The following day
Jesus wanted to go to Galilee, and He found Philip and said to him,
"Follow Me." Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and
Peter. Philip found Nathanael and said to him, "We have found Him of whom
Moses in the law, and also the prophets, wrote-- Jesus of Nazareth, the son of
Joseph." And Nathanael said to him, "Can anything good come out of
Nazareth?" Philip said to him, "Come and see." (John 1:43-46
NKJ)
Most of us
instinctively know that the best advertising is "word-of-mouth"
promotion. When we like some product or service, we tells others, who try it
and tell others, and so forth. It works in both directions. A product or
service can just as easily be destroyed by what friends tell friends about it.
This personal touch
is so important in our lives. We trust those we know. The more an individual
positively impacts our life the greater the influence. And if someone touches
us at a crucial moment in life (crisis, tragedy, and so forth), then the imprint
is usually for life.
I think Philip's
encounter with Jesus is interesting. Jesus "found" Philip (Jn. 1:43).
We don't know the ensuing conversation, but we may conclude that it positively
impacted Philip. If it had not, we might never have heard of Philip since most
people who were negatively impacted by Jesus are lumped together in groups
(Pharisees, Scribes, the Jews), but never named in the New Testament.
Yet, we do know the
results of Philip's encounter with Jesus, the Messiah. Philip went looking for
his friends to tell them he had "found" the Messiah. We don't know
how many friends he told before he "found" Nathanael, but Philip conveyed
the same enthusiastic message, "we have found the Messiah, Jesus of
Nazareth." And despite Nathanael's skepticism, Philip urged him to
personally come and decide for himself.
Dear Father, thank
you for finding me. Empower me to actively influence and impact others for
Christ. I pray this in the name of Jesus. AMEN
How active is your
influence?
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