Jesus, the Son of God, during His earthly ministry, called to Himself twelve men to walk and learn from Him. Jesus said: “Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. Matthew 11.29.”
Learning from Jesus Christ is one of the great privileges of the children of God.
It is necessary to walk with Him daily to hear His voice, to perceive His grace poured out to the broken and His mercy to the helpless. He is not just the God who created heaven and earth but also the one who came down to rescue us.
Continuing the guidance that Jesus gave the disciples, He challenged them to trust in heavenly provision for earthly needs. “Do not get any gold or silver or copper to take with you in your belts — no bag for the journey or extra shirt or sandals or a staff, for the worker, is worth his keep.” Matthew 10.9-10.
How often does doubt strike our minds concerning God’s care for his children? How can we doubt the character of our loving Father, who is the creator of everything? Faith is not a matter of activism based on self-confidence, nor a matter of “trusting” inertia in God. It is the fruit of God’s love relationship with us and ours with Him that generates rest, even when we cannot see the solution to the problem.
Our Lord is the one who has placed us in His harvest to serve Him. He is righteous and will give to each one according to his works.
Afterwards, Jesus evaluated with the disciples what had happened in this mission and asked them, “When I sent you without purse, bag or sandals, did you lack anything?” “Nothing,” they answered. He said to them, “But now if you have a purse, take it, and also a bag; and if you don’t have a sword, sell your cloak and buy one.
In other words, Jesus said: “You have done what I commanded, and you have seen my care, now also exercise responsibility and prudence in my dependence, and I will continue to take care of you”. The mission given by Jesus to His disciples took on an even greater dimension, for they would take the Gospel to people of all nations, so they were to equip themselves to do so.
Faith is not a matter of activism based on self-confidence, nor a matter of “trusting” inertia in God. It is the fruit of God’s love relationship with us.
Our Lord is the one who has placed us in His harvest to serve Him. He is righteous and will give to each one according to his works. We should not work to receive wages. On the contrary, the one who serves God should not aim at a reward. Remember, Jesus called those who seek to be glorified by men hypocrites. Truly, they have received their reward (cf. Matthew 6.2).
“Look, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to each person according to what they have done. Revelation 22.12.
Let us be wise and prudent. Let us be vigilant and equipped for the mission, trusting and depending on Him who supplies us on the journey.
Photo by Matheus Betat on Unsplash; Photo by Vinicius "amnx" Amano on Unsplash
