Has A Heart Willing To Serve God

A HERO’S TALE

Imagine, for a moment, that a local coach is recruiting you to play your favorite sport on his team. Excitedly, you agree. Then he tells you, “Okay, I’m going to be honest with you: people will laugh at you and even hate you for being on this team. Most of your teammates will ignore what I tell them. And you’re probably going to lose most of your games.”

Would you still play for that team? No way!

Well, that’s basically what happened to Isaiah. When God called Isaiah to be his prophet to Judah, he gave him an incredibly difficult mission: Isaiah was to warn Judah that it would be destroyed if the people didn’t repent of their wickedness and turn back to God. But then God told Isaiah something strange: “Harden the hearts of these people. Plug their ears and shut their eyes” (Isaiah 6:10). When Isaiah asked how long he was to preach this message, God responded, “Until their towns are empty, their houses are deserted, and the whole country is a wasteland” (Isaiah 6:11).

In other words, before Isaiah even started, God told him that his mission would ultimately fail. People would reject him and Babylon would eventually conquer Judah, but Isaiah was to keep preaching this message until the bitter end.

Not exactly a pep talk, huh? Nevertheless, here’s how Isaiah responded: “Here I am. Send me” (Isaiah 6:8).

DECODING THE MESSAGE

We don’t always jump up and respond enthusiastically when asked to do something difficult or unpleasant, do we? Think about your reactions to your parents when they say,

“Please clean your room.”
“Take out the trash.”
“Go scrub the bathrooms.”

Sometimes, we drag our feet, make excuses, or just plain don’t obey.

But Isaiah is a great example of having a willing heart to serve God. Isaiah’s task wasn’t easy or even enjoyable, but he still responded with enthusiasm when God called him.

God calls all his children to serve him somehow. What is God calling you to do? It could be something as simple as obeying your parents better or being kinder to others. Or it could be something much tougher, like being a missionary.

I HEARD THE LORD ASKING, “WHOM SHOULD I SEND AS A MESSENGER TO THIS PEOPLE? WHO WILL GO FOR US?” I SAID, “HERE I AM. SEND ME.”

—Isaiah 6:8

Whatever it is, honor God by having a willing heart to serve him. Say to him, “Here I am. Send me.”

BATTLE PLAN

God may reveal your mission soon. Or you may have to wait awhile. Either way, pray for a heart that’s willing to serve him.

Has A Heart Willing To Serve God