Making a Difference - Martin Wiles

My ambition has always been to preach the Good News where the name of Christ has never been heard. Romans 15:20 NLT

“I feel useless because I can’t work and help out with the bills.”

My wife made the statement while in one of her depressed moods. A number of health issues prevent her from working. While she can’t hold down an outside job, she does tend to our daughter’s two boys five days a week. And although she may not be paid in money for doing it, her efforts are, nevertheless, work.

After hearing our pastor address following God’s plan in his Mother’s Day sermon, I reminded my wife that some of my sharpest and most treasurable memories hinge on the time I spent with my grandmother when I was a young boy. She, like my wife, kept me while Mom worked and Dad went to college.

I remember riding in my grandmother’s 1950’s green Chevrolet and helping her ring doorbells as she delivered Avon products. I remember the talks we had, the presents she bought me, and the breakfasts she taught me to cook. I recall how she taught me to appreciate the beauty of flowers and how she told me often how much she loved me. And most of all, I remember the spiritual truths she taught me and the trips we made to church together. These things are indelibly ingrained in my mind.

“She made a difference in my life that I’ll never forget,” I told my wife as I assured her that she was doing the same thing in the lives of two of our grandboys.

Paul, like my wife, wanted to make a difference. He didn’t want to preach the gospel where others had, but in places where the good news of Jesus had never been heard. And he made a difference. He left us with most of our New Testament, and he started numerous churches where thousands came to know Christ as Savior.

My wife plants seeds every day in the lives of our grandboys. She has the opportunity to sow the gospel in fertile ground—ground that hasn’t been corrupted by the world’s philosophies. When these two boys face the world, they’ll have a proper foundation not only to face false teaching with but also to share with others.

Let God place you where He wants. And wherever He does, make a difference in His name and for His glory. Never underestimate what He can do through you.

Prayer: Father, use us wherever You please and in whatever way You choose.

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