Maybe you’ve had a time in your life when you sensed God telling you to do something, but you felt reluctant because you didn’t think you had what you needed to accomplish what He wanted you to do.
Moses (read Exodus 3 and 4 for context) is a prime example of such a scenario. God had a mission for him: “So now go. I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt.” (Ex. 3:10). What was Moses’ reply in the following verse? “Who am I that I should go to Pharoah and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?” As the story continues, Moses comes up with potential problems and other reasons why he doesn’t have what it takes to accomplish God’s mission.
Let’s fast forward to a time when Jesus had a mission for the twelve disciples he had been training. He was going to send them out to preach to the lost sheep of Israel. In Matthew 10:1, we read that the disciples were given authority to “drive out impure spirits and to heal every disease and sickness.” However, in vs. 9-10, we read that they were not to take the following: any gold or silver or copper (money/coins), a bag for the journey, an extra shirt, sandals or a staff.
Essentially, the disciples were given a mission and were to take next to nothing when they went. I don’t know about you, but reading that makes me a bit uncomfortable. I always have stuff with me. And I mean always! I want to be prepared for any and every situation. There is security and comfort when we have things with us, right?
So why did Jesus instruct the disciples not to take any of those things on their first mission? One commentator writes, “that they might be always unencumbered, free, ready for motion.”
Benson Commentary
I love that. It reminds me of David, when he was preparing to fight Goliath and he was given armor to wear that was way too cumbersome and heavy for him. There was no way he could fight Goliath being weighed down like that. He didn’t need that. No, he just gathered 5 small stones and used a light-weight slingshot (next to nothing compared to a full suit of armor) and it did the job.
What would do the job for the disciples as they went out per Jesus’ instruction? Wouldn’t they need something to defend themselves? I mean, Jesus warned them of the opposition they would encounter. But He also told them not to take a rod to defend themselves. I might have felt a little nervous about that.
Why wouldn’t He want them to have a rod? Perhaps “…because being the servants of the Lord, they were to be defended by his power as well as supported by his bounty.”
Benson commentary
They didn’t even have to worry about what words they would say when they were arrested. Matthew 10:19-20 says, “But when they arrest you, do not worry about what to say or how to say it. At that time you will be given what to say, for it will not be you speaking, but the spirit of your Father speaking through you.” God would even provide the words they needed! He provides everything we need to accomplish what He has called us to do.
Remember the feeding of the 5,000? How many loaves of bread and fish were there? It was next to nothing, right? The disciples knew it wasn’t nearly enough to feed everyone. And yet, astoundingly, there was an abundance of food.
God has a pattern of using little to accomplish much – from next to nothing to astoundingly abundant. Perhaps it’s to remind us that He is always with us—that He, alone, is enough. Perhaps it’s to help us exercise our faith and dependence on Him. Perhaps it’s to help us focus on Him and what He wants us to do.
My encouragement to you, in a world where the enemy sends messages like, “you’re not enough” and “you don’t have enough,” remember that God is with us and when we are with Him, we have everything we need, often in abundance, to accomplish His will.
Let us be faithfully obedient to His call and let us be radiant this week.
If you thought of other examples in Scripture like the ones I gave above, please comment below. I love hearing from my readers. Please also pass this along to anyone God brought to mind while you were reading this post.
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Go Be Radiant 