Readings for today: Exodus 21:23-23:13, Matthew 24:1-28, Psalms 29, Proverbs 7:6-23
“And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.” (Matthew 24:14)
From the beginning, God’s plan has been to fill the earth with His glory. It was the mandate He first gave Adam and Eve in the Garden. It is why He saved Noah from the flood. It is the reason He chose Abraham and Isaac and Jacob. And it was His heart for His people Israel. However, we human beings have this innate tendency to resist God’s will. We want to live our own lives. We want to control our own destinies. We prefer safety and comfort and this keeps us from being fruitful, multiplying, and filling the earth with the gospel.
Jesus came to renew God’s mandate. The Great Commission is not new, friends. Jesus’ goal is the same as His Father’s! He came to fill the earth with the glory of God! He came to do what we could not! He was the faithful Israelite! The Second Adam! The One who perfectly fulfilled His Father’s will. Through His life, death, and resurrection, Jesus accomplished all His Father desired. And Christians have been following in His footsteps ever since. Taking the good news of the gospel of the Kingdom of God to every corner of the earth. Proclaiming to the whole world the testimony of Jesus Christ. Making disciples of all nations through baptism and the teaching of God’s righteous commands. This is why we were created! This is why we were redeemed! This is the whole purpose and plan of God for our dead and dying world.
God’s heart is for lost people. He longs to see everyone saved and come to a knowledge of His truth. His love for the world is what drove Him to send His only begotten Son. Sacrifice Him on our behalf on the cross. And raise Him from the dead. These are the lengths God was willing to go to save us. What lengths are we willing to go to save others? Christians have the heart of God. Indwelt by the Holy Spirit, we long for lost people to be saved. We do not condemn those who do not know Jesus, we love them and serve them and witness to them of the glories of the gospel. We pray for the lost people in our lives. We look for opportunities to invite them into fellowship with God’s church. We sacrifice to spend time with them so that they may come to know what we’ve come to know...the love of God.
Friends, loving those whom God loves means loving lost people no matter where they may be found. At home. Across the street. In class. At work. Across the country. Across the globe. Reaching them is a mandate. A divine calling. It’s a responsibility given to all of us. None of us is exempt. It doesn’t matter if you are an extrovert or introvert or what your number may be on the enneagram. God’s plan is for you to be fruitful, multiply, and fill the earth with His glory.
Readings for tomorrow: Exodus 23:14-25:40, Matthew 24:29-51, Psalms 30, Proverbs 7:24-27