"Then 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!" Isaiah 6:8 NAS

Has the Lord asked you this question lately? Has He spoken to your heart a commissioned calling? Have you sensed Him tugging on your heart to serve Him in a particular area of ministry? We ought to always be ready and have a listening heart for His voice calling us into service for Him.

For the military services here in America we are required to sign up for Selective Services at the age of 18. We notify them of our information so that if the draft was to be enacted they would know how to get a hold of us incase we were needed for service. Of course that stops at a certain age and then we are no longer in the age bracket for service. When we became Christians we signed up for an eternal draft of the Lord's army.

We are soldiers for the Lord and we know He has won the battle and victory belongs to Him. When we first give our lives to the Lord, it is like we signed up for a spiritual draft. It is not a matter of if, rather a matter of when we will be called into service. The Lord is always asking the question, "Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?" He gave all Christians the calling to go out and spread the gospel of Jesus Christ (Matt. 28:20). There are no closet Christians here in this army.

Some may be desk Christians so to speak and some may be soldiers out directly in the battle winning souls for the victory of Christ Jesus our Lord. Have you thought about your calling in Christ? A while back we looked at the gifts of the Spirit (Rom. 12) that have been given to us. Each of us has been given one gift (1 Tim 4:14, 1 Peter 4:10). The Lord will call us to employ that gift for His glory. Likely He may use your gift harmoniously along side of someone else’s gift to accomplish the same goal: To see the lost come to Christ.

The question is, are you ready to answer the call. Are you ready to stop laying on the beach and jump into the ocean for His glory? Are you ready to say, "Here am I. Send me!”? Sometimes we sit too long in the church chairs or pews. Some times we get too comfortable in corporate Christianity and need a dose of village Christianity. What is your calling for the Lord? Have you ever asked Him how He is going to use you for the day ahead? I encourage you to ask Him to use you mightily today for His glory.

I know that sometimes we hear the call and we don't respond. When we hear the call we might even question the calling. We might say, "Was that really what God said?" It is vital to listen when He speaks. Years ago I remember the Lord speaking to my heart to share the gospel with my Grandfather who was getting the Alzheimer's disease. I put it off for he was over 2000 miles away. He spoke to me again the same message. I had still put it off. I am really not sure why. Most likely because I thought he would reject Jesus.

Then the day came when he had a stroke and the Alzheimer's disease became worse and he could really not comprehend much anymore. My Dad would mention how he would get frustrated with taking things apart and not be able to get them back together again. We are talking about an old Bell Laboratories (which was the research and development division of AT&T) engineer who helped in the design of the fiber optics we use around the world today. I missed out on the time to share the gospel -the good news of Jesus Christ. Who knows the outcome that may have come from listening to that prompting of God.

I had struggled with that for a while. A. W. Tozer says, "Listen to the promptings of God, for you may not have the same opportunity again." This is so true, so listen for Him to speak to your heart, "Whom shall I send..." Also ask the question, "What do I desire to do for the Lord. What would bring me the greatest pleasure in serving Him?" It sure doesn't mean it will be easy whatever it is, but the Lord will bless you with something you love. Ask Him today -don't hesitate. He already knows what your calling is and He wants to give us the desires of our hearts. His will always equals our best interests.

If He speaks to you something, then write it down and date it. Pray about it and trust that He will bring it to pass in and through you. Whether you are called to be a pastor or just to share the gospel with someone at a bus stop, the important thing is to respond. Respond with availability for His use and glory to His kingdom. Tell the Lord today, "Here am I. Send me!" Tell our precious Lord that you will serve Him in what ever He calls you to. Ask Him to send someone to you so that you may minister the love of Jesus to that person. Tell the Lord, "Here am I. Send me!"

-Father we ask you right now to use us. Use us for your glory and honor. Give us the strength to step up to the calling you have on our lives. Open our hearts to listen and hear what you would speak to us and most of all Lord we make ourselves available to you for the calling you have placed upon us. Let us be faithful, available and teachable always for your glory. We love you Lord and want your will for our lives and that might mean it comes with great cost. Strengthen us and build us up for your use Lord in the darkness of this world. Let us shine the light of Jesus. Amen

In His Service,
Adam