October 16 – Matthew 10

Below are my thoughts from the daily Bible reading of the West Side Church of Christ. Today’s reading comes from Matthew 10. Before reading I invite you to pray and asked God to speak to you as you read his word. Also above in the tabs is a link to the Bible reading plan.

Photo Credit: Microsoft Clip Art

In our reading today Jesus sends His disciples out on a preaching journey. He gives them very specific instructions on what they are to carry out on this journey. They are to travel without many possession or resources. They are not to worry about their needs, but to trust that God will provide throughout their tour. This entire exercise is a training tool Jesus employed with His disciples while He was still with them.

This was their training time. A time would come when the training would be over and they would be unleashed to bring salvation to the world. Jesus reminds them that this is a training time … “What I tell you now in darkness, shout abroad when daybreak comes. What I whisper in your ear, shout from the housetops for all to hear!” (Matthew 10:27 NLT) We might read into these instructions that Jesus is teaching them and preparing them for a greater public ministry some time in the future. We can understand this to indicate that in some ways the time was not yet right.

Sometimes timing is important. There are times when we want to do something, but God says not right now. There are times when we want to see changes in people, but we are not willing to invest the necessary love, teaching, and direction into their lives. The disciples would have to wait a little while longer before they would get to shout from the housetops. That day will come. And so will ours. I don’t know what God is planning for your life, but give Him time to work and move, and when the day is right, we can boldly proclaim what is He has for us to proclaim.