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 28:17–20)
Sunday’s sermon
included this passage with a focus on the command to make disciples. Most
Christians are focused on “making believers” as the pastor said, but we cannot
make others believe. We can only help those who do believe become learners (disciples)
of the ways of Jesus by teaching them what He has taught us.
The section of this
passage that catches my attention is the last statement Jesus makes. He is with
us always. (The “you” is plural.) The Revised Versions says, “Lo, I am with you all the days.”
This means today,
an ordinary Wednesday, Jesus walks by my side. My schedule includes household
tasks like doing the laundry and cleaning several rooms. I hope for a few
minutes to work on a small quilt that I’m creating for a competition. I’ve a
book to finish for Book Club and some calls to make. In all these ordinary
things, Jesus is with me.
F. B. Meyer writes
about all the days. He says, “In winter days, when joys are fled; in sunless
days, when the clouds return again and again after rain; in days of sickness
and pain; in days of temptation and perplexity, as much as in days when the
heart is as full of joy as the woodlands in spring are full of song. That day
never comes when the Lord Jesus is not at the side of His saints. Lover and
friend may stand afar, but He walks with them through the fires; He fords with
them the rivers; He stands by them when face to face with the lion. We can
never be alone. We must always add His resources to our own when making our
calculations.”
And it is also his
last statement that catches my attention. Whether greatly challenged or merely
ordinary, the Lord Jesus Christ makes my home His home, my chores His chores. He
has my back. He offers His help. Nothing is too big for Him, nor too small. He
is pleased to be with me in the great and in the ordinary. Because this is so,
I can depend on Him regardless, even find that His strength can turn the
smallest daily tasks into an act of worship.
Lord, the biggest
task of today might be nothing to the normal person, but it is important enough
for You to offer Your presence, even Your grace and assistance that I might do
it for the glory of God. May I worship You without doubting, even in washing and
folding socks, even in deciding what to toss and what to keep. You are here for
me as I sew and read. I particularly need You in all interactions with family
and friends. As I carry out today’s plan, may all that I do be with Your
resources — just as certainly as You are by my side as I do it.
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