ACCEPTING GOD'S CALL TO SERVICE(Isaiah 6:1-13)
INTRODUCTORY QUESTIONS TO CHEW
What have you seen of God's glory today?
Does sin bother you?
Should service always follow cleansing?
What can I do to be more perceptive of the voice of the Lord?
Are you a willing server and servant?
GOD HEARS AND ACTS
Isaiah saw the Lord of hosts in His splendor and glory. He heardmajestic beings lauding the holiness of God. And as any human would,Isaiah was overwhelmed with his own uncleanness and sin: "Woe is me!for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips."
God, because of His mercy and holiness, acted to remedy Isaiah'sproblem: "Lo, this hath touched thy lips; and thine iniquity is takenaway, and thy sin purged." With Isaiah open and humbled before Him,God was not about to allow Isaiah's uncleanness impede his mission forGod. So God cleansed him.
Isn't that terrific?! I think it is wonderful that God doesn't leave usovercome with our own inadequacies and sins. He hears the needy cryof our hearts and moves promptly and decisively to cleanse us.
Yes, *us*! Not just Isaiah. Not just the other historical men and womenof God. *Us*! When we humble ourselves before Him and acknowledgeour sins and our weaknesses, calling on Him for forgiveness andcleansing, God hears and acts!
No matter what my need may be, God hears and acts. If my lips havebeen soiled by guile, untruth, gossip, slander, foolishness, unkindness orprofanity, God will touch my lips. If my eyes have been contaminatedby a book, on the street, at a checkout stand, on the Web or by a catalog,God will touch my eyes. If my mind has been polluted by bitterness,rebellion, lust, greed, unforgiveness, or covetousness, God will touch my mind.
And He will do the same for you, my friend!
DO YOU HEAR AND RESPOND?
First Isaiah saw and responded. Then God addressed his needs.
That prepared Isaiah to hear God ask, "Whom shall I send, and who willgo for us?" Thanks to God's merciful intervention in his life, Isaiah nolonger needed to be aware of his sin and inability. Instead he couldrespond with confident but humble availability: "Here am I; send me."
Have you heard God's call? If you haven't, you had better listen moreclosely! If you have, answer as Isaiah did. God wants to send each of Hischildren to do something for Him. I am sure He wants to send *you* toat least one of these places:
The mission field. Many people groups have not yet been convincinglytouched by the Gospel message. And in many countries, the churches begfor veteran Christians to come teach them the Way more perfectly. Hear?
The school room. Christian schools across the land suffer from a shortageof dedicated teachers and teachers' aides. School boards everywherestruggle to put together staff for another school year, hindered by ascarcity of funds or personnel or both. Hear?
The nursing home. All those aged and disabled folks pining away,wanting someone to sing with them, visit with them, pray with them,play with them. If you think you have your discouraging times, putyourself in their shoes. Hear?
The garden. Huh? Yes, the garden! You know, those places with soil tobe tilled, weeds to be pulled and blisters to be made? The preacher'sgarden, the old lady's garden, the sick man's garden . . . hear?
Home. "Oh no! How can God *send* me there when He's already *put*me there?" Precisely. There are chores to be done (voluntarily), fun timesto be made with your siblings, and kind words to be sown. Hear?
HOW CAN GOD USE ME?
You wonder how God can use *you*? Remember these two things: Heknows more about you than you know about yourself and He always putsHis grace into the equation. God's ability to use you is not hindered byyour self-consciousness nor by your stuttering nor by your timidity norby your awkwardness nor by any other such "negative" you may sufferfrom. What *does* hinder His ability to use you is...
- your unwillingness to be used.
- your own ego and fear for yourself.
- your lack of repentance and confession of sin.
God does not fret about your natural ineptitude or handicaps. He knowsexactly what He will do to either overcome them or take advantage ofthem. Moses *knew* he couldn't talk, right? Look what happened to histongue after he committed it to service! Paul was willing to talk, butalas! God hadn't installed an eloquent tongue in his head. But what greatthings God did in the lives of the host that heard that stuttering servant!The key to being used of God is unconditional surrender to His service.Just as we do not refuse to serve because of our liabilities, so we do notagree to serve because of our assets. We agree to serve because of *His* assets.
Service. How do you prepare? Are you supposed to guess at what youwill be doing in the future and then get all sorts of related training? Thatis the natural way. Most of us would say it is flawed because of the word*guess*. That is an obvious flaw since a wrong guess could mean uselesspreparation (somewhat akin to guessing the surprise trip is a fishingexpedition -- you wear hip boots -- when in reality it is a tour ofKennedy Space Center!). However, its major flaw is the focus -- yourabilities. Training and ability contribute greatly to service, but they donot prepare you for it. Preparation happens in the mind and heart.
"I have yielded myself to Your service...." Have you ever sung that and*meant* it? Yielding has nothing to do with feeling or desire. It haseverything to do with obedience. Yielding is an act of the will. Mosesneeded it; you need it. You begin with an initial commitment to serveGod whenever, wherever, however, for ever. As specific calls reach yourheart, they find a pre-conditioned audience.
This may be the stage where *you* really get in the way. A certainassignment could threaten to your ego. Perhaps the task is "demeaning."Or maybe it is big or challenging enough to leave brilliant success inquestion ("What if I goof up? How humiliating!"). Most likely it doesn'tcome equipped with a spotlight...for you. The job could conceivably givesomeone else the recognition that is "rightfully" yours. Whatever thethreat, you fear for yourself. Then you must deny yourself and take upyour cross. And how do you do such a thing? When your will crosses theLord's, choose His. Taking this step daily allows you to discover andexperience His limitless, empowering grace.
We still need to look at that third hindrance. Are you tolerating any sinin your life? It does not have to be a so-called "gross sin" to thwart yourusefulness. Covetousness, bitterness, offense, materialism, wrong music,lack of forgiveness, and a comparing spirit are just as deadly asimmorality, thievery, rebellion, and dishonesty. Ask God to expose all sin in you. Confess it. Utterly abandon it.
Source: Thoughts for the Week by Mark Roth http://www.anabaptists.org/clp/youth/
