Day Seventeen

Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. And when they saw him they worshiped him, but some doubted. And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” - Matthew 28:16-20

Before Jesus ascended into Heaven, He gathered the eleven chosen, ordinary, unlikely disciples to give them the plan.  Now, He said, YOU go and make fully devoted followers without leaving anyone out, baptize them in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, and teach them everything I have commanded. Don’t forget I will be with you ALWAYS, UNTIL THE END. This was and is the plan: that God would put His Spirit within us and send us as the instruments to carry out His Kingdom plan. The magnitude of this moment has impacted generations! The eleven obeyed the command and so did the disciples who followed them. One generation to the next, right up until today, has received and built upon these last words of our Lord and Savior.

I am so grateful for the people in my own life that God used to share the invitation to follow Jesus, and the ones He chose to help me grow in my walk with Him. They were intentional about teaching me how to read His Word; I learned to talk to God as I listened to them pray. I watched them model how to walk this life as a fully devoted follower of Jesus.  Who are those people in your life? What did they intentionally do? Take some time to reflect on how God has used these people in your life to disciple you.

Now we hold this treasure to pass on to those God brings to us. So, how can we intentionally make disciples? It might look like a regular evening walk with a neighbor who is curious about your faith in Jesus. It may be a small group gathered in your living room for a weekly Bible study, with prayer. It could be lunch with a coworker who is walking through a difficult season. Perhaps, it’s starting a gospel conversation with a classmate struggling to make good choices. He is the one that works through us, He has positioned and chosen each of us to carry out His work.

Who in your life are you intentionally helping grow in their walk with Jesus? When we walk closely with our Lord, we will be ready and empowered by Him to carry out Jesus’ command to make fully devoted followers, one individual at a time.

YOU are His chosen instrument.

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