Day by Day - Apr. 8, 2010

In our overpopulated, impersonal world, it is easy to underestimate the significance of one. With so many people, most of whom seem so much more capable, more gifted, more prosperous, more important than I, who am I to think my part amounts to much?

Aren't you glad Patrick Henry didn't think that way? And Henry Ford? And Martin Luther King Jr.? And Walt Disney? And Martin Luther? And Winston Churchill? And Jackie Robinson? And Irving Berlin? And Abraham Lincoln? And Charles Wesley? And Marian Anderson?

"But it's a different world today, man. Back then, there was room for an individual to emerge, but now, no way!"

Wrong. God has always underscored individual involvement . . . still does.

How many did it take to help the victim who got mugged on the Jericho Road? One Good Samaritan.
How many were chosen by God to confront Pharaoh and lead the Exodus? One.
How many sheep got lost and became the object of concern to the shepherd? One.
How many did the Lord use to get the attention of the land of Palestine and prepare the way for Messiah? One.
Never underestimate the power of one!

Many centuries ago a woman almost did. She thought things were too far gone. And she certainly didn't think there was anything she could do. It was only a matter of time before all the Jews would be exterminated.

Her name was Esther. She was the Jewish wife of a Persian king, the man who was about to be tricked into making an irrevocable, disastrous decision. All Jews would be exterminated.

But the tide could be turned by . . . guess how many? You're right, one. One woman—only one voice—saved an entire nation. As is true of every person who stands in the gap, she was willing to get personally involved, to the point of great sacrifice. Or, as she said, "If I perish, I perish" (Esther 4:16).

Please, put aside all excuses and ask yourself, "What should I be doing?"

Yes, you alone can make a difference. The question is, will you?

If you don't do your part, who will?

Excerpted from Day by Day with Charles Swindoll, Copyright © 2000 by Charles R. Swindoll, Inc. (Thomas Nelson Publishers). All rights reserved worldwide. Used by permission.