Saturday, August 6

Colossians 1:22-23

But now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation – if you continue in your faith, established and firm, not moved from the hope held out in the gospel.  This is the gospel that you heard and that has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven, and of which I, Paul, have become a servant.

Reflection

The gospel of Jesus Christ is the story of Jesus’ offer

of love and grace to every person.  That gospel

should be proclaimed to every person.  Each of us

who are disciples of Jesus should be servants of that gospel.  That means we are the ones who are to proclaim the good news to those who have yet to

hear it and receive it. 

That’s why it is so important that we connect with

the people in our lives who don’t know Jesus so that we can invest in them and disciple them in the way

of Jesus.  We need to be a servant of the gospel of Jesus Christ so that more people will become

disciples of Jesus.

Have you made the decision to be a servant of the gospel of Jesus Christ?  How are you living out that decision in your everyday life?

Friday, August 5

Colossians 1:21-23

Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior.

Reflection

We all start in the same place.  We are all sinners

who need God’s redeeming grace in our lives.  If

we stay where we all start that will only leave us

in a place of desperation and despair.  We need a

way to move from sin to wholeness.  The only way that can happen is for something to be done for us that will change our situation.

The factor that brings about change in our lives is Jesus.  Jesus takes us from being alienated from

the Father and makes a child of God.  The grace of

Jesus transforms us from enemies of God to a friend of God.  That’s why we need to take Jesus to the world.  Everyone should have the opportunity to

have that transformation in their lives.

Has Jesus transformed your life?  If so, how are

you sharing that transformation with others?

Thursday, August 4

John 11:25-26

Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life.  He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die.  Do you believe this?”

Reflection

With this statement, Jesus established that he was the center and the object of our faith.  Jesus is the source of our salvation.  Jesus’ life, sacrificial death on the cross and his resurrection established the basis for our salvation.  Jesus came into the world to pay the penalty for sin that we could not pay for ourselves.  Jesus defeated death through his resurrection so that we would never have to face the horror of eternal death.  Jesus’ life and example have taught each of us how to live.

Then Jesus told us that he is the source of all life.  He is the source of life and resurrection.  If one has saving faith in Jesus then one will receive the gift of everlasting life.  If we have all of this through Jesus it would stand to reason that we would want others to have the same thing.  We need to share Jesus with others so that they will experience the healing and wholeness that he brings to life.

Reflect today on what your motivation is to take Jesus to the world.  Are you motivated to take Jesus to your everyday world?

Wednesday, August 3

Matthew 28:20b

“And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

Reflection

When we consider the call of Jesus to go into the world and share his good news with others it can seem a bit overwhelming and intimidating.  We become fearful.  We begin to ask ourselves whether we can muster up the courage to take the good news of Jesus to others.  Quite frankly, we allow our fear to overcome our good intentions of fulfilling Jesus’ Great Commission.

We forget that we are not asked to take Jesus to the world alone.  Jesus promised that he would be with us as we go forth to fulfill his command.  Jesus is with us when we are connecting with those people who have yet to decide to follow Jesus.  Jesus is with us as we attempt to live our discipleship before them.  Jesus is with us when they ask us questions and we have the opportunity to share our faith story.  Jesus is with us as we disciple them into the faith.  We do not need to be afraid of sharing Jesus with others because we are not alone, Jesus is with us.

When you begin to be afraid to take Jesus to the world remind yourself that Jesus is “with you always, to the very end of the age.”

Tuesday, August 2

Matthew 28:18-20a

Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.  Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.”

Reflection

The most important reason why we need to share Jesus with the world is because Jesus has commanded us to do it.  The very last thing Jesus said to his disciples before he ascended into heaven was that they were to take his message to all the nations, and to make disciples, and to teach them about everything that Jesus had commanded his disciples to do.  Jesus’ commission to each of us is that we are to make sure others know about him.  So, taking Jesus to the world is not an option; it is an imperative. 

Reflect today on whether you are living out the imperative to share Jesus with others.

Monday, August 1

Matthew 28:16-17

Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go.  When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted.

Reflection

Let’s review the recent events that have happened just prior to the verses we are looking at for today.  The disciples had experienced all the amazing events of Palm Sunday and Holy Week.  This included the triumphal entry into Jerusalem and the teaching that Jesus did in the temple courts in the early part of the week.  Then on Thursday of that week they experienced their final meal with Jesus and he modeled what it is like to be a servant by washing their feet.  Then they went to the garden where Jesus prayed and the disciples slept.

In the Garden of Gethsemane the speed of events increased dramatically and Jesus was arrested and put through a hurried-up trial and the disciples out of fear for their own safety retreated into hiding.  During this time Peter even denied Jesus a total of three times.  Then Jesus was condemned to death and was crucified on a hill outside the city walls of Jerusalem.  In despair and fear, the disciples huddled together for the remainder of Friday, Saturday and into Sunday.  On Sunday, the first day of the week, the women who had followed Jesus went to the tomb to finish preparing his body for burial.  When they arrived the stone closing the tomb had been rolled away and Jesus’ body was not there. 

The disciples soon discovered that Jesus had risen from the dead.  He appeared to them on the day of resurrection and on several other occasions for the next forty days.  This brings us up to the time of the two verses we are looking at for today.  Think about this: Jesus was standing before them on the mountain and they had experienced all the events I have just recounted and some

of them still doubted.  That’s pretty amazing!  They still doubted.

I think that is one of the reasons why we hesitate in getting involved in sharing the message of Christ with others.  We allow our doubt to creep into our consciousness and we become

reticent about taking the good news of Jesus to others. 

We need to ask Jesus to strengthen us and help us with our unbelief.  We cannot allow our doubt to prevent us from

fulfilling the call that Jesus has given us to share his love and

grace with others.

Pray today that Jesus will strengthen you and re-direct the moments of doubt to faith in Jesus life, death and resurrection.