Pray:
Tender Shepherd, thank You that You came after me. Let me now be as You were in the world.
Read:
Matthew 9:35-10:16
Reflect:
How does Jesus call his disciples to respond first?
We know that mission is important, but we are often unsure about where to start. This mission (ch. 10) began with Jesus noticing and caring about the need (9:36) and alerting his friends to pray (9:37,38). If the Lord has called your attention to a particular person or group, pray for them. Through prayer God prepares our hearts and minds to care for people the way he does. Prayer prepares us to go out (9:37; 10:1,5).
Jesus instructed his disciples to do exactly what he had been doing. We don't need to re-invent mission. We are to do what Jesus did: tell people that God's Kingdom is close--the King is here--and offer his restoration (7,8). We sometimes hesitate to get on with what Jesus has asked us to do because we assume we need special qualifications or equipment. The disciples were encouraged to trust God to give them what they needed to do the job (9-11).
We also need to be prepared for a variety of responses (11-16). Rejection will come our way, but that does not mean that we give up on mission, but rather that we move on to someone who may be ready to hear.
Apply:
Prepare yourself for action. Pray. Tell those you encounter about the love of God. Expect miracles.
Pray:
Give me Your words of life, and the courage to speak those words with boldness.