As iron sharpens iron,so one man sharpens another.
—Proverbs 27:17
You might never have heard of the apostle Paul if Barnabas hadn’t run interference for him. He stood up for him in Jerusalem, where church leaders wanted nothing to do with him. Later, Barnabas launched Paul’s public ministry and accompanied him on his first missionary journey.
You’d probably know nothing about John Mark if Barnabas hadn’t taken him under his wing.
After jump-starting the careers of these two evangelists, Barnabas faded into the background. He never wrote a book or letter that found its way into your Bible, but it was his encouragement that launched the ministries of these two men who, combined, wrote half of the New Testament.
Your influence touches someone, whose influence touches someone, whose influence touches someone . . . in other words, your influence has no end point.
Your big opportunity may be influencing someone
to make the most of their big opportunity.