Speaker 1: Most of us eat every day, some of us too much,
because yesterday's food is not enough to supply energy for
today's needs. Why then, do some of us expect yesterday's
portion of heavenly manna, the word of God to keep
us through today's challenges. On this program, we are going
to change all of that. Let's experience God's words today
and receive the power we need to live healthy, vibrant lives.
Welcome to your Daily Portion with your host, author speaker,
Elle David Harris.
Speaker 2: Good morning, Good morning, Good morning. It is Friday, December
twenty twenty twenty four. Hello, my name is El David Harris.
I am your host, and this is your Daily Portion
where we give you God's Word every single day, and
today is no exception. We are continuing in our Lesson
study series themes in the Gospel of John, and our
caption for today is be responsible with your influence, responsible
for your influence. We'll get into that in just a moment,
but first I'd like to say welcome to you and
ask you to go over to your Daily Portion dot com.
I need you to pick up this companion guide, the
Life Application Companion for this lesson study because again there
are so many ways that we need to apply these
things to our lives. We pick four ways, four ways spiritually, personally, relationally,
and professionally. So please please get that into your library.
We'll read from it today and also let us know
where you are in the world at your Daily Portion
dot com. This is one of the ways that we
continue to build faith and fellowship. Let's go ahead and
pray and then we will get underway. Father, we do
thank you for this day of preparation. Thank you for
giving us the opportunity to worship you, and I'm asking
you now to give us the fullness of your holy spirit.
Please teach us how to love and to serve you,
and teach us, please, God, to be responsible with what
you give us in terms of influence. In Jesus' name,
I pray a man and a man again. I hope
you realize that you are very influential. I know the
way that we live in twenty twenty four, there are
people out there that are called influencers, and it's just like, okay,
I don't know. I mean, I'm trying not to be disrespectful.
I have a following, I'm on so many different platforms
on the radio, on the television. Influential people are not
people necessarily who just have a microphone. When you go
into work, you're an influencer. Ah, when you are in
the gym, working out, or on the road walking on
the trail and there are people there, you are an influencer.
Do you understand in your family unit, you are an influencer.
Do not succumb to the mindset that people on the internet,
and I know I mispronounced it. The people on the
internet are the ones that are influencers. You are an
influencer wherever you are. I think the songwriter said, bright
in the corner where you are. And therefore we need God,
all of us to teach us, whether we have a
big social media or mainstream media following or not, whether
we have people in a classroom setting, or because we
are sports figures we have a captive audience in that
way or not. Whatever the case, if we're doctors, lawyers,
if we are people who assemble vehicles, people who are
plumbers and teachers, and all sorts of other vocations in
the world, or currently you're unemployed, ask God to show
you how to be responsible with your influence. And therefore
we read from the lesson directly from the book The
Desire of Ages paid seven hundred and thirty eight. And
then we'll go into our companion guide. Okay, and you
can get that again at your Daily Portion dot com.
And it reads Pilot longed to deliver Jesus. I would say,
cue the violence. Pilot longed to deliver Jesus, but he
saw that he could not do this and yet retain.
Oh wait a minute, she didn't stop when she said
the The prophet didn't stop and say that he could
not do this. She didn't say Pilot longed to deliver Jesus,
but he couldn't do it. She said, but he saw
that he could not do this and yet retain his
own position and honor. So really, the question for us
today is are we more cherishing our positions and our
honor than we are his honor? Are you? Are you
more interested in your own in your own position or
potential position than his honor. You have to answer that
question for yourself. I'm not asking you to type it
in the chat. That is a time for you to
go to God and ask him the same question about you.
Because our hearts are desperately sick. We don't know how
we think, really and truly, I feel like I'm one
of the most self aware people I've ever met, because
I've been doing this work, this work of self awareness,
this work of mastering my behavior styles for decades, for decades.
And yet at the same time, the Bible says, the
heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked. Who
can know it? This is why I go to God,
and I need to talk to him about how I
really am so that he can make me how he
wants me to be. I wish I had the time,
but let's continue the quote. Rather than lose his worldly power,
what are you willing to lose, brothers and sisters and
gain by serving God? Rather than to lose his worldly power?
He chose to sacrifice an innocent life. What how many
to escape life or suffering in like manners? Sacrifice? Principle,
conscience and duty point one way, and self interest points another.
Oh God help us. The current sets strongly in the
wrong direction, and he who compromises with evil is swept away.
Are you getting this imagery trying to swim upstream? There
are creatures who have learned to swim upstream because what
is upstream is their survival. What isstream is what more
they prize than going with the flow. And so the
inspired inspired writer is saying, the current sets strongly in
the wrong direction, and he who compromises with evil is
swept away into the thick darkness of guilt. And that
is the end of the quote. We need to be
responsible with our influence. We're not here to make a
name for ourselves. If God chooses to honor us like
Solomon and to call all nations into your bosom so
that you can teach them the mysteries of God. You
can show them how to relate, how to live, You
can show them the secrets of success in business and
all kinds of other things because God sends them there,
because you're a city upon a hill, a light that
cannot be hit. If God does that, praise God, like
thank God. But in the meantime, ask God to show
you brother, show you sister, how to be responsible. Don't
try to make a name for yourself. And sometimes it's
hard for me. I'm a coach, right, I'm a coach
of successful people. I'm a coach of aspiring people. And
it's like, ah, sometimes we have to do things that
get our names in air quotes out there. I used
to have a publicist back in the day. I remember
two thousand. Wow, it's been that long twenty years ago.
Like I had people like I had handlers. They put
me on TV, radio, in the magazines, in the news
all the time, all the time. Be careful with that,
brothers and sisters. Sometimes we can be swept away in
that and not be responsible with the influence. So we
continue to ask God to make us responsible with our influence.
So I'm going to our guide, our life application guide,
and go to the professional application again. You can get
that at your Daily portion dot com. W what is
important now in professional settings? Pilot was in one. By
the way, ethical dilemmas can often arise when the temptation
to prioritize self interest over ethical conduct is strong. Have
you ever been in that situation? I certainly have. Pilot's
choice is a stark reminder of the consequences of compromising
integrity for the sake of position or gain. Oh my,
let's go to the next best move because we don't
have a lot of time for the eye n next
best move, Commit to ethical leadership, commit to it. Set
an example in your workplace, and I would say also,
or your business by making decisions that reflect honesty, fairness,
and integrity, encourage a culture where truth and righteousness are
valued above personal gain or convenience. We thank God that
we can ask him for responsibility with our infant.
Speaker 1: Thanks for joining us listening to friends. Always remember we
cannot live by bread alone, but by every word that
comes from the mouth of God. This has been your
daily portion with L. David Harris. Make it a great day. Yeah,