Currently, the hottest pepper is officially the Carolina Reaper, cultivated by “Smokin” Ed Currie in Rock Hill, South Carolina. The official 2017 Guinness World Record heat level was 1,641,183 Scoville Heat Units (SHU).
Is your good influence detectable in a crowd? Jesus spoke of influence in the Sermon on the Mount: “You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor . . . It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out” (Matthew 5:13–14).
We are God’s “spice” to influence His world for good. There are two ways that we may influence others: by words and by deeds. People are more affected by what they see than what they hear. What do they see in your life and mine? Do they see devotion to Christ shown by our being at Bible study and worship? Do they see someone truly striving to live like Christ, or do they see someone who is indifferent and compromising? Will God say to us on that final day, “Well done, good and faithful servant,” or will He say, “Depart from Me”? (Matthew 25:21, 41).
—Adapted from Kenneth Davis
