Episode 58- Matthew 28:19 & 20

Every follower of Jesus is born for the exact moment in time in which they are living. God makes no mistakes and He placed you right where you are, right now, on purpose. So we all are born for such a time as this. No life is pointless, purposeless or wasted. Your life matters and it matters right where you find yourself.

 

Sometimes we end up living beneath our circumstances. They sit over us, they are on top of us, they feel heavy and even oppressive. Ever feel as if your circumstances just keep getting the best of you? Just today I was really feeling on edge and I realized it was simply a circumstance getting the best of me, but by faith I was going to stop living under it and start living like the child of God, the joint heir with Christ, that the Bible says I am. You do that today, too. Right now, right this second, if you need to do that, do it. No time like the present to put the devil in His place and to put the Lord in His rightful place in your life, right?

 

In this present season of darkness (and it is dark!) and of spiritual warfare in culture and the world all around us, when so much is pressing in against Jesus and us as His church, which is who we are, we are literally the Bride of Christ! This right now is the exact time you were born to be part of.

 

If you never take time to pray and to ask God what He has for you to be doing in this moment, in the right now, you could be missing out on knowing what His purpose for you is. That is a really big risk to take. Don’t gamble with things that matter. What do you already know matters? Don't gamble with that. Does marriage matter? Okay, don’t take foolish risks and gamble with it. Does raising your children to know the Lord matter? Okay, don’t take any risks there by wasting time and never doing family devotions or never praying with them - that’s a foolish gamble.

 

 I’ve said it before, if you look at where your time goes and where your money goes, you will get a good indication of what matters most. Of what is heaviest. 

 

Either God’s Word, what it actually says & it says a whole lot - what it clearly lays out for followers of Jesus to be about, to be doing - either that is important or it isn’t. And even a cursory look at your life will reveal whether or not that is actually true. Not just if we say it’s true, but does our life reveal it as true. Look at your life. Listen to what it is telling you. Is the most important stuff really the most important stuff in the day to day? 

 

Choose wisely and don’t gamble with things that really matter. 

 

According to Matthew 28 19-20, you have been commissioned. The Great Commission is really our marching orders. Jesus told us exactly what to do. It’s a big, broad umbrella that can cover so, so much of our lives, our actual living, and no matter when you’ve lived in the last 2000 years, no matter where, no matter what your career or vocation, no matter --- these words of Jesus will cover your life, your work, your relationships, your ministry, all of it. 

 

Matthew 28:19-20 (Amplified) -

“Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations (help the people to learn of Me, believe in Me, and obey My words), baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe everything that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always (remaining with your perpetually --- regardless of circumstance, and on every occasion), even to the end of the age.”

 

Don’t resign your commission. Keep praying. Keep observing what His Word says. Do everything He has commanded you to do. Make disciples of all the nations (including the one you live in right now - including your kiddos in your own home - your neighbors on your own street - and of course support missions work all around the globe too) Help people to learn of Jesus. To believe in Jesus. To obey the words of Jesus.

 

And then here is the part that really jumped out at me, and I had not planned to focus on the last portion of these verses for the summit but I was just struck by the huge promise Jesus made here. 

 

And you know, a promise of God is just solid gold, pure gold, so as it jumped out at me and I was in awe of what Jesus says here, I had to mention it.

"And lo, I am with you always - remaining with you perpetually, regardless of circumstance and on every occasion - even to the end of the age. "

That is one big promise, folks. My friends, this right here is of tremendous value! How can you keep on keepin’ on, how do you keep praying when it feels like your prayers are stopping at the ceiling? How do you get up an hour early to read the Bible when the sick kids kept you up half the night? How? With this promise, that’s how. 

 

He is with you always. Whew. Wow. He will remain with you perpetually, regardless of circumstance and on every occasion. Um, whoa. Even to the end of the age. 

 

 Even to the end of the age, til the end of the world literally, that ‘s how long Jesus has promised to be with you. Perpetually. On every occasion. In all circumstances. He is with you always.

 

That is one whopper of a promise. Those are Jesus’ last words and they are spoken for you, to you, for your life. 

 

Let them sink in a bit today.

And check your life - are you fulfilling your commission? 

I sure hope so. If not, get after it. And keep getting after it. 

And I meant it when I said that if you let off praying before God lets off answering, you’ll have stopped too soon. How long will He be answering? Always. So pray til your last day and then wake up in eternity ready to praise. 

 

Thanks for being here guys - appreciate it and I hope you’re blessed and encouraged today.

Also, check out the link if you want to see/hear me speak at the summit - https://theycallmeblessed.teachable.com/courses/for-such-a-time-as-this-summit?affcode=73637_pngouulo 

 

The Power of God's Will - 40 Days of God's Promises Devotional - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08QG4Q7XH