INFLUENCE!

Someone has said that Influence is the most potent factor that accompanies life.  It is something we all exert, although some exert more influence than others.  We actually exert a twofold influence -- the conscious and the unconscious.  We do our greatest work (either for good or bad) in the realm of unconscious influence because we all accomplish more in what we are than by what we say or do.  So we will no doubt accomplish as much with our radiations as we will with our exhortations.

We remember that it was Stephen's radiations (his face shone like an angel), rather than his exhortations, that brought Saul under conviction and led to his conversion.

We are making the world better or worse by the life we live.  We are either a blessing or a blight; someone is sure to be lifted by our righteousness or contaminated by our unrighteousness.  What kind of an influence are you exerting?  A good influence is like loosing a white-winged dove that will be the messenger of love and good will, but a bad influence is like letting go of a black-winged bat.
Someone said it this way:  "Oh, influence, how solemn!  Oh, influence, how awful!  Oh, influence, how momentous!"
I like this story regarding Influence by William Barker:

     "A youthful giant slouched into an Illinois schoolroom one day after school.  The teacher, Mentor Graham, looked up and recognized the young husky standing there awkwardly as the new young buck who had recently moved to town and who had whipped the daylights out of all the local toughs.  Graham looked up and down the six-foot-four inches of muscle and ignorance before him and offered to help him read and to lend him a few books.  No one remembers Mentor Graham nowadays.  He was one of the quiet men, but his pupil will be remembered for a long time.  His name was Abraham Lincoln!"