“These were his instructions: “Take nothing for the journey except a staff—no bread, no bag, no money in your belts. Wear sandals but not an extra shirt. Whenever you enter a house, stay there until you leave that town. And if any place will not welcome you or listen to you, leave that place and shake the dust off your feet as a testimony against them.” They went out and preached that people should repent. They drove out many demons and anointed many sick people with oil and healed them.” Matthew 6:8-13
“I just want you to know I love you, I’m for you, and my heart is to help you know truth and experience freedom in Christ, but for now I’m going to stop returning to have these same conversations over and over. I’ll be ready and willing to help you when you are ready.” What a hard moment for me to let go of pleading with a loved one to trust Christ in my timing. (And yes, I always share we never, ever know how much time we have to make a decision for Christ.)
Walking away from a conversation and shifting your relationship with someone you care about has to be one of the most difficult things to do. As believers we are called to persevere, loving the lost and sharing the good news with them. But what do we do if they are not interested or ready? What do we do if they reject our message of love and hope? What if they insist on continuing in the darkness of their lives?
Do we continue on doing the same thing over and over or do we heed our Master’s instructions to “shake the dust off our feet” and move on entrusting them to the One who knows and loves them much more than we can comprehend? Do we trust He can and will work despite us? Do we believe all we are to do is what He calls us to, or do we operate under the delusion we have control over the outcomes based on our efforts? It is only the Lord who saves!
Does this mean we never return? Not necessarily. We must be Spirit led in all things. In my conversation above that I’m allowing you to eavesdrop on, my goal is to free that person up from fighting against me and letting them feel the weight of the message I’ve shared trusting the Holy Spirit to do His work WITHOUT my incessant pleading. I’ve hit the pause button but I’m ready to return the moment my Master calls.
Let’s face it: Sometimes we are in the way!
If the Lord calls me to return to a conversation with someone, I’ll pray He equips me for that and I’ll go believing He has gone before me and desires to use me. So many times I want to play the conversation strategy in my head over and over hoping to have my words just right and to be prepared for every response. Jesus’ instructions in this passage tell me to go where He sends me and to trust Him for all I’ll need when I get there. It’s one thing to be a “workman who need not be ashamed.” (2 Tim.2:15) It’s another to depend on my own strength and ability to persuade someone when that is solely the role of the Holy Spirit. My role is simply to go in obedience as He calls and allow Him to speak and work through me.
If I’m leaving my loved one, my co-worker, or my friend at the foot of the cross trusting Him to complete His work in their lives, to where do I turn my attention? I’m called to “go and make disciples.” I can confidently know that there are people all around me who are seeking hope and help. Later in Matthew 6:30-45 the disciples find themselves met with a large crowd who were hungry for truth and for food for their bodies. Jesus “had compassion on them because they were harassed and helpless like sheep without a shepherd.” These people were READY to receive the truth! They were seeking. The disciples were weary and even suggested Jesus send them away for food instead of looking into His eyes and remembering He was a God of miracles, and they had a fresh opportunity to witness one. This wasn’t about their resources; it was all about His.
Lord, help me to share truth wherever you send me and leave the results to you. Help me not to wear myself out arguing with those who are not yet hungry and thirsty for truth, but simply love them where they are. I can share the truth with them and keep the door open for further conversation, but I need to move on to see where You are currently working in someone’s life and where you are calling me to be a part of that process. Lord, help me not look at the problems, but the Solution. Help me keep my eyes fixed on Yours knowing you desire me to trust you when I’m weary and without resources. And Lord, in the same way that you elevated the credibility of the disciples by allowing them to cast out demons and heal the sick, will you help me to walk in the joy and victory you have for me in my own struggles so that others may see the power Christ in me? Help me not to get bogged down with discouragement and defeat but rather speak the truth in love and move on to where I can join you at work!
-Some thoughts inspired by a message from Phillip Jackson at Evergreen Church, Bixby, OK (11/12/2023) which can be found on their you tube channel-