Be Obedient and Be a Light

#017 - Fire
Originally uploaded by rachel_titiriga

"But I’m Not Qualified

God has the hardest time conscripting men to do His work. When God called Moses at the burning bush, Moses said, “O my Lord, I am not eloquent” (Ex 4:10). When God called Saul, Saul said, “Am I not a Benjamite, of the smallest of the tribes of Israel, and my family the least of all the families of the tribe of Benjamin?” (1 Sam 9:21). When God called Jeremiah, He heard the response, “Ah, Lord God! Behold, I cannot speak, for I am a youth” (Jer 1:6). And as God called Gideon, Gideon’s reaction to the call of God was “O my Lord how can I save Israel? Indeed my clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father’s house” (Judges 6:15).

It is interesting that God so often chooses a man who is humble to do His work. And it is probably this very attitude of humility that God is often looking for when seeking a servant to go out and do His work. God’s answer to the lack of qualifications is always the same: “I am with you.”

And that is His answer to us, as we cry out in weakness and inadequacy. And if God is for us, who can be against us?"

Pastor Chuck Smith

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I read this last night and have been thinking about it off and on….it’s so good to know that these men, who we look at as being so “great”, when they were called by God, did not look at themselves as being ‘great’. I often wonder, if I audibly heard the voice of the Lord as these men did, would I really argue with what He said to me? Who knows, or maybe it is because when you are so much in the presence of One who is perfect and whole, it would make you realize how imperfect and incomplete you are. Would I be like Isaiah and say,

“ Woe is me, for I am undone!
Because I am a man of unclean lips,
And I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips;
For my eyes have seen the King,
The LORD of hosts.”

I think I would probably be like Isaiah. But also like Isaiah, I would hope that in response to the Lords call, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?” I would respond, “Here am I! Send me.”

That verse in Isaiah 6:8, was actually one of the verses the Lord used to confirm my call here to Romania. I had asked the Lord to confirm His will for me through my daily reading….and I thought to myself “there is no way, I’m in the Old Testament, how is the Lord going to confirm His call for me to be a missionary out of Isaiah?” I don’t know what I was thinking, I opened up my Bible to my bookmark, on Isaiah 6, and was amazed as I read the first 8 verses. It is true that I am so unworthy to be used by the Lord, and often times, even now, I find myself going “wow Lord, are You sure You want to work through ME???” But He is so loving, He wants to work in and through each of us. The call is the same, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.”

So back to the Devo, what made those men, who doubted that the Lord could use them, such great men? They were obedient to the call, and more importantly the Lord was with them. We as Christians have the great commission. It is so important that we are obedient. We are ALL called to preach the gospel. That isn’t something just certain people are called to. The Lord may use us differently to do this, some are pastors, some teachers, some evangelists, and some share the gospel through personal relationships, one on one, in the work place, or with friends.

I have really been feeling such a burden to share the gospel more with people here in Romania. Everyone needs the good news. Sometimes we can get wrapped up in the “doing”, in being “good”. But as I have talked about before, it will make no difference, if we feed the poor, give them clothes, visit them in the hospital, if we do not ever share Jesus with them. If they go to Hell with a full stomach and clothes on their backs, what good is that? Just be open to the Lord’s commission on each of our lives, be obedient, look for opportunities to just talk about the Lord and what He has done in your life with those around you. The greatest sermon is the one you LIVE daily.

Be a light.

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