THE TRANSMIT AUTHORITY

"The word of the Lord came to me saying, 'Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set up apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations'" (Jeremiah 1:4-5 NIV).

Competitions can be cruel. Usually only one contestant wins. For a culture wrapped up in winning, the runner up is still a loser. And no second place finisher feels good about them-selves. They drown in sorrow, self-pity, depression, and despair. All of those emotions can be reversed on the single word of an authority.

A student in architecture entered a nationwide contest for building design. Judged by a panel of architects, her design received Honorable Mention. She was utterly depressed. She believed hers was the best design. At lunch on the last day of the convention she was sitting over her uneaten sandwich, looking at her creation. An old man was looking at it, too. At last he remarked, not knowing who had designed the building, "This one, I think, is the best of the lot." Judges had merely given her work Honorable Mention, but one old man had liked it. The young student went home elated. Why? The old man was Frank Lloyd Wright, probably the greatest architect of the time.

When the authority tells us something, we can count on it. God is the authority on who we are. He is the Creator. He gives the correct information. He is the one we should be listening to about who we are.

Jeremiah felt the emotions of being a loser, a second-rate prophet from a third-world country. He didn't feel like he could measure up to the assignment of being God's spokesperson. He was feeble, fallow, and flawed. But the authority (God) reminded him that he had a divine formation, a distinctive calling, and a chosen vocation. He was God's voice to God's people.

It helps to hear from the authority. Instead of entertaining the mockery of the multitude, the ridicule of the rivals, and the false accusation of your foes, listen to God. His voice is the one that really matters. And his is the one that speaks truth.

…..Copyright by Rick Ezell, 2009, as seen in One Minute Uplift by way of Cup O'Cheer (cheer316@sc.rr.com) and “Christian Voices” (www.ChristianVoicesWorldwide.net)