March 7 | Luke 10:1-24
- Ken Dillman
- Mar 7, 2025
- 3 min read
DAILY READING
REFLECTION
The Kingdom Has Arrived
by Ken Dillman
Where is Jesus going in our world today?
The simple answer is…everywhere. Jesus’ Great Commission to his disciples was to, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” (Matt. 28:19-20)
Jesus is going to all the nations and people groups today. He has prepared a harvest and is recruiting laborers, like you and me, for his harvest field, just as he was when he walked in our world.
In today’s text, Jesus sends out 72 (70) disciples to go ahead of him to the towns where he would be arriving; he equipped them with special powers, those special powers were the evidence that the Kingdom of God had come into our world, and that Jesus was/is the King of that Kingdom.
As a “going people,” we believers are to take evidence of the Kingdom’s arrival with us today; our transformed life may be the most significant evidence that we can present to a world waiting to hear and understand the Kingdom of God has arrived, so that they can be part of it.
It’s easy to think that we need some formula or some methodology that we can walk a non-believer through, with the hopes that they become a disciple of Jesus and a laborer in the harvest. Jesus was clear to his disciples, they were to take nothing with them as they went; “no moneybag, no knapsack, and no sandals,” nothing that might cause them to depend upon themselves, rather than the Holy Spirit. Jesus also instructed the 72 (70) to, “greet no one on the road.” Jesus knew there would be distractions, often…people distractions, and he didn’t want his disciples to get caught up in the distractions and lose sight of the mission.
Our mission today is similar to the 72 (70), pursue more laborers for the Kingdom of God, because God is going everywhere in our world. It’s in the “making of disciples” that laborers emerge.
The Hebrew people had been anticipating the arrival of God’s Kingdom for many millennia; the prophets and kings in ancient times hoped to see what the disciples were now witnessing, God’s Kingdom on earth.
Our world also needs to see the Kingdom of God, its evidences, and its subjects living for the King, who is going throughout the world, adding disciples as the Kingdom expands.
PRAYER
Father, we pray that your kingdom will come on earth as it is in heaven. We pray for the reign and rule of Jesus in the hearts of people, so that people are transformed more into the likeness of your Son Jesus. Please send out more laborers into YOUR harvest field. Send us!
My wife, Karen and I have been attending UALC for 6-7 years and enjoy God's presence in our gatherings. We live in Hilliard; our three adult children live in Central Ohio. I am a retired Chaplain and Pastor, and enjoy writing, walking, jogging, and listening to live music. I appreciate the opportunity to write for the church’s devotionals.
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