Pick One from the Fifty

Yesterday I posted a list of 50 Ways to Make a Difference in the lives of others. (Click on the title to download a copy.) Each phrase that is highlighted (yellow = positive; green = negative) describes a means by which to affect others. Let me make a few observations about these highlighted phrases:

1. Some are repeats. The most repeated is "love one another" which appears in Rom. 13:8; 1 Thess. 4:9; 1 Pet. 1:22; 1 John 3:11, 23; 4:7, 11. It is also echoed in slightly different phrases ("Be devoted to one another in brotherly love" - Rom. 12:10; "through love serve one another" - Gal. 5:13; "increase and abound in love for one another" - 1 Thess. 3:11; "fervently love one another from the heart" - 1 Pet. 1:22; keep fervent in your love for one another" - 1 Pet. 4:8). It's negative counterpart is "hating one another" found in Titus 3:3. Obviously, "loving one another" is a biggie - one of those "all-terrain" ministries that is appropriate for every situation.
2. Some of these "50 ways" are specific to a certain situation. For example, check out 1 Thess. 5:13-15. While patience is something to be expressed toward "all men," admonition, encouragement, and help are best suited to "the unruly," "the faint-hearted," and "the weak," respectively. It is clear that a mismatch would be a disaster: Encouragement is NOT what the unruly need. And admonition is totally inappropriate for the fainthearted. In other words, some of the "50" must be used with discernment, the right one for the right situation.
3. It is possible to categorize the "50" by whether they focus on an attitude, speech, or action. For example, Col. 3:12-13 enjoins us to "put on a heart of compassion." That's an attitude. "Let us not become boastful" (Ga. 5:26) is about speech. When Gal. 5:13 says "through love serve one another" it is emphasizing action (service) that is fueled by an attitude (love).

So what are your observations from this list? What is this list calling you to do? It can be daunting, but perhaps taking small steps is a good approach. Once a week, take out this list and read it. Ask God to bring to mind a specific person or a specific situation where you can put one of the "50 ways" into action. Then follow through with what He is prompting you to do.

By the way, this list is just the beginning. One of those study projects I would love to do involves a comprehensive compilation of all the biblical ways we can positively influence others. But you don't have to wait for me to complete that study. You can do your own! Just pick a New Testament epistle. Read through it carefully to identify every term or phrase which describes how one person can positively influence or benefit another. Think of it as an easter egg hunt - collecting hidden treasures as you read your Bible. Once a week, look at what's in your basket of collected principles. Ask God how you can develop an attitude, or reshape your speech, or take action on behalf of another. As you do, you will be doing your part to "present every man complete in Christ" (Col. 1:28).