Today’s scripture: Matthew 10:16-25 (ESV-text and audio) (KJV) (The Message) What might God be saying to me?
My thoughts (Keith Phillips):
Some things are so important that I would do just about anything necessary to see that they were accomplished, or at least moving along closer to being accomplished.
That the whole world might know the unconditional love of God for all human beings is one of those important things. This chapter in Matthew (he does seem to write thematically) is all about evangelism, sharing the Good News of that unconditional love, that unmerited favor, that amazing grace of God. Some folk have the spiritual gift of evangelism. I don’t. Even as a pastor, I never thought of myself as “in sales.”
Although I don’t do evangelism, I am evangelical, missional, in the same way that I think of God as missional. Jesus was so gentle in his approach to the folks around him. No gimmicks, no random knocking on doors, no heavy-handed guilt trips trying to convince people of God’s love or to fear hell-fire. How silly! He just was the kind of person who cared, who journeyed beside friends and strangers letting them know they are loved.
Now, one would think that everyone would be eager for such Good News. But we are such fallen people. I sometimes believe that it’s as simple as folks not loving themselves, so they resist loving anybody else, and even resist accepting that they are loved by another unconditionally. And so, Jesus was persecuted and crucified, not by those on the margins but by those whose grasping for status and power and the conviction of being right tried to fill the vacuum of a lack of love. How sad!
And the same thing continues around us, who by God’s grace have been touched by God’s love and so desire to share it. Jesus says we are as vulnerable as sheep being sent among wolves, that those with power will attempt to silence us, and that even those closest to us will make it difficult for us. Followers of Jesus tend to be offensive to the culture around us. Persecution and proclamation of the Good News by word and deed invariably go together.
But it doesn’t matter. The whole point is that we are powerless in our own strength. God who is present and abiding within us empowers us to rise again when crucified, in order to keep on proclaiming, “God loves you, God forgives you, and God wants you in a close relationship.”
Thought for the day: I’m excited about sharing the Good News of God’s unconditional love with those whom I encounter this day, no matter the cost. With whom will you share the Good News today?
We encourage you to include a time of prayer with this reading. If you need a place to get started, consider the guidelines on the How to Pray page.