12-24-21 Today in the Word

An Impossible Task Friday, December 24 | Matthew 28:16–20 What if you were asked to count all the grains of sand on a beach? Or you were tasked with inventing an affordable flying car? Clearly, you’d be overwhelmed by what seems impossible. Most likely you’d laugh rather than take these requests seriously. We may wonder how the disciples felt in their last conversation with Jesus as recorded in Matthew’s Gospel. Jesus had taken His eleven disciples onto a hill in Galilee to give them an important final command. From a worldly perspective, these disciples were not extraordinary. They were ex-fishermen and tax collectors. They had likely never traveled beyond the Roman province of Judea. Yet, Jesus gave them a seemingly impossible command. He called them to “go and make disciples of all nations” (Matt. 28:19). What did He mean? Why did He give this group of people such a huge task? Jesus wanted both Jews and Gentiles to hear the good news about His death and resurrection. He wanted them not just to tell people, but to “make disciples.” Jesus was calling His disciples to recruit more people to become His apprentices. This involves being baptized and “teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you” (v. 20). They were not simply to get people to verbally assent to following Jesus, but to see lives transformed by His teaching. Jesus gave this impossible command for two reasons. First, He has been given “all authority in heaven and on earth” (v. 18). He had the right to do so. But equally as important, Jesus promised that He would (and will!) empower His disciples to obey this command (v. 20). >> We inherited this command from Jesus. Followers of Jesus never have to wonder what their purpose in life should be. While there are different ways in which God calls us to be a part of His mission, the overall goal is clear. This clear purpose is a wonderful gift that can provide us with direction and hope until Christ returns. Pray with Us When we look at the world around us, it is easy to be dismayed. There is so much sin, anger, and hurt. How can we make a difference? But through You all things are possible (Matt. 19:26). Keep us focused on You today.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

9-17-23 Not in a Billion Years

Not In A Million Billion Years :: By Dave Hubley Published on: December 24, 2022 by RR10 Category:General Articles (There is a special message at the end of this article for those who might happen to read this and do not have Jesus in their life and are looking for peace and a way to better understand the present-day insanity and confusion.) Several years ago, I had a conversation with a guy in a waiting room while getting an oil change (in the car, not me). I don’t recall exactly how the conversation originated or how it progressed, but I have never forgotten it. As I recall, it had something to do with evolution and an article that was contained in a “waiting room magazine” that was available there. He made the observation that God was “something that man had made up.” I can’t recall the exact reason he used to justify his opinion, but it had something to do with the usual reasons people give: Weak-willed people needing a crutch, and blah, blah, blah. I engaged him in a “witness,
Read more

9-16-23 Santa Staleness

Santa Staleness :: By Edwin Tan Published on: December 24, 2022 by RR10 Category:General Articles My one and only trip to Israel had more than a profound effect on my present-day psyche. It might have been three decades ago, but there is more than a lingering aftertaste. It happened smack in the last fortnight of the year. Surprisingly absent were the familiar sights and sounds of the Christmas most people are accustomed to. Hardly any Christmas decorations in downtown Tel Aviv, if not any of the shopping thoroughfares across the Holy Land. Hanukah was a breath of fresh air – not anything resembling a Christmas carol most people grew up with did surface. The Christmas Eve service in a small Protestant church not far away from Jerusalem’s Old City was awesome; songs that truly celebrated the virgin birth of our Lord, which though seemingly unheard of, were a welcome inspiration to many a soul. There was even one sung in Arabic! So it began, my overt disdain for the secular Christmas t
Read more

9-15-23 Miracles 2

Miracles 2 :: By Jim Towers Published on: December 21, 2022 by RR10 Category:General Articles This story is a continuation of the exciting things God continues doing in my life. I was supposed to have died a while back, and sometimes I feel as though I may do so soon. But since I’m ready to meet my maker, I have no fear of death. In fact, my evangelistic zeal has only increased, especially as I see the fast approaching of the “Tribulation period” mentioned in the book of Revelation. Insofar as my acting career is concerned, I just finished filming a soliloquy featuring Melchior, one of the three Magi who followed the star to Christ lying in the manger, and am preparing to portray a Jewish Priest on stage. Like I said, God is working overtime in my life, and I will be appearing on stage singing Broadway show tunes sometime in March, so I have a lot of rehearsing to do. In the meantime, I will be signing Christmas carols acapella at a park here in Naples. Since it is a spontaneous th
Read more