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For I know the plans I have for you,declares the LORD, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Jer 29:11 |
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| Archived Manna: | |
Dear
Friend,
If you do not already have a habit of gathering daily manna the first thing in the morning (we can look at the example given to us in Exodus 16 and find the pattern for make it a habit. Establish your life and your schedule to allow you the necessary time to do your daily collection first thing every morning to give you the strength to make it through the day. And remember that today’s manna will not be sufficient for tomorrow; tomorrow’s manna must be collected tomorrow morning. Thursday, February 10, 2022
Today's Passage : Today's Passage :Jesus Sends Out the Twelve Apostles [2] Bible Verse:Matthew 10:11-15 (ESV) "And whatever town or village you enter, find out who is worthy in it and stay there until you depart. As you enter the house, greet it. And if the house is worthy, let your peace come upon it, but if it is not worthy, let your peace return to you. And if anyone will not receive you or listen to your words, shake off the dust from your feet when you leave that house or town. Truly, I say to you, it will be more bearable on the day of judgment for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah than for that town." Message:
There is an oddity people seem to overlook in Christ’s instructions to the apostles: the underlying assumption of corporate identity. Jesus speaks of towns as if they have an identity. If no “worthy” person lives in a town, the town is branded collectively as evil. Recall Abraham pleading with God to spare Sodom, if only ten righteous men could be found there. (Genesis 18:20-33) Ten men was the critical number for Jews, because ten men could form a synagogue; Christ seems more lenient, and implies that a single worthy person who will take in an apostle might spare the town from blanket devastation.
Jesus does not want his apostles — or, by extension, us — to argue. Here is a cardinal instruction to us, concerning how we are to spread the Gospel: If someone is not interested, leave him be.
The instruction has its difficulties, for we want to argue by our nature. We want to persuade. We want to persist. But Jesus tells us, “No.” Despite the struggle we might have, in wanting to impose our beliefs on others, there is also a bit of relief in this teaching. We are not expected to undergo the emotional strain of convincing someone who doesn’t want to hear the truth.
As a practical illustration, think of Christian groups carrying placards. These instances often bespeak an confrontational approach to spreading the Word, that Christ seems to disapprove. Carrying a sign at a demonstration that says something like “Homosexuals Will Burn in Hell” would appear to contradict this Scripture directly. More Christian would be a sign reading, “If You Are Interested in Salvation, Talk to Me.”
This is a hard teaching, but the world will not be saved. The job of the disciple is to save those who want to be saved. If someone has no interest, we cannot waste time in regret that their soul will perish. If it is God’s will that they go to hell, who are we to second-guess Him?
Jesus explicitly tells us, “Shake the dust from your sandals.” This colorful expression means, remove the evidence from your clothing. Or as The Message paraphrases it, “Shrug your shoulders and be on your way.”
Like much of the Bible, the lesson is counter-intuitive. We are told to love our neighbour and, if we love our neighbour, our logic tells us we should do everything we possibly can to save his soul. But the Bible is clear. What we don’t do is argue or try to spread the Gospel to hostile or apathetic people. What we don’t do is worry about them. What we do do is lead our own lives in such a way that people might be attracted to our humility, etc. and possibly become interested in what we have. (E.g. 2 Timothy 2:24-26)
Meditation : Prayer : May the word I have read, Lord, be planted deeply in my mind and heart. Help me not to walk away and forget it, but to meditate on it and obey it and so build my life on the rock of your truth......Amen |
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