Daily devotion – Decision time?
Answering the Call of God: Stepping Up
2 Peter 3:11–12
“Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness, Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God.”
Just lately, has God been challenging you to examine His Word more deeply concerning His will for your life and His Church, in these last of the Last Days!
Are you prepared to step into deeper waters when it comes to proclaiming the Word of God in an unbelieving world? Are we, as the Church, prepared to stand firmly for biblical truth in a generation where so many churches are buckling, compromising, and becoming increasingly reluctant to answer God’s call fully?
Sadly, unscriptural thinking and worldly living have gradually seeped into the Church. The pressure from the world and Satan to conform is enormous. We are encouraged to compromise so that we might be considered ‘tolerant, loving and relevant’. But are we remaining faithful to what God has actually called us to be?
The prophet Isaiah’s experience speaks powerfully to me today:
Isaiah 6:5
“Woe is me, for I am undone!
Because I am a man of unclean lips,
And I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips;
For my eyes have seen the King,
The LORD of hosts.”
When Isaiah saw the holiness of God, he first recognised his own unworthiness and the sinful condition of the people among whom he lived.
As I read this account, I am reminded that before we can answer God’s call, we must first allow Him to deal with our own hearts. We cannot effectively proclaim His truth while being unwilling to be corrected, cleansed and made right before Him.
Notice what happened next:
Isaiah 6:6–8
“Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a live coal which he had taken with the tongs from the altar. And he touched my mouth with it, and said:
‘Behold, this has touched your lips;
Your iniquity is taken away,
And your sin purged.’
Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying:
‘Whom shall I send,
And who will go for Us?’
Then I said, ‘Here am I! Send me.’”
What a response! Isaiah did not hesitate when he heard the call of God. Having been cleansed, he was prepared to be sent.
But notice that God’s commission was not an easy one. Isaiah was being sent to a people who would hear but not understand, see but not perceive.
Isaiah 6:9–10
“And He said, ‘Go, and tell this people:
“Keep on hearing, but do not understand;
Keep on seeing, but do not perceive.”
Make the heart of this people dull,
And their ears heavy,
And shut their eyes;
Lest they see with their eyes,
And hear with their ears,
And understand with their heart,
And return and be healed.’”
Isaiah was called to faithfully proclaim God’s message, regardless of how the people responded.
I believe this is a challenge for us today. We must not measure our faithfulness by how popular our message is, how acceptable it is to the world, or how many people agree with us. Our responsibility is to remain obedient to God’s Word.
I must step up and be obedient!
And the Church of Jesus Christ must make a choice too. Will we hear God’s voice? Will our hearts remain dull to His calling, or will we understand the times in which we are living and be part of God’s moving in these Last Days?
May our response be the same as Isaiah’s:
“Here am I! Send me.”