What does it look like to be obedient to God at all times?
What would it look like to always place your “yes” upon His altar?
Isaiah tells us that he saw a most spectacular vision of God, and just the vision of God on His throne with the end of His robe filling up the temple had Isaiah falling down on his face and saying: “God, I will do whatever you ask of me.”
There are great examples of those who have heard God’s call and simply answered “Whatever you ask God.” But there are other examples we find in the Bible as well:
We see Moses say something along the lines of: “God, I have a bunch of excuses for You, but even if you can give me some great reasons as to why those excuses aren’t valid, please don’t ask me to do it. Find someone else. I don’t care if I’m the perfect person. I don’t care. Just don’t ask me.” Have you ever felt like that?
We find Jonah’s attitude to be: “God has asked me to do something. I ain’t gonna. I’m skipping town. I’m going to go the exact opposite way that God told me to go.” Have you ever been that disobedient? Jonah eventually goes and is obedient (after being vomited out on the shore covered with the stomach contents of some great fish), but he obeys with anger and he is upset over the outcome of God’s kindness to people he doesn’t like.
Who are you going to be like when God calls you? Awestruck Isaiah? Willing Joseph or Mary (see my earlier post by clicking here? Reluctant Moses? Rebellious Jonah?
God still has the same call to each of us: “Who will go for Us, and whom shall I send?”
I’m not talking about overseas missions. I’m not talking about going to a nation like Nineveh nor preaching repentance to an unreached people group in the wilds of the jungle. I’m not talking about going to a king like Pharaoh and trying to talk to heads of state about Jesus. Those things all scare us. Certainly, if that is what God calls you to do, then I hope you will answer that call, knowing that He will give you the ability to be obedient. But what I am talking about is that the call on your life is to be a missionary all the time to the people right around you.
You are to be on mission for God all the time. Wherever you are going to work today – as an employer, as an employee, as a student, as a retiree going to drink coffee with some friends – Wherever you have been placed by life’s circumstances, your choices, and God’s sovereign hand – you are to be on mission for Him.
You are to be the messenger of God for those that you are around. You are to say “Yes” to God every time he asks you to be obedient.