Thought for the Week – 24th July 2016 – Dennis Pethers

After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them two by two ahead of him to every town and place where he was about to go. He told them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.  Go! I am sending you out like lambs among wolves.  Luke 10:1-3

Over the past few weeks we have been thinking about how we can more effectively join Jesus in His mission if we are supported rather than left to ‘do it alone’.

It is interesting that when Jesus sent out the 72, he sent them out two-by-two – not alone! There are many ways that ‘not being left alone’ can help as we seek to share our faith in Jesus.  

One of these is motivation, helping each other to carry on and do things that we think we can’t do.

A few days ago I was at the gym and there were two reasonably elderly men who were working out together.  I heard one of the men say, ‘There is no way I can lift that’, his friend said ‘Yes you can, just forget about the weight and focus on lifting’.  He then stood behind the man and said ‘any problems, don’t worry I’m right behind you’. 

The man then proceeded to lift the weight and he completed one ‘rep’.  The friend then said, ‘Come on let’s do four more’.  Slowly, but with determination, the man completed three more and said ‘I can’t do any more’.  His friend said, ‘Come on, last one, you can do this’.  HE DID!

After he had finished the two men ‘high-fived’ each other.  The friend said ‘Excellent, you did it, it was all you’.  The man said ‘Thanks, I could never have done it without you’.

Clearly the man could lift the weight, he just didn’t believe that he could and needed the motivation and support to see it through.

I meet so many Christians who don’t believe that they can share their faith.  They have convinced themselves that it is too difficult for them.  The truth is that they can do it!

How about we make it a priority to find ways of motivating each other when we meet?