"Is it in you?". That is the question that was asked in the ubiquitous ads put out in the early 2000's by the Gatorade sports drink company. These ads asked athletes if "IT" was in them. It was a question as to what was fueling them, and were they driven by a drive and passion deep inside to compete at the highest level. I understand that this was a marketing campaign designed to sell a product and that they were ultimately asking "are you drinking Gatorade?", but there is a truth to what the ads were implying: To be successful as an athlete "IT" must be in you, pushing you even past your physical limits to keep you going when you want to give up. If you were to go back through history and examine the athletic careers of the most prominent and successful athletes you will likely find that there was an almost superhuman drive in them. When obstacles that would have derailed the average person presented themselves, these athletes pushed through them. When they felt discouraged and wanted to give up they kept pushing on. Rejection, injury, personal loss, and the agony of defeat were not enough to stop them, but only made them better and more determined to be successful. "IT" was most certainly in them.
I am reminded of the prophet Jeremiah, who became weary with delivering the word of the Lord to the people. He had become a laughingstock for delivering God's word (Jeremiah 20:8), but in spite of the weariness, the frustration, and the shame it brought he couldn't stop proclaiming what God gave him to say. He wanted to stop, but he simply couldn't. Why?
Jeremiah 20:9 NKJV - [9] Then I said, "I will not make mention of Him, Nor speak anymore in His name." But [His word] was in my heart like a burning fire Shut up in my bones; I was weary of holding [it] back, And I could not.
The reason he couldn't stop is because "IT" was in Jeremiah, driving and pushing him past his weariness, past his fear, past his frustration. There were plenty of reasons to give up and quit, but there was a cause that was greater than those reasons. There was a burning inside of him that wouldn't let him just stand silently in the shadows while his community advanced in a downward spiral of sin and darkness. He had to do something no matter what it might cost him. They weren't listening. They didn't see any merit to his pleas. They mocked him. There was an onslaught outside him pressuring him to give up, but "IT" was in him pushing him through all of that to continue speaking God's word to the lost souls.
Now here we are in 2018 and just like Jeremiah we're surrounded by people who are in a nose dive toward hell fire with no parachute to slow them down. The very concept of God and eternity is being eroded at a rapid rate in our society and sin is being celebrated like never before. The question is not "is there a cause?", because there most definitely is one. The question is not "do people need to hear our testimony?", because they no doubt need to hear it. The question is, is there a passion inside of you to involve yourself in the cause? Is there a drive within you to do something about the lost and hurting world around you? Is there a burning inside of you pushing you past your fears, past the nay-saying voices, and beyond the seemingly insurmountable odds? Are you just going to sit by while sin continues to destroy the lives all around you? The question is, is it in you?
There is too much to do, there are too many lost souls, and we are too close to the coming of the Lord for the church to be apathetic and silent. We need to be praying like never before, we need to be committed to our local church like never before, we need to be in the Word of God like never before, and we need to be telling people about Jesus and sharing our testimony like never before. We need "IT" to be in us.
So, "IS IT IN YOU?"
Patrick Thomson
I am reminded of the prophet Jeremiah, who became weary with delivering the word of the Lord to the people. He had become a laughingstock for delivering God's word (Jeremiah 20:8), but in spite of the weariness, the frustration, and the shame it brought he couldn't stop proclaiming what God gave him to say. He wanted to stop, but he simply couldn't. Why?
Jeremiah 20:9 NKJV - [9] Then I said, "I will not make mention of Him, Nor speak anymore in His name." But [His word] was in my heart like a burning fire Shut up in my bones; I was weary of holding [it] back, And I could not.
The reason he couldn't stop is because "IT" was in Jeremiah, driving and pushing him past his weariness, past his fear, past his frustration. There were plenty of reasons to give up and quit, but there was a cause that was greater than those reasons. There was a burning inside of him that wouldn't let him just stand silently in the shadows while his community advanced in a downward spiral of sin and darkness. He had to do something no matter what it might cost him. They weren't listening. They didn't see any merit to his pleas. They mocked him. There was an onslaught outside him pressuring him to give up, but "IT" was in him pushing him through all of that to continue speaking God's word to the lost souls.
Now here we are in 2018 and just like Jeremiah we're surrounded by people who are in a nose dive toward hell fire with no parachute to slow them down. The very concept of God and eternity is being eroded at a rapid rate in our society and sin is being celebrated like never before. The question is not "is there a cause?", because there most definitely is one. The question is not "do people need to hear our testimony?", because they no doubt need to hear it. The question is, is there a passion inside of you to involve yourself in the cause? Is there a drive within you to do something about the lost and hurting world around you? Is there a burning inside of you pushing you past your fears, past the nay-saying voices, and beyond the seemingly insurmountable odds? Are you just going to sit by while sin continues to destroy the lives all around you? The question is, is it in you?
There is too much to do, there are too many lost souls, and we are too close to the coming of the Lord for the church to be apathetic and silent. We need to be praying like never before, we need to be committed to our local church like never before, we need to be in the Word of God like never before, and we need to be telling people about Jesus and sharing our testimony like never before. We need "IT" to be in us.
So, "IS IT IN YOU?"
Patrick Thomson
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