Day 88
Matthew 10:1-42; Mark 6:7-13; Luke 9:1-6
In our last reading, Jesus selected twelve men and named them as apostles, but what do you do once you have your new leaders. Today’s reading is what he did next.
Our reading today is Mark 6:7-13.
It is the story of Jesus giving a commission to the newly appointed apostles.
“7 Calling the Twelve to Him, He began to send them out two by two and gave them authority over unclean spirits. 8 He instructed them to take nothing but a staff for the journey—no bread, no bag, no money in their belts— 9 wear sandals, but not a second tunic. 10 And He told them, ‘Whenever you enter a house, stay there until you leave that area. 11 And if any place will not welcome you or listen to you, leave that town and shake the dust off your feet as a testimony against them.’ 12 So they went out and preached that the people should repent. 13 They also drove out many demons and healed many of the sick by anointing them with oil.”
One of my favorite things about reading the Bible is how it reveals things to me a little at a time. In this reading, there are three amazing life principles.
We will only mention them briefly, but if you think about each of them, they will be a guiding light for your life.
1. Training involves doing. Verse 7
The apostles were newly appointed. They had learned much from following, watching, and listening to Jesus, but there is more. Learning is incomplete until one learns by doing. In telling these apostles to go out and preach. He sent them out to preach and learn. To help them best he sent them out in pairs. As Solomon said, two are better than one.
2. Verse 8, “take nothing but a staff for the journey.”
We all love more and more things, but excessive things can weigh you down and hinder your journey. Jesus did let them take a staff to aid them, but that was all they really needed. In life, we must learn to distinguish between wishes, wants, and needs.
3. Verse 10, “’Whenever you enter a house, stay there until you leave that area.”
Jesus is telling them to build relationship as you go along the way. As we said in another lesson, everybody needs somebody. You do too!
Following these three principles, you will build a better life.
Lonnie Davis