Isaiah 43:10-11 “You are my witnesses,” declares the LORD,
“and my servant whom I have chosen,
so that you may know and believe me
and understand that I am he.
Before me no god was formed,
nor will there be one after me.
I, even I, am the LORD,
and apart from me there is no savior.”

This passage is echoed so many times in the NT that it would take quite a while to list all the references! I’ll hold it to two: Acts 1:8 and 4:12. God’s people are His witnesses, to His reality, His uniqueness, and His saving power. That’s why the devil tries so hard to get Christians to be quiet. He can’t “unsave” anyone, but he tries to keep what he views as an infection from spreading. That’s all the more reason to be bold in our witness! As Paul lays out with irrefutable logic in Romans 10, people can’t get saved if they don’t know about the Savior. That’s where we come in. We can’t save anyone, but we can introduce them to the Savior, and He will do the “heavy lifting,” so to speak. We need to recognize and rejoice in the fact that we are intimately involved in God’s plan of salvation. Too many people think God could never use them to lead someone to Christ, but that discredits the power of God! Recently I’ve been thinking about Balaam’s donkey a good bit. Since my name is Jack, I need to be willing to be a jackass for God! I need to be willing and available to Him to say whatever He wants, whenever and to whomever He wants, so that His will may be accomplished in that person’s heart and life. As a pastor, it is my desire and prayer that every member of this church would come to that same commitment.

Though this is my desire, it is beyond my ability to force anyone into line with God’s plan. However, I can instruct, encourage, and admonish, allowing the Holy Spirit to speak through me to them. I have no wisdom to shepherd them aright, but God can and will give me all the wisdom I need, when I need it if not before. It is good to be aware of my own inability as long as I don’t lose sight of God’s absolute ability, that includes using me for His purposes and His glory.

Father, thank you for this cold that reinforces my awareness of my own weakness. If I weren’t the pastor, I would probably stay home today! However, I don’t have that option, and I need to preach in the service and chair the board meeting this afternoon. I do ask You to carry me along and carry me through it all, so that I won’t get in the way of what You want to do through me. May we all receive what You want to say to us today, however and through whomever You want to say it, so that we maybe perfected as Your witnesses, for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!