Friday, September 4, 2015
An old man who was walking the beach at dawn one day noticed a young man ahead of him picking up starfish and flinging them into the sea. Catching up with the youth, he asked what he was doing. The answer was that the stranded starfish would die if left in the morning sun. “But the beach goes on for miles and miles, and there are millions of starfish,” countered the man. “How can your effort make any difference?” The young man looked at the starfish in his hand and then threw it to safety in the waves. “It made a difference to this one,” he replied. (anonymous source)
Many, many years ago a postal clerk shared his new found faith in Christ to many fellow employees. For the most part, the majority of them ignored him and nothing came of it, that is, until he shared it with me. His efforts may not have made much of a difference with most of the others but it certainly made a difference in my life, and later my immediate family, and later my siblings, and later some of my friends at the post office, and I trust many years later it has made a difference in the lives of many of our church members. I am reminded of Andrew, one of Jesus’ Disciples. Not too many people know much about him, but they definitely know of his brother, Peter. Have you ever wondered what would have become of Peter had his brother not introduced him to Christ? Andrew sharing his faith with his brother, in time, eventually made a difference for all believers everywhere.
It may be true that we can’t change everybody and not make much of a difference in the world, but if we live for Christ and love others, the day will come when we will make a difference in someone’s life. Speaking with Pastor Ruben Wednesday night regarding some of our ministerial obligations, he said something that really impacted me. He reminded me that we were not called to change the world, our duty is just to share the gospel. Changing people is God’s part. 1 Peter 3:15 gives us this advice: “ But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect.” Be prepared! The next person you encounter may be your opportunity to make a real difference in someone’s life.
Memory verse for the week: (Psalm 144:15) “Blessed are the people of whom this is true; blessed are the people whose God is the Lord.”
