Jan. 14, 2004

Kidan

Moderator
[b said:
Quote[/b] ]I heard the voice of the Lord, saying: ’Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?’ Then I said, ’Here am I! Send me’
—Isaiah 6:8

Today's UTMOST

[b said:
Quote[/b] ]God did not direct His call to Isaiah—Isaiah overheard God saying, ". . . who will go for Us?" The call of God is not just for a select few but for everyone. Whether I hear God’s call or not depends on the condition of my ears, and exactly what I hear depends upon my spiritual attitude. "Many are called, but few are chosen" ( Matthew 22:14 ). That is, few prove that they are the chosen ones. The chosen ones are those who have come into a relationship with God through Jesus Christ and have had their spiritual condition changed and their ears opened. Then they hear "the voice of the Lord" continually asking, ". . . who will go for Us?" However, God doesn’t single out someone and say, "Now, you go." He did not force His will on Isaiah. Isaiah was in the presence of God, and he overheard the call. His response, performed in complete freedom, could only be to say, "Here am I! Send me."

Remove the thought from your mind of expecting God to come to force you or to plead with you. When our Lord called His disciples, He did it without irresistible pressure from the outside. The quiet, yet passionate, insistence of His "Follow Me" was spoken to men whose every sense was receptive (Matthew 4:19). If we will allow the Holy Spirit to bring us face to face with God, we too will hear what Isaiah heard-"the voice of the Lord." In perfect freedom we too will say, "Here am I! Send me."
 
Y'know, today's devotion kinda got me. It's something I had NEVER thought about. I always love when I find something new in the Bible.

Anyways, it makes a startingly reminder about the nature of calling. In today's society, we often here pastors talking about a 'calling' on our lives. In my denomination, their is a constant call for more ministers. They are constantly saying "Is God calling you to serve?" But we forget the difference between calling 2000 years ago, and calling today.

Today when I say 'calling' images of telephones dance across the mind. Because that's what we use to call with. And likewise, it brings images of directly connecting two people. Yet calling two thousand years ago wasn't a phone. It was a yell. When you called something, you yelled it. Anyone and everyone within the sound of your voice could hear.

It applies a new meaning to the saying 'many are called, but few chosen' Many hear the sound of God's voice as He calls for followers, but few make the decision to heed it.

It alsp applies a new meaning to the way we choose pastors. No longer can we say 'Well I don't have a calling on my life to be a pastor.' It's not a direct connection. God is asking "Who can we send to teach the Word to the people?"

We all are hearing, it's just so few of us listen.
 
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