A brief prayer is offered that you can add to your daily prayers. The scripture is from our Sunday Service Bulletin. Today is the final message in a series of sermons regarding Christian love that looks at the life of the early Christians.
Matthew 28:16-20 (English Standard Version)
16 Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. 17 And when they saw him they worshiped him, but some doubted. 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[a] 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.
Devotion: “Mission Statement”
We know that God loves us and according to St John’s writing, He gave His only begotten Son, Jesus, for our sake. This surely demonstrates the depth of His love for us. Today in the text from the last verses in Matthew, that resurrected Son gives His disciples and us, our mission statement. He states that His love and His presence will ever endure, even to the end of the age. The “make disciples” and “teach” were transformative commands because in the period that it was written, access to education by an esteemed rabbi was reserved for privileged men. Jesus is talking about breaking down barriers so that all shall be taught and become disciples: men and women, Gentile and Jew, poor and rich. God’s love extends to the entire world, loving the sinner and the saint. Some people think of “disciples” as maybe someone who is more committed than others. Jesus is saying that all Christians are disciples it is just that some are obedient and perhaps some are not. As disciples, we should love one another, as God taught us. Out of that love we should carry on His Kingdom work. Let us take a moment and consider what sort of disciple we are. Let us be more like Him!
Pray: Lord, help us be obedient disciples in our mission. Amen
Blessings,
Joe