Matthew 28:16-20 Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 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.”
One of my greatest fears about following Christ is my evidence of faith when the rubber meets the road and tough times come storming into my life. I always wonder if I will have the strength to carry on and live by the faith which I now live by. It seems that the disciples were in the same situation when they were asked by Jesus to go to Galilee after His resurrection. When Jesus called them, they left everything they had including family, careers, homes and all to follow Him but when Jesus was captured and flogged, they ran for their lives. Even Peter who promised Jesus to be by his side regardless of the outcome denied Him 3 times before the rooster crowed. What then is the use of saying we have submitted our lives to Christ and where is he calling us?
Over the years, I have learned that as long as we are ourselves, we can never really be faithful followers of Christ because we are sinful by nature and our inner selves want nothing more than to appease ourselves. However, when we hand over the reins of our existence to Jesus, the Holy Spirit indwells in us and directs us, but we still have an option to obey or not. The disciples were called to Galilee and they went, some with real doubts, but when they obeyed and accepted Jesus’ commissioning for them, their belief was transformed and they became pillars of faith that today we look up to. What Jesus is asking us to do today is to leave our problems, issues and worries to him and to simply obey him. When we do, he will transform us into his likeness and show us a new life with new meaning which we never had and also give us the faith we need to follow him. Obedience and submission is key.
In His Loving Service, Vineet
Mystery Flower