Hello Sweet Friends,
Today’s Reading … Jeremiah 1-17
Jeremiah was a young and timid prophet, “’Alas, Sovereign Lord, I said, I do not know how to speak; I am too young’” (Jeremiah 1:6). Have you ever felt that way when God called you to action, under-qualified and inadequate? Me too! Jeremiah takes these insecurities to the Lord who responds, “I have put my hand on your mouth” (Jeremiah 1:9). This act shows us a clear reason that the Lord chose Jeremiah, even before his birth, to be His prophet to the people in the Southern Kingdom. Jeremiah did not waste time over thinking, hashing things out with a friend or hiding from the call of God. He went straight to God with his concerns and God was faithful to equip him for his ministry. Let’s stick that one in our pockets for the next time God calls us to action in a way that seems impossible. “He who called you is faithful and He will do it” (1 Thessalonians 5:24). We do not need to waste time trying to figure things out, we need to get to the One who will empower and equip us for His work.
Jeremiah hated the limelight. He loved the simple life. He wanted to live in the country but the Lord had work for him in the cities. Jeremiah had to chose between his desires and God’s will (What the Bible is All About). Another hurdle we face when God calls us to action is the tension between our desire and God’s will. This can be something big like a physical move or job change or it could be something small like choosing to serve others instead of ourselves. This brings up a question. Is there ever a situation in which God is not calling us to ministry? We tend to look at major life decisions as the time when God is calling us to action. I believe, however, that we are His workers on earth at all times. There is never a time that we should not be seeking His will over our desires. This sounds easy enough, until; we have a difficult family member pressing our buttons, a coach or teacher that is treating our child unfairly, a boss who has unrealistic expectations, we get cut of in traffic, the list goes on. In each of these moments we have an instantaneous choice to fulfill our desires or God’s will, to serve ourselves or to serve others. Ouch! I might be failing this one!
Today is a day for a perspective shift. We can ask the Holy Spirit to quicken our hearts in every area of our lives to choose God’s will over our desires and then to empower us to follow through. In the fleeting moments of our day, may we be aware enough to serve others instead of ourselves. This shift will allow us to respond to Isaiah’s call to “Keep God First.” We are His children, His ambassadors, His light to a broken world. Let’s shine brightly today!
Love you all,
Kinsee
“so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return empty, but accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it”(Isaiah 55:11).
