September 27: Luke 9:1-6
Key Verse: Luke 9:3
He told them: ‘Take nothing for the journey – no staff, no bag, no bread, no money, no extra shirt.
Devotion:
One of the things I have learned is to wait on God for instructions and when He does give me instructions, I should obey them and know He has already set the things in motion which will allow me to do whatever He is asking. Sometimes I get impatient and sometimes I am too slow to answer, but we get there eventually!
When Jesus sent the disciples out to continue the ministry He had started He told them to simply rely on God’s provision. When we, as Christians, say we should rely on God’s provision, it can come in many form and not just miraculous supplies of food or water. God knows where we should be going and He prepares the hearts of people ahead of us so they will be willing to help us make a difference.
God knows we cannot do much by ourselves, but He knows a team of people starting with the local community will make a big difference. If we go somewhere and show them we are self-sufficient and start trying to change things, people may get upset with us because we are changing the rules; but when we go in with nothing, they are willing to accept us and help us.
This is the love Jesus was trying to impress on the disciples when He told them the most important thing, besides loving God, is to love the people around us. God knows love makes a big difference and He wants to see His people joining hands and helping each other to make Christians communities: this is His church!
Points to Ponder:
Are you trying to tell people what to do?
Have you tried seeing what they would like to do?