One of the foundational beliefs I personally hold is that we are supposed to influence the Earth for the Kingdom of God. If you’ve read my book, Money Mastery, then you know I talk about the idea of tikkun olam, or perfecting the world. I believe we are called elevate the world to the Holy.
Jesus prayed in Matthew 6:10, “Your kingdom come. Your will be done, on earth, as it is in heaven.” We must understand that when we partner with God, we live as a blessing to the earth.
The way this manifests in my life is through social impact. My non-profit, Tricord Global, provides micro-finance loans to entrepreneurs in developing nations. You may not be at a point where you can start a non-profit, but you do have influence over your community right now. Today, I want to challenge you to consider how you are using that influence to elevate the world to the Holy.
4 Ways to Use Your Influence for the Kingdom of God
1. Volunteer Your Time
Last month, my team and I spent the day volunteering with a local non-profit, Project C.U.R.E. It was a blessing to each one of us because we were able to be a part of something bigger than ourselves. Even though they have hundreds of people volunteer every year, they still don’t get as much help as they need.
Volunteering your time is something that everyone can do. I encourage you to look into local organizations that could use your help. By partnering with organizations that are already participating in perfecting the world, you are helping that mission along. As a retired pastor, I know that every church could use volunteers on the weekend!
2. Become a Mentor
One of the greatest privileges I have had in my life is being a grandfather. I started teaching my grandson how to personally invest when he was eight years old. We went out on a Saturday morning and found a garage sale that had an old, broken-down, red wagon. It was rusted over and missing a wheel. We paid $2 for that broken wagon.
The wagon came home with us, and I found some black and red paint in my garage. We bought a new wheel. I let Brayden do a lot of the sanding and some of the painting. When it looked like new again, we put a sign out in the driveway and put the wagon up for sale. We sold it for $20. We had taken $2 and turned it into $20!
Of course, we had some costs with paint and a wheel, along with a lot of elbow grease. We put in a lot of sweat and equity, but Brayden walked away from that experience knowing how to invest.
I was able to influence my grandson’s life, and I don’t take that lightly. In my life, I have also had “spiritual sons” that I have mentored. I taught them how to invest in real estate, and how to use their influence for the Kingdom of God. It has been such a blessing to see them succeed! Wherever you are at, you can find someone to mentor. I have found that they often teach you things along the way as well!
3. Donate Your Money
This is the step many people think of when they consider using their influence for the Kingdom of God. The third step in my Triple X Factor is investing your wealth in the Kingdom of God.
Former UK Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher said, “No one would remember the Good Samaritan if he only had good intentions, he had money as well.“
How can you use your money to make an impact for the Kingdom of God?
4. Use Your Business
I know I have a lot of entrepreneurs in my audience. Have you ever considered going into non-profit work? From experience, I can tell you that it is hard work, but it is also some of the most rewarding work I have done. I have a video where I go through the foundational steps you will need to know if you are considering starting a non-profit! You can watch it here. I encourage you to either consider starting one or partnering with one.
We recently partnered with Project C.U.R.E. to raise funds for two different shipping containers full of medical supplies. The ingenuity of partnership is that you don’t have to reinvent the wheel. Get involved and see where you can use your influence to help other organizations that you believe in!
We don’t talk about having a Kingdom Impact enough these days, so I want to hear from you! What questions or topics would you like me to cover relating to social impact? Let me know in the comments below!
