HERE AM I (YAWN) SEND ME                    by Andrew Roberts

 

   One of the most dramatic scenes of commitment in the Bible is Isaiah’s commission. “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!’” (Isa. 6:8). And Isaiah went! He preached and prophesied to kings and peasants alike. He took the message of the Lord to the people and warned them of impending judgment and the hope of a Messiah. Isaiah was an active and diligent servant of God.

 

   But what if Isaiah had been lazy? What if he had yawned right in the middle of his encounter with the Most High? What if Isaiah had decided to take God’s message in a little bit, when he felt like it or right after his nap? Wouldn’t we be shocked at Isaiah? How could anyone be lazy in work God gave them to do?

 

   Yet Christians may fall in the trap of being lazy in the work God has given us today. We get lazy and our light reflects it. At first we may be late to services occasionally, then habitually, then we’re hit and miss at services altogether. Laziness. We get in the habit of only doing half of our Bible lessons for class. Laziness. Teachers begin preparing to teach a children’s class 5 minutes before the class starts. Oh, they can fake it. Laziness.

 

   Should the members that handle the grounds or building become lazy, weeds would grow and the roof could fall in. Everybody would know. Yet God gives us work to do when perhaps only He can see our effort. He knows when we get lazy and He doesn’t like it when we do.

 

   “Like vinegar to the teeth and smoke to the eyes, so is the lazy one to those who send him” (Prov.10:26). Does our inactivity embitter the Lord like a mouthful of vinegar? Does our inactivity severely irritate the Lord like a strong gust of smoke burns the eyes? We had better believe it does!

 

   The Lord will reward those that labor diligently in His service. Truly He empowers us and nourishes us in ways we could never achieve ourselves. The Lord gives us His best and He asks for nothing less.

 

   “The soul of the sluggard craves and gets nothing, but the soul of the diligent is made fat” (Prov. 13:4). If we feel like our souls are craving, let us ask ourselves, how are we serving the Lord? For those that make the effort, combat laziness and do the work, our souls are always satisfied.