Did you ever stop to think how very important you are in God’s economy and his plans? Pretty much throughout the entire Bible when God had a work to be done, he chose and called an individual to lead. True he chose the nation of Israel to be his special people, but he chose individuals to lead this nation to do his work. God also has a place for you and me in his plan. It may not be a gigantic role, but it is an important one.

Think of the twelve disciples, for example, who were all a vital part of God’s mission. Half of them never said anything that is recorded in the New Testament. And if I remember correctly, three of them said only a word or two that was recorded. And Andrew, who didn’t have much to say, brought Peter, who became the early church leader and evangelist, to Jesus. Andrew was also the one who brought the boy with the two loaves and fishes to Jesus that Jesus used to feed the multitude. It was only Peter, James, Matthew and John that we heard much from, but every one of Jesus’ disciples had an equally important role to play in God’s program.

Whether your task is great or small, God wants to use you to be a part of his plan in what he is doing in your world today. All we need is to be available. Remember, as an anonymous poet wrote:

One song can spark a moment,

One flower can wake the dream.

One tree can start a forest,

One bird can herald spring.

One smile begins a friendship,

One handclasp lifts a soul.

One star can guide a ship at sea,

One word can frame the goal.

One vote can change a nation,

One sunbeam lights a room.

One candle wipes out darkness,

One laugh will conquer gloom.

One step must start each journey,

One word must start each prayer.

One hope will raise our spirits,

One touch can show you care.

One voice can speak with wisdom,

One heart can know what’s true.

One life can make the difference,

You see it’s up to you!

In the words of Edward Everett Hale: “I am only one. But still I am one. I cannot do everything, But still I can do something. And because I cannot do everything I will not refuse to do the Something that I can do.”

Don’t ever forget how very important you are, not only to your loved ones, your work, but also to God. Remember, too, “if it’s going to be, it will be up to you and me!”

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, I’m available, please use me to be a part of your plan and what you are doing in the world in which I live. Use me to be ‘as Jesus’ in some way to make a difference in someone’s life today. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. John 1:40-42 (NIV).

A Daily Encounter reader writes, “We are doing a Bible study on spiritual gifts. Do you have any ideas on how Christians can become more spiritual in their everyday living, and what constitutes a spiritual person?

First, to be genuinely spiritual we need to have a strong desire for this and be fully committed to it, because authentic spirituality doesn’t come naturally to most of us. The half-hearted never make it.

Second, ask God to give you the desire to be all that he has planned for you to be and the desire to do what he wants you to do.

Third, it is very helpful to pray every day, committing our life and way to God, including a prayer such as that of Jabez:

“Oh that you would bless me wonderfully,

Please be with me in everything I do

Greatly expand my [Christian] borders, and

Keep me from all evil, harm and disaster.”²

Fourth, also pray every day telling God that you are available and ask him to use you to be “as Jesus” in some way to every life you touch.

Fifth, know what God’s Word, the Bible, teaches so you know what to believe and how to live. Strive with God’s help to always live in harmony with God’s will as taught in his Word. To do this you need to read and study God’s word regularly, if not daily.

Sixth, maintain strong connections with fellow Christians to help support and encourage each other in your Christian walk.

Seventh, be faithful in worship in your church and in service to others, using the spiritual gift/s that God has given to you. Remember, too, that while using spiritual gifts is very important, having these gifts is not the measure of spirituality. The real test is the test of love. As the Apostle Paul wrote: “If I speak in the tongues [languages] of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal…. And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.”³

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, please help me to be an authentic Christian and be genuinely spiritual in a quiet, down to earth, and humble way. Help me to know what my spiritual gifts are, and find a way to use them where you can best use me—and always serve and act in a genuine spirit of love. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. Colossians 3:1-3 (NLT).

2. See 1 Chronicles 4:10.

3. Corinthians 13:1, 13 (NIV).

Flack (strong negative criticism) is a normal part of front line action. Whenever a person invests his or her life in a worthwhile cause and does a good job, people who oppose him or her, or feel threatened or jealous, will inevitably criticize what he or she is doing. The Apostle Paul’s life was a prime example. The point is flack is a part of the price of leadership. If we don’t want any flack, all we need to do is keep the status quo, don’t rock the boat, be politically correct, or stay at home. But safety is not the way of investing your life in a worthwhile cause. As one anonymous poet wrote:

I would rather stumble a thousand times

Attempting to reach a goal,

Than to sit in a crowd

In my weather-proof shroud,

A shriveled and self-satisfied soul.

I would rather be doing and daring

All of my error-filled days,

Than watching and waiting, and dying

Smug in my perfect ways.

I would rather wonder and blunder,

Stumbling blindly ahead,

Than for safety’s sake

Least I make a mistake

Be sure, be safe, be dead.

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, please give me a passion to live for you and invest my life in a worthwhile cause. Give me the courage to not shrink back because of criticism from those who oppose truth and your work. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. 2 Corinthians 11:24-26 (NIV).

I happened to grow up in a part of Australia that was subject to cyclones (the Southern Hemisphere equivalent of hurricanes). I once saw the roof of a neighboring house ripped off by the ferocious winds and pieces thrown high up into the air. But I never experienced the velocity of hurricanes that have plagued Florida and the Caribbean.

King Duncan reported how he had always thought of hurricanes as something mankind could do without. “But,” said Duncan, “recently I learned that they are necessary to maintain a balance in nature. These tropical storms, with winds up to 150 miles an hour and accompanied by torrential rains, glaring lightning, and rumbling thunder, can be devastating. Yet scientists tell us they are tremendously valuable. They dissipate a large percentage of the oppressive heat which builds up at the equator, and they are indirectly responsible for much of the rainfall in North and South America. Meteorologists therefore no longer use cloud-seeding techniques to prevent them from being formed. They are convinced that hurricanes actually do more good than harm.”²

Forest fires are also necessary for the health of forests. And often we need hard times in our lives, even though they bring temporary distress, as God allows them to help us grow and become stronger Christians—”strong in character and ready for anything.”

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, when trials and tribulations seem more than I can bear, please help me to learn the lesson you are seeking to teach me, and through these afflicting circumstances help me to grow and become strong in character and ready for anything. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. James 1:3-4 (NLT).

2. King Duncan of www.sermons.com.

Some time ago in a Daily Encounter I talked about having Jesus as our co-pilot. Several readers disagreed in that they said Jesus was their pilot and they were the co-pilot. That sounds noble but it’s not being real or responsible. The fact is that we are totally responsible for “where we fly” (how we act, how we live, and what we do with our life). True, God will do for us what we cannot do for ourselves (that’s why he sent Jesus to die to save us from our sin), but he will not do for us what we can and need to do for ourselves. If he did, he would be keeping us overdependent on him instead of being interdependent with him. We need to learn that God is not a codependent—and never will be.

God has promised to give us wisdom, guidance, and direction if we ask for it, but we are still in charge of our life. We can go God’s way or we can go our own way. The choice is ours. We are the ones admonished to make the most of every opportunity, and we are the ones responsible for every part of our life.

The following poem, “A Bag of Tools,” by Roy L. Sharpe states it well:

Isn’t it strange

That princes and kings,

And clowns that caper

In sawdust rings,

And common people

Like you and me

Are builders for eternity?

Each is given a bag of tools,

A shapeless mass,

A book of rules;

And each must make –

Ere life has flown –

A stumbling block

Or a stepping stone.

Realize that what you and I do with our life is our choice, and let us be wise enough to take advantage of every opportunity that comes our way to do what is right and what is honoring to God.

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, thank you that no matter where I live I have the opportunity to live for, and serve you. Please give me the wisdom and direction I need to always know what is the right thing to do, and the courage to do it, and to always act responsibly in every area of my life. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. Ephesians 5:15-17 (NIV).

A Daily Encounter reader writes, “I have an atheist friend with whom I am trying to share the gospel. His response to me is that he can’t find one shred of evidence that Jesus ever existed. He believes that the Bible is nothing but a bunch of stories. He claims that extraordinary stories require extraordinary proof. Any hint on what I can present to him? My faith is firm, but I cannot seem to budge him.”

Hello Kevin (name changed), there’s an old saying that says, “A man convinced against his will is of the same opinion still.” There is much truth in this.

The fact is that most people basically believe what they want to believe—what is the most convenient for them—regardless of the facts. Oftentimes refusing to believe in God isn’t so much an intellectual problem as it is a moral problem. That is, if a person believes in God, he knows that he is responsible and accountable for how he lives and behaves. To not believe in God gives him the false security that he is accountable to no one but himself. In a sense he becomes a god unto himself—and a law unto himself. Ultimately, this is a dangerous path to follow.

So what can you do to convince an avowed atheist of the reality of God? Not likely through an intellectual argument because he is bound to be too defensive and closed-minded. Regarding his claim that Jesus never existed, you could ask him if he believed that Julius Caesar existed. However, because his mind is already made up—that is closed to any evidence—he won’t be convinced even though both persons are as valid as each other. The existence of both persons is a fact of history.

One of the most positive things you can do is to pray that God will help you to be “as Jesus” to your atheistic friend, and grant that he will see Jesus in you, and, in time, want the same for himself. This may or may never happen. However, if he is ever going to “see” Jesus, chances are it will need to be through you. Also, let him know in a low key way that you are always available should he ever need you. Years ago, when I was in the Australian national service, I gave my weekend leave pass to a fellow serviceman who desperately wanted to be home for that weekend. He was so impressed that he, knowing that I was a Christian, wanted to become a Christian too.

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, please help me to so live that others will ‘see Jesus’ in me, and grant that they, seeing Jesus in me, will want you in their life too. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. Hebrews 9:27 (KJV).