Good morning dear friends.
Greetings from frigid Fort Worth! Nothing like mornings in the 40s. It is especially funny to hear from delegates from the north US who expected Texas weather to be warmer. You and me both!
Here is our text:
1 After this the Lord appointed seventy others and sent them on ahead of him in pairs to every town and place where he himself intended to go. 2 He said to them, "The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest. 3 Go on your way. See, I am sending you out like lambs into the midst of wolves. 4 Carry no purse, no bag, no sandals; and greet no one on the road. 5 Whatever house you enter, first say, "Peace to this house!' 6 And if anyone is there who shares in peace, your peace will rest on that person; but if not, it will return to you. 7 Remain in the same house, eating and drinking whatever they provide, for the laborer deserves to be paid. Do not move about from house to house. 8 Whenever you enter a town and its people welcome you, eat what is set before you; 9 cure the sick who are there, and say to them, "The kingdom of God has come near to you.' 10 But whenever you enter a town and they do not welcome you, go out into its streets and say, 11 "Even the dust of your town that clings to our feet, we wipe off in protest against you. Yet know this: the kingdom of God has come near.' 12 I tell you, on that day it will be more tolerable for Sodom than for that town. 13 "Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the deeds of power done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago, sitting in sackcloth and ashes. 14 But at the judgment it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon than for you. 15 And you, Capernaum, will you be exalted to heaven? No, you will be brought down to Hades. 16 "Whoever listens to you listens to me, and whoever rejects you rejects me, and whoever rejects me rejects the one who sent me."
What authority and power is ours from the Lord Jesus Christ! Like the seventy sent out in this passage, so has Christ sent us. Our is a mission to share first, peace. Let the peace of Christ fill every heart. The peace that "passes all understanding." In other words, the peace Christ offers through us, should be that peace that others will not understand but yet it is still there. It is the calm when others are panicking. It is the joy when others are sad. It is the light of hope, when others have resigned to be in darkness.
Ours is a mission of healing. Lift up in prayer those whom you hear are sick. Yes, you may be asked to pray for people you do not know. My first morning here I had breakfast at the Corner Bakery. The lady who served me asked if I spoke Spanish. I replied que si, and she asked if I would pray for her. She had hurt her hip while working the week prior and was now in severe pain. She had missed several days of work and now was working with much discomfort. I told her I would. I don't know the lady, but I know her need. I am not about to tell her, "I don't know you, why should I pray for you." That is not in keeping with my mission in Christ Jesus. Yes, I prayed and am praying for her healing. Later she shares that her daughter is pregnant and is almost due and now an illness has come upon her that she needs surgery and they're waiting until June to do a C-section and the surgery she needs. I can only imagine the stress that Luisa Fernanda is under, as is her mother Maria. Ours is to share with God through prayer the needs of those who need healing.
We can't forget to pray that God raise up laborers, like you and me, to do the work of God in the world. The harvest is ready, we just need those who will come and do the work of the Lord in our midst.
Not everyone will welcome us and Who we stand for. Woe to them. Ours is just to share with all; some will listen and be blessed, others will suffer life without Christ and then....
PRAYER: Loving God, give me Your courage, wisdom, strength and all that I need to fulfill that to which You have called me. Let me be Your servant in all things. I ask this in Christ Jesus' precious Name, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!
e.v.
