July 13, 2025
The Life-Giving Threads of Influence
Whom are you following – and who is following you?

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Bible Verse

“So you will walk in the way of the good and keep to the paths of the righteous.”
Proverbs 2:20

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Introduction

Whether you like it or not – you have influence. On your friends, your family, your classmates, on social media. Each of us weaves threads in our surroundings. But which direction do these threads point to? Proverbs 2:20 speaks directly to this: Whom are you following? And where are you leading others?

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Devotional – The Invisible Thread

Our life is like a fabric – a network of relationships, choices, and influences. Every day, we leave traces. Our words, our actions, even our silence – everything sends a message. And sometimes, we forget how powerful our influence can be.

Proverbs 2 describes the difference between two paths: the path of the wicked and the path of the righteous. In verse 20, God calls us to follow the way of the good. Why? Because the influence of these people brings us closer to God – not away from Him.

Ellen White wrote:

“Every person exerts an influence, either consciously or unconsciously, for good or for evil. This influence is a part of our character and is passed on to others.”
(Ellen G. White, Education, p. 33)

This influence is like a living thread – it connects us with others, but also with God. If you follow the way of the righteous, you are not only a follower, but you become a guide yourself.

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Story – “The Boy at the Window”

In a small village in the Carpathian Mountains lived a boy named Luca. He was twelve years old, small and slender, with large, dark eyes – and he spent most of his time at the window of his house. Luca was ill. A rare lung disease prevented him from going outside. The doctors said it would be a miracle if he lived to adulthood.

His house stood on the village’s only street – directly across from the school. Every morning, Luca watched the other children walk by. They ran, laughed, pushed each other, carrying backpacks full of books and plans. And every day, Luca waved to them – with a gentle smile on his face.

At first, no one really noticed him. Some kids gave him a quick glance, others ignored him. But one day, a boy named David stopped. He was the class clown, a daredevil, not particularly popular with teachers. He saw Luca at the window, raised his hand and waved back. Luca beamed.

The next day, David waved again. And the day after, too. Then he knocked on the window as if to say, “I see you.”

A week later, David brought him a hand-drawn picture. It showed two boys – one behind a window, the other in front of it, both with wide smiles. Luca was speechless.

That little gesture didn’t go unnoticed. Other children began to wave as well. Some held up signs: “Good morning, Luca!” or “We’re praying for you!” Over the months, Luca became something like the silent center of the class – without ever having set foot in the school.

One day, the teacher assigned an essay titled “The Hero of My Life.” Most kids wrote about football stars or historical figures. David wrote:

“My hero sits at the window. He can hardly walk, but every day he gives me a smile that shows me how precious life is.”

Two years passed. Luca grew weaker, but his window remained his place. And every morning, children stood there – some with a sign, some with a song, some with just a smile.

On the day Luca died, many in the village cried. The school hung a white flag with a cross in his window. Below the window, large letters read:
“He never spoke – yet he changed our hearts.”

Many years later, David had become a young man. He had studied medicine and become a pediatrician – inspired by Luca. In an interview, he once said:

“I’ve met many people in my life. But the boy with the weak body and the strong heart taught me what real influence means. Not through strength. Not through words. But through love, constancy, and hope.”

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Thoughts on the Story

This story shows us something profound: Influence doesn’t need a stage. It doesn’t need a microphone, Instagram followers, or a big show. Real impact often happens quietly – through character and heart. Luca could hardly live – and yet he showed others how to truly live.

Proverbs 2:20 reminds us: “Walk in the way of the good…” – Sometimes, those good people are the ones we least expect. And sometimes, God is calling us to be that person.

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Reflection – What Does This Mean for You?

Who is influencing your thinking and actions today?

What traces are you leaving in your surroundings?

How can you be a blessing to someone today – not through grand gestures, but through small signs?

The path of the righteous does not begin with giant leaps. It begins with small, intentional choices. Every day. You choose which thread you spin – and whom you follow.

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Today’s Reflections

Reflect: Who has positively influenced you? Why?

Act consciously: Do at least one good deed today – without expecting recognition.

Be a role model: Even when no one is watching, be faithful and honest.

Pass it on: How can you use your influence to encourage others?

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Prayer

Dear Heavenly Father,
thank You for giving me a role model in the life of Jesus.
Help me to follow the way of the good and be a light to others.
Let me recognize where I can have a positive influence.
Keep me from following the wrong paths,
and give me courage to remain steadfast and faithful.
Amen.

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Takeaway

Your influence is like a thread – where does it lead others?

Source: https://fulfilleddesire.net/13-07-25-the-life-giving-threads-of-influence-heart-anchor-youth-devotional/

Lesson 2: The Burning Bush
2.7 Questions
Recognizing God’s Call, Trusting Him, and Holding to His Truth – Lessons from the Life of Moses

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Introduction

In the midst of the hectic 21st century—with career plans, family obligations, and social pressure—many people ask: What is my purpose in life? And even more urgently: How do I recognize what God has called me to do—and how can I possibly fulfill it if I feel inadequate, weak, or unworthy?

The story of Moses, as told in the Bible, offers surprisingly timeless answers to these questions. Before Moses became a great leader and prophet, he spent decades in the solitude of the wilderness. There he was no speaker, no hero—but a shepherd, a father, and a student of God. It was precisely in those quiet years that God prepared him for his greatest task.

In this reflection—interwoven with a touching modern-day story—we dive deep into the questions:

• What can we learn from Moses’ time in the wilderness about our own responsibilities in life?

• How does his initial insecurity teach us to trust in God’s calling and guidance?

• And why is it so crucial to hold to the authority of the book of Genesis—especially in a time when biblical truth is increasingly questioned?

These thoughts are not just theological considerations—they concern our hearts, our everyday lives, our faith. Let this story, the spiritual principles, and the practical applications encourage you to listen anew for God’s call—perhaps exactly where you least expect it.

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Answers to the Questions

Question 1: During the quiet years he spent in the wilderness, Moses did what God had called him to do: He was a family man, tended sheep, and—under God’s inspiration—wrote two biblical books before being called to lead God’s people. What does Moses’ experience teach us about our responsibilities in life?

Moses’ years in the wilderness may seem unimpressive at first glance. He wasn’t a king, not a speaker, not a leader. Instead, he lived far from palaces, tended the flocks of his father-in-law, and cared for his family. Yet it was precisely during this simple, quiet phase of life that God prepared him for the greatest mission of his life.

This time was not a “waiting for the real thing” but exactly what Moses was called to at that moment. He lived faithfully in his role as husband, father, and shepherd—tasks often overlooked or seen as secondary. Yet it was in these very duties that God shaped his character, humbled him, and equipped him spiritually. Moses wasn’t inactive—he was in “God’s school.”

He also likely wrote the books of Genesis and Exodus during this time, under divine inspiration. These laid the foundation for Israel’s spiritual understanding—and ours today. Who would have thought that two of the most significant books in human history would be written in the middle of nowhere, far from royal courts and crowds?

Spiritual Principles

Daily responsibilities—in family, work, church—are not less spiritual than major “callings.” God sees the faithful heart, not the stage.

Practical Application

You may be a parent, employee, or student. But what you do today with dedication could be the foundation for something greater. Moses wrote two biblical books in the desert—not in Egypt or the Promised Land.

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Question 2: Moses’ excuses were actually quite reasonable, weren’t they? Why would the people believe me? Who am I anyway? I can’t speak well. What should this story teach us about learning to trust that God can equip us for what He calls us to do?

When Moses stood before the burning bush, God Himself spoke to him. The mission was clear: “Lead My people out of Egypt.” But instead of moving immediately, Moses responded with a series of excuses—understandable ones:

• “Who am I to go to Pharaoh?”

• “What if they don’t believe me?”

• “I’m not a good speaker.”

• “Please, send someone else!”

These doubts are deeply human. Moses saw himself—his inadequacy, his past, his limitations. He didn’t see what God saw in him. And that is one of the deepest lessons of this story: God doesn’t call the qualified—He qualifies the called.

God’s response to Moses wasn’t rebuke, but reassurance: “I will be with you.” He even gave him help (Aaron) and signs and wonders. But the true assurance was God’s presence itself.

Spiritual Principles

God doesn’t call the able—He enables those He calls.

Practical Application

Maybe you also have excuses. You think you’re too shy, too inexperienced, too flawed. But God doesn’t look at what you (still) can’t do—He looks at what you’re willing to do in His hands. Faith means stepping out—even while trembling—onto the water.

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Question 3: Talk more deeply about the statement in the Sunday lesson that Moses wrote the book of Genesis and how crucial this work is for understanding salvation history and God’s plan of redemption. Why must we resist every attempt (and there are many) to weaken the authority of this book—especially through denying the historicity of its first eleven chapters?

The book of Genesis isn’t just the beginning of the Bible—it’s the foundation upon which the entire structure of salvation history is built. The belief that Moses wrote this book under divine inspiration is not just theologically important, but historically critical. In the New Testament, both Jesus and the apostles confirm Moses’ authorship and refer to the events not as metaphor but as historical fact.

Genesis tells us who we are, where we come from, why the world suffers, and how God’s plan of redemption began. Without this book, there would be no explanation for sin, no need for a Savior, and no red thread connecting Scripture as a whole.

Especially the first eleven chapters—Creation, the Fall, Cain and Abel, the Flood, Tower of Babel—are under heavy attack today. Many try to reduce them to myth or symbolism to make them more “scientifically compatible” or culturally acceptable. But if we abandon these chapters, we punch a hole in the foundation of the gospel itself.

Spiritual Principles

The truth of Scripture is not a side issue. If the beginning of the story crumbles, the ending loses its power.

Practical Application

It is our task to defend the authority of Scripture—in conversation, in teaching, and in our own thinking. Especially in a world that relativizes everything. The book of Genesis is not a fairytale—it’s humanity’s record, written under God’s guidance through Moses.

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Conclusion

The story of Moses is not just an ancient account—it reflects our own journey. God doesn’t use us despite our weaknesses but through them. He calls us not just in grand moments but especially in the quiet years of preparation. And He gives us His truth as a firm foundation that does not waver.

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Thought of the Day

“When God leads you into the wilderness, it’s not the end—but often the beginning of your greatest impact.”

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Illustration– “In the beginning was…?”

Elias Sommer was a rising young theologian in his mid-30s, popular among students and colleagues. He taught at a prestigious theological faculty in Germany. With his sharp lectures on biblical hermeneutics, cultural context, and symbolic readings of the Old Testament, he was a celebrated speaker at conferences and in theological magazines. He was known for “rethinking old stories.”

Especially the book of Genesis—he liked to frame it as “literary.” In lectures he would say things like:
“Whether Adam and Eve actually lived is not the point—the deeper message is that humanity is fallible.”
The students nodded, took notes.
“The Flood was probably a historical natural disaster with mythical embellishments. But that doesn’t make the text any less meaningful.”
Applause followed.

For Elias, the Bible was inspiring, but not always historical. For him, faith was more emotion than foundation.

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The Student Who Asked

One day after a lecture, a quiet young student approached him. Tobias. He was in his early 20s, newly converted, full of questions—and full of hope.

“Professor Sommer, may I be honest?”
“Of course,” Elias replied kindly.
“I only became a Christian a few months ago. It was Genesis 3 that struck me—the story of the Fall. I saw my life in it: how I ran from God, how I hid. But if it never really happened… why did Jesus die?”

Elias wanted to answer. He had answers—well-formed, nuanced, intellectual. But suddenly they felt empty.

Tobias looked at him directly.
“I gave up my old life because I believed God had a real story with us. But if it’s all just images… what am I building my new life on?”

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The Journey Home

That evening, Elias didn’t go home. He drove—hours—until he reached the small village where he’d grown up. He parked outside his parents’ old house. It was quiet. He sat on the wooden bench beneath the apple tree, where he used to sit with his father.

His father had been a farmer—not a theologian, not an academic. But deeply faithful. Elias remembered their talks about the Bible—how his father quoted Genesis by heart and said, “If the beginning isn’t true, you can’t trust the rest.”

Elias had once dismissed that as simplistic. But today, after Tobias’ question, it rang like truth.

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The Battle Within

Over the next few weeks, Elias couldn’t sleep. He began reading Genesis again—not through the lens of modern criticism, but with an open heart. He asked questions he had long avoided:

• If the Fall wasn’t historical—what exactly did Jesus redeem me from?

• If death didn’t come through sin—why did Christ have to die?

• If creation wasn’t God’s direct act—who gives humans dignity at all?

The more he read, the more he understood: Genesis wasn’t meant as metaphor. It was foundation. Not poetic myth—but God’s revelation about the origin of everything—light, life, humanity, sin… and hope.

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The Turnaround

Months later, Elias stood before his students again. But this time was different. No PowerPoint, no modern theologian quotes. Just him—with a Bible in hand.

“I have to confess something,” he began. “I’ve treated the book of Genesis wrongly. I dissected it, reduced it to make it easier to understand. But I forgot: it’s not my job to make God’s Word understandable—but to believe it.”

The room was silent.
“The Fall isn’t just an idea—it’s reality. And that’s why the cross isn’t just a symbol—but victory. God didn’t create us in images, but in His image. And He doesn’t want to save us metaphorically—but truly.”

Some students wept. Tobias was there. He smiled.

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Conclusion of the Story

Elias lost many of his academic honors. Some colleagues turned away. But he gained something greater: clarity about God’s Word. He began publicly defending Genesis, wrote books, gave lectures—not to shine, but to protect the truth.

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Final Thought

Genesis isn’t just a nice beginning. It’s the foundation. If you undermine it, the whole structure of faith shakes. But if you build on it—you will stand.
Like Elias. Like Tobias.
Like you—if you take God at His Word.

Source: https://fulfilleddesire.net/lesson-2-the-burning-bush-2-7-questions-exodus-living-faith/