Honor God with Your Strength

In Isaiah 6, the prophet sees God as the King, high on his throne. Isaiah feels his unworthiness before a holy God and confesses it. Then he is forgiven, and God says, “Whom shall I send?” Without hesitating, Isaiah responds, “I’ll go. Send me!” This story tells me that God wants to use you and me to serve his purposes in the world.

One of my favorite movies is “Chariots of Fire.” It is the true story of two British track athletes competing in the 1924 Summer Olympics. One is a devout Scottish missionary who runs for God. Eric Liddle, is from a Christian family devoted to their mission in China. Eric’s sister fears that his career as a runner will take him off the path of serving God. He tells her that before he goes back to China he is going to devote himself to Olympic running. She will have to manage the mission in China without him for a while. What he says to her is a classic statement about using your God-given ability to serve him with joy. “I believe that God made me for a purpose, for China. But he also made me fast, and when I run, I feel his pleasure. To give that up would be to hold him in contempt . . .. To win is to honor him.”

You and I have your own abilities, our opportunities to honor God. What ability is God calling you to use? Here is what I want you to do that will help you think about God’s call to you. Use Eric Liddle’s statement. Fill in the blanks. “God made me _________________________________, and when I _____________________________________, I feel his pleasure.”
For instance I answer, “God made me ___a caring listener__ and when I ___care about people___, I feel his pleasure.” A long time ago, I prayed that God would make me the best pastor I can be. I want to honor God by listening to and caring for people every chance I get.

Let’s look for God in our own experiences, give our entire attention to what God is doing right now in our lives. Let’s hear God’s call and respond using our best abilities to honor God.