A
thought by John Ortberg (2016-05-01) from his book, What Is God's Will for My Life? (p. 23). Tyndale House Publishers,
Inc.. Kindle Edition. (Click
on the title of the book to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.)
John says, “In
the Bible, when God calls someone to do something, no one responds by saying, ‘I’m
ready.’” We do that too don’t we?
.
He shares some of their excuses, “Too
inarticulate, too weak, too old, too young, too sinful, too dangerous, too
rich, too poor, too much baggage.” He then says, “No one ever says, ‘Okay, Lord —
I feel ready.’ And God says to us what he has always said: ‘Ready or not
. . .’”
John then puts it
right where we live, “Feeling ready is
highly overrated. God isn’t looking for readiness; he’s looking for
obedience.” That is what He wants from us.
He gives an
illustration, “When God brought the people of Israel into the Promised Land, he
had them step into the Jordan first, then he parted the river. If they had
waited for proof, they’d be standing on the banks still.”
And so many
of us are still standing on the banks with our excuses.
John quotes Pastor
Craig Groeschel who put God’s determination to use us like this: “If you’re not
dead, you’re not done.”
John says, “Abraham
tries to say no because he’s too old. Timothy tries to say no because he’s too
young. Esther tries to say no because she’s the wrong gender. Moses tries to
say no because he has the wrong gifts. Gideon tries to say no because he’s from
the wrong tribe. Elijah tries to say no because he has the wrong enemy. Jonah
tries to say no because he’s being sent to the wrong city. Paul tries to say no
because he has the wrong background. God keeps saying, ‘Go, go. You go.’
Sometimes it takes a while for God’s promises to be fulfilled. But if you’re
not dead, that’s the clue you’re not done.”
And if you read the rest of the stories of these people from the Bible you will find that God really used then when they finally said yes. God has a
plan for each of us and it will only happen when we say yes.
So do you have a reason why your still standing on the shore?
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