“Here I Am! Send Me.”
The prophet Isaiah describes an incredible vision that God gave him in Isaiah 6. He saw the Lord on a throne with angelic beasts flying around crying, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory!” (Isaiah 6:3 NIV)
An angelic being then came to Isaiah, took a burning coal and touched his mouth with it to show the removal of his guilt and the forgiveness of his sin. (Isaiah 6:7) That’s when Isaiah heard the voice of the Lord, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” (Isaiah 6:8)
Isaiah responded willingly and said, “Here I am! Send me.”
When Jesus came to earth He had an effect on people similar to the one God had on Isaiah. Many people who came face to face with Jesus were forever changed. He forgave their sins, removed their guilt, and healed their bodies. And when Jesus called His disciples, they willingly followed Him. When He sent them out to minister, they promptly went.
And before ascending into heaven, Jesus said, “go into all the world and make disciples.” His desire was that as His disciples lived their lives, they would tell people about Him and teach others everything He said. (Matthew 28:18-20)
What does this mean for us?
God might call some of us to go out into different parts of the world, and He might call others to stay where they are and become teachers, leaders, pastors, mothers, fathers, creatives, business owners, farmers, and active members of their local communities.
So in what ways do you need to say “yes” to God’s call today? What daily opportunities do you have to tell people about Jesus? Regardless of what you do or who you are, each of us can say, “Here I am! Send me.”
The Mission of God
All of our lives are spent on something.
Most people spend their days focused on growing a family, building a career, or amassing possessions. While none of those things are necessarily wrong, they can become distractions from our ultimate goal in life.
In the book of Acts, we see Paul’s transformation in Christ. As a result of meeting Jesus and being changed by His grace, Paul spends the rest of his life preaching the good news of Jesus.
For Paul, God’s grace and salvation were so great that nothing on this earth could compare to doing His work.
Paul said that nothing in his life mattered as much as telling others about God’s grace. His goal in life was to finish his own race well by faithfully accomplishing as much of the mission of God as possible:
"However, I consider my life worth nothing to me; my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the good news of God's grace."
Acts 20:24 NIV
The mission of ...