In the sermon on September 8, we continued our walk through the Book of James. The message was titled, “Faith That Honors All.” Our key verse was “My brothers and sisters, believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ must not show favoritism.” (James 2:1) James is picking up on one the core teachings of Jesus which is rooted in the Torah: “If you really keep the royal law found in Scripture, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself,’ you are doing right.” (James 2:8) James appears to have been thinking of the “Golden Rule” as well: “So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.” (Matthew 7:12) 

In one of the sermon’s application points, we acknowledged that we fall short of doing the above in everyday life. Often there is too much need around us. We want to do something, but we get overwhelmed. Because we can’t do for everyone, the tendency is to do nothing. To leave it for someone else. The problem is clear: If Christians settle into this posture, we end up with a complacent church and a community left wondering, “Why the church?” or “Why the Christians?” Our faithful response to this tendency is “Do What You Can Do.” Want to know how? Read on . . .

When we do what we can do, we are doing something rather than nothing at all. We think of what we would like to do for everyone, which can be difficult or impossible, and we do it for the one, which is very possible and impactful.  

This concept is not original to me. I first heard it through Andy Stanley, pastor of Northpoint Church in Atlanta, GA. Andy calls it the principle of “Do for one what you wish you could do for all.” At its core, “Do For One” challenges us to step away from the overwhelming desire to solve every problem for every person and instead focus on helping one individual, fully and meaningfully. This approach acknowledges the limitations of time, energy, and resources while emphasizing the immense impact we can have when we give our all to a single person or situation. In other words, “Do what you can do.” 

Five Key Insights:

1. The Power of Individual Impact: When we try to meet the needs of everyone, we often end up spreading ourselves too thin. The result is that no one receives the depth of care or attention they truly need. By focusing on one person, we can offer something deeper—our undivided attention, energy, and love. This principle reflects the nature of Jesus’ ministry. While He taught and healed crowds, He also gave time and focus to individuals, whether it was the woman at the well (John 4:1-42) or Zacchaeus in the tree (Luke 19:1-10).  

2. Avoiding Overwhelm by the Immensity of Need: One of the biggest challenges in ministry or life is the overwhelming sense that there is so much need, and we can never meet it all. “Doing for One” relieves the pressure of trying to fix everything (even Jesus didn’t fix everything around him). It gives us permission to focus on the one person right in front of us, trusting that God will use others to meet the needs we cannot. 

3. Relational Depth: Relationships grow through intentional time, care, and consistency. This concept bears the gift of the opportunity to go deeper, walk with them through challenges, and provide real, lasting support. While we can’t build this type of relationship with everyone, the one relationship can be transformative not just for the person receiving the care but also for the one giving it. 

4. Modeling for Others: While we are focusing on helping one person, we model for others what it looks like to serve well. This can be contagious! When people see someone giving deep, focused attention to another, it inspires them to do the same. Over time, a culture of focused, individual care can grow within a community. 

5. Faithfulness Over Success: Often in ministry, we measure success by numbers—how many people we can reach or how many tasks we can complete. But the “Do for One” mindset shifts the focus from numbers to faithfulness. The goal is not to achieve widespread success but to be faithful in the small, personal opportunities God places in our path. This echoes the biblical principle of being faithful in little things (Luke 16:10). 

What can we do?

Look around your life or ministry. Is there one person who could use some encouragement or focused attention?  

• Make it a point to pour into that person.  

• Be consistent, whether checking in through calls, texts, and/or praying for them.  

• Be fully present. One of the greatest gifts we can give someone in today’s fast-paced world is our presence.  

• Let go of guilt. It’s easy to feel guilty about not helping everyone. But God has placed “the one person” in your path for a reason.  

• Trust God. Simply trust that God will multiply the impact of your focused attention. You may never know how your care for one individual influences others in their life. Trust that God is at work even when you can’t see it. 

The beauty of “Do for One” is its simplicity and its focus on faithfulness. It acknowledges our human limitations but invites us to trust in God’s ability to use small, intentional acts of service to create lasting, ripple effects. We can focus on the quality of our relationships and impact, rather than the quantity . . . one soul at a time. 

In Christ’s care,