The Greatest Influencer
Social media influencers have become prominent over the past couple decades. Since Facebook started in 2004, other media platforms have sprung up such as YouTube (2005), Twitter (2006, now X), Instagram (2010), and TikTok (2014). These social media services currently reach over 5 billion people, which is nearly 64% of the world’s population.
An “influencer” is someone who communicates to large or small audiences through one of these platforms. “Any individual with a significant follower count” qualifies. They influence trends in fashion, beauty, travel, fitness, and politics. They promote awareness of causes, product purchasing, and even religion. Many have less than 1,000 followers. Nearly half have 1,000 – 10,000. That seems like a lot, but it is small compared to celebrity influencers who can have hundreds of millions of readers and viewers. One recently reached over a billion.
Considering the impact of these influencers, we should ask ourselves how much we are being influenced by them, and whom we allow to shape our thinking and doing.
A bigger question: Does God have any influence over us? The word “grace” occurs 159 times in the Bible, and it is a very popular word because it reminds us of God’s love and mercy. We all need grace. The New Testament Greek dictionary defines this word as “the divine influence upon the heart and its reflection in the life.” God’s grace is wonderful and it is meant by God to bless us with forgiveness, hope, happiness, and ultimately, a loving commitment to Him and a new life that reveals His values.
Gift giving is fun because we anticipate the reaction of the receiver. It is a kind of influence, revealing the heart of the giver. But it is incomplete without a response. Givers enjoy a Thank You, especially if it is freely given and sincere.
God has richly gifted all of us in many ways. Have His gifts touched our hearts? Have they changed us? A small gift can turn a friend into a spouse. God’s rich gifts have power to transform us also.
“For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age” (Titus 2.11).
It is time to be influenced by the greatest Influencer of all.
By Barry Kimbrough
Pastor, Cave Junction, Gold Beach, and Brookings Seventh-day Adventist Churches