Red Letters – GO! – April 29

RED LETTERS
April 29, 2021

GO!

Matthew 28:18-20, ‘Then Jesus came close to them and said, “All authority of the universe has been given to me. Now wherever you go, make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. And teach them to faithfully follow all that I have commanded you. And never forget that I am with you every day, even to the completion of this age.”’ (TPT)

From the beginning of time, Jesus was preparing to infiltrate our world. The Father knew what a messy race we are and that there would come a time when He could no longer look upon the degradation that bred and multiplied on the earth He created. I would love to know the conversations God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit had while planning for our futures. I wonder if someday we will be able to watch it on the big screen in heaven and see how it all played out, from beginning to end.
I also wonder what Jesus was thinking as He stepped over time and fell through space to land in the womb of a virgin. I wonder if the long good-bye as He left His throne and His Father Who adored Him was painful for them, bittersweet, dreaded; the kind where your stomach twists and it hurts so badly to say goodbye that you end up just saying ‘So Long’ instead. I imagine the physical longing to return to where you belong, because no matter what, you don’t fit in and you don’t want to fit in…but this is life now and you know you must make the most of it.
Jesus accepted His assignment and came willingly to our world, to rescue us from ourselves. I wonder what He thought. Did He see the homeless sleeping on park benches and know He could fix that? Did He read the stats about escalating suicide rates and know He could fix that? Did He see the lost and addicted, wandering on darkened streets, looking for the next fix, knowing He alone would be that fix? Did He imagine a world someday the way that His Father dreamt it into being, knowing He was the fix for what was wrong with us?
And then how did He feel as He looked over His dearest friends for the final time? I wonder if there was agony in His spirit because He was leaving behind what and who He had known intimately. Did He feel relief that He had finished what He came to do, the assignment the Father instructed Him to accomplish? I bet He couldn’t wait to return to His Father, and I can only imagine the celebration they had upon His arrival!
Because of what Jesus did and what He spoke and what His disciples did to pave a way for us, we have hope today. We have a place to belong and a commission to attend to. There is no reason to wander lost and without purpose because He left us with instruction, with an assignment just like His Father gave Him. And He did not leave us alone and helpless but He gave us the greatest Helper we could ever hope for, the Holy Spirit Who indwells us and empowers us to be all the Father designed for us to be. Lastly, Jesus left us with these words: ‘”And lo, I am with you always [remaining with you perpetually—regardless of circumstance and on every occasion], even to the end of the age.”’ (AMP) Is there any more magnificent promise and hope than that, ever?! Regardless of circumstance and on every occasion, perpetually, Jesus is right by my side!

I’ve been reading RED LETTERS all my life, but never with my heart.
During the month of April, let’s JOURNEY where JESUS journeyed,
and listen with our hearts to all He came to proclaim.