WEBVTT - What Difference Do I Make?

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<v Speaker 1>Thank you and good morning. Welcome, this is Chris Witz,

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<v Speaker 1>and this is Morning Devotions. We all have the potential

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<v Speaker 1>to make a difference. We've got a gift inside of

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<v Speaker 1>us that can help create a better world. Now some

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<v Speaker 1>people don't realise how much potential they have, do you?

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<v Speaker 1>I'm sure a lot of people struggle with this question.

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<v Speaker 1>What difference do I make? Many people believe they don't

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<v Speaker 1>have what it takes to make a difference to the world,

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<v Speaker 1>and so they believe that only people like Mahatma Gandhi

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<v Speaker 1>or Mother Teresa Thomas.

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<v Speaker 1>Edison, Albert Einstein, or Bill Gates and, and the like,

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<v Speaker 1>that these are the people capable of making a difference,

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<v Speaker 1>but not them. But every one of us is put

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<v Speaker 1>in this world to contribute and make a difference in

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<v Speaker 1>our own unique way. It need not be anything extraordinary,

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<v Speaker 1>it just needs to be something you do with the

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<v Speaker 1>intention of doing good. Every moment of every day, you

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<v Speaker 1>have the opportunity to make a difference because you decide

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<v Speaker 1>how to spend your time and what your attitude's going

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<v Speaker 1>to be. Happiness and

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<v Speaker 1>They're the two greatest gifts that you can give to

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<v Speaker 1>the world. Unfortunately, we're often indulged in our own gratifications,

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<v Speaker 1>and we forget there are people in this world who

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<v Speaker 1>we can make a little happier and feel more loved.

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<v Speaker 1>As the saying goes, to receive, you must first give,

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<v Speaker 1>and the more you give, the more you receive. So

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<v Speaker 1>let's remind ourselves, we need to spend more time in

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<v Speaker 1>helping others. It was Mother Teresa who said, you may

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<v Speaker 1>not be able to feed thousands, but you can help

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<v Speaker 1>feed one. Very often it's the.

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<v Speaker 1>Acts that make the biggest difference. In 1968, while working

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<v Speaker 1>in a refugee camp on the border of Bangladesh and Myanmar,

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<v Speaker 1>Doctor David Nayon discovered a breakthrough treatment for patients who

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<v Speaker 1>were suffering from diarrhoea. He realised that giving patients water

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<v Speaker 1>mixed with the right concentration of salt and sugar would

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<v Speaker 1>rehydrate them at the same rate at which they lost water.

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<v Speaker 1>Now this prevented death from dehydration much more cheaply than

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<v Speaker 1>did the conventional treatment.

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<v Speaker 1>Using an intravenous drip, and since then, this astonishingly simple

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<v Speaker 1>treatment has been used all over the world. The annual

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<v Speaker 1>rate of child deaths from diarrhoea has plummeted from 5

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<v Speaker 1>million to 1.3 million, and the researchers estimate that the

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<v Speaker 1>therapy has saved at least 50 million lives, mostly the

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<v Speaker 1>lives of children. The Bible says very clearly in Ecclesiastes 3:1,

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<v Speaker 1>for everything that happens in life, there is a season,

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<v Speaker 1>a right time.

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<v Speaker 1>For everything under Earth. We're born into this world to

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<v Speaker 1>make a difference, and every life matters. Each is specifically

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<v Speaker 1>purposed and designed by the Creator of the universe. You're

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<v Speaker 1>not an accident. You were put on Earth to make

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<v Speaker 1>a contribution. You weren't created just to consume resources, to eat, breathe,

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<v Speaker 1>and take up space. God designed you to make a

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<v Speaker 1>difference with your life. This is one of God's purposes

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<v Speaker 1>for your life. It's called your ministry or your service,

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<v Speaker 1>and I'm not just talking about the.

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<v Speaker 1>Priests or clergy or ministers, all of us can serve

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<v Speaker 1>God in the Christian faith by surrendering our lives to

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<v Speaker 1>Jesus Christ. A business man I heard of and his

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<v Speaker 1>wife took a few days of relaxation at an oceanfront hotel.

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<v Speaker 1>One night, a violent storm lashed the beach and sent

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<v Speaker 1>massive breakers thundering against the shore. The wind finally died down,

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<v Speaker 1>and shortly before daybreak, the man slipped out of bed

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<v Speaker 1>and took a walk along the beach to see what

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<v Speaker 1>damage had been done.

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<v Speaker 1>He saw that the beach was literally covered with starfish

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<v Speaker 1>that had been thrown ashore and there were stranded by

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<v Speaker 1>the great waves, and once the morning sun would begin

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<v Speaker 1>to burn through the clouds, the starfish would dry out

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<v Speaker 1>and die. And suddenly he saw another interesting sight.

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<v Speaker 1>A young boy was picking up the starfish one at

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<v Speaker 1>a time and flinging them back into the ocean. Why

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<v Speaker 1>are you doing that? the man asked the boy. Can't

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<v Speaker 1>you see that you'll never be able to get all

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<v Speaker 1>those starfish back into the water in time? What difference

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<v Speaker 1>can you make? There are just too many. The boy

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<v Speaker 1>sighed as he picked up another starfish and threw it

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<v Speaker 1>back into the water. He said with a smile to

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<v Speaker 1>the man, Well, I sure made a difference to that.

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<v Speaker 1>One, the businessman stopped and he began picking up the starfish.

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<v Speaker 1>Neither you or I may be able to make a

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<v Speaker 1>big difference to the world, but we can make a

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<v Speaker 1>huge difference in the little part of the world that

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<v Speaker 1>surrounds us. When we're kind to someone and they turn

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<v Speaker 1>around and are kind to the next person, and regardless

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<v Speaker 1>of how I help, I will remember the words of

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<v Speaker 1>Jesus whenever you did it for any of my people.

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<v Speaker 1>No matter how unimportant I seemed, you did it for me.

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<v Speaker 1>Heavenly Father, today, I do know that I can make

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<v Speaker 1>a difference, even if I think I can't. For Lord,

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<v Speaker 1>when we do something for you, it's multiplied so many times.

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<v Speaker 1>We never know, Lord, what you've got in store for

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<v Speaker 1>us as we offer acts of kindness to those that

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<v Speaker 1>we meet, and I thank you for that possibility in Jesus' name. Amen.