Church Goes Out 3

Jeremiah 1:7-8

A family friend of ours had a job at a steel mill. He worked there for years and years, but he told me that whenever someone at the job asked him a question he would explain that he was a new hire and didn’t know anything. It was his way of getting out of any responsibility.

Unfortunately, so many Christians take the same attitude when it comes to their faith. So many people claim that they cannot do this or that, or they just don’t know how to do something. Someone else should do it.

It’s nothing new. The prophet Jeremiah provides an account of his call into the ministry. God told him that God had made him to be a prophet before he was even in the womb, but Jeremiah claimed that he was unable to speak. Jeremiah said that he was only a child.

What does God command? What promise does God make?

There is no denying that doing the work of God has great rewards and benefits. And I am not talking about our heavenly reward. When we share the love of God with others, when we help the needy, when we save the lost, there is a tremendous joy of knowing that we have been an instrument in the hands of God.

But there is also no denying that when we are called to do the work of God it can be very frightening. We are often asked to step outside of our comfort zone and do what we have never done before. It can be intimidating.

But what we must remember is that when we are called to do the ministry of the Lord we are not alone in our work. Just as Jeremiah had the promise of God’s presence, we also have that promise. God will be with us when we serve Him. He will not leave us vulnerable.

Like Jeremiah each one of us has been formed by the Lord, and God knows the work He has planned for us. He will set us to doing the work that He has designed us to do. And He will be with us in our efforts. He will rescue us from harm. He will strengthen us in our labors.

What we must do is trust in God. And when we have learned to trust, then we must step forward and dare to serve God.

DAILY CHALLENGE: Where is God calling you to serve Him?