May 24th

Whatever It Takes

And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, 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.' Matthew 28:18-20

Do you realize what you just read? Go back and read it again, and make sure you notice the word, All.

If you read closely, then you noticed there are three alls in our verses for today, and all of them are important for us to see.

First, Jesus said that all authority has been given to Him. This is the entire basis for the commissioning that He is about to give us as believers. The reason that we can go is because He has all authority, not just in Heaven, but on Earth as well. No authority can trump Him, so whatever God says, we will do it.

Second, Jesus said to make disciples of all nations. Now, by latest count, that means at least 192 nations with nearly seven billion people in them. If you personally were to introduce yourself to everyone just in America, it would take you a hundred years. How are we going to reach the whole world? I'll tell you this, that it won't happen without God's help.

Third, Jesus said to teach the nations all His commands. So let's start with you-do you know all the things Jesus commanded? Do you live them? Do you observe them? Again, this is an impossible task.

But then there's a fourth all, sort of-Jesus said He will always be with us, no matter what. This is what makes the whole thing possible.

What will it take to reach the whole world for Jesus? It will take us doing everything possible with every opportunity and every strategy and every advantage and every word and every action every day for the rest of our lives. But most of all, it will take Jesus, the One who is with us, sending us out under His authority, to reach a lost and dying world.

This is what it will take. Are you willing to give it?

Prayer Lord Jesus,

You have asked me to give You everything, but You have also given Your everything for me. I give my all to You today, trusting You to always be with me for everything I need as we work together to reach all nations.

Amen