Wednesday, November 12, 2014

The Spirit Within Us

Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.  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, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”  Matthew 28:18-20

This was a tough week personally as a member of my team unexpectedly passed away.  This was the first time I experienced the loss of someone who I saw nearly every day.  I asked for God’s wisdom as to why this person had to go when she did.  The thing that came to mind was that God sends angels among us, and many times, we do not know it until they have left us.  It became apparent that she had done her work among us because she had touched the lives of so many within our group that the spirit of her life was ingrained in us already.  It reminded me of the time when Jesus had spent all of His time with the disciples, and although He had conquered death, His spirit through the disciples would allow for the Gospel to spread throughout the world.

We should aspire to touch as many lives as possible displaying the spirit of Christ within us.  Today’s verses refer to the great responsibility we have as Christians (aka The Great Commission).  However, I want to focus on the moment.  The disciples had just witnessed the greatest miracle of all, the resurrection of Christ, and they anxiously waited for their next command from Him.  Jesus did not take the moment to celebrate with them or boast of His prediction coming true.  He simply stated His role as authority figure and for them to carry on His work until time for His return.  He laid the foundation for the early church, and once the message had gotten to others, the building of the church had begun.


We have greater influence on the spreading of the Gospel than we realize.  My friend’s life was filled with moments where she reached out to others and inspired them to live better.  More importantly, a bit of her spirit lives in each team member because above all, she was a child of God, and the team both responded to and loved her because of it.  Will your life to inspire others to become followers of Christ?  How can you better influence those near you through Christ?  My prayer is that we live our lives each day exemplifying the spirit of Christ within us.  Amen.

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