God promises us a life of significance and relevance. This scripture knocks that sentence out of the park: “I (Jesus) came to give life and even abundant life!” John 10:10
I assure you we can live there. It is a life loaded with eternal importance. And it’s a life that is possible for us and and all we need is an open and willing heart.
In Acts 9:11 we read these words from God to Ananias: “Get up and go!” He was being sent by God to speak to that rowdy, anti-Christian Saul who was the Christians’ worst enemy! “Who, me?” were his words back to God.
I’m sure he was shaking in his sandals to think that God was calling him to saddle up his horse and to remember those sandals were actually combat boots against the enemy, Satan.
Ananias’ heart opened to God’s command to go, despite his concerns. And because Ananias got up and went, Saul (later called Paul) recovered his sight, was baptized, received the Holy Spirit, became an Apostle and wrote over half of the New Testament.
I have heard those words, “Get up and go!” many times in my life. “Get up and go…and minister to those in Mexico, in Belize, in Canada, in Arizona, in Oklahoma, in Texas. My boots were made for walking, for riding in a car, a bus, an airplane, a truck. I heeded the call to “GO!”
“Get up and go!” looks different for each one of us. For some, it is a call to action – caring for others, spending more time in prayer and Bible Study, sharing the Good News, and setting the example of believers. “Go” is likely different at different stages of our lives.
The Lord knows that, and He will help us understand our “call” as we spend time in prayer and hanging out with Him and His word.
While God’s direction is not always easy or convenient, He makes it possible. Moses tried desperately to back out of God’s call on his life when he used the excuse: “I’m too slow in speech (he was a stutterer). Jeremiah tried to back out when he tried to use the excuse, “I’m too young!”
But if God calls us, He equips us with what we need to succeed. He knows everything about us, including what is and is not possible for us. He is not bothered by our objections, so we might as well say “Yes”, just like Ananias did.
God is delighted by our willingness to “go” when He stirs our hearts with opportunities. Sometimes “get up and go” means doing something we already know we should be doing. So, let’s “giddy up and go” when God nudges us to go.
Is it easy? Probably not.
Is it worth it? A thousand times yes.
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