I'm Available

When the prophet Isaiah had his vision of the glory of the Lord in the temple (Isaiah 6:1-8), he heard God asking who would take on the mission that he had.  Isaiah boldly proclaimed “Here am I. Send me!”  He is wonderful role model of how we can respond to the challenges that the Lord sends to us.

Often, however, it’s hard for us to know exactly what God wants us to do.  Very, very few of us have an experience like Isaiah’s, where the Lord speaks to us in a voice that’s impossible to ignore.  The life of discipleship for us more frequently involves trying to sense what God’s will is for us, or what mission he has in mind for us.  Over the years, I’ve had a number of people who have been so excited about the faith that they were eager to do anything for God.  But they didn’t know what God wanted them to do.  My advice was simple: tell God that you’re available, and he’ll give you a mission.  If you express your desire to serve, God will honor it.  Things will fall into place, usually in surprising ways, and you’ll find yourself making a difference in the name of Jesus Christ.  You may even find it so enjoyable and fulfilling that you wonder if it’s too easy.  That’s because you’re doing exactly what God has called you to do.

Since our special worship service on January 18, Old Union has been considering the theme verse that God has given to us:

“Encourage one another, and build each other up.” (1 Thessalonians 5:11)

This commission from the Lord is something that comes quite naturally to Old Union Church.  Many of us have had our lives and faith strengthened through the ministry of this church, and many of us have experienced the satisfaction of encouraging others.

Now that we understand the identity of our church, the next step is to figure out how to live it.  What can we do to encourage and build people up?  We do a decent job within our church family, but what about everyone else?  How can Old Union become a beacon of encouragement and up-building in our community?

To answer these questions, all we need to do is tell God, “I’m available.”  Old Union Church is available.  We’re ready and eager to serve God.  And then we watch.  We’ll discover people in our community who are discouraged, whose lives have been shattered.  Opportunities will fall in our lap to make difference in the lives of the hurting people of our community.  It won’t start with something heroic or splashy, but with simple, easy activity that will eventually develop into something that takes our breath away.

Please join me in telling God, “We’re available.  Old Union Church is ready to do what you want us to do.  Here we are.  Send us.”  Then watch to see what God will show us.