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

Sounds good, eh? (I’m in Wisconsin again)

Who’s comfortable here in the place Isaiah volunteers for? Especially when the next verses are about what he needs to tell the people of Israel? It’s the same warning that applies today – you’ve strayed and if you don’t come back, it’s gonna hurt. I’m far better at talking to strangers about it than I am friends and family. I don’t think I’m alone there – who wants to be thought of as a religious nut job by friends and family?

Yet, who do we want to see in heaven? What do we do about it? Then there’s the question about religion itself – what does religion have to do with Christ if it’s not just about Christ? Is there a difference between a religious nut job and a follower of Christ? In today’s world we need a reset back to what the red letters tell us, nothing more but live as they command us to do, live them passionately instead of pursuing our worldly wants and sin.

Tough row to hoe.

Matthew 5:6 (NLT)
6 God blesses those who hunger and thirst for justice, for they will be satisfied.

Justice takes many forms. Social justice. Soul justice. God’s justice. Many forms and all tangled up into one justice, one direction, one “right”. Red letter justice.

“Here I am! Send me!”

Joshua 24:15 (MSG)

¹⁵ “If you decide that it’s a bad thing to worship God, then choose a god you’d rather serve—and do it today. Choose one of the gods your ancestors worshiped from the country beyond The River, or one of the gods of the Amorites, on whose land you’re now living. As for me and my family, we’ll worship God.”