Available

To be available means to be able to be used at someone's disposal. Parents are available to their children running them around to places they need to be. Teachers are available to students for extra help to understand the classroom material. Coaches are often available for athletes to put in extra work in preparation for their sport.

What is on my mind this morning is people making themselves available to Jesus to serve, to labor, to go, to stay, to love, to give, to pray, to witness, to encourage, to rebuke, and a host of other things. Reading my Bible yesterday I came across a verse that has meant a great deal to me over the years. The verse is about availability for the divine calling and purposes.

Isaiah 6:8 (NASB)
⁸  Then I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, "Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?" Then I said, "Here am I. Send me!"


Do you wake up day in and day out making yourself available to the Lord? Do you volunteer for His purposes? Do you, like Isaiah, say, "Here I am."

This is a far different attitude than the one that prevails in churches today. Church has become a place where people content themselves to come and sit in worship instead of engaging in service for the King Jesus. Multitudes of attenders satisfy themselves to come and sit in anonymity. They don't want to do anything. 

How does that attitude square with scripture? 2 Corinthians 5:14-15 (NASB) 
¹⁴  For the love of Christ controls us, having concluded this, that one died for all, therefore all died;
¹⁵  and He died for all, so that they who live might no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died and rose again on their behalf. 

Did you catch that phrase, "He died that they who lives might no longer live for themselves but for Him..." Everyday, all over the world, in prayer closets and in larger meetings God is calling people. The mindset of Christians daily should be one of availability everyday. Available to be sent to encourage and comfort someone ill or lonely. Available to minister to persons in the hospital. Available to go on a short term mission trip. Available to share financial resources for kingdom purposes. Available to help others go do mission work. Available to do anything for the glory of the Lord. That is why we are supposed to live. 

So let me ask you in closing, are you available to the Lord right now? It does not matter if you know what He wants you to do. The question is are you available? Let's all give Jesus our yes and trust Him to reveal His direction in time. As for me I can say, "Lord, here I am. Send me."