March 20

Now the word of the Lord came to me saying, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I have appointed you a prophet to the nations.” Then I said, “Alas, Lord God! Behold, I do not know how to speak, because I am a youth.” But the Lord said to me, “Do not say, ‘I am a youth,’ because everywhere I send you, you shall go, and all that I command you, you shall speak.” Jeremiah 1:4-7.

It would be a false source of pride for the natural man to hear that he had been chosen and sanctified by the Lord. But Jeremiah is not like that. In effect he represents a ‘crucified man’—one that has been prepared by the Lord for full service to Him. It is very true that none of us know how to speak, especially when it comes to speaking for the Lord. That is the purpose of ’taking up our cross’—to learn the ways and the voice of God. The cross will not let any of our natural man pass into the newly created man. The cross has two sides—the one denying all that we retain from Adam, and the second side taking us into the resurrected Christ.

The mere fact that we may know these things in our mind does not lead to our showing these things evident in our lives. I can speak a good word, but it takes the Living Word, the Word of God, working in my daily life to produce the change that leads to a useful servant. Somehow, Jeremiah knew these things. He was God’s faithful prophet.

Today, Father, I want to speak for You. That will mean that You will work Your changes into me. I need to become a living proof of Your Word. Jesus is Your word, so I count on His presence moment by moment. Our world is in constant need of testimony from You. Let me express it not just with words but with my very life. I can not do that by myself, so work Your cross into every aspect of my being. I give You thanks in Jesus’ name. Amen.
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