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"Then I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, 'Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?' Then I said, 'Here am I. Send me!'" (Isaiah 6:8)
What was the most difficult thing you ever had to say to someone, beloved? For a lot of us it was two little words: "I'm sorry." For others perhaps the toughest words to get out are: "Will you marry me?" For still others, those in supervisory positions, it might be: "You're fired."
But for Isaiah the toughest words he ever spoke came about as the result of something he had just admitted about his own life. You see, when he first was given a vision of the glory of God filling the temple and the angels crying "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts!" his response was to acknowledge his own sinfulness and that of the people of Israel.
"Woe is me, for I am ruined! Because I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts" (Isaiah 6:5)
It is tough enough for us to admit that we are sinners, beloved, and so very easy for us to forego any willingness to serve the Lord because of our utter unworthiness. What is so amazing and so very much indicative of the depth of God's grace is that of the very one who had just acknowledged his sinfulness before Him, God asked the question: "Whom shall I send? Who will go for Us?" How could holy God possibly want sinful people such as we are to represent Him in this lost world and carry His message to its people? Yet that is precisely what He does again and again!
So there you have it, beloved! And still for so many who have been touched by God's grace and who know the sweetness of forgiveness and of peace that passes all understanding, it is for some unknown reason yet a struggle to say as Isaiah said: "Here am I. Send me!"
So what are we missing here? There is yet in this passage one other declaration that makes all the difference for us. One of the seraphim in Isaiah's vision took a coal from the altar with tongs and said to him as he touched his lips with the hot coal:
"Behold, this has touched your lips; and your iniquity is taken away, and your sin is forgiven" (Isaiah 6:7)
Between our realization of our utter sinfulness and God's seeking for a messenger, beloved, stands His amazing grace, ever willing to take the coal from the altar of His holiness and purge us without and within. Cleansed, forgiven, restored, ready to serve and now those 5 tough words are made easy. In fact, they become the only possible natural response to God's grace in our lives!
HERE I AM, LORD! SEND ME! And He will, beloved, He will. He will send you to those in your life who need His love and mercy just as you do. And He will give you the opportunity and the courage to speak His love into their lives just as that love has been spoken into yours. All you have to do is be willing to go. "Here am I. Send me!" The toughest 5 words you can't help but speak!
Ron
Thursday, October 27, 2011
Thursday, October 20, 2011
Busted and Glad of It!
"The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, Thou wilt not despise" (Psalm 51:17)
I have enjoyed just recently perhaps one of the most wonderful weeks of my life, beloved! Let me explain. This week we had the privilege of having our son, Jerry, with us from Virginia and also having him preach revival services at the church that I am privileged to serve as interim pastor. One evening my wife was able to leave her mom in someone else' care and be present for the service. I cannot tell you how much I enjoyed watching her watch him as he stood in the pulpit and boldly proclaimed God's Word!
During one of those messages this week Jerry used an unusual word to describe the concept of being "contrite," admittedly not a word with which many Christians associate contrition. Speaking with the heart of a true youth pastor, he told us that to be contrite in spirit is to know that you are "busted" before God. His point was simply that until we can admit to ourselves and especially to God that we are truly spiritually bankrupt, genuine repentance cannot take place, not to mention any real ministry in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Did you know that Isaiah the prophet admitted himself to being spiritually "busted" in his own life? Oh, he didn't use that exact word, but he used a Hebrew word that means much the same thing. Listen to what he said of himself on the occasion of seeing the glory of God filling the temple:
"Then I said, 'Woe is me, for I am ruined! Because I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts'" (Isaiah 6:5)
Not only did Isaiah, arguably Israel's greatest prophet, declare himself to be "busted," but he then declared that the whole nation of Israel was as well! And just why did he conclude that all of them were so spiritually bereft? Because he had seen the glory of Holy God and his own sinful reflection mirrored in that holiness.
But that's what being "busted" is all about, beloved. As long as we are looking anywhere else - at the pastor, at the next door neighbor, at the girl whose desk is across from ours - we will never come to really understand what it means to be "contrite" of spirit. Only when we take a long searching look at Holy God and see ourselves reflected in His glory will we say with Isaiah, "I am ruined!"
Believe it or not, being "busted" is a great place to be, beloved! Once you are there and know that you are there, you are in the one and only spot where the Holy Spirit of God can take what's left of you and make you into what He wants and needs for you to be - a true subject of God's kingdom and servant for the Lord Jesus Christ.
I don't know about you, then, but as for me I am truly "busted" and glad of it!
Ron
I have enjoyed just recently perhaps one of the most wonderful weeks of my life, beloved! Let me explain. This week we had the privilege of having our son, Jerry, with us from Virginia and also having him preach revival services at the church that I am privileged to serve as interim pastor. One evening my wife was able to leave her mom in someone else' care and be present for the service. I cannot tell you how much I enjoyed watching her watch him as he stood in the pulpit and boldly proclaimed God's Word!
During one of those messages this week Jerry used an unusual word to describe the concept of being "contrite," admittedly not a word with which many Christians associate contrition. Speaking with the heart of a true youth pastor, he told us that to be contrite in spirit is to know that you are "busted" before God. His point was simply that until we can admit to ourselves and especially to God that we are truly spiritually bankrupt, genuine repentance cannot take place, not to mention any real ministry in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Did you know that Isaiah the prophet admitted himself to being spiritually "busted" in his own life? Oh, he didn't use that exact word, but he used a Hebrew word that means much the same thing. Listen to what he said of himself on the occasion of seeing the glory of God filling the temple:
"Then I said, 'Woe is me, for I am ruined! Because I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts'" (Isaiah 6:5)
Not only did Isaiah, arguably Israel's greatest prophet, declare himself to be "busted," but he then declared that the whole nation of Israel was as well! And just why did he conclude that all of them were so spiritually bereft? Because he had seen the glory of Holy God and his own sinful reflection mirrored in that holiness.
But that's what being "busted" is all about, beloved. As long as we are looking anywhere else - at the pastor, at the next door neighbor, at the girl whose desk is across from ours - we will never come to really understand what it means to be "contrite" of spirit. Only when we take a long searching look at Holy God and see ourselves reflected in His glory will we say with Isaiah, "I am ruined!"
Believe it or not, being "busted" is a great place to be, beloved! Once you are there and know that you are there, you are in the one and only spot where the Holy Spirit of God can take what's left of you and make you into what He wants and needs for you to be - a true subject of God's kingdom and servant for the Lord Jesus Christ.
I don't know about you, then, but as for me I am truly "busted" and glad of it!
Ron
Thursday, October 13, 2011
Spirit-prompted or Obligated?
"If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit" (Galatians 5:25)
Have you ever noticed how strong a force is our sense of "obligation," beloved? Just take a moment and think about how much you do each day just because you are under obligation to do so. Is obligation a bad thing? Not at all! We go to work each day because we are obligated to do so, we pay taxes because we are obligated to do so, we drive according to the laws of the road (well, most do!) once again because we are obligated to do so. So obligation is not in and of itself a bad motivation, is it?
But what role should obligation play in one's spiritual life? How much of what we do as Christians is merely out of a sense of obligation? Do you recall, for example, what the Apostle Paul wrote about our giving unto the Lord?
"Each one must do just as he has purposed in his heart, not grudgingly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver" (2 Corinthians 9:7)
Paul made it clear that mere "compulsion" should not be a primary factor in what we give unto the Lord but rather that which we "purpose" in our hearts out of our love for and commitment to Jesus Christ. And that same apostle also made it clear what our motivation ought to be spiritually when it comes to daily living. Because we "live" by the Spirit - because of His regenerating work in our hearts - we ought also to "walk" or conduct our daily living by the Spirit. In other words, we do what we do and say what we say as a result of His inner prompting in our lives.
I recall hearing an illustration once of the difference between being Spirit-prompted in our living and merely feeling a sense of religious obligation. The speaker likened this contrast to operating an automobile. He said that living as a Christian out of a sense of obligation, no matter how well-intentioned, is like pushing a car from behind. From the front everything looks normal, but in reality the car will only continue to move forward as long as it is being pushed. The moment we stop pushing, the car stops moving. By contrast, to be Spirit-prompted in life is to start the engine, engage the transmission, press down the accelerator and steer the car as it runs under the power for which it was designed to operate. That is the Christian life, beloved! We were "designed to operate" by the power of the living God through the Holy Spirit who indwells us!
Obligation certainly has its place and every believer knows that we are certainly obligated to God for all that we are and have. But to be Spirit-prompted in our living is simply God's choice for us. Are you walking by the Spirit, beloved?
Ron
Have you ever noticed how strong a force is our sense of "obligation," beloved? Just take a moment and think about how much you do each day just because you are under obligation to do so. Is obligation a bad thing? Not at all! We go to work each day because we are obligated to do so, we pay taxes because we are obligated to do so, we drive according to the laws of the road (well, most do!) once again because we are obligated to do so. So obligation is not in and of itself a bad motivation, is it?
But what role should obligation play in one's spiritual life? How much of what we do as Christians is merely out of a sense of obligation? Do you recall, for example, what the Apostle Paul wrote about our giving unto the Lord?
"Each one must do just as he has purposed in his heart, not grudgingly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver" (2 Corinthians 9:7)
Paul made it clear that mere "compulsion" should not be a primary factor in what we give unto the Lord but rather that which we "purpose" in our hearts out of our love for and commitment to Jesus Christ. And that same apostle also made it clear what our motivation ought to be spiritually when it comes to daily living. Because we "live" by the Spirit - because of His regenerating work in our hearts - we ought also to "walk" or conduct our daily living by the Spirit. In other words, we do what we do and say what we say as a result of His inner prompting in our lives.
I recall hearing an illustration once of the difference between being Spirit-prompted in our living and merely feeling a sense of religious obligation. The speaker likened this contrast to operating an automobile. He said that living as a Christian out of a sense of obligation, no matter how well-intentioned, is like pushing a car from behind. From the front everything looks normal, but in reality the car will only continue to move forward as long as it is being pushed. The moment we stop pushing, the car stops moving. By contrast, to be Spirit-prompted in life is to start the engine, engage the transmission, press down the accelerator and steer the car as it runs under the power for which it was designed to operate. That is the Christian life, beloved! We were "designed to operate" by the power of the living God through the Holy Spirit who indwells us!
Obligation certainly has its place and every believer knows that we are certainly obligated to God for all that we are and have. But to be Spirit-prompted in our living is simply God's choice for us. Are you walking by the Spirit, beloved?
Ron
Thursday, October 6, 2011
Weary in Well-Doing
"Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary" (Galatians 6:9)
Have you ever been just plain "bone-tired," beloved? I know that I have! You know the feeling: achy joints, sore muscles, a mind wearied by thinking your way through the events of the day. Those are days when nothing feels any better than to collapse into my recliner and kick back for a nap!
It is infinitely possible as well for us as Christians to become "weary in well doing" as the King James Version puts it. Here the term translated "weary" is the Greek word ekkakeo which means "turn out to be bad." The sense of the word here is that of becoming fainthearted or wanting to give up. I personally prefer the meaning given here by the New American Standard translation: "lose heart." Whatever your preference in translation, however, clearly this is a word with which every true believer has become intimately acquainted at one time or another!
The term "grow weary" is from the Greek word ekluo which means "loose out of" or "set free from" in the sense of just plain giving up. Both words, then, carry the idea of becoming weary in service and cashing in as a result. Unfortunately, sometimes the problem with us is not that of becoming weary in serving the Lord at all. As Dr. John MacArthur has said: "Sometimes, of course, the problem is not spiritual weariness but spiritual laziness, becoming weary from doing nothing rather than from 'doing good.'"
When we as Christians are faithful in serving the Lord, even when and especially on those occasions when we become weary in doing so, we have God's wonderful assurance that our efforts shall reap a divine harvest if only we won't give up. Now the timing may not be to our liking at all, as the term "in due time" reveals. "Due time" is always God's time, beloved, and we must never lose sight of that. When we determine to hold on and remain faithful, God determines that we shall reap His harvest.
Are you right now "weary in well-doing"? Then may I encourage you in the Lord to keep right on staying the course! Keep right on working, serving, and even sacrificing. God is not unaware of your service and He is fully aware of your circumstances. The goal is reachable and the harvest is guaranteed. Let us not lose heart! God bless you as you stay the course!
Ron
Have you ever been just plain "bone-tired," beloved? I know that I have! You know the feeling: achy joints, sore muscles, a mind wearied by thinking your way through the events of the day. Those are days when nothing feels any better than to collapse into my recliner and kick back for a nap!
It is infinitely possible as well for us as Christians to become "weary in well doing" as the King James Version puts it. Here the term translated "weary" is the Greek word ekkakeo which means "turn out to be bad." The sense of the word here is that of becoming fainthearted or wanting to give up. I personally prefer the meaning given here by the New American Standard translation: "lose heart." Whatever your preference in translation, however, clearly this is a word with which every true believer has become intimately acquainted at one time or another!
The term "grow weary" is from the Greek word ekluo which means "loose out of" or "set free from" in the sense of just plain giving up. Both words, then, carry the idea of becoming weary in service and cashing in as a result. Unfortunately, sometimes the problem with us is not that of becoming weary in serving the Lord at all. As Dr. John MacArthur has said: "Sometimes, of course, the problem is not spiritual weariness but spiritual laziness, becoming weary from doing nothing rather than from 'doing good.'"
When we as Christians are faithful in serving the Lord, even when and especially on those occasions when we become weary in doing so, we have God's wonderful assurance that our efforts shall reap a divine harvest if only we won't give up. Now the timing may not be to our liking at all, as the term "in due time" reveals. "Due time" is always God's time, beloved, and we must never lose sight of that. When we determine to hold on and remain faithful, God determines that we shall reap His harvest.
Are you right now "weary in well-doing"? Then may I encourage you in the Lord to keep right on staying the course! Keep right on working, serving, and even sacrificing. God is not unaware of your service and He is fully aware of your circumstances. The goal is reachable and the harvest is guaranteed. Let us not lose heart! God bless you as you stay the course!
Ron
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