Day 36
Read Luke 9:1-6.
Luke describes Jesus sending out His twelve apostles to preach the Kingdom of God and perform healings in this passage. His instructions to the apostles carry a warning that not everyone will receive them or their message. What are the apostles instructed to do when they encounter this kind of response?
SHAKE OFF THE DUST
Shaking the dust off one’s feet was a Jewish tradition symbolizing the proper disposal of heathen dust collected on someone’s feet or clothing from traveling through Gentile regions. The symbolic act described by Jesus indicated that the apostles should regard those who would not receive the Gospel as unclean and as entirely responsible for their uncleanness.
Acts 18:6 describes a time when Paul did this in Corinth: “But when they resisted and blasphemed, he shook out his garments and said to them, ‘Your blood be on your own heads! I am clean, from now on I will go to the Gentiles.’”
Paul didn’t quit, give up and take his marbles and go home. He simply left the synagogue in Corinth, but he stayed in the city an additional “year and six months, teaching the Word of God among them” (Acts 18:11). He patiently persevered in the work God had assigned to him. And so must you.
PRAY…
Gracious Lord, Creator of heaven and earth, Perfector, Sustainer, Friend, please grant to me and to our church family such a deep, abiding confidence in what You are doing among us that we will not lose heart. I believe that in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary. Undergird us with Your divine strength; use Your Word each day to keep us strong against the tide of our flesh pushing us toward the beach of indifference. Cause us to persevere in faith, believing that You desire to use our church for the glory of Christ! In His Name, Amen.
Sourced From State Convention of Baptists in Ohio | scbo.org