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Scripture for the day: Isaiah 6:11,12 Then I said, "Lord, how long?"  And he answered: "Until the cities are laid waste and without inhabitant, the houses are without a man, the land is utterly desolate, the Lord has removed men far away, and the forsaken places are many in the midst of the land."
Thought for the day: I want you to think for a moment about being caught in a dead-end job for the rest of your life.  What if you were set in a place where you honestly felt you were making no real impact, changing nothing of significance, and merely spinning your wheels waiting for the Lord to take you home?  How would you feel?  After all, every good success guru will tell you that you have a God-given talent to effect great change in your situation and leave this life having fulfilled every expectation you ever had.  There is such potential hidden deep within your soul that, if you'll only pay him or her the hundreds of dollars they're asking for the DVD program on personal success, you'll be on top of the world in no time flat.  Hogwash!  What if the position the Lord has given you means that you labor in obscurity for the rest of your life, die an old worn-out vessel of no notoriety, and lie buried in some barely-remembered grave in a little cemetery somewhere off the beaten path?  What will you do then?  Will you honor Him with such selfless service, or will you chafe at the bonds that seem to hold you back?
     Fred Craddock, in an address to ministers, caught the practical implications of consecration. "To give my life for Christ appears glorious," he said. "To pour myself out for others. . . to pay the ultimate price of martyrdom – I'll do it. I'm ready, Lord, to go out in a blaze of glory. We think giving our all to the Lord is like taking $l,000 bill and laying it on the table – 'Here's my life, Lord. I'm giving it all.' But the reality for most of us is that he sends us to the bank and has us cash in the $l,000 for quarters. We go through life putting out 25 cents here and 50 cents there. Listen to the neighbor kid's troubles instead of saying, 'Get lost.' Go to a committee meeting. Give a cup of water to a shaky old man in a nursing home. Usually giving our life to Christ isn't glorious. It's done in all those little acts of love, 25 cents at a time. It would be easy to go out in a flash of glory; it's harder to live the Christian life little by little over the long haul." 
        And how would you feel if you were in John Wesley's boots before the Great Awakening God brought through his consecration to the Lord?  From the diary of John Wesley. . .
Sunday, A.M., May 5    Preached in St. Anne's. Was asked not to come back anymore.
Sunday, P.M., May 5     Preached in St. John's. Deacons said "Get out and stay out."
Sunday, A.M., May 12    Preached in St. Jude's. Can't go back there, either.
Sunday, A.M., May 19    Preached in St. Somebody Else's. Deacons called special meeting and said I couldn't return.
Sunday, P.M., May 19    Preached on street. Kicked off street.
Sunday, A.M., May 26    Preached in meadow. Chased out of meadow as bull was turned loose during service.
Sunday, A.M., June 2    Preached out at the edge of town. Kicked off the highway.
Sunday, P.M., June 2    Afternoon, preached in a pasture. Ten thousand people came out to hear me. 
     But what if those ten thousand had never shown up?  What if he'd preached his heart out for the rest of his life and nothing had come of it that he could see?  Would John Wesley have been able to maintain his composure and move forward just the same?  I think he would, and so must we.    
Now go take on your world.  -  Bill