COMMITTED TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE

Matthew 28:19 “Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations…”

Perhaps you’ve heard the old story told about a pig and a chicken walking down the road together. As they walked along they read a sign advertising a breakfast to benefit the needy. The chicken said to the pig, “You and I should donate a ham and egg breakfast.” The pig replied, “Not so fast, for you it would just be a contribution, but for me it would be a total commitment.”

In Christ’s departing words, he challenged his followers to be committed to making a difference in the world. There are several reasons we should try to make a difference in other people’s lives. I would say one of those reasons is that the world actually depends on it. Can you imagine a world where nobody cared about anybody else? Can you imagine a world where nobody tried to ever help anybody else?

The world we live in depends on people helping people. We depend on the world giving food and aid when there is a Tsunami or a gigantic earthquake. We depend on the world to help when one nation unfairly attacks another. We would never survive if people didn’t try to help each other. Without compassionate people, this world would collapse into cold indifference.

We should also try to make a difference in other people’s lives because it makes such a wonderful difference in ours when we do. We are never told how the Good Samaritan felt after helping the man alongside the road, or how Paul felt when he helped deliver the money to a church in Jerusalem, but I would think that both felt very good.

As much as people need others to lend them a helping hand, there is one thing needed even more. People need somebody to reach out to them with a hand full of the love of Christ. There is no better way to strengthen your heart than to lift someone else up in the love of Jesus.

Another reason we need to reach out to help in Jesus’ name is because we are expected to by God. Our scripture means that we are expected to reach out to others and make a difference in their lives; a difference for God, because if we will but introduce others to Christ, He will make a difference in their lives.

Jesus didn’t say to go and be happy. He didn’t say go and make money. He didn’t even say go to church and then go home. He said go and make disciples. The word disciple means one who embraces and assists in the spreading of a teaching. Certainly we embrace the teaching of Jesus, don’t we? And if we do, we are called and expected to assist in the spreading of that teaching. And that is the best way of all in which to help someone else.

We should try to make a difference to others because – the world depends on it, it makes us feel very good, and God expects it. God is love and the most important lesson he wants you to learn on earth is how to love. It is in loving that we are most like him, so love is the foundation of every command he has given us; ‘the whole Law can be summed up in this one command; ‘Love others as you love yourself.’

God uses people like us. Has God used you to touch others? Would you want God to use you as his special envoy to help others? If you want him to, he will, but you have to be willing to let God use you. Be committed to make a difference.