The musical group The Association sang “The Time It Is Today” in the 1960s, calling young people to live for something more than themselves—to make a difference in the world in their own generation. That same call comes to followers of Christ today. We are given this moment in time to represent our God in the world. And, like Elijah, we live in extraordinary times.

We can take comfort in the fact that when a great man was expected to ride to the rescue, God chose an average man—Elijah. This ordinary man, armed only with the resource of praying to an extraordinary God, was God’s instrument to impact a generation.

We have seen that Elijah was far from perfect, however. He struggled with the same things we face. That encourages me. If God used a nobody from nowhere like Elijah, perhaps He will use people like us. The challenge, however, is not to pursue greatness but to make ourselves available to our great God’s desire to work in us and through us.

If you don’t know the God who loves and cares deeply for every person on earth, I’ve got good news: His love has been fully extended to you. We read in John 3:16, one of the best-known verses in the Bible:

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

The promise of eternal life is offered to ordinary people by this extraordinary God. Will you accept His free gift? The time—it is today.