It can sometimes seem overwhelming. With nearly seven billion people alive on planet earth, how can just one person possibly make a difference? With so many needs, so little time, and so few resources, where do you begin? The answer is found in the pages of the Word of God. The Bible says in Jude 22, “And of some have compassion, making a difference.” Spirit-filled Christians have been used by God to make a difference throughout the centuries. As Christians, we cannot afford to miss our opportunity to be used of God.
John Geddie was a Canadian missionary to the New Hebrides Islands in the mid-1800s. When he arrived, he came face to face with a tribe of cannibals, considered to be one of the most dangerous groups of people in the world at that time. Violence, thievery, and murder were very common among this barbaric tribe. In 1849, early in his work, he wrote these words in his journal: “In the darkness, degradation, pollution, and misery that surrounds me, I look forward in faith to the time when some of these poor islanders will unite in the triumph song of ransomed souls.”
I love John Geddie’s spirit of faith in the face of such overwhelming adversity. He believed, by God’s grace, that he could make a difference. He dared to confront his own doubt with absolute belief in God’s power. How desperately we need the faith-filled spirit of John Geddie in today’s culture! The darkness we face today is no greater than that which John Geddie faced in 1849. The problem is, most Christians do not have the faith of Geddie. Most Christians do not believe that they can make a difference.
Geddie died just before Christmas 1872. Inscribed on his gravestone was this testimony, “In memory of John Geddie. When he landed in 1848 there were no Christians here. When he left in 1872 there were no heathen here.” One man made an eternal difference simply because he believed it could happen.
Are you passionate about making a difference? Do you believe that God could use you the same way He used John Geddie? There are three factors that God blesses—three characteristics that will define you as a “difference-maker.”
A Biblical Position Makes a Difference
To make a difference, you must first be different! God has called to Himself a people who should be “set apart”—holy, peculiar unto Him. In the same passage where he mentions “making a difference,” Jude 20–21 states, “But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost, Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.” He challenges us to stand strong in our distinct, biblical position—our “most holy faith.”
Have you noticed how our culture is crying out for “change”? Politically, religiously, socially, technologically—we live in a world thirsty for change. But the truth does not change! As God’s people, we will never make a difference by “changing” or “innovating.” We will only make a difference by duplicating what is found in the book of Acts. When we stand strong in the faith, we offer a hopeless world a fixed position—TRUTH, unchanging, unaltered, unwavering. We offer a lighthouse of safety piercing through a dark ocean of restlessness and uncertainty. More than ever, our lost world needs Christians who stand secure, undaunted, and steadfast in the faith of Christ.
You cannot make a difference unless you are different, and in today’s culture, a fixed position of truth is the difference that people need the most!
If our doctrine is shaped by popular consensus, we will have no message with which to make a difference. The “faith” of Jude 20 is the objective body of biblical truth. It describes and defines our position as believers. In contrast, 2 Timothy 4:3 warns about what will happen in the last days, “For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears.”
In the last days, men will be self-obsessed with their music, pleasures, comforts, and salary packages. Standing for Christ will be the last thing on their minds. And yet, the darker the night, the brighter the light.
In addition to this, our position should define our practice—our lifestyle. Baptists have long been known for standing strong in both their belief and their practice. The Bible says in 2 Timothy 3:10, “But thou hast fully known my doctrine, manner of life, purpose, faith, longsuffering, charity, patience.” No one wondered about Paul’s manner of life. It was fully known. Even so, our “manner of life” today should distinctly reflect the presence of God. “Therefore, brethren, stand fast, and hold the traditions which ye have been taught, whether by word, or our epistle” (2 Thessalonians 2:15).
When I think about the changes in our society and in our churches, I wonder, “Where will it stop?” Culture and Christendom alike are on a very slippery slope leading quickly away from distinct biblical living. It seems “anything goes” in the name of grace and liberty. The lifestyles of most Christians is indistinguishable from most unbelievers. As such, we have lost our ability to truly “make a difference.”
May we return to a distinct lifestyle and re-embrace principles of purity, modesty, and holiness. Kent Hughes said, “The pressures toward immodesty are pervasive and complex. Immodesty is pushed by unprincipled purveyors such as Abercrombie & Fitch, whose only concern is their bottom line. Immodesty removes protection and promotes the devaluation of sexuality and marriage.”
Making a difference begins with being different. This is truly where difference-making begins—with modeling a difference in our manner of life.
A Pure and Personal Walk Makes a Difference
Think of the phrase in Jude 21, “Keep yourselves in the love of God.” So few Christians experience the intimate relationship with Christ that this verse indicates, and therefore so few Christians are able to lead others into that relationship. Many Christians profess a belief in Christ, but deep within they are discontented with Him. They entered into the love of God at salvation but never kept themselves there through a daily, personal walk with Him. This produces Christians who are as discontented as unbelievers—looking outside of God’s love for that which only God’s love can provide.
How can you expect to help a discontented lost person find their heart’s fullest satisfaction in Christ, if you are not experiencing that in your own life? Christians with no personal walk are but shadows of what Christ intended them to be in this world. I think of the song, “Jesus Is All the World to Me.” He is everything! If I had a thousand lives to live I would give them all to Jesus. The Apostle Paul said, “For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain” (Philippians 1:21). Christ calls us to find abundant life—the most blessed life—in Him alone.
I challenge you to renew your personal walk with Christ. Find in Him all that your heart desires. In so doing, your spirit will truly make a difference—you will happily and joyfully “stand out” to your friends, family, and coworkers. The difference will be dramatic and it will flow from within—overflowing from a close intimate relationship with Christ.
In addition to this personal walk, to make a difference we must have a pure walk. Second Chronicles 29:30–31 refers to being “consecrated before the Lord.” The Christian life is a life of sacred consecration—a lifestyle that reflects the ownership and lordship of Christ. It is a holy life. We are to be “vessels fit for the Master’s use.”
The Bible says in 1 John 2:15–16, “Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.” I urge you to love Christ supremely, to walk with Him personally and in purity. Reject the devil’s allurement. Resist his efforts to draw you into a lesser life—to dampen your light. Let a passionate personal walk with Christ lead you into purity and usefulness for the Lord!
Right Priorities Make a Difference
Most people live for one priority—self. And put simply, this is a losing proposition. When Christians live for self, we fall in step with the world and the world’s system. We lose our ability to make a difference. While a dying world is headed for a Christless Hell, we cannot afford to fall into complacent, self-obsessed living. Our priorities have been clearly defined in the Word of God. We are here for His glory. We exist to love Him and to reach others for Jesus Christ.
Jude 20–23 states, “Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life. And of some have compassion, making a difference: And others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire; hating even the garment spotted by the flesh.” Clearly, our priorities should revolve around eternity and the eternal souls of men! The only things that will last forever are the souls of men and the service we have rendered unto Christ. To truly make a difference, we must align our lives with the priorities that Jesus established.
Jude 24–25, “Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy, To the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen.” Jesus Christ is coming again and we will all answer directly to Him for our priorities.
In closing, I warn you. When you determine to make a difference, you will experience opposition. Difference-makers are attacked, criticized, and maligned. The only way to avoid criticism is to do nothing, be nothing, and say nothing. Regardless of opposition, don’t ever stop dreaming about making a difference.
While walking along a beach, an elderly gentleman saw someone in the distance. The person was repeatedly leaning down, picking up objects, and throwing them into the ocean. As the man came closer, he realized it was a young man, picking up starfish one by one and tossing each one gently back into the water.
As he came still closer he called out, “Good morning! May I ask what it is that you are doing?”
The young man paused, looked up, and replied “Throwing starfish into the ocean.”
The old man smiled, and said, “I must ask, then, why are you throwing starfish into the ocean?”
To this, the young man replied, “The sun is up and the tide is going out. If I don’t throw them in, they’ll die.”
Upon hearing this, the elderly observer commented, “But, young man, don’t you realize that there are miles of beach and thousands of starfish all along every mile? You can’t possibly make a difference!”
The young man listened politely. Without saying a word, he bent down, picked up another starfish, and threw it into the ocean. As he stood back up he said, “It made a difference for that one.”
How are you going to make a difference for the glory of God? One life at a time. One eight year old child, one young couple, one elderly saint, one hospital visit—one at a time. If we would apply these principles—in time, we will look back and see the Lord greatly used us to make a difference. Someone before you made a difference for you. Now it is time for you to make a difference for someone coming after you. May your prayer be, “Here am I, Lord, send me. Use me to make a difference!”
