Whatever You Can Do Is Worth Doing
Adapted from Trusting God Day by Day
And the King will reply to them, Truly I tell you, in so far as you did it for one of the least [in the estimation of men] of these My brethren, you did it for Me.
When we look at the needs in the world today, they are staggering. You may be thinking, Joyce, what I can do won’t even make a dent in the problems we have in the world. I know how you feel because I once felt the same way. But if we all think that way, nobody will do anything, and nothing will change. Although our individual efforts may not solve the problems, together we can make a major difference. God won’t hold us accountable for what we could not do, but He will hold us accountable for the things we could have done.
A while back, I had returned from a trip to India and was at the gym when a woman I often see there asked me if I really believed that all the effort required for these trips was solving anything since millions would still be starving, no matter how many we fed. I shared with her what God placed in my heart—something that forever settled the issue for me. If you or I were hungry because we hadn’t eaten in three days and someone offered us one meal that would alleviate the pain in our stomachs for a day, would we take it and be glad to have it? Of course we would. And so are the people we help. We are able to set up ongoing programs for many of them, but there will always be those we can help only once or twice. Still, I know these outreaches are worth doing.
If we can give one hungry child one meal, it is worth doing. If we can help one person go without pain for one day, it is worth doing. I have resolved to always do what I can do and to remember what God said to me: “If you can only relieve someone’s pain one time for one hour, it is still worth doing.”
Has God planted an idea or a desire in your heart to help others in a specific way? Trust that whatever you can do is worth doing. Don’t let the magnitude of the problem overwhelm you. God will show you what you can do—trust Him when He says it makes a difference.
Prayer of the Day: Lord, I want to help others and know You will help me get started and understand that whatever I can do is worth doing, amen.
