Saturday
11-28-15 Modesto, California
Scripture
reading: Matt 28 1 Thess 1 - 3
S=Scripture O= A=Application P=Prayer SOAP for
the soul.
S. 1 Thess 2:7-8 “... we were as gentle among you as a mother feeding and
caring for her own children. We loved you so much that we gave you not
only God's Good News but our own lives, too. NLT
O. On Paul and Silas’ first
visit to the Thessalonians they had just been beaten and imprisoned in Philippi
and then ordered out of town. Yet, although they knew that the same kind
of treatment was on the way, they lived among these people and won a group of
them to Jesus.
A. Today we have many ways to
communicate without going: television, radio, internet, email, snail mail, the
printed page and more. We must use all these for the propagation of the
message of Christ, yet none of these methods can replace the effectiveness of a
real live messenger who not only speaks the message, but lives it out as an
expression of God’s love. Jesus’ command is still: “GO and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them
in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these
new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I
am with you always, even to the end of the age." Matt
28:19-20 NLT
P. Lord, You did not give Your
messengers the promise that it would be problem-free. On the contrary,
You warned us of rejection, beatings, imprisonment and even martyrdom.
But You still said, “Go! And I will go with You.” Every one of Your
“sent-ones” has to realize that this could be a one-way trip. Every
parent of a missionary has to know that his or her “Good-bye” could mean “I’ll
see you over on the other side.” It is a price that every one of Your
messengers is prepared to pay for the privilege of not only sending words...
but modeling Your love-driven life in living color before the hearers... just
like You did. I’ll never forget the day You said to me, “Go, my
son. Go and die!” Amen.
Ralph
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