[Steve Myers] What can I do? Maybe you've asked this question. An elderly lady in our congregation asked me that question. She was suffering from a stroke. She had had a stroke. The left side of her face was droopy. She couldn't use her left arm, and she just felt like she couldn't contribute at all. And perhaps you've felt that way at times. What can I do because of my circumstances I'm not able to do much at all that feels like I'm contributing?

And yet, there's an amazing passage in the Bible that talks about the God given mission that each one of us has. It's in John chapter 17, and in verse 18 it says, "As you sent me into the world," now this is Jesus Christ talking, He says, "I also have sent them into the world" (John 17:18). So here's Christ praying at the end of His life talking about His disciples, that God sent Christ into the world and yet He is sending all of us into the world as well. But what about this lady who had suffered that stroke? How could she be sent into the world? Well, just a couple of verses later He says, "That they may all be one as You Father are in Me and I in You that they also may be one in Us that the world may believe  that You sent Me" (John 17:21).

So there's a connection to the mission that Christ gave every one of us and the proclamation of the gospel, being a living representative of Jesus Christ. And in fact just a couple of chapters later He says basically the same thing in chapter 20:21 He says this, "Peace to you as the Father has sent Me, I also send you" (John 20:21). So no matter our circumstances we realize from these two passages that we do have a mission. God's given us a mission that we can have the same kind of mission that Christ had. He said we were sent like the Father sent Him.

He's given us duties that we can do. We have the same message to carry. We should have the same attitude. We should have the same doctrine. We should have the same perspective. And you know, after that lady that had the stroke realized this message, you know she wasn't able to run out there into the world and proclaim that message by preaching or teaching in that way, but you know what she began to do? She began to write members at church letters, and she encouraged them. I mean this was an amazing, inspirational thing for me to see this, this lady who couldn't do much of anything because of the difficulties she had with her health, and yet she took that to heart and was able to encourage others despite her own problems. But she took that to heart and wrote people and encouraged them and was able to be that inspiration that Christ wanted her to be. And it was such an encouraging thing. And I wondered, well, I should be able to do that. I don't have those same difficulties, and yet I have been given the same duty, the same job. And so I'd like to encourage you to take these verses to heart, and realize that we have been given a duty.

We have been given a mission. Let's take that mission to heart, and pray about it and ask God:

"Show me what I can do so that I can show Christ in my life, so that I can be an example like Jesus Christ was, so that I can encourage others, that I can bring that same message, that I can stand true and carry the word of God to others in whatever form that might take."

And I think that if we begin to do that, then we are fulfilling the mission that God's given to each and every one of us.

That's BT Daily. We'll see you next time.