Good day dear friends.
Here is our study guide for today:
Wednesday: Isaiah 4, 5, 6Isaiah 6, the story of Isaiah’s call is generally seen as the experience that shaped his ministry. What qualities in this experience would be especially significant in Isaiah’s thinking?
The ministry of Isaiah was forever shaped by this vision he had of God and God's heavenly court. As Isaiah is called into ministry, that of being a spokesperson for the Almighty, he gets to see God holy, exalted, and glorified. He sees the worship of God done by angels in their various rankings and order. This experience first made him realize how unclean and unworthy he was to go before God. His first thoughts were thoughts of death and how he deserved to die being now in the presence of pure holiness, but God, always merciful to those who admit their sin, has him cleansed. And it is after the cleansing that God asks who he can send to share His message and it is at that point that Isaiah says, "Here I am, send me!"
God continues to call people into the ministry. God uses several ways to do it, and many are called. I will always remember a night during the first month of my college years, when Dean Virgil Matthews, our sponsor for the preministerial association called all of us who happened to be "called" for a night together and at one point he said, "Take a good look around you. There are about thirty of you called by God into ministry, but only one or two of you will make it." I knew I was going to make it, not in arrogance, but in the certainty of my calling, but Dean Matthews was right. Maybe three of us that night actually went to seminary, finished, and then was ordained into God's ordained ministry. Isaish knew that whomever God calls, God will use, if that person is faithful in obeying, trusting and going as God directs. Isaiah knew that God would always be with him no matter what. Immediately Isaiah realizes the reality of his ministry would involve a very unpopular message to be shared and as a result people who not like him very much. But he was deeply loved by God.
Not everyone is called into ordained ministry, but all who love the Lord and have been baptized are called into ministry, that of sharing their faith story with others. People might not ever step foot inside a church, but as they live and work and play in your realm of influence, your actions may be the sermon that changes their lives forever. Love and trust God enough to say to someone today, "I love and trust God and God loves me. Do you want to know more?"
PRAYER: Loving God, I thank You for your love. As I go about my business or pleasure today, let me share Your love in my faith story. I know it doesn't have to be a verbal sermon, but let it be one that shares Your love. I ask this in Jesus' Name, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!
e.v.
Here is our study guide for today:
Wednesday: Isaiah 4, 5, 6Isaiah 6, the story of Isaiah’s call is generally seen as the experience that shaped his ministry. What qualities in this experience would be especially significant in Isaiah’s thinking?
The ministry of Isaiah was forever shaped by this vision he had of God and God's heavenly court. As Isaiah is called into ministry, that of being a spokesperson for the Almighty, he gets to see God holy, exalted, and glorified. He sees the worship of God done by angels in their various rankings and order. This experience first made him realize how unclean and unworthy he was to go before God. His first thoughts were thoughts of death and how he deserved to die being now in the presence of pure holiness, but God, always merciful to those who admit their sin, has him cleansed. And it is after the cleansing that God asks who he can send to share His message and it is at that point that Isaiah says, "Here I am, send me!"
God continues to call people into the ministry. God uses several ways to do it, and many are called. I will always remember a night during the first month of my college years, when Dean Virgil Matthews, our sponsor for the preministerial association called all of us who happened to be "called" for a night together and at one point he said, "Take a good look around you. There are about thirty of you called by God into ministry, but only one or two of you will make it." I knew I was going to make it, not in arrogance, but in the certainty of my calling, but Dean Matthews was right. Maybe three of us that night actually went to seminary, finished, and then was ordained into God's ordained ministry. Isaish knew that whomever God calls, God will use, if that person is faithful in obeying, trusting and going as God directs. Isaiah knew that God would always be with him no matter what. Immediately Isaiah realizes the reality of his ministry would involve a very unpopular message to be shared and as a result people who not like him very much. But he was deeply loved by God.
Not everyone is called into ordained ministry, but all who love the Lord and have been baptized are called into ministry, that of sharing their faith story with others. People might not ever step foot inside a church, but as they live and work and play in your realm of influence, your actions may be the sermon that changes their lives forever. Love and trust God enough to say to someone today, "I love and trust God and God loves me. Do you want to know more?"
PRAYER: Loving God, I thank You for your love. As I go about my business or pleasure today, let me share Your love in my faith story. I know it doesn't have to be a verbal sermon, but let it be one that shares Your love. I ask this in Jesus' Name, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!
e.v.
