Matthew 28: 18-20
"And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, 'All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.' Amen."
I have heard this verse countless times and hold it as the ultimate mandate for life, but the Lord opened up a truth to me today within it that I had not stopped to think of before. The section ends with, "I am with you always." God knows there will be so many pitiful, whiny human excuses to why we (I) don't follow this command, most of which are due to fear (of rejection, really), that He includes that last part! As in, "I know this will be hard and against what you'd really want to do, but look, go out and tell others about Me. You might feel rejected or humiliated, but I will be with you. I'll always be with you, even if you're rejected by others." (that's the Mrs. H translation/paraphrase). What a comfort! What an AMAZING truth! Who's arms to better be able to fall back in than our creator's? We might be scoffed at by others, but God's amazing presence is there to count on. THAT should be enough to make us bold in our witness for Christ!
1 comment:
That verse, and your words, give me such encouragment. I think a lot of what holds me back in life from doing what God is calling me to do is fear. "What if poeple dont like me? what if they reject me or tease me or torture me?"... So what if they dont like me; God likes me! So what if they reject me; God has accepted me! So what if they torture me; God will heal me. There are two kinds of fear in the world, one that leads to terror and despair, and one that leads to reverence, love, and trust. The seccond is the kind of fear we need to have for the Lord, and is the only fear should have. Thanks for the encouraging words
Robert
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