Within each of us is a deposit of greatness, but it is up to us what we choose to do with that deposit, but the moment you ask Jesus into your life you are called and equipped to live an extraordinary life.
God wants us to be people that do something to impact the world around us, yet too often we think we can’t make any difference and it doesn’t matter what we do or don’t do.
But if you look through history you can easily see that one person can make a difference. I am always challenged when I read about the men and women who are known for their impact on the world. Men and women who chose not to limit their influence by what they could do, but who chose to put their lives in the hands of Jesus and simply said “Here I am, use me”.
Men like Dwight Moody, Mother Teresa, Oral Roberts, Hudson Taylor, Gladys Alyward, and Maria Wordsworth Etter. These men and women, some who were uneducated and from poor families did astounding and amazing exploits, and their deeds have lasted long after they have gone from this world.
I love the story of one such man named Dwight Moody. He was born in 1837 to poor parents in a humble farmhouse in Massachusetts. At 17 years old he left home to move to Chicago as a shoe salesmen.
There he made a decision. He started to seek God first for his life and future, and as he did Dwight started to feel compelled to speak to people about Jesus. Soon he had crowds listening and a large church formed as he continued to share. At different times 50,000 people would crowd around him as he stood up in his buggy and spoke about Jesus in the open air. Presidents and their cabinet members sat on platforms with him as he preached. Through his endeavours the YMCA was also formed.
Dwight Moody was known as a man surrendered to God. He was a man of prayer, actually a greater prayer than a preacher. He knew in the depths of his soul that nothing is to hard for God, and so he would pray. He knew God’s word, he read and studied it. He was humble, and free from the love of money, and he was empowered by the Holy Spirit
But what always inspires me most is that this one man knew the value of one person to God. Everyday he would speak to at least one person about Jesus, even if that meant getting back out of bed late at night and going out on the street to find someone to share with about Jesus.
He was one ordinary man, but God used this humble shoe salesman to change millions of lives, and his spiritual legacy continues to impact the world today.
Life is full of good things; jobs, families, careers, cars, houses, holidays etc. But if that is all that our lives consist of then we have missed it. In the end our possessions, clothes, shoes, personal items, holidays, photo’s, and souvenirs are all packed up in boxes. Cars sit in driveways until they are sold or given away. Houses are left empty or sold. Someone else replaces us in our job. All the things we seek and strive after in this world are temporal. They may all be good things, but how many of them are lasting?
The bible says, “All men are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field; the grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of the Lord stands forever” (1 Peter 1:24).
What if we had the perspective of what is the most important thing? What if we thought about using our time each day not just on the immediate, but on what is also of eternal significance. What an awesome difference we could each make in the lives of people around us if we just stopped and asked God, “What would you have me say and do today?”
This week spend some time at the start of each day asking Jesus what He has for you to do? Who to speak to, to call, to have a coffee with, who to pray for or with? One person can make a difference. Why not make that one person you!
“For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them” (Ephesians 2:10).
Prayer: Lord help me to see the difference I can make, and to see the eternal significance I can make today. Speak to me Lord, I’m listening. In Jesus name Amen.
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