"Listen, O isles, unto me; and hearken, ye people, from far; The Lord hath called me from the womb; from the bowels of my mother hath he made mention of my name.
And he hath made my mouth like a sharp sword; in the shadow of his hand hath he hid me, and made me a polished shaft; in his quiver hath he hid me;
And said unto me, Thou art my servant, O Israel, in whom I will be glorified."
Isaiah 49:1-3
I really like this. God chose Christ as the redeemer before he was born, and used him to make a difference in the world. And that is huge... it makes a difference in all of our lives, every day. I don't want to diminish that at all. I think though, that this verse isn't just about Christ, or just about Isaiah, or even just about Israel. I think it is about all of us. If we are going to follow the pattern of Christ, don't we also follow this part of the pattern? God has a work for each of us to do. It might not be as world-altering as the mission of Christ, or Isaiah, or a whole nation, but *all* of us are in the quiver of the Lord, and if we are willing, he will use us to make a difference in the world as well.
Today, let's work on getting past the things that are standing in the way of our commitment to God. None of them are as important as the mission that God has for us. Let's talk to him about it, and get to it. Let's focus not on our missions for ourselves, having to do with power or money or fame or whatever it is... let's focus on what God wants us to do, which undoubtedly will be zillions of times more significant and important, both for us and the people around us, than the things that we thought up alone. When we partner with God, our dreams turn into realities that are good for everyone. Let's go for it, today.
And he hath made my mouth like a sharp sword; in the shadow of his hand hath he hid me, and made me a polished shaft; in his quiver hath he hid me;
And said unto me, Thou art my servant, O Israel, in whom I will be glorified."
Isaiah 49:1-3
I really like this. God chose Christ as the redeemer before he was born, and used him to make a difference in the world. And that is huge... it makes a difference in all of our lives, every day. I don't want to diminish that at all. I think though, that this verse isn't just about Christ, or just about Isaiah, or even just about Israel. I think it is about all of us. If we are going to follow the pattern of Christ, don't we also follow this part of the pattern? God has a work for each of us to do. It might not be as world-altering as the mission of Christ, or Isaiah, or a whole nation, but *all* of us are in the quiver of the Lord, and if we are willing, he will use us to make a difference in the world as well.
Today, let's work on getting past the things that are standing in the way of our commitment to God. None of them are as important as the mission that God has for us. Let's talk to him about it, and get to it. Let's focus not on our missions for ourselves, having to do with power or money or fame or whatever it is... let's focus on what God wants us to do, which undoubtedly will be zillions of times more significant and important, both for us and the people around us, than the things that we thought up alone. When we partner with God, our dreams turn into realities that are good for everyone. Let's go for it, today.
All my life l have been moulded to be the servant l am today. l have walked with the Lord since teen years; never rebelling or falling away. ln my 30s l began to have venues provided to speak the teachings of the Bible - and SOLELY the Bible. l have been ridiculed, expelled, praised, misquoted and rejected. l have had little encouragement but every time l have prayed asking for judgment ("am l as wrong as they say, Lord? l need to stop if l am out of your will!") l have stopped of my own accord for fear l am wrong. Then, soon, l am given another message and another opportunity to preach/teach/write it. l go ahead carefully and the results are often negative from a human perspective. The criticisms vary "You speak too authoritatively; You are too vague - speak as if you believe what you say; l don't have any verses against what you aver from that verse, but you are wrong - l never heard that teaching before;" and on and on. l am now old. l have not and will not change because the Holy Spirit witnesses to my spirit when l need assurance. l ain't proud. All the conflict and my bended knee keeps me down.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad that you are doing as God asks of you. :)
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