Sin is never done for YHVH and neither does it glorify Him. Any service to others, whether as part of our job, or otherwise, is worship to YHVH.

A light in the darkness

This highlights again that we are to be careful what we say and do. As children of the Living Elohim, all we do is a reflection on Him. Our actions can either glorify YHVH’s name or take His name in vain. It can either draw people to YHVH of push them away. People are drawn to light in darkness and the world around us is getting darker and darker. Each of us can be that light in the darkness.

Matthew 5:16
¹⁶ “Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.

We let our light shine before men by our good works. Our good works is our obedience to His Word.

Psalm 119:105
¹⁰⁵ Your word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path.

When we follow Y’shua, we have the Light of life in us.

John 8:12
¹² Then Y’shua again spoke to them, saying, “I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life.”

Y’shua is the word made flesh, the living Torah. So Psalm 119:105 is not in contradiction. On the contrary, it supports this statement.

YHVH will equip us

We don’t have to try hard to be this light. YHVH has given us His instructions and He has given us a Helper, His Ruach ha qodesh or Set apart Spirit. When we live according to His instructions, we live righteously, and that is light. His Set Apart Spirit enables us to do this.

John 14:26
²⁶ “But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you.

Our relationship with YHVH enables us to hear His voice and when we hear His voice, we know His will. When we do His will, we glorify Him. That is our life purpose, to glorify YHVH and to serve Him. He will equip us with what we need to do His will.

There are many examples in Scripture of how YHVH equipped people to do His will. Moses had a speech problem and YHVH gave him his brother Aaron to do the talking on his behalf. He gave Moses the ability to perform signs and wonders. YHVH used Moses mightily and Moses had a very special relationship with YHVH. YHVH talked to him face to face, not in dreams and visions.

Exodus 33:11
¹¹ Thus YHVH used to speak to Moses face to face, just as a man speaks to his friend.

Numbers 12:8
⁸ With him I speak mouth to mouth, Even openly, and not in dark sayings, And he beholds the form of YHVH.

There are many other examples in Scripture of how YHVH empowered people with His spirit to do His will. When we read the book of Judges, we find many, think about Gideon, Samson and other judges.

The same is written about Saul; he was the first king of Israel. YHVH’s Spirit came upon him and changed him.

1 Samuel 10:6–7
⁶ “Then the Spirit of YHVH will come upon you mightily, and you shall prophesy with them and be changed into another man. ⁷ “It shall be when these signs come to you, do for yourself what the occasion requires, for Elohim is with you.

1 Samuel 10:9–10
⁹ Then it happened when he turned his back to leave Samuel, Elohim changed his heart; and all those signs came about on that day. ¹⁰ When they came to the hill there, behold, a group of prophets met him; and the Spirit of Elohim came upon him mightily, so that he prophesied among them.

We learn from this that YHVH will equip us, if He has chosen us for a specific task. We also learn from Saul’s life that when we do not walk according to YHVH’s ways, He will take His Spirit from us and can even give us an evil spirit (1 Sam 16:14).

It is about our choices. Our previous article Choose whom you will serve is about the most important choice you would ever make. This choice is the determining factor of how we will lead the rest of our lives.

When we choose to follow YHVH, His Spirit will empower us to do what YHVH has for us to do. We choose YHVH, but first He draws us to Him.

Jeremiah 31:3
³ YHVH appeared to him from afar, saying, “I have loved you with an everlasting love; Therefore I have drawn you with lovingkindness.

This is a prophecy of the return of Israel. We are living the beginning of that prophecy. We are being drawn by YHVH to return to Him in obedience, to keep His Torah and live as His set apart people.

John 6:65
⁶⁵ And He was saying, “For this reason I have said to you, that no one can come to Me unless it has been granted him from the Father.”

You may now wonder who are those that are drawn by YHVH. These are the chosen ones. You who are reading this, is a chosen one. YHVH is drawing you to Him, to have a love relationship with Him. To be obedient to Him and to serve in His Kingdom. So, who are the chosen ones? What qualifies or disqualifies a person.

Who are chosen?

From Scripture we learn that YHVH chose Israel.

Deuteronomy 7:6
⁶ “For you are a holy people to YHVH your Elohim; YHVH your Elohim has chosen you to be a people for His own possession out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth.

Why did YHVH chose Israel? YHVH chose Israel because He made a promise to Abraham.

Deuteronomy 7:7–8
⁷ “YHVH did not set His love on you nor choose you because you were more in number than any of the peoples, for you were the fewest of all peoples, ⁸ but because YHVH loved you and kept the oath which He swore to your forefathers, YHVH brought you out by a mighty hand and redeemed you from the house of slavery, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt.

What did Abraham do? Abraham believed YHVH and he was obedient to YHVH. He left his family and went to Canaan on YHVH’s instruction.

Genesis 15:6
⁶ Then he believed in YHVH; and He reckoned it to him as righteousness.

Because of this, YHVH made a promise to Abraham. This promise, is the reason YHVH delivered Israel from slavery.

Exodus 2:24
²⁴ So Elohim heard their groaning; and Elohim remembered His covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

Israel had a part to play too. They also had to believe and be obedient.

Exodus 4:31
³¹ So the people believed; and when they heard that YHVH was concerned about the sons of Israel and that He had seen their affliction, then they bowed low and worshiped.

Then, when Israel was gathered in Sinai, YHVH spoke these words to Moses.

Exodus 19:5
⁵ ‘Now then, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be My own possession among all the peoples, for all the earth is Mine;

The people answered three times that they will do all that YHVH has spoken.

Exodus 19:8
⁸ All the people answered together and said, “All that YHVH has spoken we will do!” And Moses brought back the words of the people to YHVH.

The people repeated this in Ex 24:3 and again in Ex 24:7.

Exodus 24:7
⁷ Then he took the book of the covenant and read it in the hearing of the people; and they said, “All that YHVH has spoken we will do, and we will be obedient!”

From this we learn how it is that Israel was chosen. However, being chosen extends to more than Israel, but it seems limited when we read Matthew 22:14.

Matthew 22:14
¹⁴ “For many are called, but few are chosen.”

What does this mean?

The context of this is a parable Y’shua told of a wedding feast. Invitations were sent out, but those who were invited wouldn’t come. The king then gathered people off the streets, both evil and good and filled the hall. Yet one man did not have the appropriate clothes on. He was bound and thrown into the outer darkness.

Let’s first look at the calling or invitation.

Being called is dependent on an answer, we are to choose, or answer to that call. We are to choose whom we will serve. That is not all we have to do. When you read the rest of the parable, you read about a man without the proper wedding garments on. Here is some explanation on this.

Garments in biblical context refers to righteousness. YHVH has provided a means to be righteous through His Word, Living and written. He has also given us a helper, the Ruach ha qodesh, His set apart Spirit.

We are called to believe in Y’shua, when we choose Him, we gain salvation which means we will attend the wedding feast. However, it is required of us to wear the proper clothing, we are to put on righteousness. This righteousness is obedience to YHVH’s instructions.

This confirms what we have seen regarding Abraham and later Israel. Being chosen is up to us. We are to choose whom we will serve. YHVH calls, but we must choose.

Romans 8:28
²⁸ And we know that Elohim causes all things to work together for good to those who love Elohim, to those who are called according to His purpose.

Conclusion

Your life has an impact and you determine what that impact is. It can be either positive or negative. Every word you speak is a seed in someone’s life. Good seed brings forth life and bad seed, destruction and eventually death.

You who are reading this, is part of the chosen ones. Being part of the chosen means that we have answered YHVH’s call, we chose to follow Him. This comes with the responsibility to be obedient to YHVH. This obedience is done out of love for our Heavenly Father and He enables us through His Spirit. When we are obedient to Him, we emit His light. We are called to be this light. This is how we can have an impact, a powerful one. Even a very small light can light up a room. We are all necessary and each of us has a different purpose. Don’t try to be someone else, just be that light YHVH created you to be. May YHVH use these words to inspire you to walk in his ways.

References

1. All quoted passages are from the New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. LaHabra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995. We have substituted YHVH for LORD and Y’shua for Jesus.
2. Kaiser, W. C. (1999). 1553 עָבַד. R. L. Harris, G. L. Archer Jr., & B. K. Waltke (Eds.), Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament (electronic ed., p. 639). Chicago: Moody Press.
3. Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers; http://biblehub.com/commentaries/matthew/22-14.htm
4. Stern, D. H. (1996). Jewish New Testament Commentary : a companion volume to the Jewish New Testament (electronic ed., Mt 22:10). Clarksville: Jewish New Testament Publications.