Most of us don’t claim to be VIPs…Very Important People. Others may look at us and think we might be. Most leaders in the Christian realm know better. We are all servants trying to follow the leadership of our Master, Jesus.

But what if we changed the meaning of VIP? What if it meant Very Influential Person?

My friend Dr. O. S. Hawkins did just that. He wrote a book a while back called VIP. While being a very important person seems to be the goal of many today, it is often the road that leads to destruction and the demise of many relationships.

The role of the very influential person puts the focus on others and off oneself. It leads us to ask, “How can I help someone today, to lead them to be better than they are now?”

Dr. Hawkins says the best way to influence others is through another set of V-I-P words:

  • Vision – “Those who create a winsome and lasting influence on the people around them are men and women of vision. They know where they are going. And, even more important, they know how they plan to get there…. A vision without an action plan is just a dream.”
  • Integrity – Some might say the “I” should stand for intellect, or intensity, or insight. Hawkins says, “People who influence others for good all have a common characteristic: they are men and women of impeccable integrity.” Staying locked onto a moral or ethical code, free from any corrupting influences. Practicing on the outside what they believe on the inside. Integrity.
  • Purpose – Jesus is the greatest example of someone who understood and was fixed on his purpose. In Luke 4, when His disciples wanted Jesus to stay in Capernaum where he had had much favor, He told them, “I must preach the Good News of the Kingdom of God in other towns, too, because that is why I was sent.”

If we want to be VIP’s, people of great influence, we need to embrace these critical traits. A vision of God’s call on our lives that sets our direction. A life of integrity that helps us maintain our moral footing. And a life fulfilling our God-given purpose.

Some of the greatest influences in my life were men and women who embraced these qualities. They may not have recognized the influence they were having on me and others, but their lives — lives of vision, integrity, and purpose — became foundational in the lives of those touched by these VIPs.

There are people around you right now who are looking for someone to guide them, to influence them. The best way to serve them is to be a real VIP…for the Lord Jesus.

God’s best,