C.P Hia brought this phrase to my attention in some Bible study notes he contributes to, when he wrote the following words (something we know but often need reminding of):

‘There are people within your sphere of influence whose lives you can impact for God. He placed them within your reach to be a witness to point them to Jesus.’

We all have a ‘sphere of influence.’ It may only be a few people, but for some of the people we interact with each day, we may be the only Christian presence they have in their lives. The phrase ‘within your reach’ implies people we know fairly well, and perhaps the challenge is to see them as God sees them, and make time for them even though we have a pile of ironing and a load of emails to clear. 

Sometimes life can feel so fraught that we wonder if we are having a positive impact on anyone (!) and yet the way we do things, our very attitude to life and service, can speak volumes. I also believe that some people are in our lives for a season, so we need to use the window of opportunity God has given us.

We all have a slightly different sphere of influence due to differing roles, jobs and activities, and we are all uniquely gifted to reach the people God has put around us. Connect 5 was a project we launched earlier this year and the key is to keep praying for the people in our world who desperately need Jesus, and to be the ‘aroma of Grace’ as we seek to impact their lives.