A Call and a Promise 2

""O Sovereign Lord," I said, 

"I can't speak for You! I'm too young!" 

The Lord replied, "Don't say, 'I'm too young,' 

for you must go wherever I send you 

and say whatever I tell you. 

And don't be afraid of the people, 

for I will be with you and protect you. 

I, the Lord, have spoken!" 

Then the Lord reached out 

and touched my mouth and said, 

"Look, I have put My words in your mouth!"" (Jeremiah 1:6-9)

Dear Mrs. Kurtz

I absolutely love the idea that we never have to go alone. God's call is not easy, but He never expects us to use our strength. God gives us the strength to follow. We must say "Yes" to God--no exceptions. God's Word does not leave any room for our will: 

"Submit yourselves, then, to God. 

Resist the devil, 

and he will flee from you." (James 4:7)

This verse calls us to "submit" (the scary word) to God. Submitting means complete surrender of ourselves.

"Trust in the LORD with all your heart; 

do not depend on your own understanding. 

Seek His will in all you do, 

and He will show you which path to take." (Proverbs 3:5-6)

God says: seek His will in ALL you do.

Fully submitting to God is difficult to us for two reasons:

1. We live in an uncertain world. We are used to being let down by the people around us, constantly questioning who we can trust. Things change so quickly, especially when you are younger, and we like to cling to what we know. Accepting God's call of complete surrender is scary because it requires letting go of control and putting our trust in Someone we cannot see.

2. We "like" to sin, and we don't like to be wrong. Sin is enticing, and it is human nature to want to push the limits. In our culture, defending our sin is commonplace; we don't like to admit it is wrong. However, following God requires us to let go of our sinful ways and to acknowledge that His way is right and we are wrong.

Dear Friend,

There is a journey of joy for every believer. As we surrender to the Lord, we find that we are freer than we ever thought we were when we were walking in the ways of the world. It's one of the glorious mysteries of the Gospel!

"When He (Jesus) came to the village of Nazareth, His boyhood home, He went as usual to the synagogue on the Sabbath and stood up to read the Scriptures. The scroll of Isaiah the prophet was handed to Him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where this was written: 'The Spirit of the LORD is upon Me, for He has anointed me to bring Good News to the poor. He has sent Me to proclaim that captives will be released, that the blind will see, that the oppressed will be set free, and that the time of the Lord's favor has come.' He rolled up the scroll and handed it back to the attendant, and sat down. All eyes in the synagogue looked at Him intently. Then He began to speak to them. 'The Scripture you've just heard has been fulfilled this very day'." (Luke 4:16-21)

"Jesus replied, 'I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave of sin. A slave is not a permanent member of the family, but a son is part of the family forever. So if the Son sets you free, you are truly free." (John 8:34-36).

Don't you love it?! 

When we surrender to the Lord, we often feel hopelessly out of control. The very word "surrender" sounds restrictive, punitive, and painful. Yet in complete reverse, surrender leads to complete freedom! 

I am so glad that you are saying "Yes" to the Lord! It is scary, but it is good. It is very good!

• When we are called, the best answer we can give is "Yes!". Sometimes, though, people say, "Yes, but...". What are some "but" s that people have?

• When we say "Yes, but" to the Lord, what are we implying about ourselves?

• When we say "Yes, but" to the Lord, what are we implying about Him?

• Can you think of any examples of finding freedom in surrender?

Heavenly Father, we thank You for calling us Your children and not Your slaves. We are free in You, we are loved by You, we are called by You, we are kept in You!