By Pequitte Schwerin
“Have no fear before the, because I am with you to deliver says
the Lord. See I place my words in your
mouth! This day I set you over nations
and over kingdoms, to root up and to tear down, to destroy and to demolish, to
build and to plant.”
Jeremiah 1:8-9
“My mouth shall proclaim your just deeds, day after day your acts
of deliverance, though I cannot number them all. I will speak of the mighty works of the Lord;
O God, I will tell of your singular justice.” Psalm
71:15-16
“Some seed fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked
it. But some seed fell on rich soil, and
produced fruit, a hundred or sixty or thirtyfold. Whoever has ears ought to hear.” Mt 13:1-9
Piety
”While you
were busy trying to prove God stands behind you, God was before me lighting the
trail, so he could lead us both.” ― Shannon L. Alder
God formed us and knows for what
particular services and purposes he intended us. Unless we are sanctified us by
the Holy Spirit, we can't serve on earth, nor partake of happiness in heaven.
We can't think too highly of ourselves, nor venture beyond our powers. Even
though we have a humble sense of our own weaknesses and insufficiencies, we
should not draw back when God calls us.
Study
Jeremiah was frightened that he would
not be able to persuade the people to change from their evil ways. Jeremiah supported King Josiah and his pious
ways, but when the king died old idolatries returned. Jeremiah suffered arrest, imprisonment, and
public disgrace trying to lead the people into repentance for over 40 years to
no avail. For all his work as a prophet
he was exiled and martyred.
Remember God's covenant with Moses,
helping him speak the words to lead the Israelites out of bondage. Brother Aaron ended up doing the
talking. And then there was Jonah tasked
with delivering the ultimatum to the Ninevites to repent or suffer the
consequences. He spent three days in the
belly of a fish for his reluctance to carry out God's commands.
How many of us are eager to be public
speakers? I know I get butterflies in my stomach and feel my heart racing when I stand before a podium; even when I'm a lector
and have prepared all week. Kevin James
was the superintendent fire Marshall during the 9/11 attack in New York. He had struggled with his deficiency of
public speaking and called this struggle his personal “jihad” (which in Islam
really means struggle or effort, not the holy war most of us think it
means). He was in a position with the
authority to make a difference. Mr.
James overcame this deficit with the help of God, and he wrote and spoke
extensively about fire hazards, especially the dangers of fires caused by
smoking. Doubtless he saved many lives!
When our fears get the best of us, we
forget that God will always be with us and has placed his laws within us and
written it on our hearts.
Action
Why do we always fear we are not
enough, can't speak well enough to convince, afraid to trust that God will be
with us? Call on the Lord when you find
yourself in a challenging position outside your comfort zone. He will always be there. Where will you sow the words and speak the
Good News?
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