October 4

Read: Isaiah 6:1-8

Also 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).

Here Am I

When our hearts grow responsive to the touch of God, our ears are opened to better hear His voice. When our lives are most aglow with the love of God, our hearts spontaneously respond, “Here am I; send me.” Cold religion is a contradiction in terms. Our relationship to God is deeply satisfying only when our lives are aglow with His touch upon us, and when we are fervent in our response to Him.

Our highest worship is not in the consciousness of our need, nor the recognition of God’s glory, nor in our rapture at His touch. What is the highest form of worship? Is it not to be doing God’s will in daily life?

A part of the defilement from which we are cleansed is indifference to the needs of God’s kingdom, a lack of concern for the souls of men. When the Holy Spirit comes in His fullness, there is a new readiness for service; a new kind of power takes hold of our lives. God breathes into sanctified hearts a love for men that is akin to His own love for lost humanity. He imparts to us a readiness to keep speaking, even when men’s ears are heavy. We keep trying because the Spirit of God has not quit. We try to show men God’s way even when they close their eyes. We try again, because God bids them look again. Having been cleansed by His power and filled with His Spirit, we are made ready for service.

Truth For Today

Blessed are they who with purged eyes see, and with yielded hearts obey the heavenly vision, and turn to the King and over themselves for any service He may require, saying, “Here am I; send me” (A. MaClaren).