LEARNING DAILY

 

Matthew 28:18, And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and earth.”

 

As a school administrator I was given the authority to make sure course curriculums were being taught, students were behaving, among a host of other things. I had the authority to make sure the school operated in safety and as a school should operate. I looked forward to being there every day working with dedicated teachers and school staff. I am not saying I had all things under my control.

 

In Matthew 28:18 God is saying that all of history, including this time you and I are walking, is completely under His control! There are events unfolding all around us that might make us scratch our head and wonder what is going on. You and I are challenged everyday as we walk this narrow way to God’s eternal kingdom. Is it me or does it seem to you as well that more and more trials and temptations are crossing my path each day. I admit I am struggling more each day.

 

But here is what we must remember: “No matter how things may appear, every detail is part of a beautiful picture” (David Jeremiah). You might wonder how the events unfolding around us or the daily temptations are part of a beautiful picture. The challenges you and I face every day are part of the preparation for you and me to enter the eternal kingdom of God someday. Jesus did tell us the narrow way would be difficult; cleaning us from the person we used to be can have its challenges. They are a necessary part of maturing into the person God demands us to be.

 

How many times does a child fall before learning to walk? Who is there to pick him/her up – the parents. How many times does one fall before learning to ride a bike? How many failures with one’s walk with the Lord occur before the taste of sinful behavior no longer is desired? Just like that parent is there to help the child get up to try to walk again, God is right there to pick us up again when we fail. It just requires us to look to His grace and ask for forgiveness. He has authority over every detail of your life and my life. In telling us that, He is telling us that we must trust Him in everything, the smallest of things so the larger things are established.

 

Small things and larger things – what am I talking about? He knows the details of your life. He is daily cleansing and purifying you through the things you go through to prepare you for His kingdom. He is also using the events in the world to alert His followers to the fact that His return could happen at any time. We must not go about business as usual! Jesus is about to remove His followers so they meet Him in the clouds. We must be diligent about the life we live and be watching and ready for that to happen.

 

In the next page of the blog, I want to give you some thoughts about where Jesus Christ’s authority comes from.