This morning I led our devotion for Vertical. It is a time where the whole staff can get together and reflect on what God is doing through our ministry. I decided that we should focus on the youth that we are trying to reach and the excuses we come up with for not doing certain things, like service.
There is a passage in the book "The Purpose Driven Life," that makes me stop and think every time I read it. It's in chapter 29 and it reads:
"If you are not involved in any service or ministry, what excuse have you been using? Abraham was old, Jacob was insecure, Leah was unattractive, Joseph was abused, Moses stuttered, Gideon was poor, Samson was codependent, Rahab was immoral, David had an affair and all kinds of family problems, Elijah was suicidal, Jeremiah was depressed, Jonah was reluctant, Naomi was a widow, John the Baptist was eccentric to say the least, Peter was impulsive and hot-tempted, Martha worried a lot, the Samaritan woman had several failed marriages, Zacchaeus was unpopular, Thomas had doubts, Paul had poor health and Timothy was timid. That is quite a bit of misfits, but God used each of them in His service. He will use you too, if you stop making excuses."
What a powerful statement! God can use everyone in some big ways if we put aside the word can't and realize that He will bless us as we speak His word. We should be teaching our youth that they have an active role in presenting the Gospel. They may not get it right the first time, but you have to start somewhere. Our youth is the future of the church. We should be pouring into them, teaching them about service and ministering!
So what excuse do you have? You shouldn't have any!!!
