Luke 10:1-7
Find a place and time free of distractions for the next 7-10 minutes. Take a moment to settle into your surroundings and then begin to recognize your breath. As you breathe in, call on the name of Jesus and become aware of his presence with you. As you breathe out, open your mind and heart to receive whatever Jesus has for you today.
To get a sense of this complete story, read Luke 10:1-20, and then focus in on today’s passage, Luke 10:1-7.
At the beginning of the biblical narrative, God created the first humans and gave them a mandate that involved motion: “Fill the earth and govern it.” (Genesis 1:28). But throughout the Older Testament story, humans repeatedly chose to stay and huddle up rather than go out and fill the earth with the glory of God’s Kingdom.
As the urgency of his earthly mission increases, Jesus repeats the mandate: Go - not in your own power but in the power of God. And not as an imperial conqueror but in humility, vulnerability, and complete dependence on God. Declare and demonstrate that God’s Kingdom has come to earth and with it has come hope, healing, and restoration.
Take a moment to imagine Jesus speaking these words directly to you:
“The harvest is great, but the workers are few. So pray to the Lord who is in charge of the harvest; ask him to send more workers into his fields. Now go, and remember that I am sending you out as lambs among wolves. Don’t take any money with you, nor a traveler’s bag, nor an extra pair of sandals. And don’t stop to greet anyone on the road.”
Sit with this image for a while sharing your thoughts, feelings and questions with Jesus.
Read Luke 10:1-7 again.
Jesus’ followers have an urgent part to play in Jesus’ mission – we have the privilege of representing Jesus to the world and speaking his shalom peace over anyone who is open to it. But it is Jesus who empowers his followers as they go and God who is in charge of the harvest.
This tension between urgency and dependence is important to remember. We are not called to stay in a holy huddle, we are called to go and spread shalom. But we go in humility knowing that we cannot force or manipulate anyone into a relationship with Jesus. Our job is to purposefully live out and hold out the Kingdom of God to a broken world every day and leave the rest to Jesus.
Get still for a moment and listen to Jesus.
What is Jesus saying to you today?
What will you do about that?
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The Everyday Jesus Follower’s Guide ebook can help you learn how to recognize God's voice, how to read and understand the Bible, how to develop deep spiritual friendships, and how to become the person you were meant to be. Use it alone, with a friend or in a small group.
