The Power Of Our Silent Influence

On a beautiful warm Saturday morning, a Christian friend and I were having breakfast at a local restaurant. At a nearby table, we noticed a young woman sitting quietly reading her Bible. She was absorbed in the text, occasionally looking up to consider what she had read. She never said a word, but her heart and priorities were visible to everyone in that restaurant. It was a gentle, positive, and silent influence.

She was not ashamed of Christ nor of His New Testament (Hebrews 9:11-15). She neither preached a sermon nor sang a song. She was willing to be identified with the Savior, yet she did not need to announce that allegiance.

In our attempts to share the message of Jesus, we must eventually use words, because ultimately words are needed to present the gospel (John 14:23; Acts 2:14; Acts 11:11-14; Acts 16:14; 2 Peter 3:1-2; Jude 1:17). But we can also learn from the example of this woman.

There are times when the quietness of our everyday actions speak louder than our words, revealing our love for the Lord (Philippians 1:21-27). In our desire to share Christ with a sinful world, let’s not ignore the power of our silent influence (cf. 1 Thessalonians 1:5-8).

—Mike Riley, Gospel Snippets