No More Excuses! (Isaiah 66) Jeremiah 1; Matthew 3

May the mumbling commence!

The call of the Lord in our lives begins before we are even born.  Will we answer that call sometime in our lives, or will we find excuses to deny that call?  Read from Jeremiah chapter one:

The Lord gave me a message. He said, "I knew you before I formed you in your mother's womb. Before you were born I set you apart and appointed you as my spokesman to the world." 

"O Sovereign Lord," I said, "I can't speak for you! I'm too young!" 

"Don't say that," the Lord replied, "for you must go wherever I send you and say whatever I tell you.  And don't be afraid of the people, for I will be with you and take care of you. I, the Lord, have spoken!" 

Then the Lord touched my mouth and said, "See, I have put my words in your mouth!  Today I appoint you to stand up against nations and kingdoms. You are to uproot some and tear them down, to destroy and overthrow them. You are to build others up and plant them." (Verses 4-10)

We are representatives of the Lord.  What a huge task!  We might say we are too young or too old.  We might say that we cannot speak well in front of people.  We might say that we do not have the gifts of leadership.  But these excuses do not change the fact that the Lord has called us.  The Lord has chosen us.

Let’s go where God sends us and say what God tells us.  Let’s leave fear behind and trust in the Lord to take care of us.  When we accept this call, we can do great things… affecting nations and kingdoms… because God’s got our back.

Let’s seek to fulfill all the righteousness of the Lord, just as Jesus did before he began his earthly ministry.  Read from Matthew chapter three:

Then Jesus went from Galilee to the Jordan River to be baptized by John.  But John didn't want to baptize him. "I am the one who needs to be baptized by you," he said, "so why are you coming to me?" 

But Jesus said, "It must be done, because we must do everything that is right." So then John baptized him. 

After his baptism, as Jesus came up out of the water, the heavens were opened and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and settling on him.  And a voice from heaven said, "This is my beloved Son, and I am fully pleased with him." (Verses 13-17)

Yes, this is the way to fully please God.

Let’s do it.

Enough mumbling for now…

Peace Out