Here am I; send me!

As we journey through life, what molds and shapes us? Yes, it is Jesus... but how? What does He use or do to rid us of ourselves? Oh, maybe the Word, maybe prayer and praise? Certainly those play a part, but do we consider the challenges of life? What about those who have spoken evil, envied us, which led to hate and defilement? Those who went behind our backs and worked tirelessly to bring us down? Are we willing to submit to any means that our God permits? Jesus succumbed to the cross because of envy, strife, and hatred! Should we become angry, unjust, and mean, failing to understand that “all things work together for those who love God and are called according to His purpose,” Romans 8:28-29. We should be anchored in our Lord to the degree that we are willing to leave the highest mountain top for the most grievous and hard place known to man. Moses missed the promise of the promised land due to anger and frustration; he struck the rock, Numbers 20:11-12. The Christian theme song has seemingly been “we shall not... we shall not be moved.” Know this, my life is not my life, Galatians 2:20. Will we acknowledge the Lord's total authority over us and be Isaiah for a moment? Isaiah 6:8. A rarity happened in the life of Martyn Lloyd-Jones when he resigned as the assistant chief of staff at St. Bartholomew’s Hospital in London to follow the Lord's call and eventually became pastor of Westminster in London. Someone said to him, “Dr. Jones, you have given up everything,” to which he replied, “I have given up nothing to gain it all.” Another major occurrence happened when young William Borden gave up his massive inheritance to become a missionary to China. He died in Egypt before arriving at his destination. What will we give up to gain all? Matthew 19:16-22. My calling as a pastor/preacher was never intended to make me liked by all or to climb the ladder of ministry success! Success is spelled “obedience.” May we choose to obey without understanding, trying to figure out the reason or the cost. Here am I; send me!