I
have always wanted to impact the world in some way. Everyone does, right? That’s the “American dream.” Fame, fortune, name in lights and on the lips
of people all around the world. And why? Because I
did something. Me. I am the great and
powerful world changer. Proclaim my name and talk about me.
That’s
exactly what I wanted a few years ago, until my soul had a crisis and I figured
out that that way of thinking is just all wrong.
You
will only be capable of changing the world when you are able to realize that
you can’t. Yes, you read that correctly;
you cannot change the world. In fact,
there is very little that you yourself can actually do. I am by no means saying that you are
useless. On the contrary, each and every
person on this earth is an extremely valuable tool. We are the most useful when we entirely
surrender ourselves to our Master.
Imagine trying to build something when all your hammer wants is to go
off and do its own thing.
When
we try to make a name for ourselves is when we will fail. That’s when we start serving the wrong
master; the master of death and destruction.
That’s what happened in Genesis 11, you may know it as The Tower of
Babel Fiasco. At that time, all of the
people in the whole earth spoke the same language. The people decided to build themselves a city
with a tower “with its top in the
heavens” and they said “let us make a
name for ourselves,” (Genesis 11:4).
They were attempting to make a name for themselves and empower themselves,
trying to physically put themselves on the same level as God. So God confused their language. He scattered them over the whole earth and
made it so they could not understand each other. This is just one example of our destiny of
failure, if we take the path of self-righteousness.
In
John chapter 15, verses 4 and 5, Jesus said “Abide in me, and I in you. As
the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither
can you, unless you abide in me. I am
the vine; you are the branches. Whoever
abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me
you can do nothing.”
As
a believer in the Bible and Jesus, I firmly believe His words. Without Him, we can do nothing, and with Him,
we can do anything. “I can do all things through Him who gives me power,” (Philippians
4:13). If we want to change the world, I
suggest that we put our own desires to do so aside, and instead seek what He
wants for us.
2
Corinthians 4:5-6 says “For what we
proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, with ourselves as your
servants for Jesus’ sake. For God, who
said ‘Let light shine out of darkness,’ has shone in our hearts to give the
light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.” The
only way to change the world as we know for the better it is to speak life and
truth and follow through with actions validate our words. We need to proclaim the Light of Yeshua and
the Truth of God and His Word, not ourselves.
Anything that we are outside of God is not worth proclaiming.
Psalm
27:2 continues to drop further wisdom on the subject, when it says “Let someone else praise you, not your own
mouth, a stranger and not your own lips.”
This is part of modesty. We
should not be proud and braggadocios, letting everyone know the good that we
have done. Instead, we should boast of
our God, because to Him, all praises are due.
That way we will show the world what we are about, and what is good and
true.
Psalm
44:8 “In God we have boasted continually,
and we will give thanks to your name forever.
Selah.”
Psalm
52:1 “Why do you boast of evil, O mighty
man? The steadfast love of God endures
all the day.”
Essentially,
if you want to change the world, stop trying to. Focus on God.
No matter what He tells you to do, do it. It doesn’t matter how insignificant it may
seem to you; if it is where God wants you, it is the most significant thing you
could possibly do. That is how you
become a true world changer.
Great blogpost, Haley!
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