Here’s a question with a twist. Were you ever on a team or in a group of people that was trying to accomplish a certain task, and you felt like you had the task well in hand? I’m guessing yes.
We’ve all been there, but here’s the twist. In that same situation, did someone else then unnecessarily join your team? I’m talking, like, “we don’t even need you, but we’re happy to have you along.” It could be someone that’s genuinely a delight to work with, or maybe someone that tells the best stories or has a tremendous sense of humor. Whatever it is about them…yeah, you’re happy they’re working with you, but in all honesty, you’d accomplish your task just fine without them.
That’s God, dealing with us. Granting someone else salvation is completely His doing. Each of us is powerless to grant it to someone, even if we desperately want them to come to a saving faith in Christ.
And yet…He’s overjoyed to include us as part of His process of moving in this world. If He wanted to, He could work out His plan for a specific individual’s salvation in a way that cuts all other people out of the process. That’s not how He works though. He loves including His followers as instruments of His plan. We’re unnecessary components, but it’s His pleasure to have us along for the ride.
If you’re a Christian, you’ve been given spiritual gifts that are meant to be used for the benefit of Christ’s kingdom. It’s up to you whether or not you use them, but He wants you to jump in. If you choose not to employ them it’s not going to foil His plans, but I imagine He’ll be disappointed that you chose not to use what He gave you. It’s like keeping a Lamborghini parked in the garage because you don’t want to get it scratched or dirty; it’s ensuring something highly specialized does not get used for its intended purpose.
So today, if you’re presented with the opportunity to accept God’s extended hand to go along with Him on an adventure, you can accept the invitation and be caught up into something that may make an eternal difference for someone, or you can choose to skip it and make the highlight reel of your life that you’ll see in Heaven a little bit shorter.
The choice is up to you.