Deep within every Christian is a God-birthed desire for significance! Many search for significance in acquiring possessions, building wealth, gaining notoriety, or through personal achievement. However, this longing for significance is best filled as we fulfill our role of making a difference in other lives.
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The disciples followed the Lord for 3 years. Christ used this time of earthly ministry to teach His disciples how to make a difference in the lives of others. Jesus taught and modeled how to make a difference on a different level. In Mark Chapter 9 He taught that in order to make a difference for Him in others lives they must:
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First, they must see something others haven’t seen.
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Mark 9:4, 9 And there appeared unto them Elias with Moses: and they were talking with Jesus.  And as they came down from the mountain, he charged them that they should tell no man what things they had seen, till the Son of man were risen from the dead.
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In this passage, the disciples had seen the Lord like no one else on earth had seen Him, they saw Him in His glory. They saw the authority He had over Moses and Elijah (highly revered figures in the Jewish religion) as He was transfigured. The disciples also saw a risen Christ! Because of how they saw Christ they could never be the same, and those to whom they ministered to couldn’t either.
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Once we as Christians see Christ in a more intimate way through our personal devotional life, we broaden our ability to help those around us.
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Secondly, they must separate from things others aren’t willing to separate from.

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Mark 9:19 He answereth him, and saith, O faithless generation, how long shall I be with you? how long shall I suffer you? bring him unto me.
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Mark 9:28-29 And when he was come into the house, his disciples asked him privately, Why could not we cast him out? And he said unto them, This kind can come forth by nothing, but by prayer and fasting.
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The disciples walked away puzzled at their utter inability to help a father get his possessed son under control. They had helped others before, however there was one reason this case was different. The spirits that had bound him were too strong! Jesus told His disciples if they wanted to make a difference in a next level situation, they needed to separate themselves from what the average person enjoyed.
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As a Christian who wants to serve Christ and those He allows me to minister to on a new level, I must be willing to give up fleshly desires that others enjoy. As I separate from earthly pleasure and consecrate myself to Christ, I broaden my ability to impact others.
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Lastly, they must serve while others sit.
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Mark 9:34-35 But they held their peace: for by the way they had disputed among themselves, who should be the greatest. And he sat down, and called the twelve, and saith unto them, If any man desire to be first, the same shall be last of all, and servant of all.
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The world will tell us that those who are greatest deserve to be served. Christ reminded His disciples that difference makers don’t worry about titles and notoriety, but get down and dirty serving. Servanthood is what makes a difference.
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If I seek to make a difference in other lives it is imperative that I keep serving while others sit. No one made a difference in someone’s life who wasn’t willing to serve.  As I take advantage of opportunities that arise to serve Christ and others, the impact I make in those lives will be eminent.