How many of us pray, "Here I am, Lord, use me?" Now really be honest; how many mean it? If God said, "Wonderful, now go serve Me in homeless shelters and retirement homes," would you do it? If God asked you to go overseas on a mission trip, would you quickly pack your bags? Not so easy to literally answer the call, is it? The harvest being "truly great" means the whole world is our mission field. Schools, workplaces, grocery stores, and the Internet are all places we can witness to people. But what about spending time with the homeless, incarcerated, and mentally ill? What about telling the homosexuals their lifestyles are wrong, but non-judgmentally tell them that God loves them and wants to see them repent, change their sinful ways, and come to His Kingdom? Are we willing to be bold for Christ and go against the popular opinion? Would you travel to Africa (or other countries) and risk your life to witness to the starving people whose lives are terrorized by war?
Here's the truth: God will not call you to a place you are unwilling to go. What He will do is soften your heart and gently try to encourage you to go where He needs you to serve. God is a gentleman; He will not make you go anywhere you feel uncomfortable. If you really have zero desire to go overseas, chances are that is not where God wants you to go. We are not all called to be missionaries in foreign countries. We can and should minister right where we live. I am very shy. Therefore, it is not likely God will call me to public speaking. However, I can write for the few that read my blogs as well as serve dinners for the homeless and work with children. I can show the love of Christ to co-workers and even strangers. However, If God did call me to a more outspoken ministry, I am certain He would gift me with boldness. My husband has been involved in street ministries in New Orleans during Marti Gras as well as ministering on the streets of Kansas City, MO and Little Rock, AR. He is also a gifted pastor and preaches bold sermons.
Ministry does not have to involve money. At the moment, I am not able to bless others monetarily, but I would if I could. What I can give is my time.
Therefore said He unto them, "The harvest is truly great, but the laborers are few: pray ye the Lord of the harvest, that He would send forth laborers into His harvest." Luke 10:2
There are many examples in the bible where God called His children, and they answered the call. I am not using myself as an example to follow, but these Godly saints. Here are just a few:
When Mary was called to be the mother of Jesus Christ, it is easy to assume she was terrified. Yet, she said, "Behold the handmaiden of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word." (Luke 1:38) She had one of the greatest responsibilities in the world, and yet she said was willing to serve. She did not question the reality of a virgin becoming pregnant with the Son of God. Her faith was truly great as she was quick to be willing to serve God.
In Mark 1:16-20, Jesus meets Simon (Peter) and Andrew, and asks them to follow him. Verse 18 says, "straightaway they forsook their nets, and followed Him." Then Jesus meets James and John. When Jesus asks them to join, verse 20 says, "they left their father... and went after Him." In Mark 2:13-14, Jesus calls Levi (Matthew) who, when Jesus asked Him to follow, Matthew "arose and followed Him." Notice there was no hesitation in these first five disciples that were called.
In Exodus 3, God dramatically calls to Moses from a bush that is on fire but does not burn. When God says, "Moses, Moses," he says, "Here am I," but then argues with God that he is not worthy to serve God due to being poor of speech. Perhaps he was shy or stuttered, we don't know. What we do know is that although God was angry with Moses' impertinence, He agrees to send Moses' brother Aaron as his mouthpiece. God chose Moses (as He chose all before and after) because God sees a broken vessel willing to be used by and for God. God would not take no for an answer, and reminded Moses that He would be with His servant and Moses would be more capable than he could ever imagine. God knew Moses was the right man for the job not just to go before Pharaoh to demand he free the Hebrew slaves, but also to be the leader of those he helped escape from Egypt.
Also consider the prophets that were willing to prophecy even after being badly mistreated: Elijah, Elisha, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, (etc.) as well as Paul, Silas, Peter, and Barnabas (etc.). They were all willing to answer the call even though they did not all see their predictions come to fruition in their lifetime.
There are so many others I could name that willingly said, "Here I am Lord, use me," such as Samuel, David, and John the Baptist, (etc.) in some form or another, but for the sake of time, I will move on.
God does not demand perfection. What He expects is one who is willing to be obedient not only to what he/she is called to do, but to follow the laws of Jesus Christ. No matter how willing you may be to serve, God wants vessels that are clean inside and out.
And the Lord said unto them, "Now do ye make clean the outside of the cup and the platter, but your inward part is full of ravening and wickedness? Ye fools, did not He make that which is without make that which is within also?" Luke 11:39-40
In other words, wearing a three-piece suit and sporting an expensive haircut are not requirements for serving the Lord. Having the lifestyle to back up the words you want to preach is much more important. I have many flaws, but if I try to tell you not to cheat on your spouse while lusting after a man not my husband (which I would never, ever do), I am merely a hypocrite and have no place writing a blog. Why do you think the false "grace for everything without repentance" message is so popular? Sadly, it is because so many that stand behind the pulpit are into pornography and other habitual sins of which they do not want to let go. We must clean up our act before serving the Lord. And not just by our moral actions, but by our attitude. Don't walk into a homeless shelter and sit at a table with them and witness about the love of Christ than walk outside and insult the people inside. Most of us are all one or two paychecks away from being in the same situation, so please do not judge them for losing their homes. Do not go into the inner cities if you cannot love your fellow man no matter what color his skin is.
Don't minister with a condemning heart, but with a heart of compassion and a goal as a healer, not a criticizer. I see my job as attempting to lead people down paths of repentance while making a daily choice to continue down the roads of righteousness based on the teachings of Jesus, not based in the teachings of Julie or anyone else. I want people to understand God's grace and salvation are free, but we still need to keep our garments clean less we fall away and wind up in Hell. (Backsliding away from salvation is in the Bible, readers, these are not my theories.) I want to see my fellow man in heaven worshipping at the feet of their Maker, not tormented by flames.
If your goals have anything to do with fame or money, then shame on you! Serving God is all about bringing glory to God. We should want to decrease so God can increase. When I pray that God would empty me of me and fill me with Him, I am sincere in my prayers. I do not want to shed the light on what I have done, but on the Love of God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit. Obviously, if you are behind a pulpit, you will receive a lot of attention. If you publish books or end up on the radio, or television you may get some semblance of fame. As long as you use your notoriety for God's kingdom and do not heap riches on yourselves as the television evangelists do, God very well may bless your life with wealth. But keep the focus off yourself and keep your ego in check. Give glory where glory is due. It is difficult for me to put it into words so this paragraph makes sense, but I think it's pretty obvious there are lines that can be crossed when we preach, write, or serve just to get attention and make ourselves look holy.
If you are willing to answer the call to be a servant of Christ, serve God with a pure heart, pure motivations, and pure lifestyle. Whatever your motivation is to serve, God knows your heart, always keep that in mind.
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