The Lord is calling each of us to report for duty to carry out The Great Commission. If you don’t think God can use you, just remember: “Eve was deceived * Adam went along * Noah was a drunk * Abraham was too old * Sarah laughed at God * Isaac was a daydreamer * Jacob was a liar * Joseph was abused * Moses stuttered * Gideon was afraid * Sampson was a womanizer * Rehab was a prostitute * Jeremiah was too young * David had an affair and was a murderer * Elijah was suicidal * Isaiah preached naked * Jonah ran from God * Job went bankrupt * John the Baptist ate bugs * Peter denied Christ * the Disciples fell asleep while praying * Martha worried about everything * the Samaritan woman was divorced * Zaccheus was too small * Paul persecuted the church * Timothy had an ulcer * and Lazarus was dead.” Carey Scott – CareyScott.org
“Jesus didn’t choose the most qualified, the most successful, or those who had it all together; rather, He chose those who made themselves available to Him. He didn’t choose ability; He chose availability. Our failures become our authority once we learn the lessons of the failure. Peter’s denial of Jesus ultimately led to him being the leader of the early church.” Os Hillman, todaygodisfirst.com
“Christ says ‘Give me all. I don’t want so much of your time and so much of your money and so much of your work: I want YOU. I have not come to torment your natural self, but to kill it. No half-measures are any good. I don’t want to cut off a branch here and a branch there, I want to have the whole tree down. I don’t want to drill the tooth, or crown it, or stop it, but to have it out.
Hand over the whole natural self, all the desires which you think innocent as well as the ones you think wicked—the whole outfit. I will give you a new self instead. In fact, I will give you Myself: My own will shall become yours.’” C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity
So our Lord is not seeking golden or silver vessels, but vessels who will submit to the will of the Father. It is a life to so surrendered to Him that the name of the sovereign, living God of the universe will be glorified through our lives. But it requires that we die to self so we can live for Christ. We must become emptied of all else so we can be filled with the Holy Spirit, equipped by the Word and empowered to reach the world with His love and truth.
“This means no matter what age we are, young or old, we can live these days with great purpose and intention, for He has something in mind to accomplish in and through each of us in every season of our lives. It means life is never over. Never. We have stepped into the stream of eternal life where we live real life with Jesus from now on into forever in heaven.” Catherine Martin, The Calling
Our Lord wants to touch lives in and through each of us in the place where He has us living for the time that He has us on earth, until He takes us home to heaven. So let us reach out to those who come across our path with the love and truth of Christ, for time is short, eternity is a very long time, and we are not guaranteed tomorrow.
To God be the glory
Board of Evangelism