If not you, then someone else.
I know, that’s not how the saying goes. What we usually hear is, “If not you, then who?” This all-or-nothing approach, however, seems to suggest that the situation is entirely reliant on us. The world sits frozen in time, patiently awaiting our every move. Nothing happens unless we allow it. We are completely in control and if not us, no one. Because after all, the job which needs to be done is solely ours and no one else is worthy to do it.
Wrong.
If not you, someone else will take your place because God’s will is not reliant on our obedience. He has an appointed time for everything – a time unchanged by his unwilling child. God does not pace around Heaven in fear that His plan will not get done in time. He doesn’t panic when His children disobey His calling to go on a mission trip, preach a sermon, feed the hungry, etc. He will simply send someone else. God is all-knowing and your disobedience does not take Him by surprise, nor does it mess up His plan. You don’t have that kind of authority.
Romans 12:3 – “Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought…”
We need to stop believing that we are so important that the world waits for us to move. If we deny our responsibilities, God’s plan will carry on. The world is not hurt by our inaction. We can bathe in excuses, rejecting every opportunity to help someone else, but we will be the only ones who miss out on anything.
If we refuse to feed the poor, that’s fine. They’ll be fed anyway – but we will miss the chance to give to someone who is truly thankful, someone who is on top of the world because of our simple actions, someone who doesn’t take advantage of people who care about them.
If we refuse to witness to lost people, so be it. God will make sure they hear the gospel – but we will miss the beautiful fire that is started in a heart that meets Jesus for the first time. We will miss an experience to witness the power of the gospel which can change even the hardest heart.
Our selfishness will cause us to miss out on these beautiful moments that God wants us to be a part of. Not only that, our disobedience will cause us to distance ourselves from God. Thus, we should be passionate about obeying His plan for our lives.
Embrace every opportunity and God will bless you with beautiful moments. He is faithful always and promises to use our obedience for our good. Be obedient, lest you miss out on His goodness.
