In a few days I will begin to accumulate things that I would like to take with me on vacation. I have been putting together a list of things that will bring me pleasure during my time of extended leisure. I thank God for these times of renewal when I am blessed to be with my family, see more of His creation and slowdown from the frantic pace of life.
I know that even taking a vacation is a gift because there are so many who would never be in a position to do so. Can you imagine though if we were about to depart for a week away and the only thing we were bringing with us were the clothes on our back? No suitcases. No money. Nothing to help us get to our next destination. What if you knew of my plans to depart in this manner? What would you say to me? Umm…Rob….you are going to need money…and a change of clothes….and toiletries….or you will not be a “welcome visitor” to whomever you are around! I know all of this sounds silly, but I wanted you to think about what it would be like to be leaving for a trip without making any provisions for your journey before I presented this scripture to you:
“When Jesus had called the Twelve together, he gave them power and authority to drive out all demons and to cure diseases, 2 and he sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal the sick. 3 He told them: “Take nothing for the journey—no staff, no bag, no bread, no money, no extra shirt.4 Whatever house you enter, stay there until you leave that town. 5 If people do not welcome you, leave their town and shake the dust off your feet as a testimony against them.” 6 So they set out and went from village to village, proclaiming the good news and healing people everywhere.” Luke 9:1-6
Can you imagine? Leaving without anything? Wait……wait……hold on. Back up. Jesus did provide something for the journey before they left. Do you see it? “He gave them power..”. And what were they going to do? They were going to proclaim the kingdom of God and bring healing to others. Okay, now I want you to think about sharing the gospel with others. What kind of thoughts often come to mind when you think about “proclaiming the kingdom of God”. “Well, if I can just get to where they are, I can share Jesus with them”. “Well, if the conversation comes up, I can slowly turn our thoughts to God”. “I don’t know if I will know what to say”. “They will shut me down before I even get the word Jesus out of my mouth”. “If I share the Gospel with them, it could really cause problems for me”.
I know that these are the things that we sometimes say because these are the things I sometimes say. What are we doing when we think such things? We are trusting in ourselves. We are looking to our own provision. We are trying to “plan” things just right. We are calculating what we will “need” for our journey into witnessing. Can you imagine the thoughts of the disciples? “But Lord, what will we eat? Lord where will we stay? Lord, how will we pay?”. But still, they left. And here is the thing…you never hear Jesus saying, “Don’t worry fellas, I will provide for you.” Instead what He says is “Go..and proclaim. Go…and heal.”
Often I think when we leave for our day we leave behind a few essential items we should “pack”. Things like a bag full of trust in God. A container of acknowledgement that God delights in sharing His power with us. A tube filled with His promise that He will give us the words to say. A case full of God will provide the things we need to bring Him glory. We would never leave our homes for vacation without the “essentials”. But do we leave out house every day without the “spiritual essentials” needed to share the good news and bring healing to others? Healing comes through our words as well and you don’t have to pack a Thesaurus, just a dependence on God.
So, let’s go out and proclaim the good news, and trust that God will provide.
For Him,
Rob
August 15, 2015