Too many Christians relinquish their role in the Kingdom to others whose gifts and talents they deem far more significant than their own. This is a tragic mistake and runs the risk of missing out on the life you were created to live. Jesus has gifted every single person who believes in Him with unique gifts for use in furthering His mission and making His Kingdom a reality on earth. It has been said many times that we are all different parts of the same body, and indeed we all must work together to accomplish the overarching purpose of glorifying God. If any part is not doing what they were created to do, then the whole body will suffer. When those who belong to Christ sit back and watch others engage in Kingdom work, they deprive the entire body of their much needed contribution. As relational beings, we were created to depend on one another, so it is vitally important to the health of the Church that we all do our part and work in unity as we carry out the instructions of Jesus Christ.
One of the most important jobs of all Christ followers is to demonstrate love in everything we do. Those who don’t know Jesus are constantly watching our lives to see if what we have might be of interest to them. As a whole, our mission is to lead others to Christ, going out into the entire world to tell them the good news of Jesus. When we do not demonstrate the love of Christ in our daily lives, those without God will turn away because they find nothing compelling about the way in which we live. We can work diligently to love someone else, only to have another Christian act harshly toward them and so undo all the work we had done. This is why it is of such importance that each of us fully live out our calling and commitment every single minute of our lives. It is not enough for some to be diligent followers of Jesus; we must all be totally surrendered together if we are serious about changing the world for His glory.
Satan loves to convince believers that they have nothing to offer the Kingdom. Judging from the malaise of the Western Church, his schemes of oppression are highly effective. I have met too many people who think their gifts will not make a significant contribution. They are convinced they have nothing to offer and so are content to live lives of non-significance, relying on others to do the heavy lifting so that they can follow along. To be sure, there are those who will do works that appear to be more substantial in the eyes of men, but every act of service to Jesus is of infinite worth in the eyes of Christ. Giving away your sandwich to a hungry co-worker is every bit as significant as preaching to a large crowd of unbelievers. God did not model a ministry of mega-events, but rather one of simple acts to the poor. I believe the reason so many feel they have nothing to give is because they are looking at the size of their gift through earthly eyes rather than through the eyes of Jesus. God can multiply your humble acts of service into earth shaking results. Remember, Christianity started with a handful of fishermen and spread to billions throughout history. Every gift, every act of service, every life, is significant and of great worth and value. No person is exempt.
If you are one of those people who have bought into the lie that you have nothing to offer, I hope that you will be challenged to at least begin to consider thinking differently. Your faith family needs you; God needs you to fulfill the role for which He created you. If we are to reach the world with the truth of Christ, then we will need the thunderous multitude of all our feet marching to the ends of the earth. Every step adds to the glory of God, and to this we are all called. Imagine if every Christian were to put aside their insecurities, pride and selfishness; imagine if instead they were concerned only with demonstrating the love of Jesus through acts of service to others. You have been created to love others and in so doing to glorify your Creator. Only He is worthy of our devotion, and only He can bring us life. Recognize the person He has created you to be; realize He has purposed you to glorify Him and to carry out His mission. No gift is too small to gain the applause of Heaven. You are necessary and vital to God’s mission. Don’t deprive the world of the gifts He has placed within you. Join with your fellow believers and together we will achieve great things for His glory. You count, you matter; don’t let anyone ever tell you differently. You can bring glory to God this very day, simply by believing you were created to do so. Engage in the journey; we all need you. Welcome to the adventure.