2011-02-04 - Simple Words ~ Great Calls

Part 2

Go

Likewise Jesus told Bartimaeus to go. Coming may often be passive but going is active. Jesus says "Come and I will" but then he says "Go and you will". We may come to him but he quickly sends us out again.

First he tells us to go back, return to life as it ought to be.

Go – Live Life

To the leper of Matthew 8:4 He says, "Go your way and show yourself to the priest." To the lame man of Mark 2:11, He says, "Arise, take up your bed and Go thy way." To the woman with an issue of blood in Mark 5:34, He says, "Go in peace and be whole." To the harlot in Luke 7:50 He says, "Go in peace your faith has saved you." In these instances he's instructing those he has helped to go to their life and experience the joys of everyday things. Having lacked some simple things I bet these people really learned to enjoy them. Having leprosy meant leaving behind your wife, your kids, everyone and everything to never be touched by another person ever again. The leper must have longed for the touch of others. He learned the joy of holding hands of shaking hands or just being touched on the shoulder by someone. The lame man saw others walking to and fro wherever thy wanted to go and there he sat on a mat in a corner somewhere perhaps even overlooked at times. The lame learned to enjoy walks in the park. I bet he never once complained about having to walk a flight of stairs to get somewhere. The woman with the issue must have yearned to be in public without shame or fear. In her world she was unclean. She must have enjoyed just being able to be out in public. And then there's the harlot, she knew what it was like to be lusted after and used, but now she knew what it was like to be loved and cared for. Oh these people knew life; they knew the abundant joy-filled life. They went and enjoyed the full and abundant life given by God in the simple everyday things that many of us take for granted.

Sometimes people will ask me how I'm doing and even if I'm not doing great I can smile and say, "Well I woke up this morning so I'm already better off than some." That is so true we ought to appreciate whatever we have instead of complaining about what we lack.

Go back to life. But as well as going back to life he tells us to go to others. Jordan took a mint to his mom because I asked him to. Jesus asks us to go and take something far more precious than a one-calorie breath mint.

Go – Tell Others

 Here's just a small sampling of verses. First, Jesus tells the disciples in Matthew 10:5-7, "Go to the lost sheep. Go, preach." Then in Matthew 20:4 he instructs the workers to "go into the vineyard". The servant is told in Matthew 22:9, "Go into the highways and bid as many as you can find to come." He charges the followers in Matthew 28:19, "Go, teach all, and baptize them" Mark 5:19 declares, "Go and tell what great things the Lord has done for you". In another version of the great commission, Mark 16:15 records the command to "go and preach the gospel". Luke 9:60 finds Jesus instructing the disciples, "Go and preach the kingdom of God.". In Luke 10:3 he says, "Go out as lambs among wolves". As it says in John 15:16, we are to all "go and bring forth fruit". We are to go and share Christ with others but there's a hard go yet to go.

Go – Sin No More

In John 8:11 we find the instruction to "go and sin no more"; that's a tough one. We still live in this old body and Paul admits in his epistle to the Romans that the desires of his flesh sometimes overcome him. We all still sin it is impossible for us not to. But that is not a license to sin because with God all things are possible. I do not think I could go a year without sin – note even a month or a week. I cannot guarantee for myself a day or even this very hour. I can't guarantee any of those but I can control this very moment so for this moment I choose to go and sin no more. And in the next, I pray that God give me the determination and strength for that moment as well.

There's a lot of goings going on but the good news, the really great news, is that we don't go it alone. Paul refers to us as God's fellow workers in 2 Corinthians 6:1. He is going right along with us. Though not recorded in the gospels the book of Hebrews records a special promise from Jesus to never leave us or forsake us. (Hebrews 13:5 ) We go with him – no he goes with us wherever we go.

Next time we will look at Be. Until then...

IHFHBOH

adam@cfdevotionals.org
http://www.cfdevotionals.org

All verses are from the King James Version unless otherwise specified.