Tag Archives: here am i send me

February 16, 2022 · 5:51 AM

Being A Servant

A friend of mine sent me a passage from a book called “Celebration of Discipline, Special Anniversary Edition: The Path To Spiritual Growth” by Richard J. Foster. In it, the author discusses the difference between choosing to serve and choosing to be a servant. When I read that, my first thought was, “Isn’t that really the same thing?” However, as I read it, it’s clear they are two different things. A person who chooses to serve picks the person, the time and place. We are in charge during serving, but when we choose to be a servant, we give all that up. We give up the right to choose who, when, where and how. We don’t have a problem serving. We have a problem being servants.

In Isaiah 6, he says that in the year King Uzziah died, he saw the Lord. God was sitting on the throne and the train of His robes filled the Temple. When Isaiah saw that, he felt the holiness of God and immediately saw his sin. Am angel brought a piece of coal to cleanse his lips. Then God spoke up. Verse 8 says, “Then I heard the Lord asking, ‘Whom should I send as a messenger to this people? Who will go for us?’ I said, ‘Here I am. Send me’” (NLT). God then sent Isaiah. He told him exactly what to say and who to tell it to. Isaiah chose to be a servant in this instance. He put himself in a place to be God’s servant.

When you look at the start of that chapter, it really helps us see how what the difference is between serving and being a servant. When we are a servant, God is on the throne of our life and we are at His mercy for what He wants to do. It’s the equivalent of getting out of the driver’s seat and letting Him drive. When we serve, we are still on the throne of our life and in the driver’s seat making the decisions. We may seek His guidance on where to serve, what to say and who to help, but we still have the option to decline. God is looking for people who will choose to be servants, submitting themselves to Him. Have you been serving God or have you truly given up your rights? If you’re looking to get to that next level in your walk with God, get off the throne and let God sit there. You will find true freedom, a closer relationship with God and fully fulfill your calling.

Photo by Greg Weaver on Unsplash

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July 7, 2016 · 5:48 AM

Volunteering


At work, I’ll often ask for a volunteer without saying what it’s for. Sometimes someone will ask, “What does the volunteer have to do?” Other times, someone will say, “He will do it!” Everyone laughs because the person they pointed to usually isn’t paying attention. Other times, if not one raises their hand, I’ll just pick someone and say, “You just got volun-told.” But the best is when someone simply says, “Hey, I’ll do it!” Sometimes the assignment is difficult, but other times I take it easy on them because they’re the only one to volunteer.

In Isaiah 6, Isaiah was taken to Heaven where he saw the Lord and His train filled the temple. After Isaiah saw the Lord, he felt the guilt of His sins. An angel flew over to him carrying a live coal from the altar, touched his lips with it, and said, “Now your guilt is removed, and your sins are forgiven.” It was then that God asked for a volunteer. Verse 8 says, “Then I heard the Lord asking, “Whom should I send as a messenger to this people? Who will go for us?” (NLT)

Isaiah didn’t hesitate. He said, “Here I am. Send me.” He didn’t look around to see if anyone else was going to raise their hand first. He didn’t look at the ground trying to avoid eye contact. He didn’t even think an angel might be more qualified than him. He simply volunteered because God needed someone. I don’t know if he was scared or second guessed himself. I often wonder what I would have done in that situation though. Would I have been so quick to raise my hand?

Today, God’s call for messengers still goes out. He’s still looking for volunteers to carry His message of love and hope to a desperate world. Are we willing to say, “Here I am. Send me”? Are we willing to volunteer to show His love to the least of these around us? He’s not always asking us to go around the world. Often times He’s asking us to go across the street. That doesn’t require a passport or hundreds of dollars. It simply requires you to volunteer. When God asks, “Whom shall I send,” what will you do?

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November 4, 2014 · 7:05 AM

Not “It”!

I remember playing chasing games as a kid. To determine who was “it”, we would all say, “Not it,” and the last one to say it was “it”. If we didn’t like the outcome, we’d try it again. “1-2-3- not it!” At the dinner table, the person who had to pray was the last one to the table and had their thumb up with their hand resting on the table. We’d rush to the kitchen to sit down and have our thumb up so we wouldn’t be “it”. So much of our lives we rush and do our best to not be “it”. When something needs to be done, we’d rather that someone else do it rather than us volunteer for it.

In Isaiah 6, he speaks of going to Heaven and seeing The Lord. When he realized what was happening, he panicked. He realized he was unworthy to be there. During his panic, an angel flew to him with a burning coal from the altar and touched his lips. The angel said, “See, this coal has touched your lips. Now your guilt is removed, and you sins are forgiven.” Just then he heard The Lord ask, “Whom should I send as a messenger to this people? Who will go for us?” Instead of saying, “Not it,” or putting his thumb up, Isaiah said, “Here I am. Send me.”

He volunteered for a job that many of us have tried to get out of most of our lives. We use the excuse that we are not qualified to go on His behalf. But all through scripture, God uses the least qualified. He likes to use the least qualified because it makes the outcome that much greater of a testimony to His ability. We also use the excuse of, “I’m not perfect” or “I have too many sins to be used by God.” That’s what was happening to Isaiah when the angel came and removed his sins. God doesn’t need someone perfect to carry out His plan, He needs someone willing.

When you look at the imperfect people that God did the most amazing things through, it shows He can use anyone. Moses had a low self esteem and anger issues, yet he delivered Israel from Egypt. David committed adultery and murder, yet he is the most famous King of Israel and wrote most of Psalms. Peter was impulsive and ran his mouth too much, yet Jesus told him that he would be the cornerstone for the Church. Paul persecuted Christians and killed them, yet God used him to win thousands and to write most of the New Testament. There’s no excuse we can give as to why God can’t use us. It comes down to agreeing to say, “Yes. Here am I.”

You don’t have to be afraid of what God has called you to do. You don’t have to worry about failure. Even if you fail doing what God asks, you are successful in His eyes because you stepped out in faith. Failure is the greatest stepping stone to success and obedience is the greatest stepping stone to miracles. God is looking for the person who relishes being last to get their thumb up and will volunteer to say, “It!” Isaiah did and God used him in a mighty way. Who knows what God can accomplish through all of your imperfections. My guess is it will be nothing short of amazing.

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