What the World Needs Now

"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.

Agreeing with God

"Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world." (1 John 4:1)

Do you agree with God? This may seem funny to say, but each of us comes to Christ with a different perception of God, perhaps even a negative one. 

Subsequently, our thoughts about what we think about God and what He thinks of us is reflected in our lives to others. If we believe God is out to get us, we will think this about people in general too. We might even have a judgmental attitude toward them. 

However, in order to be effective conduits of God's love and grace, we need to agree with His TRUE nature! Through this process of understanding what God thinks about us and agreeing with Him, we might discover that we've been agreeing with the enemy for way too long. 

"Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love." (1 John 4:7 & 8) 

Here are some things the enemy might have us believe, either through circumstances or through negative things people have done or said to us in our past:

• We are insignificant
• No one loves/cares for us 
• We do not have a purpose 
• There is not a reason for our existence 
• We have to do something to earn God's love/approval

Conversely, all of the above are the exact OPPOSITE of how God wants us to believe! 

Let us make sure we have aligned ourselves with God's thoughts for us, for our past, present, and future. Our God is love - and we need to agree with Him!

The Search for Significance

"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?