under the influence

Joshua 24:31 The people of Israel served the Lord throughout the lifetime of Joshua and of the elders who outlived him—those who had personally experienced all that the Lord had done for Israel. (NLT)

This scripture comes after Joshua died. I think it is interesting to see how the impact of one man runs deep and lasts beyond his years. Throughout his lifetime and throughout the lifetimes of the men who worked with him, the people under their influence followed God. Joshua’s legacy of serving God lived on. An important note is that these people had a personal experience. They saw with their own eyes what God had done. Being a great leader, Joshua led the people into a personal encounter. And that encounter outlived the leader.

This is a motivating thought for me. If we do it right, we can influence others long after we are gone. Let’s be sure that our motive is to influence people toward God. Let’s experience God first-hand and influence others to do the same.