Romans 12:2 says DON'T copy the behavior and customs of this world but let God transform you by CHANGING the way you think. When you change the way you think, you change the way you act. When you change the way you act, the world will be impacted because you will be loving God and loving people. In 2006, when I realized that my behavior matched the customs of this world, I knew I had a problem. How would I ever attract anyone to Jesus if I looked just like any old joe in business?

I like to think of loving the Lord with all your strength as loving the Lord with all the things that make you strong or stable in life: your accomplishments, your influence, your paycheck, your talents, your time, etc.—in other words, using these things for God's glory. However, if you are like me, sometimes your strength gets tired, or sick, or depressed, or wounded, and we don't love God very well, or we only love Him with a part of ourselves. When this happens, we favor some "spiritual muscles" over others, which leaves us with a lopsided life.

When we leave our homes to go to work, or you leave your bedroom to walk to your office, the Holy Spirit comes with you. He wants to help you love your neighbors as you go. Our Father created each of them in His image, and as an image-bearer, He wants to be in a relationship with them.

As a Jesus Follower, everything about you should be changing, and everyone around you should be benefiting from your faith, whether they believe in Jesus or not. When our behavior is subpar or just "meets expectations," there is nothing to draw people to the conclusion that something about us is different. The way we sweep the floors, take out the garbage, act in the pick-up line at school, talk on the phone, send out emails, etc. - every one of these actions, and the rest I didn't list - should reflect our love and appreciation for our Lord and Savior.

Everything about our work should display and demonstrate the very work that God is doing in our hearts, minds, and souls. I like to see it this way: as a Jesus Followers, everything about you should be changing, and everyone around you should be benefiting from your faith, whether they believe in Jesus or not.

We are God‘s representative here on earth, showing others who God is through the work that He has done in our lives. We are his hands and feet to the nations. God wants everybody to know how much He loves them and cares for them. Romans 5:8 says, “But God showed His great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.” God loved that coworker you find mildly annoying, that troublesome client, and that boss who micromanages you so much that He sent his only son to die for them!

No matter which part of the body of Christ you are, you are essential, and your role is significant. No one part of the human body is independent of the other parts of the body. We, as humans, tend to diminish some parts of the body in their significance because they are less visible, but God doesn’t; every part is completely necessary for the functioning of the whole. So which part are you?

When we switch off our faith, nobody gets to benefit from your light… because nobody even knows about your light. Yet, Jesus says that we – you and me - are the light of the world. Therefore, we need to let our light shine before men that they may see the good works that flow from the very Spirit of God inside us!

Your story will not be like mine; your story is your story. BUT it will have something in common: the grace of the cross and the power of Christ. Our lives and stories are like a signature fragrance with the same base note of “Jesus.” And your faith story will seep out of you and impact others long before you realize that anyone is paying attention.

In Chapter 1 of iWork4Him, Ted Hains recounts visiting the Marine Reserves with his friend Doug during his senior year of high school. It was the height of the Korean War, patriotism was running high, and both boys were interested in joining up. However, while visiting the Rock Island Arsenal, Ted decided he wasn’t ready for the military and postponed signing up. A few months later, the local Marine Reserves were called up, and before Ted had graduated, Doug died in combat. Although he is now 87, Ted writes that he still thinks about Doug and wonders who he would have become and what would have happened if they’d talked about the gospel before he passed away.