A Light to All

(I just love these types of paintings

depicting Bible stories. Some of my favorite art by far.)

Isaiah 49:6:

"Indeed He says,

It is too small a thing that

You should be My Servant

To raise up the tribes of Jacob,

And to restore the preserved ones of Israel;

I will also give You as a

Light to the Gentiles,

That you should be My salvation

to the ends of the earth."

How gracious our Lord is that He would extend his mercy not only to the Jews, but also to the Gentiles. Just the tribes of Jacob were not enough for Him. He said it was too small of a thing. He declared that Christ would be His salvation to the very ends of the earth. And then Christ, after coming to this earth, commissioned us just as His Father had done to Him.

"Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." Matthew 28:19-20

From the Old Testament to the New, it has always been God's plan that His salvation be spread to all the nations. And that those who had received it would go out and make disciples of ALL the nations. I think a lot of times I tend to short change people. I refuse to share the Gospel with them because I feel it's not worth my time. I decide that obviously they won't listen to me anyways, its outside of my comfort zone to go to them, and they're just not the kind of person I want to be sharing the Gospel with. But it is God's will that the message be shared with all the nations. It is HIS salvation and HIS grace to give, not mine. The commission was never to make disciples of the people who you judge as fit, but to make disciples of ALL. It is not within my power or right to decide who receives the Gospel. I can have no control over that. Only God can reveal His grace to someone, but as a receiver of that great gift, I should be more than willing to fulfill the commission given by Jesus, as to expand the Kingdom of God. We have all received a grace that none of us could have ever earned or taken for ourselves. It was given to us freely through the blood of Jesus Christ, which was spilled for all nations. Let the Church go out into the world daily and spread this good news. Each of us as recipients of salvation were given our gifts for this very purpose, the edification of the Church. Make sure your gifts are being used fully for all of God's Kingdom, and not just the ones who we view as worthy. For to reach only the tribes of Jacob is too small, let's carry the Light to the ends of the earth.