A Willing Sheep...

     I've heard things like this. I wonder if you have?
     "My nephew pastors a small church.  It's tiny but, boy, is it growing! And how they love him and his wife!"
     Or  "Our church has 5,000 members and its own television ministry!  Our pastor's just written his second book and this one looks like it will be a best-seller!"
      I've never heard anyone say, "Our son pastors a church of hard-headed knuckleheads and they just hate him!  Every day he gets on his knees and begs God to send him to another pastorate but God just keeps impressing on him to stay where he is.  And, man, is that church declining!  The membership is dropping like flies!  We are so proud of him!!!"
     And, yes, this blog (which will be mercifully short) is a continuation of the last one:)
     A sort of: what God-thinks-versus-what-we-think type of blog.
     The basis is, again, the book of Isaiah.
     What a preacher he must have been! Isaiah's  book is so eloquent, so beautifully written.
    And he was so anointed!  During his ministry, Isaiah actually saw the Lord, high and lifted up!
    His calling came by way of an angel!  An angel!
    And the calling was this:
    God: Isaiah! I'm going to send you to a hardhearted, rebellious bunch of knuckle-heads who won't hear a word you say!!!  You'll preach your heart out, decade after decade, and in the end it won't make a bit of difference to them! They'll just keep on keepin' on until they get slammed with My judgment!   As for you, your ministry will outlast several kings and you'll die an old man with nothing to show for your faithful proclamation of my message!  Oh, and when you are done?  Your congregation will probably saw you in half.  But it's okay, you don't have to worry about retirement benefits...
    Isaiah:  God, I'm not worthy to serve You.  But here am I. Send me.
    Wow.
    Talk about a willing sheep ministering to  a bunch of hard-headed wolves...
    Again... just something to think about.
    Sometimes God  doesn't see things the way we do... (Maybe all the time...)

 

Matthew 10:16

English Standard Version (ESV)

¹⁶ “Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves."