Living in the Spirit
June 9, 2017
Scripture Reading: Matthew 28:16-20
Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. And Jesus came and said to them, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore 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 that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.’
Doubt is a healthy response. Overplayed doubt can immobilize and is not healthy. Being without doubt is dangerous. Think about it. Doubt makes us question what seems unlikely or improbable particularly if the situation is outside our normal concepts of reality. Doubt makes us consider all the possibilities before we allow a new concept to enter our comfort zones. The Greek word, distazo*, translated in our scripture as doubt means going two ways, shifting between positions turning something over and over again in our minds until we gain a sense of peace with our understanding of whatever made us question in the first place.
Coming to peace with any reality is the first step to courage. Courage is what enabled common people from the first century to transcend self-expectations becoming more than they ever expected to be. In so doing they took the teaching of Jesus from a tiny country in the middle east and changed the whole world. We are called to continue that mission. Failure is not an option if we want to live in a world ruled by love, not eaten up with greed and lust for power.
Prayer: Lord, as you wrestled with Jacob thousands of years ago helping him realize who you were, wrestle with us today until we come to peace with who you are and what you need us to do. Empower us to continue living your love and passing it to others you place in our paths. Amen.
*http://biblehub.com/greek/1365.htm