“¹¹Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling.” — Psalm 2:11 (ESV)

What does it mean to “rejoice with trembling”? Well, for me and what I believe to be here in this verse is that I should be in such awe that as I rejoice, my whole body is overcome and becomes uncontrollable with shaking. I am so caught up in my joy that my body shakes with nervousness and all of my senses are heightened to crave the presence of God.

I have been in position of trembling before, when meeting a celebrity or someone that is bigger than life, at least in my eyes. There is a full body nervousness that generates quivers and perspiration and apprehension. These are not bad, they are just heightened awareness to the situation.

If I will get this way for those in this world that I deem “important”, shouldn’t I be even more so with God who is that important? YES! I have to remember that the things of this world are fleeting and only temporary. I should be giving praise to God and rejoicing in His name and trembling with awe as to Him and all that He is.

When you are rejoicing in the Lord, what is your bodily state? Are you calm and seemingly going through the motions? What if you were in total awe of God and that awe took over your body as you rejoice, trembling?

I know, why would I be writing something that we already know, “God Sent Jesus”? Well I think that I need reminding sometimes. Not that I need reminding that Jesus is my savior. Not that I need reminding that Jesus died for my sins so that I would not have to experience that death. The reminder is that “God Sent Jesus” for those purposes, knowing full well what would happen.

“³For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, ⁴in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.” — Romans 8:3-4 (ESV)

God Sent Jesus to die for me so that I would not have to. He gave up the life of His son intentionally to ensure that would be able to live on in this world. I have been given the second chance that all wish to have in life.

What a concept that, who have sons, find almost impossible to think about and embrace. The giving of my sons for the life of others. The intentional sending of my sons to die in the place of others. Sacrificing their lives so that others would have the opportunity to continue with the lives of their own. Thankfully, God does not require that of any of us. In fact, there is an instance where God did ask that of someone, Abraham to give Isaac, in sacrifice. And even in that instance, God spared Isaac and the actions of Abraham, not requiring the sacrifice at all.

God Sent Jesus to fulfill the punishment for sin. Jesus took on all of our sin and died thanks to God’s divine intervention in our lives to spare us difficulty and tragedy of sacrificing our sons for our own salvation. God Sent Jesus for me.

What is your view of the coming of Jesus on this world? Are you thinking of the idea that God Sent Jesus? What if we looked at it from the perspective of “God Sent Jesus” as opposed to Jesus coming, what does it do to how you look at the salvation offered by the death of Jesus?

“²¹Jesus said to them again, ‘Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.’” — John 20:21 (ESV)

I find it soothing to know that I am not tasked with something that has been tested to be true and working. Jesus was sent for a purpose to this world and I am following, sent by Him to continue the work He started. I am sent to do His work as He has moved to prepare for my arrival in heaven at a future time.

Jesus is my example of what is to be done. He appeared to the disciples and explained this to them and as it is written in His Holy Book, it is there for me to read, digest, understand, and perform. I am sent for His purpose and not my own. And that word, sent, is right. I am not here of and on my own. I was sent here and am tasked with doing His work.

I have written that God sends us knowing what we will endure, and here we see the reason for that. Jesus endured in His life and ministry in this world. We will do the same and that is and should be known to all of us. Our endurance is possible as Jesus was able to and so should we.

I am here, not for my own work and pleasure, but for the work and pleasure of Jesus, my Lord and Savior. I am here to listen and follow His direction in my life. I am here to go when sent and know that I will be able to endure any and all that comes my way.

What does your life of being sent look like? Are you even aware that you are being sent by Jesus and your task is to continue His work? What if you were to approach things from the perspective of doing the work of Jesus as opposed to your own?

“¹⁶Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves.” — Matthew 10:16 (ESV)

I read these words from Jesus and at first I am a bit taken aback at how pointed they are. Jesus is telling the apostles that He is sending them out into the danger zone. The apostles are going to be on the front lines and not sitting back in the comfort and protection of the leadership tent. They will be out among those that will have the direct opportunity to act on and harm them.

Jesus knows the adversity that we are to face daily in our relationship with Him. Whereas I find the verse above a bit of a shock at first read, it is only after I contemplate the reason for the verse and the additional instruction from Jesus, that I am comforted to the point of going and taking on the challenges that come with that relationship with Him.

“¹⁹When they deliver you over, do not be anxious how you are to speak or what you are to say, for what you are to say will be given to you in that hour. ²⁰For it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.” — Matthew 10:19-20 (ESV)

I now see that Jesus was not just sending them out to be slaughtered, He was preparing them for the adversity and then reminding them that they have everything the need to overcome.

Jesus sends me out into the world to shine His light on all the world. I am to go and do His will in everything. I am also to know that it will not be easy and that there are those that are out to destroy me. But, He has also provided me with all that I need to withstand and overcome the acts and those that perform them against me and Him. I am prepared and have to remember and know that I am ready.

God sends me out to do His will and it is my duty to go. I have all I need and know that He is only sending me because He knows I am ready and that He will be with me every step of the way.

What are your feelings about being sent out into the world to the “wolves”? Are you anxious enough that you are reluctant to go and looking for all reasons why not to go? What if you took the approach that God is sending your knowing you are ready, have all that you need, and that He will be with you every step of the way?

“¹⁷For Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the gospel, and not with words of eloquent wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power.” — 1 Corinthians 1:17 (ESV)

Paul writes to the Church at Corinth and here he lets them know the reason he was sent to them in the first place. Yes, he may have done a little bit of baptism while there and that should not be forgotten and should be remembered in that he was baptizing in the name of God, not of his own accord. But his reason for being there was to “preach the gospel” to those in need of hearing it, and that is all.

I know, at this time what my mission is and that is where my focus is each and every day. If something else comes of it in that time that I am carrying out my mission, then so be it, but I want to be remembered for the work that I did in the work to complete my mission. I was sent to teach and improve lives through growth and learning. When I am focused on that mission and purpose, I will accomplish more than if I was just trying to get the grass mowed.

I am a proponent of doing that which you love so that you do not have to work a day in your life. I love the work of improving lives of others and for me it does not feel like work, only a workout fulfilling my mission. In my work, I have been able to touch others in ways that I may not have had I only been interested in doing my job and caring for myself. I will say that I may not be getting the outward recognition or acknowledgment for the work I am doing as others may not understand the work that I do or the reasons I do them. Where that may not be very fun to see others getting propped up for the simplest of things that they have done one time, I will still continue to be the example of what right looks like in fulfilling my mission with or without any notice by others.

God sends each of us for a purpose. We have certain tasks and roles to take on and fulfill. It is not our role to question the validity of them, only to fulfill them. But first we have to recognize that which we are sent for. We, like Paul, have to know what it is we are working toward and focus on that and that alone in all that we do.

What is it that you were sent by God to do? Are you even aware of what your mission and purpose are? What if you were to sit and determine your mission and purpose and then strive each day to fulfill just that, regardless of the end consequences or notice others may have of you?

“⁷Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you.” — John 16:7 (ESV)

Again, I have looked at the above verse several times as relates to others words I was studying. Here I continue to study the word “send” and have found something that I must have missed or forgotten. Jesus had to go in order for the Holy Spirit to be sent.

It seems a bit strange that Jesus had to leave this world so that the Holy Spirit could come. Would it not make sense for the two of them to be here in the world together and do twice the work. When I look at it from that perspective I am a bit perplexed. Twice the workers, twice the work, right?

Well as I look a bit closer and think back to all that I know and have learned, God does not need the help. He is fully capable of doing His work without any additional help from Jesus, the Holy Spirit, or even me. He can take care of it all on His own.

I see in the above verse that Jesus left this world and as He arrived in heaven, he sent the Holy Spirit to this world to continue His work. Jesus was not able to stay here in this world forever. Think about it, Jesus walking the earth for 2000 years, it makes no logical sense. But, the Holy Spirit can be with us forever. The Helper can and will dwell among us all the days of my life, the life of my children, my children’s children, and my children’s children’s children. I look at things and see the Holy Spirit has been here with us for the past 2000 years and will be with us until Jesus comes again.

Jesus could not stay and so as He left, he made sure that we had a Helper that would be able to stay. The Holy Spirit was sent to continue the work of Jesus in our lives and in the live of those to come.

What are your thoughts of Jesus’ departure from this world? Were you wondering about the reason that both Jesus and the Holy Spirit were not here together to double the output of God’s work? What if we accepted that the Holy Spirit was sent to continue the work of Jesus for eternity in this world?

“¹⁷For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.” — John 3:17 (ESV)

There is pretty common knowledge of the verse before the one I have quoted above, John 3:16. Well for this morning I am looking at why God did not send His son. I believe that too often we are only looking at one side of things and as we do, our perspective is skewed to the point that we only see things from that view and omit the balance of the information. When I read John 3:16, I see the “whoever believes in me” part and feel as though it is only for those that believe and the rest are condemned. But that could not be further from the truth.

God loved the whole world, not just part of it and certain people in it. He has given the opportunity for all to be saved, only He knows, as is common for most things, that not everyone will take advantage of the gift of salvation He provides. We have to remember that God provides the same salvation for all. Verse 17 points this out to me.

I have to remember to look at things from the perspective of verse 17 as well as 16. I have to know that God did not condemn the world. He sent His son to save it. To offer salvation to all who would accept. Not just the “religious right” or the “church goers” or the “chosen nationality”. He sent Jesus for all the world and there was no condemnation in His coming.

“¹⁸Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. ¹⁹And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil.” — John 3:18-19 (ESV)

I see in the above verses that those that believe are saved those that are wicked are wicked and have condemned themselves. To often we want to blame someone else for that which does not go our way and really the blame should be placed solely on us. I have to know that Jesus came to save and not to condemn. I have to know that if condemned, it is my own doing. I also have to remember that Jesus came to save and, until I have passed from this world, I have the opportunity to accept the salvation provided and join Jesus in heaven, just as the thief crucified with Jesus.

Jesus was sent by God to save the world, not to condemn it. We have condemned ourselves with our actions. It is not too late however, there is still time now to listen to and accept the salvation provide by God through the death of Jesus so that we “should not perish but have eternal life.” – John 3:16 (ESV)

When you think about the coming of Jesus, what are you thoughts on the reason He came? Are you even aware that He only came to save? What if we accepted He came to save and not to condemn?

I am continuing my study of the word “send” and am at a passage I have studied before. In the margins I have written, “Pray to be sent not just for God to send”. As I look at the verses again, I see what I was referring to.

“³⁷Then he said to his disciples, ‘The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; ³⁸therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.’” — Matthew 9:37-38 (ESV)

I see here that we should definitely be praying for God to send out someone to tend to the needs of others, bring the glory of God to others, and provide for those that may not be able to provide for themselves. I see that there is plenty work to be done and as Jesus says in verse 37, “the laborers are few” indicating that there is a short supply of His followers doing the work.

I know that there are those that are constantly doing the work of God in the lives of those in need, but I will also say that I know that list is a short one compared to the population of those who follow Christ. Now I do not want to presume that there are those that simply proclaim Christ for the visual effect of its value, but I do know, as Jesus indicated in verse 37, there is a shortage of those that are doing the work.

I have to take the approach to pray for the Lord to work in the lives and hearts of everyone and in that work will compel them to go out and do the work needed to bring salvation to all. I have to also be listening to hear God as I am sure that He has instructions for me just as He has instructions of others. I have to pray for God to send and for me to be sent.

What are you praying for in relation to the action of sending or being sent? Are you looking for God to simply send someone to take care of things? What if you did, and then also prayed that God would send you into the field to do the work as well?

“⁸And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, ‘Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?’ Then I said, ‘Here I am! Send me.’” — Isaiah 6:8 (ESV)

Notice in the verse above the approach of Isaiah when asked who would take on the advancement of God’s Word, “Here I am! Send me.” Isaiah is first in line to offer to take on the work for the glory of God. He is not shy or timid. In fact, notice also the exclamation point as he draws attention as he boldly volunteers for the assignment.

At my office there are events that we sponsor to work and serve in the community. I have taken an interest in these as a way of providing service in the community and in the advancement of my mission “To improve lives through growth and learning as an example of Christ’s love.” The approach that I take when these events are presented is to say “I’ll go”.

By no means am I comparing myself to Isaiah and his relationship to God, but I am showing the correlation between his approach and enthusiasm for the work and the enthusiasm I should have as I do the work God has tasked me with as well. I am to say “Here I am! Send me” and with exuberance jump at the chance to go. I have to be open to the chances I am provided to glorify God through the work He has for me. I have to go when called and not look back.

I will be given even more opportunities than those presented at my office. I will have many chances to do the work of God and serve others in advancement of the glory of God. I will be provided certainly with more work to do as assigned by God. And in all of those opportunities and chances I have to look at them with the same enthusiasm as Isaiah and say, “Here I am! Send me.”

What opportunities have you been presented to do the work of God? Are you looking out for them, or even aware of them being presented to you? What if you were and took the approach of Isaiah and said, “Here I am! Send me.”?

“⁸I, John, am the one who heard and saw these things. And when I heard and saw them, I fell down to worship at the feet of the angel who showed them to me, ⁹but he said to me, ‘You must not do that! I am a fellow servant with you and your brothers the prophets, and with those who keep the words of this book. Worship God.’” — Revelation 22:8-9 (ESV)

How easy is it to worship other things or entities based on what we perceive is their benevolence to me? I have received from others and at times I feel as though I owe them worship as a provider.

I want to put this out there, although I am not expressing an opinion one way or another, but think of government entities and their “giving” to me as a citizen of their domain. The entity provides that which is set forth of in the documents approved by the people. They are only performing as the will of the people have dictated as being a part of their role. In some cases there has been overreach as relates to that role and in others there has been a perceived shortcoming. In either case, we the people, in a lot of cases, have decided that they are to be worshiped for their “giving”. This is clearly stated as not what should be as you see in verse 9 above.

John literally fell for the worship of other entities than God as he “fell down to worship at the feet of the angel”. He was carrying out the worship of the messenger as opposed to the one, God, who sent the message. John fell trap to the idea of worshiping the one simply doing the will of the true authority, God. He was quickly corrected and shown the right path, “Worship God”.

I have to remember to look at situations and find the truth in them to be sure that I am placing my worship where it truly belongs and not at the feet of the one who brings me the information. I have to remember that pastors, prophets, angels, authority figures, news outlets, or any other purveyor of information to me are just the messengers and that the message itself comes from God and that is where my worship is to directed.

When you hear of news, where do you direct your worship? Are you in the group that falls or bows down to the messenger as the one providing? What if you were to direct you worship to God as the ultimate provider and simply respected the purveyor of the message?