Let the Adventure Begin - Episode 9-35, August 26, 2019

Join us as we explore God’s ancient wisdom and apply it to our modern lives. His word is as current and relevant today as it was when he inspired its authors more than two and a half millennia ago. The websites where you can reach us are alittlewalkwithgod.com, richardagee.com, or saf.church.

I hope you will join us every week and be sure to let us know how you enjoy the podcast and let others know about it, too. Thanks for listening.

Thanks for joining me today for "A Little Walk with God." I'm your host Richard Agee.

Years ago, like 30 years ago, my son said he wanted to be a dentist. Then he wanted to be a lot of other things. Policeman, fireman, astronaut, and the list goes on. Then he went to school and became a really good information technology kind of guy and did network engineering, whatever that is. He got all kinds of certificates that declare his competence in various parts of the IT world. But he wasn’t quite satisfied and decided to get his MBA. He did. But again wasn’t quite satisfied. 

That dream of what he wanted to be 30 years ago, sitting beside a laid back chair reaching into someone’s mouth to relieve their pain; that dream came back. He started volunteering with a dentist to assist him in treating the homeless in some free clinics in the town where he lives. That jump-started his desire again. Two years later after finishing all the prerequisites, he started dental school at the ripe old age of 34. Now my son is in his second year on the path to fulfilling that childhood dream.

Sometimes we know exactly what we are supposed to do as we grow up. Most of the time we don’t. Sometimes we get stuck doing something we hate, but we think we have to stay in that role just because. We are sometimes afraid to explore the possibilities of doing something different. We fear it’s just a dream and we’d never be able to accomplish what we think is in our head. We think we’re just not cut out for that dream job. Whatever the case, we stay where we are and never leave the relative comfort of what we know to launch into the unknown God might have prepared for us. 

Jeremiah learned early his role in God’s plan. His call sounded something like this from the first chapter of the book that bears his name:

⁴ Now the word of the Lord came to me, saying,

⁵ “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you,
and before you were born I consecrated you;
I appointed you a prophet to the nations.”

⁶ Then I said, “Ah, Lord God! Behold, I do not know how to speak, for I am only a youth.” ⁷ But the Lord said to me,

“Do not say, ‘I am only a youth’;
for to all to whom I send you, you shall go,
and whatever I command you, you shall speak.
⁸ Do not be afraid of them,
for I am with you to deliver you,
declares the Lord.”

⁹ Then the Lord put out his hand and touched my mouth. And the Lord said to me,

“Behold, I have put my words in your mouth.
¹⁰ See, I have set you this day over nations and over kingdoms,
to pluck up and to break down,
to destroy and to overthrow,
to build and to plant.” ^[1]

God created Jeremiah with a purpose in mind. Jeremiah tried to push it off. He wanted to do something else. Being a prophet and giving bad news to all his countrymen didn’t sound like the best job in the world. Maybe God could use him doing something else. I think my son figured out as a youngster that sticking your hand in someone’s mouth all day isn’t that glamourous either, but it’s something he just couldn’t shake. 

Jeremiah couldn’t get away from his task either. He used his age as an excuse. In the middle east culture of that day, you weren’t considered to have wisdom until you hit thirty. Jeremiah was a boy, a youngster, couldn’t even grow hair on his face yet. Who would listen to him? 

Then God reminded Jeremiah that he was the one sending him out. He was the one giving Jeremiah the words to say. It wasn’t up to Jeremiah to figure out the sermon for next week, God provided the outline, the illustrations, the declarations. God authored the speeches Jeremiah would present to the nations he would visit and the kings he would remonstrate.

God gave Jeremiah the task, the talents, the courage to fulfill the mission he laid before him. But what about you and me? Where do we fit in as we look at the master plan God designed before the creation of the universe? 

Could I dare say God’s first words to Jeremiah apply to you and me as well? 

“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you,
and before you were born I consecrated you;
I appointed you a…”

A what? A prophet like Jeremiah? An evangelist like Billy Graham? A beacon for social justice like Martin Luther King or Nelson Mandela? A fledgling dentist like my son? 

What does God have in mind for you? What talents, skills, opportunities have he laid out before you to further his plan to redeem this world and his highest creation? How can he use you because of what he has given you to change your tiny piece of the universe? 

You may never have your name splashed across the television screens or on the front page of the newspaper, but that’s okay. Neither did Billy Graham’s first grade Sunday School teacher. But think of the impact that person made on the world. You may never be interviewed by some starlet or news anchor because of your excellence in some exotic science, but think of the little boy or girl whose life you can change by the kind act of giving a cup of water or warm coat. 

We don’t always know how God will use the talents he gives us. Sometimes it will be through monumental, historical actions like Jeremiah’s or Isaiah’s prophesies. Sometimes he will use the leadership skills he gives to break the chains of evil in the world as he used General Eisenhower to break the Nazi press across Europe. Sometimes he just wants us to give a cup of water to a thirsty person and in so doing, also give to him in that gentle act of love. 

Whatever God has given you, use it for him. Whatever talents and skills you possess, recognize you have them because he had a purpose in mind for you before you were born. Seek out that purpose and fulfill his plan with your talents. He has a job for you to do. It’s not always clear, but it is always worth finding and doing. 

My son is happy in his newfound old dreams. He works hard as almost the oldest in his class to achieve the degree he talked about some thirty years ago. Was it something he just pulled out of the air then? I’m not so sure. I think perhaps God had a hand in directing his path in ways neither of us could understand then or even now. He will be a great dentist. Not because of any particular extraordinary skill that other dentists don’t have, but because he knows it’s the path God wants him to take at this fork in the road on his journey through life. 

The path each of us follows gives many opportunities. God gives us the means to take advantage of those as he sees fit. When he calls, don’t miss out on the good things he has in store for you. Jump at the chance when he calls. Say yes and let the adventure begin. 

You can find me at richardagee.com. I also invite you to join us at San Antonio First Church of the Nazarene on West Avenue in San Antonio to hear more Bible-based teaching. You can find out more about my church at SAF.church. Thanks for listening. If you enjoyed it, tell a friend. If you didn't, send me an email and let me know how better to reach out to those around you. Until next week, may God richly bless you as you venture into His story each day. 

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^[1]The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.