“Therefore go and make disciples of all nations…” (Matthew 28:19).
Some days at our house, it’s hard to get everybody going. Sometimes that’s not a big deal; other times it can be fairly stressful. If we have a certain place to be at a certain time, my wife and I tell our kids when we need to leave and try to give them everything they need to be ready to go by then, whether it’s making sure they have had breakfast, know where their soccer cleats are, or have everything ready to go in their backpack. Some things we prepare for them; for others they are expected to get ready on their own (long past are the days when we brush our children’s teeth for them). Inevitably, when it is time to leave, at least one of the necessary tasks remains incomplete. Sometimes we just forget something. A mask is left on the kitchen counter or a lunchbox forgotten in the refrigerator. Sometimes it’s because one of the kids got preoccupied by a book or a toy in their bedroom. They might have been distracting each other by either playing or fighting with one another. They might not have been all that excited about our destination in the first place. It can be frustrating when our need to go is urgent and our kids don’t catch the same vision we have about that urgency. (Worst of all, sometimes even we adults are the ones to blame when our family is running behind.) Sometimes it seems that we just tend to have trouble getting going.
I wonder if our Heavenly Father sometimes feels the same frustration we do when we struggle to get “going” on the mission He has given to us. Of course, He is never to blame for the failures of His people (as my wife and I sometimes are to blame for our family’s struggles). Thankfully, He also doesn’t get cranky and short-tempered when we don’t follow all of His instructions perfectly like I sometimes do with my children. Instead, He lovingly continues to remind us of the calling He has given us and equips us with all we need to fulfill it. We’ve been hearing several reminders of that calling this week from our Savior: “…declare how much God has done for you” (Luke 8:39). “…you will be my witnesses…” (Acts 1:8). “Go and proclaim the kingdom of God” (Luke 9:60).
In our quest to fulfill these commands of our Lord Jesus, how often do we fail? Sometimes we get preoccupied with the things of this world, allowing ourselves to be taken away from our God-given tasks by things that matter far less or not at all. Sometimes we, the members of God’s family, can find ourselves distracting one another, forgetting to spur one another on to good works (Hebrews 10:24), allowing our conversations to revolve around unimportant things or even getting into unhelpful and unnecessary arguments. Sometimes we fail to grasp the urgency of our mission, missing out on so much that our Father desires to accomplish through us.
Family of God, it’s time to get going. Let’s answer our Lord’s call to share the hope of our Risen Savior with the world. Let’s embrace the urgency of a world in desperate need of the Gospel. And let’s thank and praise our Heavenly Father for His patience and forgiveness, that He never takes us out of the game when our head (and heart) isn’t always in it. Again and again, He sends us out with the message of Christ crucified and His living and active Word that changes hearts and draws all people to Himself. So let’s go!
–Pastor Caleb Adams, October 30, 2021