Today’s chapter is Matthew 10.

Tom writes:

And then Jesus comes out with “everyone will hate you...you will be called Satanic...I’ve not come to bring peace but a sword… whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me”. Did Jesus never attend ‘Vision Casting 101’? Does he not realise that seekers might be sensitive to such severe statements? Jesus has a disturbing desire not just to win people to his tribe but to win them to a Way of Life. He doesn’t just want their allegiance; he wants them to act like him. And so, in a brazenly straightforward manner he lays out the challenge of Kingdom Living in this Age. What Jesus demands in this context is a bit like a recruiting slogan for an aid worker to be sent into the Russia-Ukraine conflict. Jesus wants his people to live in a form of missional warfare - relentlessly releasing freedom and hope to people while being assaulted on every side by misunderstanding, abuse and harm. And - most crucially - to never let those assaults reduce their commitment to the cause. That’s what I find hardest; to remain utterly resilient in the face of rejection. If you are like me, you would do well to mull over this chapter and its grubby reality of our calling.

But don’t miss the golden bits. Don’t miss the bits that make all of the resilience and mission and grubbiness worth every penny. Don’t overlook what Jesus says about the attentive, constant care of the Father. Don’t skid past the fact that this care may not remove all harm right now, but it does remember it. Every bit of it. And - when the time comes - it will reward every good act in this war. As I think about this today, I wager that the biggest difference to my resilience and effectiveness in mission will come when I actually pause long enough to let the tendrils of this truth tunnel themselves down into my heart and my soul and my mind. Will I accept and believe that my Father - while totally uncompromising in what he wants from me - does indeed see me and does indeed love me and is itching to release rewards to me when I administer his freedom to his world. When we realise how attentive our Father is to every good thing we do, when we grasp how patiently he is storing up our rewards, and when we know without doubt that his verdict on our lives is the only one that will matter for all eternity then we can truly become wonder-filled walkers in Jesus Way no matter what worries or wounds or insults we are facing right now.

Question for reflection

What encourages you to persevere when time is hard?

Matthew 10 - Friday 16th August