When I think back on my life, I am amazed by the people who invested in me. There were teachers, pastors, family members, friends, and the list goes on and on… People pouring into my life, showing me right living and teaching me of God. Most often I ignored their instruction, but they kept pouring into my life. In thinking about them, a particular Bible verse comes to mind. Galatians 6:6 says, “The one who receives instruction in the Word should share all good things with their instructor.” That’s pretty straight-forward, isn’t it?

My Dad was my greatest instructor, but sometimes when sharing my testimony, which I do all the time, people will come up after and say, “Oh I prayed for you for all those years. It’s so good to hear your story.” Then they try to walk away and I think wait! Come back here. I don’t even know who you are, let me thank you for praying that God would have mercy on my life.

Who has helped you to become who you are today? Who shared God’s love with you? Who prayed for you? Be sure to thank them. Tell them the good things that have happened because of their teaching and prayers. Then, just as someone reached into your world, reach into someone else’s. Tell them about Jesus Christ, tell someone in your life about Him. Just as someone poured into you, pour into another. And later in life a man, woman, or child will be reading Galatians 6 and you will be the “instructor” that comes with gratitude to their mind.

This is Andrew Palau.