ALWAYS!

The Great Commission is something which we are all familiar. Even as a child my son was aware of The Great Commission. During one of their youth group studies the person leading the teaching asked the children if they knew what The Great Commission was. Never one to be shy, my son’s hand immediately shot up. When asked to explain to the others The Great Commission he stated “That’s the check my dad gets once a month.” Since I sell things to make a living, my children grew up waiting for my commission check for us to buy them the next toy or whatever it was that they wanted.

I guess to a child that is The Great Commission. It certainly puts a smile on my face anytime I hear someone talking about the passage in Matthew where Jesus tells us that we are to “go therefore, and make disciples of all nations.”

19 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, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age” Matthew 28:19-20 ESV

I have heard many people preach on these verses before, in fact, I have even had the pleasure of hearing that same child preach on these verses. Thankfully, he got it right this time and didn’t preach on my paycheck. During these sermons, the focus always seems to be on verse 19. I guess that is the way that it really should be because, after all Jesus is commanding us to go out and spread the Gospel. But today I would like to focus on the last eleven words in the book of Matthew.

As you know Jesus is telling his disciples that He expects them (and us) to spread the good news to the rest of the world. Not bound by political or cultural boundaries we as His followers are to take His Word to everyone across the globe. But the part that often gets overlooked is Jesus’ promise to them (and subsequently us.)

And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.

Jesus is telling us that He is going to hang in there with us. He is going to be right there by our sides ALWAYS! I love that word, ALWAYS. Do you grasp the meaning of this. Jesus didn’t tell His followers that as long as they were proclaiming the gospel He would be there. He didn’t tell them that when they crossed over into foreign lands He would meet up and go along for the trip. He told them ALWAYS.

What that means for you and me is that He is right here with me right now. He is right here with you right now. He is with us ALWAYS. No matter what difficulties we are facing, no matter how desperate things may appear to us, no matter how tired or lonely we may feel; Jesus is right here with us. ALWAYS!

If you read yesterday’s post then you know that this week has started out being a trying week for my family. With overnight stays at the hospital, restless and sleepless nights at home, work and worry combining to wear down one’s patience; there is one thing that we can count on. Jesus is right there with us. I know that because He said He would ALWAYS be there.

But this is not just about me and my family. Everyone goes through those times in their lives when they face difficult situations and Jesus’ promise is there for you just as it is for me. I have looked at numerous Bible translations and there is not one in which I find my name associated with this verse. Trust me, I’ve looked, nowhere does it say that He is there just for me. So He is there for you as well. I take comfort in the fact knowing that no matter what we face we have Jesus by our side. Just as He promised that He would be there for His disciples He is there for me and He will be there for you as well. ALWAYS!

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