Matthew 11:1 After Jesus had finished instructing his twelve disciples, he went on from there to teach and preach in the towns of Galilee.

Here’s an important detail about Jesus’ ministry that we might overlook. In the previous chapter it talks about how Jesus sent His disciples out, giving them authority to do what He had been doing and teaching them in some detail about the level of commitment they needed to have and how they were to deal with the reception they would or wouldn’t get. Then, we have this verse that tells us what Jesus did in the meantime. He didn’t just go to a spa! Rather, He got back to work doing what He had been doing all along, essentially the same thing He had sent His disciples to do. In delegating work to His disciples, Jesus was multiplying His own impact. The time would come when He would leave and they would continue, but this wasn’t it. A wise leader will do this, giving people responsibility but not dropping them off a cliff. Not every ministry is going to look the same. The Grahams come to mind. Billy was all about large meetings, and multitudes were indeed saved, but Franklin, though he does do some big meetings, is much better known for the work of Samaritan’s Purse, sharing the Gospel through meeting physical needs. It will be interesting to see how the ministry continues when Franklin joins his father in heaven – if the Lord hasn’t returned by then! We are to prepare our successors, but not demand or expect them to be our carbon copies.

This is a very timely Word. It’s still over a month away, but my wife and I will be away for three weeks, and the believers are somewhat uptight about it. I am to prepare them, helping them understand all the things that are done each week so that they will know what to do and what not to worry about. A number of things are question marks at this point, so this is good training in listening to the Lord. One real issue is music, because my wife generally chooses it and plays the piano. We have people who can choose music, but they aren’t as familiar with the considerable library we have available. Also, I have been creating the Power Point for projecting the music each week, and I don’t know that anyone in the church would be up to that. We have had other pianists in the past, but not at the moment, so any accompaniment will need to be guitar. This will very much be a learning experience for everyone, but I’m trusting the Lord to make it a good one. That said, I need to lay the foundation carefully, so that people will feel encouraged and not abandoned. They need to understand that I will be ministering in various ways on this trip, and not just having a vacation! In a number of ways, it would be far easier on me not to go, but I feel assured that this is indeed God’s plan, for my wife and me, for the people we will see in the US, and specifically for this church.

Father, thank You for this timely reminder. Thank You that I’ll be communicating our definitive itinerary to the travel agent today. I pray that they will be able to get the tickets we need at the best routing and best price, and that everyone involved will be at peace with the result, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!