Jesus Said "Go!"

What Did Jesus Do…Today?

Jesus Said “Go!”

“Go therefore…And behold, I am with you always.”

                                                                        Matthew 28:19,20

If you’ve had a chance to keep up with our most recent WDJDs you may recall that we noted that Jesus wasn’t one for staying put (WDJD 1/15).  The Lord was a Messiah on the move, if you will.  With the one exception of the ten days that passed between his ascension into heaven and the coming of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost, when Christ told his disciples to sit tight in Jerusalem and wait, Jesus has a standing order in place for his followers not to, well, stand in one place.

And, not to stifle creativity in ministry, we also pointed out that our calling is to follow Jesus, but to follow the example of Jesus(WDJD 1/16).  We also affirmed that what Jesus did is what Jesus does, in and through us today (WDJD 1/16).

There is, at least I believe there should be, a daily pattern of study and prayer, action, and reflection that is guided by these three questions: 1) What did Jesus do? guides our study of God’s Word; 2) What will Jesus do? takes what we learned when we asked the first question, and directs our decisions and actions during the day; 3) What did you do today Jesus? fuels our reflection at the end of our day, returning us, hopefully, to God’s Word where we confirm that yet again Jesus has done what he’s been doing ever since he first did it.

None of this is to suggest that there is nothing new for Christ’s disciples to do in ministry.  We are continually being shown by the Holy Spirit new places, new people, new needs where the Lord Jesus can and will make a difference, and wills to do so in and through us.  Endless opportunities for ministry lie just beyond the end of our nose, just outside our door, just down the block, just, well, everywhere between where we are and the ends of the earth.  Classrooms and kitchens.  Hospital rooms and holding cells.  Laundromats and locker rooms.  Mountaintops and valley floors.  Blazing deserts and damp jungles…Endless opportunities.

The chances are very good that, if we see what looks like a need, whatever it may be, wherever it may be, Jesus sees it to.  And Christ has never been one to hesitate or shrink back from meeting needs, nor has he ever told his disciples to do anything but “go” and minister in his name.

Father, I cannot thank you enough for sending Jesus when you saw the great needs of this world full of lost sinners, including my need of forgiveness and grace!  I ask you, humbly, to give me eyes to see, a heart to feel, and hands to help someone’s need today.  Amen.