( Two Parts )

Part 1...

...I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me. Isaiah 6:8

We've all experienced it: we see something happening and instantly think, "Somebody ought to do something!" It's usually the first thought we have, while looking around to see who is available, because what we REALLY mean is

Somebody [Else] Ought To...

Now to myself, I am just me, and all the folks around me are those "somebodies". It's always a relief to see Somebody already at work, but there are those times when there's NOBODY but ourselves and we have a decision to make, quickly: "Will I go?"

It's not unusual to see news stories on tv or in the paper where someone needed help, but all the people stood around, waiting for SOMEBODY [else] to do something. Often we hear of a SOMEBODY who plunges into the danger and pulls a victim to safety. Conversely, we also hear of times when there is no one willing to go and those who could have been saved, perish.

Nowhere is this truer than in our lives as Christians. In John 4:35, Jesus said, I say unto you, Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest. He told His disciples in Matthew 9:37, The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few. I venture, there's not a day passes by that we, as Christians, don't see or hear of someone who needs the Lord in their life; someone who could use an encouraging word; someone who needs fervent prayer. Sure, we are truly stirred when we hear what is going on in the life of someone, but then we sit back and say, "Well, SOMEBODY ought to ..." SOMEBODY ELSE, of course. We rarely, if ever, see ourselves as that SOMEBODY.

We wait on the pastor to do it--after all, "he's the one in charge". We wait on the evangelist--he's the visitor and doesn't have to "live in these parts". We wait on the deacons, Sunday School teachers, whoever, just so long as it is somebody other than us.

You know, when God called Moses to lead the children of Israel, ole' Moses came up with one excuse after another, didn't he? (See Exodus, Chapters 3 and 4.) And we're still trying to use them today!

Who Am I? (Exodus 3:11)

Don't we, today, ask, "Who am I to go and do this?" Yet, God is STILL the SAME GOD that He was when He called out to Moses from that burning bush and said, "I will be with thee!" He goes before us to make the way. He opens doors no man can open and shuts doors no man can shut. He makes a way where there seems to be none! So here's the answer to the "Who am I?" question, the next time it comes up: "I am the one who God has called to do His bidding!" Let me tell you, don't worry about the field, don't worry about the equipment, don't worry about the fertilizer, don't worry about the team, just Take Hold Of The Plow! Whomever God calls, He also equips.

Says Who? (Exodus 3:13)

Moses asked God, "Who shall I say has sent me?" God gave Moses the Answer of Answers: And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you. Exodus 3:14.

Have you ever encountered someone who tried to use an authority they didn't have? They looked awfully foolish when it was discovered that they were all bluster and bluff, didn't they? Ole' Sveca and his seven sons got beat up and stripped of their clothes when they tried to use an authority they didn't have, Amen? And he was a "high priest", too! You see, the difference is, he was ordained of men, but Moses was ordained of God. "Ordain" is tasso, which means to "assign to a certain position or duty". Whom God ordains, He sustains. When God calls you to a task or duty (and as followers of Christ, EVERYone of us has been called!), He will be there with you as you carry it through.

Just as Jesus told His disciples in Matthew 10:20, For it is not ye that speak, but the Spirit of your Father which speaketh in you, the same is true for followers of Christ today. Are you a person who insists on a guarantee? Here is The ULTIMATE Guarantee: Hebrews 13:5 tells us that He will NEVER leave thee, nor forsake thee. There you have it.

They Won't Believe Me (Exodus 4:1)

Moses said to God, "But they won't believe me!" Oh, if we would just remember that it is not the "atta boys" of men that we seek, but the "Well Done, thou good and faithful servant" of Jesus Christ, we would be released from the spirit of self-importance--personal rights and prestige. We would be set free from the spirit of self-centeredness, which demands thanks and praise for our every act. We would be desensitized to mankind's ingratitude. Know this: there were many who didn't believe Jesus Christ, Himself. We are told in Matthew 13:58 that even in His own country, Jesus did not many mighty works there because of their unbelief.

Jesus told His disciples in Matthew 10:14, ...whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear your words, when ye depart out of that house or city, shake off the dust of your feet. Ezekiel 3, verses 17-19 gives us this instruction: Son of man, I have made thee a watchman unto the house of Israel: therefore hear the word at my mouth, and give them warning from me. When I say unto the wicked, Thou shalt surely die; and thou givest him not warning, nor speakest to warn the wicked from his wicked way, to save his life; the same wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at thine hand. Yet if thou warn the wicked, and he turn not from his wickedness, nor from his wicked way, he shall die in his iniquity; but thou hast delivered thy soul. If we will follow the Lord's bidding, HE will take care of the conviction of mankind's hearts through the Holy Spirit.

As followers of Jesus Christ, we are to deliver the message of the love of God for us, that He sent His Only Begotten Son to die on a cross for us, to perfect His plan of salvation for us. And, we are to do so everywhere, every time, we get a chance! Our conversations should ALWAYS lead in that direction, so that we can be "instant in season, out of season" (II Timothy 4:2), not only always ready to witness of Jesus Christ, but EAGER to do so!

I Can't Speak Well (Exodus 4:10)

Moses told the Lord, "I'm not a fancy speaker...slow of speech..." And the Lord said unto him, Who hath made man's mouth? or who maketh the dumb, or deaf, or the seeing, or the blind? have not I the Lord? Now therefore go, and I will be with thy mouth, and teach thee what thou shalt say. Exodus 4:11,12.

Again, this sounds like one of the many excuses we try to use today. Let me tell you something: if you are TRULY persuaded of in Whom you have believed, if you have a Know So Salvation, it's going to show in how you act, the words you speak, and the conviction in your tone. Those to whom you speak will know you speak from your heart. It won't be with an arrogant spirit, or a "knock-'em-over-the-head-with-it" attitude--it will be with an outpouring of loving compassion that grips their heart and plants seed in their minds. [ End of Part 1 ]

"Somebody Ought To..." Copyright © 2003 by Patricia Dillon. All Rights Reserved.