Words to Remember

I held the paper in my hand, reading the message in surprise. A telegram! I
didn’t know anybody who sent (or received) telegrams, yet there I stood
with one of my own.

I’d competed at a local level in a national scholarship program and then
advanced to the state event. Participating at the state competition
involved traveling several hours away from home and staying with a host
family for a week. On the final evening of the contest, the telegram had
been delivered to me. It came from Alice, a friend of my grandmother. She
sent a note of support, reminding me that many people back home—some who I
barely knew—cheered me on while I attempted to do my best.

Although I got several cards in the mail that week, I received only one
telegram, and it’s the only “good luck” message I remember from that season
many years ago.

The final recorded word that Jesus spoke to His disciples before He
ascended was a message they wouldn’t forget either. The resurrected Jesus
had instructed His disciples to meet Him on a mountain in Galilee, and when
they had gathered there, He gave them what we often call “the Great
Commission.” This included Jesus’s command to share the good news (or the
gospel) with all the world, teaching others to follow and obey Him. And the
Great Commission still applies to Jesus’s followers today. We also
have been commissioned to make disciples wherever we go—sharing with others
the hope and purpose we have in Christ through faith. Because He has
forgiven our sins, we get to have a relationship with God, living
transformed lives through the Holy Spirit and looking forward to the day
Jesus will return bodily to earth.

The telegram from Alice boosted my spirits during a challenging week
because it reminded me that I wasn’t alone. The Great Commission also
carries a reminder that God’s people (then and now) need to hear: Christ
has “all authority…in heaven and on earth” (Matthew 28:18). As He calls us
to live in service to Him, He also promises that He will remain with us,
even to the very end. • Allison Wilson Lee

• Why do you think Jesus saved the Great Commission for His final talk with
His disciples?

• Read Matthew 28:16-20. How might the Great Commission pertain to our
lives today? What difference does it make knowing that Jesus promises to be
with us always?

“Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations…” Matthew 28:19a (CSB)

Read Verses:

Matt.28.16-Matt.28.20