Today is May 18th.
Grace to all who love our Lord Jesus Christ with an undying love.
Take a moment and quiet yourself. Take a deep breath. Welcome God’s presence. And say, “Come Holy Spirit.”
Today’s reading is from the Gospel of Luke, chapter 10 (1-4, 8-12, 17).
"1 After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them two by two ahead of him to every town and place where he was about to go. 2 He told them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field. 3 Go! I am sending you out like lambs among wolves. 4 Do not take a purse or bag or sandals; and do not greet anyone on the road.
8 “When you enter a town and are welcomed, eat what is offered to you. 9 Heal the sick who are there and tell them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.’ 10 But when you enter a town and are not welcomed, go into its streets and say, 11 ‘Even the dust of your town we wipe from our feet as a warning to you. Yet be sure of this: The kingdom of God has come near.’ 12 I tell you, it will be more bearable on that day for Sodom than for that town.
17 The seventy-two returned with joy and said, “Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name.”
In the previous chapter of Luke he sends out the twelve disciples to do his work of proclaiming and demonstrating that Gods’ kingdom has arrived in Jesus. In this chapter of Luke, Jesus sends out seventy-two others to do the same thing—to announce the good news, to heal, to deliver. He tells them, “Go to every place where I am about to go, and do the works of the kingdom.” Jesus could have done it himself—and likely done a much better job than the disciples—but he entrusts them anyway. He wants to empower them to do the work of the kingdom. Consider for a moment that Jesus wants to use you, that he sends you ahead of him, to the places where he wants to go, and he wants you to do the very work that the disciples are doing in this passage.
As you listen to the passage again, consider how you feel about God sending you—do you feel anxious, ill-prepared, lacking in faith? Or do you feel a sense of anticipation, of excitement, and faith for what God would like to do through you?
"1 After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them two by two ahead of him to every town and place where he was about to go. 2 He told them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field. 3 Go! I am sending you out like lambs among wolves. 4 Do not take a purse or bag or sandals; and do not greet anyone on the road.
8 “When you enter a town and are welcomed, eat what is offered to you. 9 Heal the sick who are there and tell them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.’ 10 But when you enter a town and are not welcomed, go into its streets and say, 11 ‘Even the dust of your town we wipe from our feet as a warning to you. Yet be sure of this: The kingdom of God has come near.’ 12 I tell you, it will be more bearable on that day for Sodom than for that town.
17 The seventy-two returned with joy and said, “Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name.”
As you walk through your day today, can you hear Jesus’ word to you? The harvest is plentiful. Go, I am sending you. Heal the sick. Tell them, the kingdom of God has come near. As we close our time of prayer today, ask the Lord for faith and obedience to step out and go where he is sending you.
Music Credit:
Heaven's Work - Vineyard Soul (YouTube)
