100 Days of HopeSample

Invitations And Instructions

Never one to be splashy, Jesus launched his public ministry with simple words of invitation and instruction. His initiating question touched deeply the heart of humanity’s longing: “What do you want?” The fishermen are stunned; unable to articulate their yearning, they are compelled enough to know that Jesus has the answer. And so they drop their nets, accepting His radical invitation: “Come, and you will see.”

As the disciples followed, they watched Jesus engage the mess. He did not walk wide of human pain and brokenness, poverty and need. He stepped into it: dining with the despised, conversing with the outcast, challenging the complacent. Full of grace and truth, He reached into the fray, went to the cross, and shattered the chains of death. In His sacrifice, the work of redemption and the hope of restoration are unleashed.

In those years, the disciples did see: truth revealed, forgiveness offered, love manifested. Jesus concluded his public ministry with simple words of invitation and instruction: “Wait … and you will receive power” to “be my witnesses.”

Just as our God is the same from generation to generation, so are His invitations and instructions. May we have the heart to respond and the courage to follow well.

Prayer: Father, thank you for inviting us to be your witnesses. Give us the courage to follow your Spirit’s leading—to engage the brokenness in the world and work for your restoration and healing.