The Most Beautiful Invitation in the World

Before you start todays devotional, ask the Lord to use it to grow you up in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

The gospel movement that began when Jesus was born the King, that He preached about in a Sermon on the Mount, that He demonstrated with His power to perform miracles—this movement is what Jesus now entrusts to His disciples.

Jesus tells His twelve disciples, whom He now calls “apostles,” to go to the people of Israel and preach the gospel of the kingdom. He gave them power to cast out demons, and to heal diseases. Jesus said, “Tell them the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” Jesus, the King, was here.

When He sent them out, He gave them governing principles for being a child of God—ones we can apply today.

· We should be wise as a serpent, but harmless as a dove, and it’s dangerous to be one and not the other.

· Jesus’ coming to the world didn’t bring unity; it divided mankind. It may divide a family.

· We will be hated for Jesus’ own name’s sake. But still, He must always come first.

· Don’t worry about what people say about you if you’re being faithful to Jesus—they didn’t say nice things about Him, either (10:25).

· Our lives will be turned wrong-side-out someday, so we better make sure our insides look as good as the outside.

· Fear God. You don’t have anything to fear if you fear God first. He loves you and will never lose sight of you.

· Jesus didn’t come to bring peace this time. Sin’s still in the world, and as long as it’s here, God says there’s no peace.

· He’s not going to use us unless we’re completely surrendered to Him.

· One of the great paradoxes of following the Lord Jesus is that we don’t have control over our lives but “he who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it” (10:39).

This transition in Jesus’ ministry marked a change. When the cities in Galilee rejected Him, He rejected them. The King always has the last word. Light creates responsibility. They witnessed Light Himself yet turned their backs on Him. Now Jesus turns from Israel and sets His focus on the cross, inviting individuals to follow Him. He says no one can know the Father except through Him and so, in one of the most beautiful invitations of the Bible, Jesus invites all who would, to come (11:28-30).

Are you “heavy laden”—the weight of sin is a burden you were never intended to carry. It’s too heavy! The only place to put it is at the cross of Christ. He bore it for you. He invites you to come. Bring your burden to Him and He’ll forgive you. There’s no sin today God won’t forgive, but you must yield yourself to His Holy Spirit.

The strongest relationship in the world is between Jesus Christ and a believer. This new relationship is precious—even stronger and sweeter than between blood relatives. Do you know Him? If you believe and receive the Lord Jesus Christ, you hear Him, trust Him, and turn to Him—unlike the many who reject Him and walk away.

1. Why would the kingdom of God today begin from within?

2. How should we prepare ourselves to live expecting rejection and trouble?

3. What does it look like in practice to be as wise as a serpent and as harmless as a dove?

Additional Resources

Listen to Dr. J. Vernon McGee’s complete teachings on Matthew 9:14-10:8 and Matthew 10:9—11:6.