Here Am I, Send Me

By: William Schneider

Isaiah 6:8

Genesis 22:1-3

"Oh, that I could dedicate my all to God. This is all the return I can make Him." - David Brainerd

            As a volunteer firefighter I wanted to touch on how the commitment that firefighters have to their community should be similar to the commitment that we Christians should have to God. Let us take a look at the routine of a firefighter first. To be a successful firefighter there are a lot of elements, but most of all you need to be dedicated. A firefighter must be willing to go, do and give his time, strength and abilities.

           

            When a firefighter is fast asleep at two in the morning and his pager goes off it startles him awake. Then he must automatically and instantly awake, get dressed and begin his pursuit to the incident he was called too. At times he may know exactly what the call is and where he is going to, but other times he has no idea as to what he is going to encounter or what is going to be needed of him when he arrives. The same is true when we are called by God. We don’t always know what He wants of us right away. Through the unknown and known, even when there is much hard work to be done, the firefighter is faithful and as he rises from the comfortable bed to serve the community he is saying, “Here am I, send me.”

            In the same way as the firefighter says, “I will go, do and give whatever it takes of me,” we too need say to God when He calls us to serve Him. Sometimes we think, “What would I say to God if He called me to do something for Him?” The reality of the situation is that God will call you to serve Him and you need to be ready and willing to say, “Here am I, send me,” just as Isaiah did. We often get called out of our comfort zones to serve the Lord and we should be able to instantly say, “Yes” to Him out of faith, love and trust.

            I bet there is something in your life right now that you feel God could maybe be calling you to do. Pray about this situation. Talk to some godly friends about it. Stay deep in God’s word because this is the most likely place that God is going to talk to you. Look at what God has done for you on the cross… now go… do… what God is asking you to do for Him!

Point to Ponder: When was the last time you said, “Here am I Lord, I will do whatever you ask of me?”

                        Are you going to answer like this the next time?

A Followers Fellowship

By: Dan Cole

Psalm 105:3-4

Jeremiah 29:12-14

“Human fellowship can go to great lengths, but not all the way. Fellowship with God can go to all lengths.” – Oswald Chambers

            How many of us are isolationists in our ways of dealing with troubles in our lives? Do we try to solve our problems, fight temptation, and grow stronger on our own, by our own strength and will? We say we believe in God, yet we fail to have fellowship with Him. We say Jesus is our savior but we refuse to take the time to get to know and communicate with Him. When we face trials, temptations, and times of weakness we fail, because we have no fellowship with God and are forced to rely on our own insignificant strength. Do we fail at relying on God because of ignorance of our own weakness, or is it our ignorance of God’s strength? If we simply took the time to get to know and grow closer to God, our Savior, we would have all the help we need to last through all trials and temptations with rejoicing and joy.

            So what things in our lives replace fellowship with God? Is it facebook, sports, work, movies, TV, or even friends? What, based on the time we spend, is more important to us than time with God? How would we react if they were all taken away? A man, imprisoned because of his faith, spent a year in solitary confinement. He had no interactions with anyone, nothing to take up his time, all he had was food slid into his dark cell once a day. After he was released, people asked him about his experience, most likely imagining the horrors such a year would mean to someone. His reply to their questions…. “It was like a honeymoon with Jesus.”

Point to Ponder: How long would you last with God as your only companion? Would that year have been torture or a honeymoon for you?