“The word of the Lord came to me.”
Jeremiah 1:4
Once while living in Germany where my
father was serving in the military, I received
a crystal radio kit for Christmas. We had no
TV in those days because all the available
programming was in a foreign language. A
kit to play with was a welcome change to
reading books. This was not my first radio
(remember transistors?), but it was certainly
the first radio I put together myself.
As an eleven-year-old I spend several hours
completing the project and enjoyed every
moment. With the final pieces in place, I put
the battery in with great anticipation. The
first turn of the “on” switch produced
nothing. No static, no sound, no light! Ugh.
Some fine turning of several connections
had to be made. Then the radio came to life!
How exciting to hear the first broadcasts
from a radio I put together all by myself!
Fast forward many years later when I began
to feel the Lord tugging at my heart. It was
subtle at first. Could God use me I
wondered? I struggled with the thought.
Was I hearing from God or simply following
my own desires? It was years in the making
but at a peak in my retail career I finally
surrendered to the call of God to the
pastorate. I made the decision with joy and
excitement. And fear. Was I crazy to turn
down a promotion and step out of
management back into sales?
Within a few months I found myself moving
my family of five to Kansas City for
seminary. Before I left however, I was to
deliver my first sermon. Yikes! My teaching
experience up to that time was following a
Sunday quarterly or discipleship materials.
All of a sudden, I was tasked with finding a
topic to preach from the entire Bible!
After weeks of preparation, I was still
without a message. I began to panic. Only a
few days left. Not wanting to disappoint my
family and friends I pleaded with the Lord
on my knees. I was desperate to hear from
God. And He answered me. He gave me a
scripture passage and the message very
clearly. Tears filled my eyes as I realized I
was truly hearing from God in this personal
and unique way for the first time. It was
more exciting than my crystal radio kit!
Imagine the excitement and joy the prophet
Jeremiah may have felt when he too, heard a
word from the Lord. It was more than just a
word. God also said: “I chose you before I
formed you in the womb; I set you apart
before you were born. I appointed you a
prophet to the nations.” Jeremiah 1:5
Do you know God still calls people to serve
Him? He will open the door if you open
your heart. Can you believe He can use you?
Are you available? ….Bro. Sherman
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