Our daily reflections follow the M'Cheyne Bible reading plan, designed for those who want to read the whole Bible in one year. Each reflection focuses on one of the chapters from that day's readings. Darllenwch rhain yn Gymraeg.
Lord, prepare me to receive your word. Clear my mind and warm my heart. Assure me of your loving purposes for me, and speak into my life today.
Matthew 10 contains Jesus’ operational instructions for his disciples in their mission to their fellow-Jews. Their message is to be that ‘The Kingdom of heaven is near!’ (verse 7).
The hallmark of these instructions is confidence. They are heralds of the Kingdom; while they might be individually insignificant, behind them is a mighty power.
There is a story from Roman history that illustrates this. An envoy was sent to prevent a war between the great Seleucid king Antiochus Epiphanes and Egypt. The envoy with his few attendants met Antiochus with his vast army. Rather than greeting him with respect, however, he drew a line in the sand around him with a stick, and commanded him not to step outside it until he had decided whether or not to comply.
The envoy was one vulnerable man, but his confidence came from knowing that the might of Rome was behind him. He was only a mouthpiece for something far greater.
In an age when – in Western Europe at least – the currents seem to be running against the Church and it’s easy to feel embattled, perhaps this is something we need to hear. Confidence – in the Lord and in the Scriptures – can be hard to maintain when we feel isolated and vulnerable. But we are following in Jesus’ footsteps; ‘a pupil should be satisfied to become like his teacher, and a slave like his master’ (verse 25).
Our confidence doesn’t come from our own strength, but from the power of God.
God, when I feel weak, or alone, or discouraged, help me to remember that I am a servant of the king of kings, and not to be afraid.
This reflection was written by Mark Woods, Bible Society's Editor
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