Obedience

"And Jesus came and said to them, 'All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.Go therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.'" Matthew 28:18-20 (ESV)

 

It is during this "season of seeking" that I am desiring to hear the Voice of God. It is one thing to desire to go into the presence of God and it is another thing to hear what He is saying and revealing to us. This past Sunday morning the Spirit led me to call the church to a time of prayer for all of the "hurting" people who are in our communities. Some of these "hurting" people live in our own families and we are desperately wanting to help them deal with the troubling issues of their life. I have said these words to remind each of us that God does have a purpose and a plan to reach people. It is the plan which contains and reveals the Gospel message to anyone and everyone that will take the time to listen. The Gospel message is the one contained in the last command and last words that Jesus shared with His followers as He prepared to return to Heaven.

 

The Spirit of the Lord has been consistently reminding me of this challenge as I have been praying over the past few days. We must re-commit ourselves to this "call" from God and fulfill our earthly responsibilities. One of the devotionals that I read earlier this morning kindled that fire in my spirit once more. I felt the Spirit used the words that I was reading to confirm to me that we (I) must be about the "Father's business" with renewed fervor, vigor, determination and purpose. These are not the days to grow weary in well doing but we must be strong in our faith and share the Gospel message with courage and boldness.

 

Let me share a few of the words that stirred the fire in my heart this morning:

 

"Jesus' last words explain what His followers are to do in the long period between His first coming and His second coming. Jesus, in the statement known as the Great Commission, said something on that Galilean hillside before He left this world to His disciples that would make a difference for all eternity. Those words have become the blueprint for His movement. What Jesus said to His disciples that day was perhaps the most important thing He ever said to them. It was His burning passion, His singular focus, His magnificent obsession.

 

Jesus has given us, His followers, the incredible responsibility to be His representatives in the world, to carry His message of love and peace to broken humanity. As we go about our business we can do Jesus' business by telling others about Him, pointing people to the Savior, being salt and light in our world. His message becomes our message. Amazingly, Jesus allows us to share in His obsession. No higher calling or greater privilege could exist."