Take No Thought For…

“Then Jesus went around teaching from village to village. Calling the Twelve to him, he began to send them out two by two and gave them authority over impure spirits.

These were his instructions: “Take nothing for the journey except a staff—no bread, no bag, no money in your belts. Wear sandals but not an extra shirt. Whenever you enter a house, stay there until you leave that town. And if any place will not welcome you or listen to you, leave that place and shake the dust off your feet as a testimony against them.”

They went out and preached that people should repent. They drove out many demons and anointed many sick people with oil and healed them.”

Mark 6:7-13

 

Today’s verses are an interesting passage to be sure.

In the context of our topic of ‘containment’ I find it interesting that Jesus sent the twelve out with specific instructions concerning food, clothing, shelter and money.

Could it be that these were not to be considerations as they went out in order that they would not restrict their ministry to others?

Interestingly, the ‘trip report’ when they returned does not include hunger, nakedness or a lack of provision.

They preached, they drove out many demons, they anointed the sick who were healed.

So often we place many restrictions on our ministry to others.

I can’t do it unless…

And then our “unless” becomes the container restricting us from reaching the world God has sent us to.

What’s my point?

We are often cooperate with the enemy in ‘containing’ ourselves through self-imposed restrictions God never meant for us to have.

Jesus addressed this question in the Sermon on the Mount.

In that passage He reminds us that our heavenly Father knows we need these things.

It comes down to a question of trust.

Will we trust God enough to let go of any self-imposed or enemy controlled restrictions?

Whatever the area of our lives they may be found in?

Without a doubt these are tough questions for any of us to answer yes to.

Just ask the wealthy young man who came to Jesus.

He had kept all the commands but still Jesus addressed that one ‘container’ that held him.

Tomorrow we celebrate the day that Jesus paid it all for you and me when he died on the cross.

He did it because He trusted the Father and the only ‘restriction’ in His life was His desire to please the Father.

May we also begin to live our lives with that one lone ‘restriction’ containing us!