Blake Allen, Student and Outreach Minister, LHBC
Matthew 28:18-20
18 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in[b] the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.
Are you tired? I don’t know about you but with a full-time job, school, two kids, and other responsibilities, by the end of the day I am wiped! I’m getting tired just thinking about it now. Add on top of that all the curve balls that life throws at you. The unforeseen things that totally wreck our schedules and plans. Tired doesn’t even begin to cover it. Good luck trying to add sleep somewhere in there. Oh and don’t forget your time with the Lord (Psalm 1:2), the need to live in a Biblical community (Galatians 6:2), your responsibility as a Christ to attend church (Hebrews 10:25), the responsibility to serve (Matthew 20:26-28), etc. Then there’s that commission thing where we are supposed to make disciples too (Matthew 28:18-20)!
Jesus has given all believers the charge of making disciples. This command is reiterated all throughout Scripture. In fact, Jesus’ last words to his disciples before His ascension was that His disciples would be His witnesses all throughout the world (Acts 1). There is much work to be done. There are souls to be won, addictions to be broken, wounds to be binded, hearts to be encouraged, relationships to be restored, etc. This takes intentionality. This takes time. This takes effort. This takes energy. And with everything on our plate, how much energy do we have to accomplish it all?
With everything on our plate, we can easily feel more than overwhelmed. Our sight becomes fixated on all we have to get done. We see the tasks. We see the mountain of stuff that just keeps piling up. We see the responsibilities. We see the obligations. We see the schedules. We see the battles. We see the to dos. We see the timelines.
I wonder if this is how the disciples felt when Jesus charged them to go reach the entire world with the Gospel, baptize them, and teach them. The time and effort, the weight of this responsibility, and the commitment required is insurmountable. Well at least by themselves anyway. But don’t miss what Jesus told the disciples in Acts 1: “you will receive the power of the Holy Spirit.” How often do we stop to see how God has been with us through it all? My strength and energy has limits. But God’s power never runs out! Could it be that God, who saw fit to give us only 24hr days, knew we would need to depend upon Him? Our veins may be filled with caffeine but are we filled with the Holy Spirit? Do you call to mind God’s promise in Matthew 18 that He is with us always to the end of the ages?
If your tired, weary, broken, battered, overwhelmed, stressed, or anxious, know that God sees it and whispers to you, “behold I am with you always to the end of the ages.”
In a commentary series called Christ-Centered Exposition, David Platt makes the following statement: “Are you going through a difficult time? Christ lives with you. Are you struggling in weakness? Christ is strength in you. Are you bruised and battered? Christ is healing you. Are you confused and not sure what to do? Christ is peace in you. Are you wondering if you can overcome the things you are dealing with right now? As 1 John says, “The One who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world” (4:4). He is life. He is strength. He is hope in you. He is “Christ in you, the hope of glory” (Col 1:27). Jesus has conquered sin, death, and the grave, and He now reigns from heaven as the ascended Lord. Because He lives in you, you have nothing to fear.”
No matter what’s on your plate, He will never give you more than what He can accomplish through you. No matter what battle your facing, you already have the victory in Jesus who conquered death itself. No matter what you are going through, Jesus is with you. Hear the whispers of God’s voice saying, “behold I am with you always until the end of ages.”
PRAYER FOR TODAY:
Dear Heavenly Father, would you be my source of strength today. Help me to fix my eyes upon you, knowing that no matter the battles I face or what comes my way you are with me always. Amen!
MEMORY VERSE OF THE WEEK:
Proverbs 18:10
The name of the Lord is a strong tower;
the righteous man runs into it and is safe.