Just some early morning thoughts from me to you…
Then the eleven disciples left for Galilee, going to the mountain where Jesus had said they would find him. There they met him and worshiped him—but some of them weren’t sure it really was Jesus!
He told his disciples, “I have been given all authority in heaven and earth. Therefore go and make disciples in all the nations, baptizing them into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and then teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you; and be sure of this—that I am with you always, even to the end of the world.”
Matthew 28: 16-20 (TLB)
They got it.
They understood.
There He was, getting ready to ascend into Heaven returning to His seat at the right hand of His Father.
But before He left, Jesus reminded the eleven remaining disciples of the platform to which He had called them years earlier when He began His ministry, following His baptism in the Jordan River by John the Baptist.
And as we see from a reading through the New Testament, they got it.
After selecting Matthias to replace Judas, the twelve now stepped up on the platforms of responsibility set before them by their Lord, and went forth sharing the Good News of Christ and making disciples in all the world.
Our platforms of responsibility.
Those roles we occupy.
The opportunities of impact and influence which come into our lives, unique to each one of us.
And Christ called the disciples then, as He calls us now, as His disciples to step up on those platforms and to—Go.
To go and make other disciples by sharing the Good News and the Gospel message in all the nations.
To go and touch the world for good, to add value, have a positive impact, leaving fingerprints of an eternal legacy on everyone, everywhere and with every moment of our lives.
Four men stepped up on the platforms before them and changed my life for eternity.
One man, in the early morning hours in the mountains of North Carolina over forty years ago, lead me to a saving knowledge of my Savior and Lord, with my bride, Lynda, affirming the moment as a grateful witness,.
In addition to that one and my bride, the other three men—Lynda’s dad, and two federal judges I worked with who became dear Christian brothers—all lived lives demonstrating the life and love of Christ as an example for me to follow.
They understood the platforms God called them to, and their responsibility to share their abilities, time and resources to have an eternal impact, not only on my life, but on the lives of so many others.
Ray Boltz sang these appropriate words in his song, “Thank You”—
“Thank you for giving to the Lord, I am a life that was changed.
Thank you for giving to the Lord, I am so glad you gave.
One by one they came as far as the eyes could see,
Each life somehow touched by your generosity.
Little things that you had done, sacrifices made,
Unnoticed on the earth, in heaven now proclaimed.
Thank you for giving to the Lord, I am a life that was changed.”
Christ’s words in the passage above seem clear—
“Therefore go and make disciples in all the nations…”
Less a request, it seems, but more a call, even a command, to embrace a clear and important responsibility and opportunity for you and for me.
To step up on a platform of eternal impact.
And not by ourselves, as He assures us when He concludes—
“…and be sure of this—that I am with you always, even to the end of the world.”
The disciples got it.
Now it’s up to us.
In His Name–Scott
Take a moment to enjoy the video with Ray Boltz singing “Thank You.”
