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You will never be ready!

                “If we were half the church we sing about, we would be unstoppable”. 
                That statement, made by a song leader at a conference I was at last year, has bothered me ever since I heard it.  Think about the words we sing so regularly. 
                “If Jesus goes with me, I will go!”  Really?  We sing that but do we mean it?  To be honest, most of the time I do not want to go anywhere. I would rather stay at home and be comfortable.
                “I am mine no more.  I’ve been bought with blood.  I am mine no more.”  Really?  In reality, it seems like most people are planning their life and future with very little thought about anyone other than themselves.
                “All to Jesus I surrender!”  Really?  Then just leave your car or truck keys with me, I will sell them and use the money for ministry.  You will not mind walking home, right? 
                The list could go on and on.  We sing about some huge commitments.  However, if we are not living those commitments in a meaningful way, then we must ask, “What is missing?”
                I do not think we are missing the proper desire.  Go to any church and ask if they would like to see people being saved and they would all say “yes”.  I do not believe that the issue is ability.  Most Christians know enough to tell someone about the gospel.  I do not believe that power is the problem.  After all, we have the inspired word and, as baptised believers, the Holy Spirit living within us.  What is the issue then?
                I think our problem is fear!  We are afraid to try and fail.  But failure is part of learning.  Doing something poorly is the only path to doing it well.  When a baby is learning to walk, we cheer for the three steps they took.  We do not berate them for falling over at the end.  We must get past our fear and try, because fear will never produce anything worthwhile. 
                The Hebrew writer said it this way, “We are not those who shrink back and are destroyed, but those who believe and are saved” (Hebrews 10:39). 
                We must learn to act in faith, hope and trust, because those are qualities that God can use. 
                Do not wait until you feel ready and do not allow fear to stop you from doing the good you can do. 
                As Edmund Burke said, “Nobody made a greater mistake than he who did nothing because he could only do a little”.

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