For a description of the (Y2) reading plan, see the “About” page.
Matt. 10
What stands out to you from Jesus’ instructions to those He sent on mission? What has Jesus sent you to do? If we are doing something right for God, we are bound to face opposition. “If the head of the house has been called Beelzebul, how much more the members of his household!” (Matt. 10:25b). The evil one hates truth, and we can be sure he will work to distort it and even frame it as evil. As I have said many times before, it doesn’t take a lot of looking around to see the truth in this. When we are living right for God, we should not expect sunshine and flowers in our wake.
This is why Jesus warned His apostles that they would be like sheep among wolves. “Therefore”, He adds, “be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves.” (Matt. 10:16b). Though we should expect the opposition and turmoil, we should not be intentionally causing it. We should actually seek to avoid it as much as possible. Not that we try to pacify hostile people or water down the message of truth, but that we walk away from those who don’t welcome us and won’t listen to the truth. “If the home is deserving, let your peace rest on it; it if is not, let your peace return to you.” (Matt. 10:13). Jesus gives peace to those who welcome Him. We cannot force peace where the giver of peace is not welcome.
Deut. 1-2
When the Israelites refused to enter the Promised Land, what was Moses’ response (v. 29-33)? How can you apply this to your fears? At their first attempt to enter into the Promised Land, the people sent out spies ahead of them so they would know what they were getting into. When they got the report, however, they lost heart. They chose to focus on the difficulties ahead instead of on the God who had been faithful to them in the past. Moses told them, “Do not be terrified; do not be afraid of them. The LORD your God, who is going before you, will fight for you, as He did for you in Egypt”. (Deut. 1:30).
I can’t help but compare this to what we just read in Matthew 10. Jesus told His apostles what to expect when He sent them out. The report wasn’t all good. He told them they would face persecution and hostility. He told them they would not always be welcomed; that there would not always be peace. But He also told them how to respond to all of that. “Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul.” (Matt. 10:28a).
The message to me here is, no matter where I’m looking, I need to keep my focus on God. When I look to the past, I need to see that God has been faithful to me. When I look at the present, I need to see that God is with me. And when I look to the future, I need to see that this faithful God who is with me will still be there. When I take that perspective, all the regrets, failures, and fears fade away. I realize that, in the presence of God, none of those things matter at all.