Reclaimed Disciplines预览

Prayer: God, thank you for your Son. Thank you for loving us so much, that, even though we choose ourselves, you still choose us. I pray that You would mold my heart after yours, that I might begin to see the world with your eyes and recognize the need for a relationship with you all around me. Use me to carry out the plan you have laid before us so that all nations, tribes, and tongues would one day praise your name. Amen.

God's Heart for ALL People

God's desire is for all people to know Him.

In order for us to best worship Him, to best know Him, and to best understand what He wants for us as followers, we have to understand perhaps the most important desire of God: He desires all people to be reconciled with Himself. 

Scripture is littered with evidence of this! John 3:16 mentions God’s love for "the world", and tells us that "whoever believes" will be saved. Jesus' last command to His disciples recorded before He ascended into heaven is found in Matthew 28:18-20, where He commands them (and, spoiler, us too!) to "go therefore and make disciples of all nations.” It’s called the Great Commission for a reason! You have likely heard of this passage before, but instead of the focus being centered on what God is asking of us individually, let us instead shift our focus on the heart behind it. God is asking us not just to go do work or a task or be dutifully obedient, but He is choosing to use us to accomplish His plan. And when we look in Revelation, we can see it is a mighty plan, indeed!

In Revelation 7:9-10, we see a glimpse into what is to come. We see a "great multitude that no one could count" come to worship Jesus! And it isn't just an innumerable amount of people, it's also people from "all tribes and peoples and languages.” This is the clearest proof we could ask for to show us that God wants more than just people like us to be saved. We also get to look at this picture and realize that Scripture is telling us that He plans to use us to make this happen. 

God has tasked us with the most important mission on Earth: helping people come to a saving faith in Him! Would you, this week, take a faithful step and share God’s love with someone who has never experienced it? 

Look in the Word:

1. Looking in Matthew 28:18-20, what is the significance of Jesus beginning by stating His authority? How should this change our view of this command?
2. In Revelation, God reveals to John a picture of the future. Why is this so important for us as believers today?

What’s Next?

1. Carve out time this week to pray. Begin to pray for your own heart. Ask Him to broaden your love and vision for those around you.
2. Spend some time after you pray writing out a list of people in your life where you live, work, and play. Who does not know Jesus? Begin praying for these people, and for the Lord to open the door for you to have spiritual conversations! The most important thing you can do is be faithful and "go" to them (Mt. 28:18). Begin by asking them about their spiritual journey!