Matthew 28:18-20
Jesus, undeterred, went right
ahead and gave his charge: “God authorized and commanded me to
commission you: Go out and train everyone you meet, far and near, in
this way of life, marking them by baptism in the threefold name: Father,
Son, and Holy Spirit. Then instruct them in the practice of all I have
commanded you. I’ll be with you as you do this, day after day after day,
right up to the end of the age.”
Scripture
quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002
by Eugene Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs,
CO. All rights reserved.
When I was a child, the local
Young Business Men’s Association (YBMC for short) held an annual Easter
egg hunt in our city park. There were several prize eggs hidden
amongst the “real” ones…and these could garner the person who found them
a live baby chick or a bunny rabbit to take home. My sister, brother
and I never got either one!
A year or so ago, my best friend (and
former neighbor) and I were discussing this, and she was talking about
how she always got a prize egg. She said, “I can’t believe that my
daddy didn’t make sure that at least one of you three went home with a
prize egg. He was a member of the YBMC…he would surely have made that
happen!” I told her I felt quite sure that my mother made sure that
this didn’t happen…and when I asked her, she readily confirmed my
suspicion! Mother must have threatened our neighbor within an inch of
his life if it even looked like one of us might pick up a prize egg and
bring home a chick or bunny!
Another friend, J.R., related to me
last year that because his family ran the local feed store, the chicks
came to them prior to the egg hunt. And somehow, one year, several
ended up at his house. It was cold, and J.R.’s grandmother took pity on
the chicks, so she let them come inside…which was a royal disaster.
The chicks that survived were ultimately relocated to a farm on the
outskirts of town, and J.R. and his brother, Larry, visited them there.
Here’s
where I’m headed…it was one thing to win the prize egg and be awarded a
chick or bunny…but there was work to be done afterward! It didn’t end
with the glory of the found treasure! And the same can be said for our
salvation and Eternal life in Christ!
I sometimes worry that
people might think twice about following Jesus if they really understood
just what true Christian discipleship entails! And I don’t say this
lightly or to imply that people should NOT give their hearts to Jesus.
But we really do a poor job of nurturing new believers…and even some of
those who have grown “long in the tooth” since their initial commitment
to follow Christ. We cannot claim the victory and “prize” and then fail
to take care of the “reward,” which no doubt accounts for countless
mothers and fathers scrambling to make sure that their children did not
“win” a chick or bunny at the annual Easter egg hunt!
My point is
this…NOTHING compares with becoming a true child of God by committing
your heart to Jesus. The most liberating and wonderful thing anyone can
do is to confess his/her sins to Jesus and feel Him wash them all away
with His own blood. The promise of spending Eternity in Jesus’ presence
is the greatest gift we will ever receive. But in exchange for all of
this, God wants us to nurture His “Gift”…to grow in our faith and share
the Good News with others. He wants us to “feed the sheep” and tend to
those in need…to share in the joys and triumphs, trials and sorrows of
everyone we encounter.
Jesus could not have been plainer when He
told us to go and make disciples of all nations. And we have to start
in our own back yards. Like winning the prize at an Easter egg hunt,
too many of us want to claim the victory in Jesus - and then “leave the
prize at the park.” We cannot do this! We must do whatever God tells
us to do…go wherever He sends us…and minister in whatever way He
instructs – to everyone He puts in our path. Nurturing a baby chick or
bunny may have been too much for some parents and children…but feeding
God’s sheep is a small price to pay for the glory of the LORD and
promise of Eternity with Him in Heaven.
When it comes to
Christian discipleship, we don’t get to pick and choose – or to “rig the
game.” And aren’t we glad?! Where is God calling you to disciple and
minister in Jesus’ name today? Are you listening? Are you ready to
take His hand and step up and out – to feed His sheep and further His
kingdom? Isn’t it time you were?
©2016 Debbie Robus
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