Listen

After these things, the Lord commissioned seventy-two others and sent them on ahead in pairs to every city and place he was about to go. He said to them, “The harvest is bigger than you can imagine, but there are few workers. Therefore, plead with the Lord of the harvest to send out workers for his harvest. Go! Be warned, though, that I’m sending you out as lambs among wolves. Carry no wallet, no bag, and no sandals. Don’t even greet anyone along the way. Whenever you enter a house, first say, ‘May peace be on this house.’ If anyone there shares God’s peace, then your peace will rest on that person. If not, your blessing will return to you.”

Luke 10:1-6

Think

Jumping off a diving board generates fear in most kids. They summon their courage even before stepping onto the ladder. During my childhood, most pools included two diving boards – low and high. I remember failed attempts to climb up the twenty-foot ladder for the high dive. As I eventually lingered at the top, consumed by fear, my impatient peers yelled, “Go already!” No one gave me any credit for trying to jump off when I eased back down the ladder. At nine years old, I finally leapt into the air! This challenge was harder than I anticipated from my vantage point on the ground.

When God sends us out, we need to jump in relying on God’s strength, not our own. We cannot imagine all that awaits us. Meeting needs can overwhelm us. We may enter communities marked by violence and aggression or serve in a culture constrained by skepticism and suspicion. As God’s lambs bringing peace, the strength of our Good Shepherd helps us be brave enough to take the plunge.

Brian Abel

Pray

God, I want to take your peace into my part of the world. Help me jump in and make a difference in someone’s life. Fill me with your strength and help me be braver than I can be on my own. Amen.

Go

God’s strength allows us to be brave – to love fearlessly.

The journey may include challenges, discouragement, rejection, and betrayal.

Stay focused on the One who calls us forward and holds us up.