READING: Matthew 28:18-20, Luke 24:45-47
If you’ve been in church for some time, you’ve likely heard the Great Commission from Matthew 28. The same teaching/mandate is found in Mark 16:15, Luke 24:45-47, John 20:21, and Acts 1:8 – so Jesus clearly wants us to reach the nations. One of the problems for many North Americans, though, is that we are notoriously ignorant of the world. We often don’t know the names of countries, nor do we know where they are on the map. Thus, it’s hard to pray for and seek to reach anyone beyond our own continent.
Here’s my suggestion for practical discipleship this week: hang an old-fashioned map in your home, and learn world geography. When you read about or hear about some event in the world, take time to locate the country and pray for them. Pick a different country each morning, and pray for its people as you start the day. If you pray regularly for missionaries (and I hope you do), see where they serve if that information is available. Teach your children about the world, and I suspect more members of the next generation will be open to taking the gospel to the nations.
In fact, God might even call you.
PRAYER: “God, please burden me over the nations, and help me to be more aware of their needs.”
TOMORROW’S READING: Nehemiah 8:1-9:37, Acts 13:42-14:7