“THE SECRET OF ONE”
By Pastor Mark Taylor
For most of my childhood and all of my youth and adult life I have believe that God was directly involved in my life. I know there are millions of believers in this world, but there is no one who is just like you or me. We were created by our Heavenly Father for a purpose and placed in strategic places in this world to accomplish that purpose. Our Lord Jesus has chosen us and chosen to give us His love. That makes us special.
One verse that reinforces my belief on this is in John 15:16: “ You have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that you should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain; that whatsoever you shall ask of the Father in my name, He may give it to you.”
In I Kings 17: 8-16 God has given us an event in the life of the prophet Elijah. In this event, God choose one person to make a big difference in the life of Elijah.
The Lord told Elijah that He had chosen a poor widow woman who had a young son to take care of him during a famine. She was probably the most unlikely person to take care of someone else because she could not even take care of herself and her son.
When Elijah arrived at her village she was gathering sticks to cook one last meal for her and her son and then she would be completely out of food. Elijah asked her for a drink of water, which was also scarce at that time. The woman turn to go and find him a cup of water, and then Elijah stopped her and ask her for a small amount of bread.
The widow women, told Elijah that she only had enough food for one more meal for her and her son and that the two sticks she had was to build a fire to cook their last meal.
Then Elijah told her if she would do this one act of faith that God would bless her for many days.
There are a lot of “ones” in this message to us from God’s Word.
First of all, there was “one” prophet. At times He felt he was the only one left that was serving God.
“And he said, “I have been very zealous for the LORD God of hosts; because the children of Israel have forsaken Your covenant, torn down Your altars, and killed Your prophets with the sword. I alone am left; and they seek to take my life.” (I Kings 19:14). The Lord reminded Him, that he was not alone, that there were seven thousand other people who were still serving Him.
Maybe you feel you are the only one left trying to live right and do right. The Lord Jesus’ message to you is that is that you are not alone. “I am with you always, even unto the end of the world” (Matthew 28:20).
Another “one” in this story was the widow woman. She probably felt she has fail in her life and had fail her son, because they both would soon die of hunger and there was nothing she could do about it. What she did not know was that God was preparing a way for her to meet her needs. “For your Father knows what things you have need of before you ask Him.” Matthew 6:8.
Then there was the “one barrel” and “one cup”. Before Elijah got to this ladies house, they were almost empty. After she did what the Lord told her to do, both of them were full.
You may not think you have much today to offer the Lord. You may be “hanging on by a thread”. But you still have “one thing” more you can do, one more prayer you can pray, and one more promise from God’s Word you can depend upon.
The secret of “One” is that you and God are a majority. You have all the resources of Heaven on your side. You can become God’s partner in accomplishing things on Earth that God wants to do. You are only “one” person, but you can allow God to use you to meet the needs of another person who feels that they are only one.
A young boy went to hear the Lord Jesus speak. He was not expecting that the little that he had could be used to bless so many. Even the disciples did not feel he had anything to contribute. He was just one little boy. “There is a lad here, which has five barley loaves, and two small fish: but what are they among so many?” (John 6:9). The bread and fish did not seem like much, but when Jesus blessed it, five thousand men were fed, not counting the great number of women and children.
The Lord Jesus observed a poor widow giving two of her last coins into the offering at the temple. “And He looked up and saw the rich putting their gifts into the treasury, and He saw also a certain poor widow putting in two mites. So He said, “Truly I say to you that this poor widow has put in more than all; for all these out of their abundance have put in offerings for God, but she out of her poverty put in all the livelihood that she had.” (Luke 21: 1-4).
God likes to use individuals. He likes to take “one” person to accomplish things for His glory and to meet the needs of others. And when He chooses that “one” person, it is usually the person who others would be dismissed as weak or unable to perform the task.
Think of all the people in the Bible that God called individually to do a job. One man named Noah decided to live a righteous life, and he saved humanity. “And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth.. and the Lord said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth...But Noah, found grace in the eyes of the Lord. And Noah did according unto all that the Lord commanded him.” (Genesis 6: 5,7,8, 22).
One boy named David, killed a giant military soldier who was approximately 9’6” tall and changed the history of his country. David told him: “You come to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield: but I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, who you have defied” (I Samuel 17:45).
He is drawn to people who are weak and admit it, and who ask for help from Heaven. “My grace is sufficient for you: for my strength is made perfect in weakness.” (2 Corinthians 12:9).
The secret of “one” is that God loves you. You are special to Him. Even if you have been away from God, He is looking for you today.
“What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he loses one of them, does not leave the ninety nine in the wilderness, and go after the one which is lost until he finds it? And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost!’ I say to you that likewise there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine just persons who need no repentance.” (Luke 15:4-7).
