"I'm only one, but still I am one. I cannot do everything, but I can do something, and because I cannot do everything, I will not refuse to do that something I can do." –Helen Keller
The plain and simple truth is that each and every one of us only get one shot at this life. We aren't guaranteed a certain number of days, so we must decide today what we will give our lives to. So the question is, will we choose to live a life of love in service to others or will we refuse to do our part because we feel we can't make a big enough difference? One person has the ability to make a profound difference!
So what will you give your life to? It might be easy or feel like the religious thing to do to say we're going to give it to God, but I'm asking that you take it into your everyday lives. What are you going to give your everyday actions to?
Why Won't God Do Something?
We are an army, and it's going to take everyone doing their part to change this world. And God is calling us to put on love and get to work. One morning I was having my quiet time alone with God, and I said to the Lord, not in a complaining way and not questioning His integrity, but just as a conversation, "God, how can You stand seeing all the pain—starving children, human trafficking, genocide, injustice, degradation, unbelievable pain, poverty—in the world and not do something?"
I don't even know that I was really expecting to get an answer, but I just asked Him. Immediately His answer came back: "I work through people. I'm waiting for My people to arise and do something."
Do It on Purpose
In order to start helping others and reaching them with the love of God, we are going to have to get ourselves off our minds, out of our prayers and out of our conversations. We have to start living life with purpose—on purpose!
Those two little words "on purpose" have become very important to me. They've actually been quite life-changing for me in the last few years, because I have realized that you cannot wait to feel like it. You cannot wait to think it's a good idea. You cannot wait to even want to. You just have to do it on purpose! Now I'm not saying it's bad to ask God for things for yourself, but if you want to receive true victory…if you want to be happy…you are going to have to start thinking of others first.
More Than Your Money
In 2 Corinthians 8, when Paul was talking to the Corinthian believers about their giving, he gave them the example of the churches in Macedonia. He said in verse 5, Nor [was this gift of theirs merely the contribution] that we expected, but first they gave themselves to the Lord and to us [as His agents] by the will of God [entirely disregarding their personal interests, they gave as much as they possibly could, having put themselves at our disposal to be directed by the will of God]. That just amazed me, because they didn't just give their money—they weren't bucket plunkers—but they gave themselves.
I wonder how many of us are willing to write our name down and stick that in the offering plate. Romans 12:1 leaps to my heart. And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him.
Being part of The Love Revolution is going to cost us something, but it doesn't always mean our money…we have to be willing to give ourselves as a sacrifice. And that means loving people on the job, in the neighborhood, in your home and loving the poor, lost, and needy enough to put your time and effort into it. We're going to have to stop complaining because of all the petty inconveniences that come our way and start really loving people.
More than Words
I once heard a story that many years ago in Russia, an evangelist came and was walking around telling people, "Jesus loves you. Jesus loves you." He was handing out Gospel tracts, and one lady said, "You know what? Your sermon and Gospel tract isn't going to fill my belly." How can they hear about God, when they can't hear past their rumbling bellies? Sometimes we need to just show people love by meeting their needs and meeting their needs and meeting their needs…and then once the pain is gone… we can share with them about Christ.
Our Power
Can I tell you what the power of the Gospel is? Love. Nothing else! Love is the power of the Gospel. It is the highest form of spiritual warfare that we can do. One person—one—totally committed, dedicated and submitted to God makes hell tremble. So just think what a bunch of "ones" can do.
God said to me once, "Why don't you study the Bible to see how Jesus did spiritual warfare, instead of screaming at demons all day?" Jesus didn't have to go in and clean out the demons. When He came in, they left. Romans 12:21 says, Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good .
One thing is for sure, Jesus went about doing good, and we should too. That's walking in love!
Let's Go to War
Every single one of us needs to decide right now to declare war on selfishness. Let's declare war on selfishness in our families, in our homes, at the workplace… Let's get up every day and say, "God, I give myself to You. I dedicate myself to You."
Let's make an announcement to the kingdom of darkness: "I will not live a little bitty life where there's only room in it for me. I will not be a selfish, self-centered person. I've got the love of God in me and everywhere I go, it is going to ooze out." When we see a need, we are going to meet it. We don't need a 12-hour prayer meeting; we are going to meet people's needs, unless God tells us otherwise.
We are going to saturate everyone around us with the love of Christ through simple acts of love, every single day—on purpose.
This article is taken from Joyce's book, The Love Revolution.
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