USE ME LORD
USE ME LORD
By Evangeline Unity Esaaba Folson
Matthew 9 :37-38
Then said He to His disciples, “The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few; pray therefore, the Lord of the harvest, that He will send labourers into His harvest”.
My message so far has been to make the youth aware that God has work for them in these end times. First, they have to get born again, sanctify themselves, study His word and live by His word. After preparing themselves for the task ahead, the next thing is to ask God to use them.
Matthew 9 :37-38 says there is work to be done, the harvest is ready and the Lord needs people to harvest. How do you make yourself available for the Lord to use? Let us find out from the scriptures. To make yourself available for the Lord to use, you must:
- Have a burden for the lost or unsaved.( Mark 6 : 34)
- Be willing to sacrifice (Matthew 10 : 38)
- Learn to hear the voice of the Lord. (1Samuel 3:6-10, Acts 9:4-6)
- Obey without questioning (1Samuel15:22, Matthew 26:39)
You must have a burden for the lost
Mark 6:34
And Jesus, when he came out, saw much people, and was moved with compassion toward them because they were like sheep not having a shepherd; and He began to teach them many things.
If you want God to use you, you must have compassion for the lost. You should not only worry about them but your anxiety must move you to do something to change their situation.
You have met the Lord, you have experienced His love and care and you have hope for a better life when Jesus comes. You have eternal life and your sins have been forgiven. Your greatest desire should be, to share all these good things you have received from God with others.
Your priority at all times should be to find ways of reaching out to the unsaved. Most people do not need only salvation. Some have financial problems, others are sick, some are homeless and jobless and others have emotional problems. Aim at not only solving their spiritual problems but meeting their material needs as well. If you do this you would win their favour and they would be more than willing to accept your message of salvation.
Paul said in 1 Corinthians 9 : 19-22 that:
For though I am free from all men, yet have I made myself servant unto all, that I might gain the more. And to the Jew, I became as a Jew, that I might gain the Jews; to them that are under the law as under the law, that I might gain them that are under the law; To them that are without law, as without law, (being not without law to God, but under law to Christ) that I might gain them that are without law. To the weak I became as weak, that I might gain the weak; I am made all things to all men, that I might by all means save some.
If you want God to use you then you must be ready to be behave like the apostle Paul.
You must be willing to sacrifice
Luke 9:23-24
And He said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it.
Matthew 10:38
And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me is not worthy of me.
Like these two verses say, if you want God to use you must be willing to sacrifice your comfort, time, money, energy and whatever it takes to be able to fulfill what God wants you to do.
Doing the work of God is not easy. Taking your cross daily involves finding ways of bearing the burden of carrying the message of salvation as far as you can to save as many people as possible.
Your comfort and safety as you do the work of God should not be your concern. The last part of the Great Commission in Matthew 28:20 says:
……..and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.
Once Jesus says He would be with you, there is no need to fear. He is Jehovah Jireh, the Lord our provider. He will provide all you need to enable you do the work He has sent you to do.
You must learn to hear the voice of the Lord
1 Samuel 3 ;10
And the Lord came and stood, and called as at other times, Samuel. Samuel. Then Samuel answered, speak; for thy servant heareth.
Acts 9 :4-6
And he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecuted thou me? And he said, who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecuteth………………And he trembling and astonished said, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?
For the story in 1 Samuel 3, Samuel heard a voice calling him but he could not tell who it was. He thought it was Eli, the chief priest and went to him several times. Eli realized it might be the Lord calling and asked him to say, speak Lord, for thy servant heareth.
With Saul, because he was a Pharisee and knew about the ways of God, he realized immediately that it was the Lord. Note, he also asked the lord to show him what to do.
Like Samuel and Saul, the Lord speaks to His children often. It might not be in an audible voice like Samuel and Saul heard. The Lord can speak to His children through His word, the Bible. He also uses prophecy from men of God. Dreams and visions could also be used. The important thing is to note that God has a special way of speaking to each person. You should learn from your relationship with God as you read His word and pray, you would find out how He talks to you.
You must obey without questioning
1 Samuel 15:22
And Samuel said, Hath the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams.
Matthew 26:39
And He went a little further, and fell on His face, and prayed saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt.
If you want God to use you then you must learn to obey his directions or instructions without asking questions and trying to determine whether what you are being told to do is feasible or sensible.
The story behind 1 Samuel15 is that Saul was asked to destroy the Amalekites completely. Kill all of them and destroy all their property. Yet he spared the king’s life and kept the best part of the property. Livestock, silver, gold etc. This led to the loss of his authority as king over Israel.
In every situation you find yourself in, do not be tempted to disobey God because of unfavourable circumstances surrounding you. God is God, He does not need any man to be the God He is, He is God all by Himself.
In Matthew 26, Jesus was trying to negotiate with God to stop his suffering. But, He knew God’s will could not be changed, so He went on and suffered all He had to, to save us.
Our attitude towards God’s direction should be like Jesus. The task ahead might seem tough and full of struggles, but do not disobey or give up. Ask for God’s will to be done and He will help you perform the task ahead successfully.
The Way Forward
The exact date and time Jesus would come back in unknown. What we can do is to prepare ourselves and the people around us so that we will not be disappointed when He comes.
One way of preparing is to pray for the prophecies about the end times to be fulfilled. We need gallant young men and women to set their lives apart and ask God to use them to fulfill His word.
I will end with the words of a hymn.
Hark the voice of Jesus crying, who will go and work today?
Fields are white and harvest waiting, who will bear the sheaves away?
Long and loud the master calleth, rich reward He offers free.
Who will answer gladly saying:
Here I am, Send me! Send me!
Let none hear thee idly saying ,
There is nothing I can do.
While the lost of earth are dying,
And the Master calls for you.
Take the task He offers gladly
Let His work your pleasure be
Answer quickly when He calleth,
Here I am, Send me! Send me!
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