Tag: Isaiah 49:1

Posted in Christian Service, Easter, Life Inspiration

He’s Singin’ Our Song!

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Isaiah 49:1-6
The Servants Song – a Holy Week Message

 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. 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; And said unto me, Thou art my servant, O Israel, in whom I will be glorified. 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.  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.  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.

He’s Singin’ our Song!

When Jesus sings you a song, you really should come to the concert! This is the second of four servant songs in the book of Isaiah. You’ll find the others in 42:1–9; 50:4–11; 52:13–53:12). It struck a chord in my heart because it’s sung to me specifically. “Listen, O isles” refers to the Gentiles. That’s us! We were called the isles of the gentiles in Genesis 10:5 ~  By these were the isles of the Gentiles divided in their lands; every one after his tongue, after their families, in their nations. So here in the book of Isaiah we find God singing us a song of redemption because even then He knew that the Jews, His chosen, would reject Him (Then I said, I have laboured in vain,). How heart wrenching a statement if that were the end of the story. But the end of the story didn’t come until Calvary when He became a light to the Gentiles and His servant’s song is continually sung through the Church that we now serve.

He Saved us to Serve

Here we are in the midst of Holy Week, the week that changed the world forever and I see so many unchanged. I’m even guilty myself. We’re called to be the light of Christ for the world but deed there are times that I don’t feel much brighter than a small candle flame in a dark house. I fail God daily and most churches are far from lighting the path to Calvary, but rather they illuminate the rights of Christians, focusing far more on the fact that our sins are covered than on Whose blood it was that covered our sins. We’ve also forgotten that we’re called to serve.

From the womb Jesus knew He was God, and the purpose for which He was being born was to die in our place. And I fully believe that in the recesses of our minds is our own calling from the time we are conceived. Jeremiah 1:5 (one of my favorite verses) says ~ Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.

You can choose to ignore Jesus’ song and His reminder that you’re called to serve, or you can experience the greatest opportunity in life which is to light the pathway for souls to Heaven. Have a blessed week!

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A Lesson in Leadership

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2 Timothy 3:14

But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them;

As the Pastor of our church gave his departing message yesterday morning my heart was divided. Although I was glad that the Lord was allowing him to move on to new and exciting places, he had played such a pivotal role in who I was as a Christian. In 1996 he pierced me with the words of Christ and I gave my heart to Jesus. He then didn’t just turn me loose to ride with the wind, he and many others discipled me into servitude so that I would become a leader in the ministry. Humbling…

As he spoke on 2 Timothy 3:14 I reminisced over the past 17 years of my life under his ministry and was grateful for the lessons I’d learned. I will continue on! I’ll lead as I’ve been lead…

Leaders are not Entertainers

Although I love to laugh and have a great time in the ministry if that laughter does not edify your soul I’m nothing more than an entertainer. I’ve witnessed dozens of speakers who I would love to orate as well as, but when they were finished orating I wasn’t moved with compassion or inspired to do great things for the Lord, I was entertained.

When Paul healed a man and the excited crowd wanted to do obeisance to him as if he was a man of great power, Paul quickly pointed them back in the right direction. Acts 14:15 – And saying, Sirs, why do ye these things? We also are men of like passions with you, and preach unto you that ye should turn from these vanities unto the living God, which made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and all things that are therein:

When speaking or teaching before people everything we say and do should point back to Savior. It should never be about us, it should be about Him! Encourager… not entertainer.

Leaders lead through Experience

I was not born a leader. As a matter of fact I was born a stray-er. I was that one that the Shepherd had to seek after that strayed away from the flock. Likely lured off by something shiny! It was through experience, trial and error and sometimes trial and error again that I have managed to be recognized as a leader in the congregation of the Lord. And I don’t say that trivially. As a friend said to me recently, experience isn’t always the best teacher, it’s sometimes the only one we’ll listen too. Were it not for the grace of Almighty God, and His interventions to get me to this place, under the ministry of these people, I’d still be straying. But instead He has allowed me through the education of experience to be able to point people to Christ. Who would have ever thought that the “directionally challenged” me would be put in such a position? Only God can do that!

Leaders lend an Ear

Isaiah 49:1

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.

From a small child I heard God calling my name, but unlike Isaiah I wasn’t in tune with the Holy Spirit enough to understand what God was doing in my life. It wasn’t until years and years later that I look back on those times and realize that God called me for such a time as this. I’m still learning to listen. Not only to God but to those that I lead. I have a tendency to run ahead and in so doing I sometimes miss what’s been said. I inadvertently offended a co-worker not too long ago by getting out of the car and walking ahead of them, rather than waiting until everyone walked in together. I live with the mission of Point “A” to point “B”. Let’s get where we’re going! I often lead that way too, wanting to get to where we’re going without slowing down along the way to listen to someone along the journey. I’m learning to slow down, it’s a hard lesson. But a worthy one.

I hope today finds you encouraged! God Bless You!