On Mission: Turn excuses into creative thinking

By Rick Warren

The Lord replied, "Don't say, 'I'm too young,' for you must go wherever I send you and say

Whatever I tell you. Jeremiah 1:7

•          'I only speak English.' This is actually an advantage in many countries where millions of people want to learn English and are eager to practice it.

•          'I don't have anything to offer.' Yes, you do! Every ability and experience in your SHAPE can be used somewhere.

•          I'm too old or too young.' Most mission agencies have age-appropriate short-term projects.

Whether it was Sarah claiming she was too old to be used by God or Jeremiah claiming he was too young, God rejected their excuses. "Don't say that," the Lord replied, "for you must go wherever I send you and say whatever I tell you. And don't be afraid of the people, for I will be with you and take care of you." (Jeremiah 1:7-8)

Maybe you've believed that you needed a special "call" from God, and you've been waiting for some supernatural feeling or experience, but God has already stated his call repeatedly. God doesn't want to use just some of his people; he wants to use all of his people. We're all called to be on mission for God. He wants his whole church to take the whole gospel to the whole world.

If you want to be like Jesus, you must care about what he cares about most; you must have a heart for the whole world! You can't be satisfied with just your family and friends coming to Christ. There are over six billion people on earth, and Jesus wants all his lost children found.

The Great Commission is your commission, and doing your part is the secret to living a life of significance. Jesus said, "Only those who throw away their lives for my sake and for the sake of the Good News will ever know what it means to really live!" (Mark 8:35)