Week 38 Day 5
Pray:
Ask God to reorient you to Himself. Confess any known sin. Thank Him for His forgiveness. Be still and reflect on Jesus and His sacrifice for you. Ask the Holy Spirit to open your heart and mind to God’s Word. Pray for others in your life that they, too, would know and love God today.
Read:
Matt. 28:18-20 Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
Reflect:
Many dying leaders have given final words of exhortation and instruction. Only one leader in human history has given post-mortem instructions, the Lord Jesus. He died, resurrected, and then gave his followers some additional life-instructions. Someone might say a deceased loved one is always “with them” meaning in their memory, or indirectly impacting their lives through former example, but in fact that loved one is not with them in terms of being able to interact and communicate and help them. Jesus, on the other hand, is actually alive. He doesn’t exist in the same mortal existence that we do, but he exists and interacts with us nonetheless. This may sound strange, or impossible, but even those people who disbelieve in the supernatural world still believe in more dimensions than what our physical senses can experience. So when Jesus said, “surely, I am with you to the very end of the age” this was no hyperbole. It was a declaration of fact. “Surely” can also mean “look here!” or “pay attention!” Jesus was putting an exclamation mark on his instructions. This is no dead leader saying, “Carry on without me.” This is a risen Lord saying, “Carry on with me.” Jesus is at work in the lives of people around us. Are you looking for him there? Jesus is moving in your office, classroom, and home. He is at work in hospitals, battlefields, courtrooms, playgrounds… everywhere people are, he is at work there. Do you see him there? Will you join him there? You don’t have to “sell” the good news; you only need to “tell” it. There is no pressure to produce results, there is only the opportunity to join him in what he is doing in the lives of people. It is important that you “pay attention” to what he is doing because “surely he is with you” to the end of the age and to the end of this day. Look for him today… join him today.
Pray:
(Personalize this prayer today; make it specific to the circumstances that face you.)
Ask God to lead you through His Spirit as you go through your day. Ask Him to bring to mind the truth of the gospel and its implications for what you will encounter today. Tell Him “Yes” to His will and ask Him for His power and protection to live this “yes.” Ask God to create and reveal opportunities to proclaim the good news today.