Day 14 - The harvest is plentiful.

Jesus sends out the seventy-two -  Luke 10:1-24

Jesus reminds His disciples again of their mission - to go out into the world, heal the sick and broken, and preach about Jesus. He reminds them that the "harvest is plentiful and the workers are few." There are so many who need Jesus, and so few who are willing to fulfill God's command to serve and teach.

He tells the disciples of the power He has given them, but reminds them that this power is for the Glory of God, and that they are not to rejoice in their own strength, but rather that "their names are written in heaven." He reminds them that these abilities are from God, not in their own strength, but in the strength and power and might of God.

And Jesus reminds them that they are blessed, for much had been revealed to them.

"Just soak in the fact that Jesus continues to say "Go!" to His disciples. I think He really means it."

Questions:

-Go. What does that communicate to you? Be honest.

It means being willing to do, go, and say anything, to be anyone. It means holding my hands open and giving up everything to Jesus. Saying, "whatever you want, Lord, I want."

It means living a life focused completely on Jesus, on spreading His gospel, on sharing His light, on setting slaves to sin free by telling them about the blood of Jesus, the ultimate price of love He paid.

It's living in a way that doesn't focus on what the world wants, but what Jesus wants.

Mostly, it means sacrificing, and sacrificing everything. Going uncomfortable places, saying uncomfortable things. It's leaving what is comfortable and familiar and not being of this world. It's remembering that this is not my home, and living in a manner that reflects my true home.

It's going against the world's standards and living by God's standards.

And mostly, it's sharing, telling, and showing the Gospel of Love that transforms lives in incredible ways.

-The metaphor of being "lambs among wolves" is significant here. A lamb in that day was the price for the atonement of sins. A lamb is also seen as pure, innocent, and needy. In what ways are you to be a lamb among wolves?

We are called to die to the world, to sacrifice our lives for Jesus. I think we are also called to sacrifice for others, to put their lives above our own and give our lives to Jesus, and to save others. When we become Christians we don't just believe in Jesus, we are to give Him our lives. But we are also called to be pure, to follow Christ's example and live free of sin. This doesn't mean we won't succumb to it, I do all the time, but we're freed from the bondage of sin, washed pure and clean in Christ's blood. And I think we're to be needy too. Needy in a weak, helpless way, to realize without God we are nothing, without His great strength we could not make it.

We are to give up our will and our desire for control and surrender to Him.

-How can we respond to others who want to hear the message of Jesus? Or perhaps the question is more like, how should we respond?

I feel like this is a trick question because the answer seems so straightforward - tell them! Tell them about Jesus' love, show them how much He cares. And if they aren't ready to really hear about Him, then we should just care and love them, show them Jesus' love through our actions and let Jesus' light shine through us. We are called to share the message of Jesus, and when people want to hear it, our response should be to eagerly, truthfully, and lovingly tell them!

-In what ways does the idea of going to tell others about Jesus excite or scare you?

It excites me because Jesus is just so amazing, and I want everyone to know that! His love for us is so incredible. I am so unworthy of His love. The only thing I can give Him is my life. He has done so much for all of us, and He deserves that we all give Him our hearts and lives, and I want people to know that. I want them to know that kind of incredible love, and I want Jesus to get that love in return. So that part just makes me so happy, and experiencing that love and happiness makes me want everyone else to know it, to feel the freedom from sin and shame and the light freedom of true life.

But it does scare me. It scares me because it's intimidating to tell people about Jesus. Some people are hateful, others are judgmental, others skeptical. I don't want them to think badly of me. I want people to like me. It's scary because I don't want to mess it up and misrepresent Jesus. In America true persecution is not as real of a threat, but what other believers go through to share Jesus' word is scary, too.

As scary as it is, I do think it is worth it. And I know I have to give up my fears and trust God to provide the strength and courage I most certainly do not possess.

-The necessity of relying on God comes up again with the disciples needing to rely on others for their food, clothing, and shelter. In what ways do you struggle to receive from God or from others?

God has really helped me in recent months to rely on Him for materialistic needs. I'm not worried about paying off loans, or even paying for college now. I know He'll provide for those needs and others. I think more I struggle to trust Him for the people and relationships in my life, that He'll provide friends and that when they fail, He'll always be there. I guess I struggle to receive in that way from others too, I'm afraid of them leaving/realistically realizing that people naturally move on in their lives. I need to learn to be joyful and content in the moment, and not be concerned with the future.

-In what ways do you see Jesus using you as a laborer for the harvest? Where is the harvest field for you?

Right now it's in Passage, Cru, my small group, my family, and hopefully with my friends. And Jesus has given me a heart for orphans, slaves, and the unloved and unwanted. He's given me a desire to work for Cru after I graduate, adopt kids from around the world, and fight human trafficking in some way. I don't know exactly how these things will manifest themselves, but I'm so excited for the adventure He's taking me on. I want to make a difference in the world, I want to make a difference in lives, I want to change lives, for Jesus, to show His glory, His love, His mercy, His grace.

-What do you think was most important for the disciples to learn here?

That it wasn't gonna be easy, but that Jesus would be with them. That He had given them power, not for their glory, but for His. That the world would be against them, but it wouldn't matter because Jesus was for them, and they they were called to be uncomfortable for Jesus.

-What do you need to learn concerning your desire to go?

That it's in Jesus' hands, and He can change those desires at any moment. I need to remember that all good desires can become bad if they become controlling, that Jesus has given me passions, but that I need to keep my hands open and be willing for those passions to change, for the path to change direction, to go anywhere He wants me to go, do anything He wants me to do, and say anything He wants me to say, for His glory, not my own.