September 4, 2021

“All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen. Matthew 28:18-20

And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. Romans 8:28

The fact that all authority belongs to Jesus is the only foundation necessary upon which to stand if one takes the “Great Commission” seriously. Christ’s mission—to redeem, or take back, that which is rightfully His—requires cooperation on my part if I am to be redeemed. He will never force me to “join His team.” Choose for yourselves… (Joshua 24:15). One can truthfully say that the freedom of every individual is sacred to Him. He is with each of us always who desire to be a “co-worker” in the great “co-mission.” Otherwise, to observe all things that I have commanded you, as Jesus says, would be impossible; and even more so to teach others . . .

The above two verses conspicuously contain the phrase all things. The “all things” that Jesus has commanded are good things. But the “all things” in Paul’s sweeping statement that work together for good include both good and bad things: terrible things, tragedies, losses, sufferings, and the list goes on. Paul is not saying that any of these awful things are good. It may be stating the obvious, but our world is broken. So tragically broken! Paul’s seemingly incredulous statement stems from his absolute confidence in the incredible love of Jesus shown to us at the cross. A multi-faceted challenge is issued to each of us in the two verses above:

·         To truly acknowledge the authority of Jesus

·         To observe all things He has commanded, and to teach the same to others

·         To be totally dependent upon Him who says “I am with you always”

·         To trust Him implicitly in every sort of circumstance: times of joy and times of suffering

·         To love Him and live life according to His purpose or mission

·         To do all things in order to win others for the eternal kingdom, that they might choose for [them]selves to love and serve Him

I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. Philippians 4:13  

HAPPY SABBATH, beloved!