It is Time to Get Up!

Patterns in scripture are important. Here is one that I came across in Matthew 9.

The chapter begins with Jesus healing a paralyzed man. During this event, the phrase “get up” is used twice (verses 5 and 6) and the story ends by stating, “The man got up and went home” (verse 7).

Next, Jesus sees Matthew the tax collector and says, “Follow me”. We are told that “Matthew got up and followed him” (verse 9).

Later, a man comes to Jesus because his little girl is sick. Immediately, “Jesus got up and went with him” (verse 19). By the time Jesus arrived at the man’s house, the little girl was dead, but Jesus went in, took the girl by the hand and “she got up” (verse 25).

I do not think that it is a coincidence that the phrase “get up” or “got up” is six times in twenty-five verses. I believe this pattern is there to remind us that faith is not just about what you believe or think, it is about what you do. Faith is an action.

The chapter concludes with Jesus saying, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field” (verse 38). In other words, the problem is not the field. The field is ready. The problem is the lack of harvesters. Jesus’ point is that someone needs to get up and go. The next chapter starts with Jesus sending his disciples out to share the good news (Matthew 10:1-42).

It is easy to feel like we have done something because we have talked about it, but that is only half of the story. We must go! We must live and share the good news. We must get up!

“Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you” (Matthew 28:19).

Comments

The Art of Noticing.... Seeing what we need to see and what we miss when we don't

What we focus on in life matters. Here are some scriptural reminders that will help us see correctly. https://youtu.be/Rn76tV0ZH8s

Consider This: Twenty-three Descriptions of God (Psalm 145)

Let’s play a quick game. Take 10 seconds and list 5 or 6 words to describe God. Got your words? Good! Here comes the game part. I will list twenty-three ways that David describes God in Psalm 145, and we will see how many of his words match yours. David says that God is, the king, great, majestic, wonderful, powerful, awesome, abundant in goodness, righteous, gracious, compassionate, slow to anger, rich in love, good to all, glorious, mighty, trustworthy, faithful, supporting, generous, providing, near, saving and watching. How did you do? This is not a useless exercise. The words we use to describe God not only indicate something about how we see him, but they also influence how we interact with him. For example, if I know that God is “Gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love” (verse 8), I will not fear him, and I will not assume that he is against me. When I remember that...

Consider This: What is so Great About Grace?

If you were to drive by our house, you would see that Sara loves plants. Our yard is full of flowers, and Sara lovingly tends every one of them. Which is why I was so afraid when she left town and put me in charge of keeping things alive. She must have been a little concerned, too, because she sent me two videos with specific instructions on how to water, when to water, and what to do. Honestly, those first two videos helped, but the third one she sent was the one I liked most. In that one, she said, “Please do your best. I want the yard to look good for the family reunion in two weeks. However, if something dies, we will dig it out and pretend that it never existed!” That is what grace looks like! Try your best, do what you can, but if it goes wrong, it will be ok. Sometimes we talk as though grace and effort are opposites. That is not true. They are partners. In one place, scripture asks, “What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone c...

Consider this

Subscribe

Get new posts by email:

Search This Blog