All Power

(Matthew 28:18-20)
18)And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.

19)Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:

20)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.

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This is a short but -very- powerful message. There are three very simple parts to it, to me.

1) All power is given unto me. God's saying "I got it. Whatever it is, I got it."

"For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin."(Hebrews 4:15). I've heard a few people and comedians saying that Jesus having died a virgin means that there was a lot of things that He never really had to deal with. Two things to that. 1) He died at 33. That's a -long- time to be a virgin. Also...pretty sure that even in that time He had His version of groupies. I mean...He's God and He walks around performing miracles. He's freakin -perfect-! Literally. Pretty sure there were more than a few females that were interested in Him/wanted to have His kid. It's only logical. And He had no trouble hanging out with prostitutes. Pretty sure He got propositioned more than a little bit. You think that some barren woman didn't hit Him up and ask for the miracle of a child. And want -His- child?? Come on. Think about it. It's actually pretty amazing that He was a virgin for 33 years. Kinda puts a little more to the whole thing about sex being reserved for marriage. 2) Um...at the point where you know what people are thinking and you see the future, I think marriage gets a little easier. So...it wouldn't have really been harder for Him had He got married, though comedians like to say the opposite.

2)"Just do what I say in my name". You don't have to make anything up...develop any new curriculum...when in doubt, point them to the One in whom there -is- no doubt. Seems like a pretty simple formula. Besides, even if you -do- get rejected, they're not actually rejecting you. They're rejecting God's free gift. Try not to take it too personal.

3)"You're not alone". No matter what, He's there with you. "Even unto the end of the Earth": Forever and Always. No matter what you're going through, or where you are, He's there with you. And he's gone through it already (Hebrew 4:15). That means a lot, if you actually let it sink in. It's not "do as I say and not as I do/not that -I've- ever had to do it", but it's "do as I did". Period.

and then, at the end, there's "Amen". Amen means: "so be it". He says "I am with you always, even unto the end of the Earth. So Be It". There is life and death in the power of the tongue (Proverbs 18:21), and His tongue is saying that He will always be with -you-. Then He seals it with "so be it".

Think on that a bit as you go about your day and you're thinkin how hard it is to be a Christian today, and to keep a good testimony. When you think that no one's there for you and that you're not sure how you can/if you can continue to go on. He been there before, and He's there with you now. Amen