You are a very unique person—a one-of-a-kind. There is no person on the face of this earth just like you. No one speaks like you, no one looks like you, no one thinks or acts just like you.
As an adjective, the word unique means: existing as the only one or as the sole example; single; solitary in type or characteristics; having no like or equal; unparalleled; incomparable; one-of-a-kind.
Yes, that is you—unique. Of the billions of people living today, and billions who have lived in the past—there has not been one person who is anything like you.
All this comes from the hand of God. This was no accident. There is no science that can replicate what God has done. This was not a random act in the natural realm that just happened to evolve into human beings as diverse as they are today. The genes that combined from your father and your mother, to make your unique genetic make-up, was not by chance. It was by the careful hand of God, deciding which genes to put together. He decided which genes to take from your father and which ones from your mother to make you. And for your siblings, from the same parents, He chose a different set of genes to make them up. He could have made you identical to your siblings, but He chose to make each of you different. And He did it in a very careful manner. Even identical twins have slight variations in their looks and character.
The Lord decided carefully what you would look like. Your looks are not only unique, but also your character, and your mannerisms, as well as your thought patterns are your very own. There is no one like you.
How many today do not appreciate the handiwork of God? They try to alter and change who and what they are. There are those who simply do not like their looks, so they try to alter their image by colouring their hair, wearing make-up (to hide who they really are), or do cosmetic surgery to change and enhance some of their features. Some dislike their gender and think that there was a mistake when they were born, so they must change this. Others do not care about this special unique body the Lord gave them and set out to alter it in a negative way. They destroy it by using drugs, alcohol, poor diet and other health-destroying habits. They are slowly altering and killing themselves and do not care.
Since God took such special care to make you what you are, should you not appreciate who and what you are?
God took such special care in forming you for those nine months in your mother’s womb, would you not want to take the best care possible of this body, soul and spirit that He has given to you? It should be an honour and a privilege to take care of this precious treasure that He carefully put together and entrusted you with. A healthy, living, breathing, thinking, unique individual.
YOUR MISSION IS UNIQUE
Since you are so special and unique, God has a unique purpose for your life—for you—not for any other. He has a unique path for you to walk. He has a unique set of trials for you to face. A unique mission for you, which is for you alone. Before you were born, He knew what talents He would give you and what your mission and purpose in life would be.
It is said of Jeremiah, “Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.” Jeremiah 1:5. Before Jeremiah was born the Lord decided that he should be given the character traits to fill the prophetic office. Jeremiah might have refused to comply with the divine call but he did not. He loved the Lord enough that he was willing to go and to do whatever the Lord asked of him.
At birth, each person is endowed with certain possibilities, but it is their responsibility to develop these possibilities to the fullest. God has a specific plan for every life. “The specific place appointed us in life is determined by our capabilities.” –Education, p. 267. There are others in the Bible of whom their appointed task was mentioned before their birth. There is John the Baptist (Luke 1:15), and Samson (Judges 13:5).
The Lord could have chosen anyone to go to Nineveh, but He chose Jonah. That was the special unique mission for Jonah. Although Jonah tried to run away, the Lord knew he was the best one for the mission.
He could have chosen any of the disciples to go to the Gentiles, but He chose the Apostle Paul. Paul had been gifted by the Lord with the special unique character traits that were best suited for the trials and difficulties that he would face on his missionary journeys.
We should discover what His unique plan is for our lives and seek to carry it out to the fullest of our potential. We must pray and seek the Lord. To every individual God has assigned a place of duty and responsibility in His great plan. “Each has his place in the eternal plan of heaven. Each is to work in co-operation with Christ for the salvation of souls. Not more surely is the place prepared for us in the heavenly mansions than is the special place designated on earth where we are to work for God.” –Christ’s Object Lessons, p. 326–327
Some do not care and prefer to drift along in life, but we must care. Ask and pray, What is the unique purpose that God has given me for my life? What is the unique road I should be travelling?
“God desires Christians to respect the liberty that He has in so marvelous a manner given them. In Christ is vested the ownership of every man.” –The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 1, p. 1106–1107. Although God gave this treasure to you, you are only a steward of His gifts. You belong to Him.
YOUR METHODS OF WORKING ARE UNIQUE
Since God has a specific mission for each person’s life it is wrong to dictate to others the course of action they must follow, how they must think or act. “And John answered Him, saying, Master, we saw one casting out devils in Thy name, and he followeth not us: and we forbad him, because he followeth not us. But Jesus said, Forbid him not: . . . For he that is not against us is on our part.” Mark 9:38–40
“The disciples must not indulge a narrow, exclusive spirit, but must manifest the same far-reaching sympathy which they had seen in their Master.” –The Acts of the Apostles, p. 543
“The fact that one does not in all things conform to our personal ideas or opinions will not justify us in forbidding him to labor for God. Christ is the Great Teacher; we are not to judge or to command, but in humility each is to sit at the feet of Jesus, and learn of Him. Every soul whom God has made willing is a channel through which Christ will reveal His pardoning love. How careful we should be lest we discourage one of God’s light bearers, and thus intercept the rays that He would have shine to the world!” –The Desire of Ages, p. 438
“What we need is less dependence upon mere form and ceremony, and far more of the power of true godliness. If their life and character are exemplary, let all work who will, in any capacity. Although they may not conform exactly to your methods, not a word should be spoken to condemn or discourage them.” –Testimonies for the Church, vol. 5, p. 461–462
Therefore, since we are all so different and each have a unique mission and method of working, as long as we, and they, are following Christ, we are told to “Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned.” Luke 6:37. We may see others making different experiences than we are, or doing the work in a different manner than we are, but we should not disagree and try to bring them into line into our way of thinking and acting. They may be following the leading of the Lord and making their own unique experiences. We are to encourage them and work with them. We are not to judge or try to stop someone doing a good work. It is wrong to expect others to make the same experiences we are making, or do their duties in exactly the same way we are doing them, or even think the same thoughts. This is definitely not God’s plan.
No one should outline for another the unique pathway they are to walk—or the thoughts they are to think. We can guide and encourage, but we all need to make our unique experience with God. “I have seen that it was not the design of the message to lead brother to sit in judgment over his brother, to tell him what to do, and just how far to go, but for each individual to search his own heart, and attend to his own individual work.” –Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 7, p. 962
“There is no man who can be a criterion for all other men. Our varied trusts are proportioned to our varied capabilities. I have been distinctly instructed that God endows men with different degrees of capability and then places them where they can do the work for which they are fitted. Each worker is to give his fellow workers the respect that he wishes to have shown to himself.” –Mind, Character and Personality, vol. 2, p. 423
“Man should not be another man’s property. God has bought mankind. One man’s mind, one man’s power, should not rule and control another’s conscience. In the sight of God wealth and position do not exalt one man
above another. Men are free to choose the service of God, to love the Lord, and to keep all His commandments.” –Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 1, p. 1107
THE PROMISES ARE FOR YOU
Since you are unique, all the promises of God are for you. The promises of the Lord in His word were not just for the Ancient men of old, the Israelites, the Jewish nation, the disciples or the apostles. These promises were for you. They were not written only to guide our ancestors in the way of truth, they were written for you. “The LORD made not this covenant with our fathers, but with us, even us, who are all of us here alive this day.” Deuteronomy 5:3. Read the Bible, not only as an excellent and accurate historical book, but as a book of promises written for you today. When the Lord said to Jacob, “I am with thee, and will keep thee in all places whither thou goest” (Genesis 28:15), He spoke to you also.
The Lord brings you the verses you need for the day; for your situation. Just pray, open the book, take time to sit, read and listen. “Attend to number one, and you have got all that you have got to do.” –Manuscript Releases, vol 5, p. 215. Then as you are blessed, you share the words of comfort and encouragement with others, and also words of counsel with our brethren and sisters. “Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort; Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God.” 2 Corinthians 1:3–4
THE LOVE OF GOD IS FOR YOU
How much does He love you? Are you just one out of the billions that He loves? “Every soul is as fully known to Jesus as if he were the only one for whom the Saviour died. The distress of every one touches His heart. The cry for aid reaches His ear. He came to draw all men unto Himself. He bids them, ‘Follow Me,’ and His Spirit moves upon their hearts to draw them to come to Him. Many refuse to be drawn. Jesus knows who they are. He also knows who gladly hear His call, and are ready to come under His pastoral care. He says, ‘My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.’ He cares for each one as if there were not another on the face of the earth.” –The Desire of Ages, p. 480
Jesus spoke through Isaiah saying, “I have called thee by thy name; thou art Mine.” Isaiah 43:1. “Jesus knows us individually, and is touched with the feeling of our infirmities. He knows us all by name. He knows the very house in which we live, the name of each occupant. He has at times given directions to His servants to go to a certain street in a certain city, to such a house, to find one of His sheep.” –The Desire of Ages, p. 479
“I have graven thee upon the palms of My hands.” Isaiah 49:16. How has He graven us on His palms? If you are tempted and ever fear that the Lord has forgotten you, remember that He has inscribed you in the palm of His hand. The nail prints in His hands will be a perpetual reminder to us of the love of Jesus, all throughout eternity.
CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT
Although you were given specific character traits at birth, these character traits need to be developed. When people choose to walk in their own way, away from the Lord, they develop poor characters. Then when it comes to creating a new life, some of these character traits are passed on to the children. When Adam and Eve sinned, their nature became sinful. Ever since, the natural bent of man has been for evil, unless developed, by the help of the Lord, into a perfect character—fit for heaven. This is the purpose of life—to develop a character for heaven, and each person has unique experiences that they must go through in order to develop such a character. The Lord directs and guides, but He does not force.
The unique experiences you are making for your character development no one else is making. These experiences are your own.
“Character is not transferable. It is not to be bought or sold; it is to be acquired. The Lord has given to every individual an opportunity to obtain a righteous character. . . but He has not provided a way by which one human agent may impart to another the character which he has developed. . . . But no human being can give to another, heart devotion and noble qualities of mind, and supply his deficiencies with moral power.” –That I May Know Him, p. 350
In the Catholic religion, they tell you that you can purchase salvation for your dead loved ones if you give a large sum of money to the church. So sad that many believe this. Salvation is an individual experience. No one can give it to you or purchase it for you.
Some excuse their current lifestyle, stating that these are the characteristics inherited from their parents and they cannot change them as they are genetic. Or then their parents made many mistakes raising them, so therefore they are what they are today, not by any fault of their own. It’s their parent’s fault. They say it is too difficult to change, and God would not expect them to do the impossible. However, the Lord says “The converting power of God can transform inherited and cultivated tendencies; for the religion of Jesus is uplifting. ‘Born again’ means a transformation, a new birth in Christ Jesus.” –The Adventist Home, p. 206
“The inherited and cultivated tendencies to wrong must be crucified.” –Messages to Young People, p. 68. “Whatever may be our inherited or cultivated tendencies to wrong, we can overcome through the power that He is ready to impart.” –The Ministry of Healing, p. 175. “With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.” Matthew 19:26
“The secret of life’s success is in a careful, conscientious attention to the little things. God makes the simple leaf, the tiny flower, the blade of grass, with as much care as He creates a world. The symmetrical structure of a strong, beautiful character is built up by individual acts of duty. All should learn to be faithful in the least as well as in the greatest duty. Their work cannot bear the inspection of God unless it is found to include a faithful, diligent, economical care for the little things.” –Testimonies for the Church, vol. 4, p. 572. Day by day your character is being developed for habitation in heaven. You just have to make a conscious decision to follow the leading of the Lord.
JUDGED ALONE
Since you are unique, one-of-a-kind, remember, while the Lord loves you, you still have to face the judgment. This is a serious thought. Your character is being developed daily in preparation for the heavenly kingdom, but you must pass through the judgment first. And here you must stand alone. “Though all nations are to pass in judgment before Him, yet He will examine the case of each individual with as close and searching scrutiny as if there were not another being on earth.” –The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 7, p. 987
“In the books of heaven our lives are as accurately traced as in the picture on the plate of the photographer.” –Ibid., p. 986
“Not only are we held accountable for what we have done, but for what we have left undone. We are held to account for our undeveloped characters, our unimproved opportunities.” –The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 7, p. 987
“By a close scrutiny of their daily life under all circumstances, they would know their own motives, the principles which actuate them. This daily review of our acts, to see whether conscience approves or condemns, is necessary for all who wish to arrive at the perfection of Christian character. Many acts which pass for good works, even deeds of benevolence, will, when closely investigated, be found to be prompted by wrong motives. Many receive applause for virtues which they do not possess. The Searcher of hearts inspects motives, and often the deeds which are highly applauded by men are recorded by Him as springing from selfish motives and base hypocrisy. Every act of our lives, whether excellent and praiseworthy or deserving of censure, is judged by the Searcher of hearts according to the motives which prompted it.” –Gospel Workers, p. 110
“In the life of the true Christian there are no nonessentials; in the sight of Omnipotence every duty is important. The Lord measures with exactness every possibility for service. The unused capabilities are just as much brought into account as those that are used. We shall be judged by what we ought to have done, but did not accomplish because we did not use our powers to glorify God.” –Prophets and Kings, p. 488
In Christ, we can be prepared for the judgment. We can “come boldly unto the throne of grace,” (Hebrews 4:16) because, “we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.” 1 John 2:1
GOD’S CHURCH IS UNIQUE
“There are threescore queens, and fourscore concubines, and virgins without number. My dove, my undefiled is but one.” Song of Solomon 6:8–9. We know that a woman in Bible prophecy refers to a church (Jeremiah 6:2). A pure woman is God’s church. He has one church and it is unique.
And the message that the church is to proclaim is unique. “In every age God has committed to His people some special truth . . . and it has been the duty of His ministers to proclaim this truth.” –Pastoral Ministry, p. 27. For Noah it was about the flood. For Moses it was delivering the law to the nation of Israel; for John the Baptist it was the coming Messiah. For William Miller it was the beginning of the judgment hour. Today our unique message is the Three Angel’s messages and the addition of the Loud Cry to the Third Angel.
Therefore, we each have a unique responsibly today. We are called to preach the final message to the world. The end of the world is hastening on. Soon there will be a time of trouble as never before and who will be able to stand? “He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart.” Psalm 24:4
“The subject of man’s personal responsibility is understood by but few; and yet it is a matter of the greatest importance.” –Selected Messages, bk. 1, p. 216–217. “Yet God does not compel him to obey; he is left a free moral agent.” –Ibid., p. 216
May God help us to appreciate our uniqueness and respect the uniqueness of others, and work together in unity. “It is the Lord’s plan that there shall be unity in diversity.” –Mind, Character and Personality, vol. 2, p. 423. Amen.
Wendy Eaton