Inside everyone is a deep desire to make their life count, but most of us start off not knowing how that's going to happen. But we know for a fact that God creates all of us for a purpose greater than ourselves. What does it take to live a life of significance and how can I use what relatively little time, resources and skills I have on this earth to do something worthwhile?
If there was a group of people who wanted to be significant, it was Jesus' disciples. The moment they heard Jesus say "follow me, and I'll give you influence over men and not just fish," many of them cast aside whatever they were doing and jumped on board. But they didn't always understand how that was going to happen.
One day, two of Jesus' disciples, James and John, come to Him asking for a promotion. They wanted to become greater than others and second in command to Jesus. Jesus responds in Mark 10:43-45 saying, "But it shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many."
We don't often always think of being at the bottom as being more significant, but in God's kingdom that's the only way to build significance. We must realise that significance and influence has nothing to do with position and everything to do with service. The world wants you to believe that the more titles you have, the more influence you will build. While that's partially true in some aspects, such a large list of companies, organizations, ministries, countries and unions have more problems with leaders with titles and position but with no heart to back it up.
The key to influence has and always will be a servant heart. Rick Warren said: "The only really happy people are those who have learned how to serve." In a day and age where what matters more is the letters that come before and after your name (CEO, PhD, MD, General, etc.), the world cries out for more people of influence who will care more about the people that come before and after them.
If you want to build more significance, education, titles, training, skills, and anointing will help you, but that's not the point. 1 Corinthians 13:2 says, "And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing." What builds you into a man or woman of significance is the love you have for God and for others over the love of your position, title or influence.
