The Bible says, ‘A good leader motivates, doesn’t mislead, doesn’t exploit’ (Proverbs 16:10 MSG). Jesus was a good leader. He loved people, but He never used them for His own ends. He was busy, but never too busy to stop and help them. We need to be a good influence on others, and we can do that by taking the time to nurture them. When Jesus was telling the parable of the good Samaritan, He said: ‘As he travelled, [he] came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. He went to him…bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him’ (Luke 10:33-34 NIVUK). Note the words, ‘took care of him’. At the heart of the nurturing process is a genuine care for others. If we want to help and positively influence people, we can’t dislike them or look down on them, because they’ll sense it. We must love and respect them. People can tell when we really care and when we’re just pretending. We might wonder why it’s our responsibility to be nurturers; after all, people have their own families and friends. But so many of the people we come into contact with every day are desperate for encouragement, and, sadly, if they don’t get it from us, there may not be anyone else who’ll give it to them. When we become nurturers in the lives of others, we have a real opportunity to influence them for good and for God.

What Now?

Try to give a word of encouragement or a compliment to everyone you come into contact with today.