On Your Way Home...

Carp's Daily Tidbits

"Praise the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits." Psalm 103:2

Date: Friday, February 26, 2015 

Today's Title: On Your Way Home… 

Today's Scripture: Matthew 28:19

Warm, sunny, summer afternoons were perfect for riding a bike.  This was one of my favorite past times in the off-season from school and I spent hours riding around with my brother, my friends, or just by myself.  Since our town was small and relatively safe, I was free to explore all its different areas and visit with friends and acquaintances. Sometimes I would leave in the morning and spend the entire day on my bike, returning home only for lunch, dinner, and bedtime.

We lived on Main Street and my jaunts usually took me toward town.  I would ride my bike up Main Street, passing Cone Street (named for my paternal grandfather), Depot Street, Pink Street, Jacob Street, Oak Street (where I would eventually buy a home), Mountain Street, Mulberry Street, and making a left turn onto Elm Street.  My rides usually took me in this direction because my mom’s parents lived at the end of this street. Their home was the next-to-the-last house on the left.

Elm Street was (and still is) a beautiful street lined with huge trees, nice houses, sprawling yards, and very little traffic.  On my way to my grandparents’ house, I crossed over Academy Street, Carroll Street, Ballard Street, and Old Post Road.  The last stop was grandmother’s house where a cold drink and plenty of cookies, ice cream, and candy were just waiting to be eaten.  I always loved going to grandmother’s and spent quite a bit of my free time there just visiting, talking, and being with my grandparents.

It wasn't uncommon for my mom to call me while I was visiting my grandparents and tell me to pick up a few things at the grocery store on my way home.  I made sure I left in plenty of time and stopped in to pick up the items she needed for dinner.  The grocery store was on the way home so I didn't have to exert any special effort or alter my route.  Stopping by the store, while requiring a little of my time, did not affect my destination and it didn't cramp my style. It was just part of the trip home.

In Matthew 28:19, Jesus makes the following statement, “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…” This is a very famous passage of scripture and is usually referred to as the Great Commission. Most of the time we view this passage as Christ’s command to do foreign missions, citing his directive to take the gospel “into all the world.”  But there is also another application, one that is closer to home and one that applies to every believer and follower of Christ.

One possible rendering of the Greek in this passage could be “As you are going…”  Now let’s stop and think about that.  What exactly does that mean to me and to you today?  Simply this, we are to take the good news of Jesus Christ with us everywhere we go.  As we are going to work, Christ should be with us.  As we are going to school, Christ should be with us.  As we are going to lunch, Christ should be with us. As we are going to these places, we are to make disciples.  In other words, we are to teach others what it means to be a follower of Jesus Christ.

That makes it a little more personal doesn't it? Jesus didn't say to make disciples while we were on our way to Borneo or to the outer reaches of Mongolia, did he?  No!  He said for us to make disciples while we are on our way to the office or simply to the grocery store.  We will meet people everywhere we go who need to know Jesus Christ and we will teach them about our savior by our words, actions, and thoughts whether we want to or not. This means the way we live becomes the message of what we believe about Christ!

The Great Commission of Christ is given to all of us, whether we are going to the far reaches of the globe or riding our bike to the grocery store on Main Street.  Where are you going today and what message will you send to the people you meet along the way?  Are you stopping along life’s path, picking things up on your way home?  Think about it today?