"Be strong and of good courage; do not fear and be
afraid. For the Lord your God, he is the one who goes before you. He will be with you. He
will not leave you nor forsake you." At the end of the previous chapter Moses said
to the people, "I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses." He
called on them to choose – to choose between God and other gods by saying
"choose life, so that you and your descendants may live."
Even today the choice is ours – what we choose determines the direction our life
will take. Too often we try to make excuses; we blame someone or something for where we
are – or where we are not. But that excuse does not stand, for ultimately it is our
choice in what direction we will go. And if we choose Jesus, choose life, the promise is
he will be with us, always.
At the end of Matthew’s gospel in the "great commission," Jesus said,
"Go therefore and make disciples of all nations – and remember I am with you
always, to the end of the age." Jesus promises that he will be with us - just as God
promised the people of Israel so long ago.
And now this same promise is with the people of Reformation Lutheran Church as we seek
to live out our mission as servants of God guided by the Holy Spirit to make Christ known
in our world. We all have gifts, different and varied spiritual gifts. God wants us to use
them in his service and so he says be strong, bold, have no fear, because the Lord your
God goes with you, and he will not fail or forsake you.
