Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?” And I said, “Here am I. Send me!” Isaiah 6:8 (NIV)
Every believer is called to serve. People who tend to overanalyze Scripture can find a calling to follow Christ, and then a calling to serve, and then a calling to vocational ministry, and then a calling to missionary work, and then a calling to martyrdom. (Most of us stop looking after the second or third one). The reality is that there is only one calling: to follow Him. God gives every believer gifts and abilities that He will use to build His Kingdom (Romans 12; 1 Corinthians 12; Ephesians 4). God uniquely equips every believer to accomplish His purposes.
But, you might think, “I can’t teach like Perry. I can’t sing like Steve. I can’t look cool like Mike. I can’t type like Allen.” God is more concerned with our availability than our ability. God called Isaiah in this passage. Isaiah immediately came up with an excuse: “I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the LORD Almighty” (Isaiah 8:5). Basically, what Isaiah is saying here is that he is unworthy to serve. He is overwhelmed. He feels inadequate. Isaiah is expressing what everyone else feels when God calls. And, that’s the way that it should be.
As we make ourselves available to serve, we must learn to depend on God to work in us and through us. We can’t meet every need. We can’t solve every problem. We can’t perform a miracle. But, God can. Nothing is impossible with God. Many things are impossible for us.
Tomorrow is the big day, ServeFest 2010. Today, you might feel tired. You might feel a little apprehensive. You might even be thinking of backing out. God needs you tomorrow. I didn’t say “Perry” or “Brookwood” needs you. God needs you. As you give up your Saturday to inconvenience yourself to help others, you may just find that November 20, 2010 will be one of the best days of your year.
What are your fears or doubts right now? What caused you to sign up for ServeFest? Think about that for a minute. What do you hope that God might accomplish through you tomorrow?
Prayer: Father, I am giving myself to You. With all of the things that have come up this week, with all of the pressures I face, I am setting apart Saturday to serve You and to serve our community at ServeFest. I may not be sure of how much help I will be to someone, but I am making myself available to You. Use me as You will.
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Over the next 10 days, you will be receiving the devotionals that the pastors of Brookwood Church have prepared for ServeFest 2010. ServeFest is a community outreach that will take place on Saturday, November 20, 2010 in Greenville County, South Carolina. If you would like to participate in ServeFest, register here: brookwoodchurch.org/servefest
The devotionals following the Beatitudes series will resume on November 24, 2010.
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