Faithful and Willing

Are you willing for God to use your life overseas? Are you willing to sacrifice everything for the sake of the gospel? Are you willing to lose your life for the name of Christ?

I would like to be able to tell you that I am willing, however, I have not yet been placed in any of those circumstances. I do recognize, however, that I have a lot to learn about sacrifice...especially being an American, I have the potential to accomplish and obtain things that others around the world cannot, simply because of where they live.

God has given me an enormous amount of opportunity, but with that comes tremendous responsibility. I can swear to you up and down that I am fully willing to go overseas, but I think back to Isaiah, when he had the vision of God in chapter 6.

Within this chapter God gives Isaiah a vision of Himself sitting on His throne in heaven. He is so big that the very train of His robe filled the whole temple.

Isaiah 6:1-8 says, "In the year of King Uzziah's death I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, lofty and exalted, with the train of His robe filling the temple. Seraphim stood above Him, each having six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. And one called out to another and said, 'Holy, Holy, Holy, is the LORD of hosts, the whole earth is full of His glory.' And the foundations of the thresholds trembled at the voice of him who called out, while the temple was filling with smoke. Then I said, 'Woe is me, for I am ruined! Because I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips; For my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts.'

Then one of the seraphim flew to me with a burning coal in his hand, which he had taken from the altar with tongs. He touched my mouth with it and said, 'Behold, this has touched your lips; and your iniquity is taken away and your sin is forgiven.' 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 was willing to be commissioned by God to go out to His people. However, notice that before the Lord asked, "Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?" Isaiah had to be found faithful.

By seeing God as He is, Holy, Isaiah finally began giving God the reverence that He is due. God's holiness revealed to the prophet his infinitesimal nature compared to God and even his own sinfulness against God.

As I look over my life and think about many of the choices I make, whether to be obedient to God or not, I am confronted with this passage of Scripture. I may be 100% willing to go, but if I am not being faithful in public and in private, then why would God begin opening doors? Why would He call me into service if I am not obedient right here right now?

You see, God wants every one of us to come to a point where we acknowledge His holiness and our sinfulness. He doesn't, however, just want us to recognize our sinful condition, but He wants us to turn from it at the very moment in which God reveals it to us, as He did in the case of Isaiah.

Isaiah saw his sin and immediately turned away from it and focused his attention upon the Lord. God saw his heart, forgave him, and made him clean. Because Isaiah was now in a purified state, he was ready for service.

God alone is the Omniscient One. God alone has all knowledge, thus He has every answer that I am seeking. I need to come before Him in humble submission seeking His will for my life. Everyday I find myself praying and asking God to reveal to me more of His will for my life. When He doesn't answer, it is not because He didn't hear me. It could be one of two reasons: either there is something wrong in me and my heart is not right, or He knows that I simply don't need to know it all at this specific moment in time. God is faithful and He will always supply all of my needs.

The Lord is excited when we are willing to be used by Him, but He looks for a faithful heart to start. God has a purpose for each one of us, but as we are waiting we need to live in obedience to God and trust in His Word, knowing that He has not forgotten us, but is preparing us for the service of which He has chosen.

You can be willing and not be faithful, but you cannot be faithful without being willing!