Isaiah 6:5-8

“Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, ‘Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?’ And I said, ‘Here am I; send me!’” vs. 8

Initially Isaiah had been terrified to be in the presence of the Lord–the vision was too much for someone so undeserving. He was unclean–like everyone else he knew. But then, purely as a gift of God, he had been cleansed–he had been made clean, and it totally changed his perspective. When he heard that there was an opportunity for a mission, he couldn’t contain himself and instantly volunteered. Like Isaiah many of us have a strong sense of our own unworthiness. Some have been carrying around that negative self-image since childhood. For one reason or another, sometimes a messed-up religious experience, we think of ourselves as being morally bankrupt or a miserable failure, not fit to be in the holy presence of God. But the truth is that God doesn’t see us that way. In the eyes of God we have been purified–every one of us. We’ve all had the burning coal of God’s grace applied to our lips. So there’s really no good reason of any kind for us to hold back when we hear or see that there’s a need for mission or service! Like Isaiah, we can jump up and down with our hand in the air saying, “Lord, pick me! I want to go!” And when that happens, and we are sent, quite obviously our lives will be changed forever! And it’s all a gift of God–whether we deserve it or not!

Thought for the Day: My best volunteer experience!