Jeremiah 15:19+20

This is what the Lord says:
“If you repent, I will restore you
That you may serve me;
If you utter worthy, not worthless words,
You will be my spokesman.
Let this people turn to you,
But you must not turn to them.
I will make you a wall to this people,
A fortified wall of bronze;
They will fight against you
But will not overcome you,
For I am with you
To rescue and save you.

God wants to use you. God wants to use me. He wants to set us apart from this world, while at the same time delivering us to them to be His spokesman, just like He did with Jeremiah.

When I went to Bible College, my first year was pretty rough on me. I wasn’t where I should’ve been spiritually – I wasn’t fully obeying and seeking the Lord. I began to compare myself to those around me – you know, the “Christian Elite” (not that they gave themselves that title, but because I did) – and felt even more spiritually dead. I began to believe Satan’s lie that Jesus wouldn’t want to use someone like me. I believed that His grace might keep me out of Hell, but not be enough to make someone as jacked up as me one of His spokesman. So I quit. And there would have been many reasons I would have told you that I did so, but this was the real issue: inadequacy.

What I didn’t understand was God’s sanctifying grace. This is the grace that keeps us going even when we fall on our faces, stumble into sin, or turn our back on God’s kingdom. In Luke 8, Jesus tells the parable of the sower where a farmer goes out to sow his seed; some falls on the open path, some on the rock, other among the thorns, and still other on the good soil. This is how he explains the difference between that which falls among thorns and that which falls among good soil, “The seed that fell among thorns stands for those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by life’s worries, riches and pleasures, and they do not mature. But the seed on good soil stands for those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, retain it, and by persevering produce a crop.”

My perspective prior to this year was that there were those who fell into thorns and those who fell among good soil and that was it: there is no changing where you seed fell. So I thought that God called me and gave me a desire to serve as a pastor in His kingdom, but He didn’t make a very good choice because I fell among thorns. But what Jesus is asking for in this passage is repentance - just as He is in Jeremiah 15! He says to hear the word, be in your Bible. Retain it, don’t just read for a checklist of holiness, internalize it and remember God’s promises. Lastly, and what changed my perspective, Jesus says “by persevering” you will produce a crop. Yes hard times will come. Yes you may fall into sin. Yes you may doubt God’s call in your life. But take hope and persevere.

We see this in Jeremiah 15, God says, “Repent, I will restore you.” Who is he talking to here? A new Christian? No! He is talking to the prophet Jeremiah who was one of the few holy men in all of Israel in those days! This means that even Jeremiah had a rough day or season of life every now and then, but what does God say? Persevere! Keep speaking the truth, you will remain my spokesman. Keep yourself from there wicked ways, but engage them that they may come to you to hear the Gospel. “For I am with you to rescue and save you.” Praise be to God for His sanctifying grace. Don’t give up; don’t give in: Persevere – You belong to Jesus.