Devotionals

---

“Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.” (Matthew 28:19, 20 KJV)

Go! That is exactly what we want to do. Go out and teach, recruit, convert, disciple, and so much more all the way out to the edges. How futile we would feel if we were not allowed to do anything? How smothering would it be to be about all the wrong things that did not matter in the big picture? The cry to move forward is natural and somewhere along the way we figure out how to make that happen.

Then we step right into a major road block. Condemnation. We went too far. We did not go far enough. We took a bend here or were too literal there. Something does not match and we may be only partially aware of the gap. Think about this for a minute. Condemnation. No one wants condemnation. We want endorsements instead of judgments. We want approval and praise rather than censorship. An accusation is so much more undesirable than a compliment. To avoid negativity, we may steer our activities in such a way that they will be above reproach by getting behind a certification authority. It gives us needed training and experience and it gives critics the additional layer of having to get past a known name before they can attack us.

Notice a few things about this authority. The name of Jesus is above every other name (see Ephesians 1:20-23 and Philippians 2:9-11 among others). To follow Jesus, we confess our sins and leave them at His feet; not mitigate them. We are acceptant of the new nature that He provides. The more we surrender to the authority that Jesus gives us, the less of this mess we have to manage, and the more work we are actually able to do. Even if that work is reconciliation and recovery with those around us so that they may also see His grace.

“There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.” (Romans 8:1 KJV)

Original article

---

PLEASE ENCOURAGE AUTHOR BELOW LEAVE COMMENT ON ARTICLE AS A MEMBER OR VISITOR