The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few;
so ask the master of the harvest
to send out laborers for his harvest.
Jesus wants laborers who know how to depend on him for all they need.
Carry no money bag, no sack, no sandals;
and greet no one along the way.
Only laborers who trust Jesus are able to do everything he wants them to do. Only they are able to be faithful when times are difficult. They can preach the gospel in season and out of season (see Second Timothy 4:2). They are not only faithful to Jesus but to his people and to those to whom they are called to preach.
Luke is the only one with me.
Luke is able to stay by Paul's side no matter how tough things get. Paul's persecution at the hands of his enemies has caused many of his so-called friends to desert him. But not Luke. Luke and Paul are able to persist because of their trust in Jesus. We end up so interested in ensuring not only the bare essentials of clothing and food but even of highly superfluous levels of comfort that we often choose these over following Jesus. Let us pray to the master of the harvest for more disciples like Luke. Let us pray that we ourselves may become such disciples.
Luke has something to teach us. He tells us how to trust God when everything else fails.
But the Lord stood by me and gave me strength,
so that through me the proclamation might be completed
and all the Gentiles might hear it.
Luke tells us that we need to have the LORD's proclamation as our purpose. We need to defend on him for strength. Paul speaks these lines, of course, but Luke writes them. At the time Luke experiences this suffering with Paul it may not even be evident what it is for. But now, because he persists, because he trusts in God, he is able to write his gospel and the Acts of the Apostles. Now, because he is faithful, his words re-echo throughout the ages.
Let all your works give you thanks, O LORD,
and let your faithful ones bless you.
Let them discourse of the glory of your Kingdom
and speak of your might.
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