Today's thought:

Isaiah 6:1-8, "In the year of King Uzziah’s death I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, lofty and exalted, with the train of His robe filling the temple. Seraphim stood above Him, each having six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. And one called out to another and said, “Holy, Holy, Holy, is the Lord of hosts,

The whole earth is full of His glory.”

And the foundations of the thresholds trembled at the voice of him who called out, while the temple was filling with smoke. 5 Then I said, “Woe is me, for I am ruined!

Because I am a man of unclean lips,

And I live among a people of unclean lips;

For my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts.”

Then one of the seraphim flew to me with a burning coal in his hand, which he had taken from the altar with tongs. He touched my mouth with it and said, “Behold, this has touched your lips; and your iniquity is taken away and your sin is forgiven.”

Then 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!” (New American Standard Bible).

In a recent TV commercial a young man is struggling with whether to go through with an arranged marriage. In his home country arranged marriages were the norm. But after living in America, he was having second thoughts about adhering to this ancient custom, especially since he'd never met his wife-to-be.

Still, when she flew into the airport, he dutifully waited for her, flowers in hand, and a gloomy expression on his face. But when she stepped through the terminal, everything changed. She was beautiful! Suddenly his glum demeanor disappeared. The thought of marrying this woman was no longer a dreaded duty; it was a delight. What had changed? He'd seen her.

Often we serve God out of obligation. We drag ourselves to church, force ourselves to serve others—but our hearts aren't in it. We're like that guy at the airport, grudgingly holding flowers for God. We're trying to live holy lives because we know we should, but it's burdensome, joyless.

What can change this? Seeing God. When we get a vision of who God truly is, suddenly we're energized to do his mission. Once we gaze upon his grandeur and glory, obedience ceases to be arduous. Once we grasp his great love, serving is no longer a duty—it's a joy! [Drew Dyck, Yawning at Tigers (Thomas Nelson, 2014), page 54]

Isaiah saw the Lord high and lifted up and by seeing God he recognized who he was and who God is. He then was not just willing to serve God but eager. It was no longer an obligation, a "have to," but a privilege, a "get to." Though we may not have a vision like Isaiah we still can come into the presence of the Living God through worship and hear His voice call out through His word, the Bible. If we turn our eyes upon the One high and exalted, if we keep our vision on Him, then serving and submitting to God go from duty to delight. Catch a glimpse of God today. See Him. It changes everything.

Prayer: Our Holy Father, though we cannot look directly upon your face, Your glory is all around us. As we worship You we get a true vision of You and serving You becomes our pleasure, our delight. Here we are. Send us! Show us Your glory. In Jesus name, amen.