Man was created by God to make an impact on the face of the earth. God’s purpose for creating man is seen in His declaration in Genesis 1:26-28, “Let them rule over the fish, the birds and all other living creatures..”

In other words, man’s presence was to impact the earth that God created. He created man in His likeness, in other words we were meant to be like God. It is no wonder that the Jesus Himself quoted scripture in John 10:34, ‘I, the most High God, say that all of you are gods and also my children’.

I recently watched a film titled, “The Avengers” and there is a scene which made comparison between men and gods. However, the implication  of Jesus’ quote above is that we were made to be gods, in other words god-like or having the nature of God.

This no doubt will provoke questions from someone reading this. “How can I be godlike in the kind of environment that I am living in?”

The best way I can answer that is to refer to examples in the Bible. Two characters stand out whose life reflects an impactful life even when they faced opposition and endured undesirable circumstances.

Let me introduce a young man called Joseph. Born with great dreams given by God, only to have those dreams seemingly truncated through the acts of jealous and cruel brothers.  He was sold into slavery and ended up in prison.  That should have been the end of the story. But was it? In prison, he impacted lives and before long that same impact took him to the palace of Pharaoh, subsequently becoming the Prime Minister of Egypt.

Daniel was a Hebrew captive. Although educated in Chaldean thought, he never converted to Neo Babylonian ways. God saw His heart and made Him a god even to the great king Nebuchadnezzar. Through Daniel, many came to know the power of  the God he served.

The core of making in impact is understanding our purpose in life. Finding our purpose in life is more than having a good education or having a fantastic job. These are temporary. There are courses that used to be attractive many years ago but which the advances in science and technology have made redundant. Employment in a job does not last a lifetime. It only lasts for a moment in time.

Ones purpose however, lasts till one dies and it serves as  a legacy that many people continue to carry on long after you are gone.

What do we learn from the life of Joseph and Daniel. They had dreams, in other words they had a vision. A man cannot make an impact without a vision. This is why the book of Habakkuk 2:2 declares, “Write down the message I am showing you in a vision. Write it clearly on the tablets you use. Then a messenger can read it and run to announce it”.

If God created us to live a life of impact, how come this kind of life has eluded many?

The answer lies with the One whose purpose man was created.  We need to have God present in our lives – leading and guiding is in order to have a life of impact.

How can we ensure that God is with us? It's really quite simple. In Revelation 3:7, Jesus extended an invitation to anyone who would open their hearts to Him and said that He would respond by living in the persons heart. This is all  you need to be assured of God’s  presence. Jesus also said in John 14:6, “I am the way, the truth and the life, no one can come to the Father except through me.”

I would like to extend that invitation of Jesus to anyone who desires to live a life of impact. Why not just pray this simple prayer?

Lord Jesus, I invite you into my life today, I acknowledge you as my Lord and Saviour, come in to my life, forgive me all my sins and help me live a life of impact.

If you just prayed that prayer, I congratulate you and urge you to start living a life of impact

 

Kayode T. Ojo  is an ordained Minister in The Redeemed Christian Church of God and finance professional. He is married to Ayotunde .They have a son called Daniel and currently reside in Lagos, Nigeria . He can be reached through his email, gosheninc2002@yahoo.com