According to researchers James Petterson and Peter Kim
in their book, The Day America Told the Truth:
What People Really Believe about Everything that Really Matters, God is
alive and well. But fewer people are listening to what He has to say than ever
before. While 90 percent of those questioned by the authors said they believe
in God, few turn to Him when they face a moral issue. If Petterson and
Kim are right -- and other research results confirm America's spiritual drift
-- then it's no wonder that those willing to do right often seem few and
maligned.
Talking to yourself isn't always a sign of old age. In this day and
time it may be the only way to be sure someone is listening.
-- Mature Living, April 1994, p. 46.
Isaiah 49:1
(KJS) Listen, O isles, unto me; and hearken, ye people, from far; The LORD
hath called me from the womb; from the bowels of my mother hath he made
mention of my name. 2 And he hath made my mouth like a sharp sword; in the
shadow of his hand hath he hid me, and made me a polished shaft; in his
quiver hath he hid me;3 And said unto me, Thou [art] my servant, O
Israel, in whom I will be glorified.
4 Then I said, I have laboured in vain, I have spent my strength for nought,
and in vain: [yet] surely my judgment [is] with the LORD, and my work with
my God. 5 And now, saith the LORD that formed me from the womb [to
be] his servant, to bring Jacob again to him, Though Israel be not gathered,
yet shall I be glorious in the eyes of the LORD, and my God shall be my
strength. 6 And he said, It
is a light thing that thou shouldest be my servant to raise up the tribes of
Jacob, and to restore the preserved of Israel: I will also give thee for a
light to the Gentiles, that thou mayest be my salvation unto the end of the
earth.
What
does the Lord want you to hear?
What Did Isaiah
Say?
1.
The
Lord has called me. He has
spoken your name while you were in your mother’s womb.
He created you, knows you, and has called you.
He knows all there is to know about you, yet he has called your name.
How could he call your name? He
is the Lord and chooses who he will.
2.
The
Lord has hid me in his quiver. He
has made you his own servant. How
has he made you his own? He has
bought you with a price and you are now his.
You are not your own because you have been bought with a price.
3.
The
Lord has sent or shot me like an arrow – my mouth is like a sharp sword.
He has a purpose and plan for your life.
You are placed in his quiver for a reason.
We are not here to just take up space.
Then
the Lord Said:
4.
The
Lord has said you are my servant in whom I will be glorified.
Do we glorify him? Do
we make him look good? How can
God be glorified in us? By our
humble obedience to him. Even
though it may seem that we aren’t very successful.
Then
I said:
5.
It
seems my labor is in vain, but I will leave my reward in God’s hands.
Even though it may seem that my work is in vain, I will leave my
reward in his hands.
A couple of years ago, the Associated Press released a study done by an
agricultural school in Iowa. It
reported that production of 100 bushels of corn from one acre of land, in
addition to the many hours of the farmer's labor, required 4,000,000 pounds of
water, 6,800 pounds of oxygen, 5,200 pounds of carbon, 160 pounds of nitrogen,
125 pounds of potassium, 75 pounds of yellow sulphur, and other elements too
numerous to list. In addition to
these things, which no man can produce, rain and sunshine at the right time
are critical. It was estimated
that only 5% of the produce of a farm can be attributed to the efforts of man. If we were honest, we'd have to admit that the same is true
in producing spiritual fruit.
6.
I
will be glorious in the eyes of the Lord.
Isn’t he the one who really counts anyway.
7.
The
Lord is my strength.
Then
the Lord said unto me: It
is an easy thing to bring back the people of God. But I want to send you to be my light and my salvation.
8.
The
Lord has made you his light to those who are really in the dark.
How can we shine for the Lord in a
world of darkness?
9.
The Lord has made you his salvation for all those who are lost.
You may be the last chance for some to
come to know the Lord. This is God’s purpose for us in this life.
Jesus said as the Father has sent me, so send I you.
Are
you listening to the Lord?