Matthew 28:19-20 - Natasha Glover

Today’s devotional comes from Natasha Glover. She shares how this is not a time to stay comfortable, but a time for God to continue to grow and stretch us.

Uncomfortable

I think everyone knows by now that I am extremely uncomfortable talking in large groups or being on stage, but God has been stretching and using me.  I felt like I was making some really good progress and was starting to use my gifts for His kingdom. Then Covid-19 happened.

We were all asked to quarantine ourselves and to practice social distancing.  I have to be honest with you here and say I have NOT struggled with this at ALL!  As much as I love getting out of the house and doing things, I love staying home more.  This has given me an excuse not to engage publicly with anyone. Don’t get me wrong, I absolutely love being around my friends and family and getting the chance to do something for someone else, but I have also become ok with just being by myself or at the least somewhere in the background.

So the first few weeks things were pretty quiet.  There were no places to go, no events to attend, no one to go see.  All I had to do was work and take care of my family. I was one of the fortunate ones in that I am still working and have been working from home for over 4 years now.  The girls started virtual school and we quickly got into a daily rhythm. I suddenly found myself enjoying the simple life and not wanting to go back to “the norm”.

Here’s the issue with that, not living simply, but not wanting to go back to the norm.  If I were to allow myself to keep things as is, I would slowly pull away from the family of God.  I would isolate myself and then eventually I would start to pull away from God as well. That is not what I was created for.  That is not what Jesus wanted his disciples to do either.  

Matthew 28:19-20 - NLT

19 Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. 20 Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you.  And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

What if after Jesus had performed all of those miracles, taught an endless number of hours, took a severe beating, died on the cross for our sins, was buried and then rose again, as he proclaimed he would, and then instructed his disciples to go out and make disciples of all nations, just to have the disciples take the easy way out?  What if they said, “it sure does feel good to stay off my feet for a while” or “I am glad I don’t have to go out and preach the gospel now that Jesus is gone”? What if they decided that it was just too much work to continue what Jesus had started?

Are you imaging a world far worse than the one we are in now?  I know I did and that scared me. Jesus gave us the best gift anyone could have ever given us, His life!  I am not going to take the easy way out and just remain inside my comfort zone (as much as I would like to).  God created you and me for so much more than that and it is our job to make sure we follow through with the calling he has on our lives, even if it is something we do not want to do.  Remember, He is always with us, even to the end of the age. With his help, I can do anything and so can you!

Love and miss you all,

Natasha Glover