Week 44
Matthew 28:20b “And lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
This line is found in what is commonly called THE GREAT COMMISSION (Matthew 28:19-20). In the Great Commission, Jesus gave His disciples and the church His marching orders: we are to make disciples of all peoples in the world by sharing the gospel, baptizing, and teaching. This is a great and noble work to which Christians and the church have been called.
But at the end of verse 20 Jesus also gives a powerful and strength-inducing promise to us as we seek to do His work. Jesus said, “Lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
This is the promise of all promises; this is the promise that will undergird and establish us all through our life journey. Christ is with us perpetually and permanently. His presence is the daily and constant gift that He gives to us. His presence is our strength and our help in all circumstances of life.
Through Christ’s presence we find that we can cope with loneliness. Even when we are alone, rejected, and abandoned, we find that Christ is with us. Even when grief that comes from the loss of a dear relationship threatens to overwhelm us, Christ is still with us.
Through Christ’s presence we find that we can endure trials. His strength is our strength through His sustaining grace. We have the power to keep going, and we have the ability to face every day and every difficulty, all because Christ is with us. He is with us in love through the Holy Spirit.
Through Christ’s presence we maintain joy and hope. Joy is not the absence of problems, and hope can often be found facing despair and darkness. Joy and hope are the natural flowers that bloom in Christ’s garden of loving presence and caring assistance. Christ is with us, His love nourishes us, and His mercy provides for us. We have all that we need because we have Christ, who is all in all.
Through Christ’s presence we have all that we need in this life. What an extraordinary gift Christ’s presence is! The greatest gift Christ could ever give us is Himself. And this He did in salvation. In Christ we have life, because in eternal life we have Christ. As long as Christ lives, so shall we. He is with us, He holds us in His hands, He protects us from the evil one, and He works out His salvation in our lives through the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit. Christ is the key that unlocks life’s closed doors.
Remember Christian friend, no matter what you face in this life, Christ is with you, and He is all you need.
Prayer: Dear Lord, thank You for Jesus Christ. Thank You for the abiding presence of Jesus Christ. Help me to trust Him and lean on Him as I seek to honor and serve Him. Amen.