"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that
whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." -John
3:16
What does the world need now? We could brainstorm all day about what we
think the world needs- less war, more peace, less poverty and certainly
less problems. But how on earth can we solve all of them?
You've probably heard the above verse at one time or another, if not a
hundred million times. But instead of reading the words "only begotten
Son" I want you to imagine your name there. "For God so loved the world that he gave 'Mary', that
whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." -John
3:16
How does that sound to you now? It's a little daunting isn't it?
Now I don't want you to think I'm being sacrilegious here - Jesus was
perfect and He paid the ultimate sacrifice. But what if we took the
words "you will do greater things" (John 14:12) seriously? What if we
really took Gods promises to heart and said, "I am God's chosen- the
earth is mine, heaven is within reach, and hell is beneath my feet",
what would happen then?
The truth is, you ARE what the world needs now. Your talents, your gifts, your abilities, your dreams -
the things that make you alive, will in turn make the rest of the world
alive. As you speak with the unique voice God has given you, people will
turn their heads, because they will recognize the truth, an authentic
voice who has discovered who it really is and it's true source; it's
true north.
So whatever problem you are called to solve (the thing that perhaps
agitates you the most or is your greatest passion) I pray you go out
there and solve it. Whatever dream you have (that you can't stop
thinking about) I pray that you go pursue it. Whatever obstacle you face
(that keeps on getting in the way) I pray that you slay it. And by
doing so, you will have liberated others to pursue the dreams that God
has called them to pursue, too.
Don't get comfortable! Your life is waiting for you. What the world needs now is you.
"Come and follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men." -Matthew 4:19
Have you ever felt insignificant? Have you ever felt like nothing you did would matter to anyone else? Conversely, have you ever felt valued? Like, what you did really mattered to someone in this world?
If you ever ask a young person what they want to be when they grow up, they'll likely say something like, "An astronaut!" "A fireman!" "A ballerina!" "A rockstar!" Even from an early age, we're searching for significance. We're searching to do something "cool" that makes an impact on others.
Unfortunately, so much of our American culture today focuses on who is in the spotlight. We confuse the spotlight for significance. But, once we've tasted what it means to truly make a difference, the rest of the "fluffy stuff" just doesn?t matter anymore. What matters is that our lives mean something to others. I heard a pastor tell a story once about a few unnamed people who made a difference in his church. A small group of volunteers wanted to make a backdrop for their stage with the words "There is hope in Jesus". A man walked in the next Sunday with his mind made up. He had decided that that day was the day he was going to end his own life. He thought to himself, "I am going to go to church one last time. And then, I am going to go home and end it."
The man walked into their church and looked at the words on the backdrop. As the story was told, he observed the worship, he listened to the preaching, but when he got home that day, ready to do whatever he was going to do, all that he could think of was those words, "There is hope in Jesus." Those words inspired him not to take his life that day.
Are you focused on making a difference in someone's life, versus just searching for success? Success finds us when we make it a point to bless someone else. Blessing can be in the form of words, an action, or a smile. Who can you bless today?
