Monday, July 17, 2006
ISAIAH (READY)
Isaiah 6: 5, 7, 8: "Woe is me!" . . . "Your iniquity is taken away!" . . . "Here am I! Send me!"
"I'm ready, Dad!" chirped my little, ragamuffin boy. I had my doubts. I turned from my computer to look him over. What a sight! His shirt was inside out and backwards. His shorts didn't match. One sock was six inches longer than the other. To top it off, a shock of his auburn air was sticking straight up in the middle of his head. Ready? Not even close!
What about you? Are you ready to serve the Lord? Are we ready to step forward, raise our hand, and say, "Here I am, Lord! Send me!"? "Yes, we're ready!" comes our confident reply.
Wait! How can a man like me and a person like you be ready to enlist in God's service? Look at us! We're quite the sight! Our motives in serving don't always match what the LORD is looking for. Instead of humility, pride often sticks up all over us. (Why don't more people in my church serve as faithfully as me?) Instead of love for others, we turn it backwards and inside out. (Why don't people in my church appreciate me more? Why don't they treat me better?) Instead of full-size trust in the power of the Gospel, frustration is often the "big sock", while optimistic confidence in God's Word is the "little sock". (I share God's Word with so many people, but it never does any good.)
A close and honest look at myself in the mirror of God's law forces me to agree with Isaiah: "Woe is me!" Me? Ready to serve? Not even close!
Wait again! God can get us ready! He gets us ready by touching our unclean lips and hearts with His grace. Through word, water, bread and wine, He brings His precious Gospel to us ragamuffin sinners. He forgives us and renews us. He loves us and equips us to serve by His Spirit. He then smiles as we raise our hand to say, "Here am I! Send me." He blesses our sharing of His wonderful message of a crucified and risen Savior! Ready? Not by ourselves! With God? Always!
