What He Assumes
Monday - October 18th
Scripture to Read Today: Matthew 28:16-20
Therefore go and make disciples of all nations,
baptizing them in the name of the Father and
of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
and teaching them to obey everything
I have commanded you.
And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.
Matthew 28:19-20
In the 1994 LA Marathon, officials paid runner Paul Pilkington to set a pace early for other runners assuming that he'd eventually drop back during the race. Instead, realizing he had a strong lead, Pilkington shocked everyone by winning. He had been paid $3,000 by event organizers to set a pace for all other runners and then drop out. Somebody else was supposed to win. Pilkington was supposed to quit.
Pilkington led from the start and held on to win the ninth annual race by 39 seconds over Italy's Luca Barzaghi. He delighted fans and surprised professional runners by refusing to withdraw as predicted after 15.5 miles. Marathon organizers were not too happy that Pilkington failed to complete his job by dropping out. His win was an embarrassment. Everyone running the race knew he was supposed to quit the race. So, they assumed he would do just that.
Assumptions often get us in trouble. But they can also be the basis for clarity. Just before His ascension to His Father, Jesus had some final words of commissioning for His disciples. In Matthew 28:19-20, we read what Jesus said: "Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you."
In the English translation of the original Greek, we miss that the core command Jesus gave His disciples was to "make disciples." The word "go" is actually a participle. Jesus assumed they would be going out into the world. He literally said to them, "While you are going, make disciples of all nations." Our Lord assumes that we will be going about our lives in this world as His followers. He commands us to make disciples as we go.
Today, as you go about your life, remember that you are to be a witness for Christ as you do what you do. Our lives should focus on sharing the Good News of Christ with others, inviting them to follow Jesus too. He sends us into the regular rhythms and routines of our lives as lights to shine for Him. He assumes we will be going. But He expects us to be intentional in living as His witnesses wherever we go.
While you go about your life today, be intentional about living a life that invites others to follow Jesus too!