The Ripple Effect
By Shauna Leis
“Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. Then Jesus came to them and said, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.’”
Matthew 28:16-20
Now, first of all I have to tell you that I got the idea for this devotion from my father who was preaching several sermons in a series on “The Ripple Effect.” I loved the concept and just had to write a devotion about it. So, thanks go out to Dad for such a wonderful idea!
My kids (including my beloved four-legged child) love to play in the water. They love to jump in the water and splash in the water, and they love to throw toys for our dog to retrieve in the water. To be honest they love to throw pretty much anything into the water to see what will happen. One of their favorite things to throw into the lake where we play is a bar of Ivory soap because it floats instead of sinking. But, their all time favorite thing to throw in the water is a rock. Yes, it sounds exciting I know…Big rocks, small rocks – does not really matter. However, they have now figured out that the bigger the rock - the larger the splash and noise that it makes after being thrown in.
One of the things that I enjoy watching, though, is the ripple effect after the rocks have been thrown in. Small rocks make small ripples in the water, and large rocks make very large ripples. Those ripples go on forever until they either lose their momentum, or they run into something else that stops them like the lakeshore. Another really cool effect happens if you throw multiple rocks near each other at the same time. As the ripples spread out from the center of where the rock was thrown in, the ripples from the various spots begin to intersect and eventually combine into a larger ripple than either rock could have created on its own.
Dear friend, this is what God intended when He came to earth so many years ago. He did not come into this world, and He certainly did not call all of the disciples, to just sit on the shore line and hope that something would make an impact. Jesus Himself created tons of ripples throughout His time of ministry. Think about the calling of the first disciples. Mark 1:16-17 says, “As Jesus walked beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. ‘Come, follow me,’ Jesus said, ‘and I will make you fishers of men.’” Jesus asked Simon and Andrew to leave all that they knew and follow after Him. Now, that act started a ripple effect that would last even until today as Simon Peter became the foundation of the Christian movement and one of the greatest preachers of his day.
One of Peter’s greatest sermons was on the day of Pentecost when the Holy Spirit came to be with the people once Jesus had risen to heaven. Acts 2:40-41 records for us, “With many other words he warned them; and he pleaded with them, ‘Save yourselves from this corrupt generation.’ Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day.” Did you hear that number? Three thousand believers were added to their number on that day! Peter started a ripple that continued for thousands of years. Today, we Christians are still enjoying the benefits of all the Scriptures that were written so that we, too, might understand all they had learned.
My question to us today, though, is what kind of ripple effect have we started with our own lives? I see my children becoming more and more like my husband and me every day, and thankfully more of the good shines through than the bad. We have started a ripple with them that includes God and Jesus in our every day conversations to ensure that they truly know Him and what He has done for them. Nothing blesses a parent’s heart more than to hear her four year old skipping around the house making up songs about loving God.
Also, there have been strategic times in my life when God has placed people along my path that for various reasons needed to know that God still loved them and that there was hope. God has blessed me with these encounters to know that I can have an impact for Him and His kingdom, even in very small ways.
So, what kind of ripple have you created in your life? Are you the small ripple? Do you make an impact for Him but through unassuming ways that not very many people notice? Are you the large ripple? Do you jump in with both feet and hands, trying to make the loudest splash with the largest ripples you can possibly create? Or, perhaps, you are the integrated ripple. You love working with a team of people to make the maximum impact on all of those around you. Whatever the ripple, they all move water. All ripples are important. All ripples make an impact. The only time you will not make an impact is if you stay on the shoreline and do not get into the water. Will you jump with me today and make whatever ripple God has in store for us?
Pray with me: Creator God, You created each of us uniquely to serve Your kingdom. Lord, we want to make a ripple for You no matter how big or how small. Lord, we want to make an impact on all of those around us today. May our ripples be far reaching in their effects. May we never be afraid to jump in and start the ripples. God, we love You so very much and pray all of this in the name above all names, Jesus Christ! Amen.