Day 13 of 50

READING GUIDE:

• Read today's devotion below.
• During days 8-14 (at your own pace) read chapters 3 thru 6 from Joining Jesus on His Mission.
• After days 8-14, meet with your small group and follow the back-of-the-book discussion guide for SESSION 2.

“And as Jesus reclined at table in the house, behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and were reclining with Jesus and his disciples.” (Matthew 9:10 ESV)

Reclining? Wasn’t Jesus on a mission, His mission, to save the world? With only 3 years of recorded ministry as an adult, how could He have time to recline? Why would He make time to recline? How could that have been the most effective use of His time?

Yet as Finke points out in chapter 6, “Jesus enjoyed being with people and knew how to hang out with them. He watched, listened, shared stories and shared life. He wasn’t in a hurry. And when the moment eventually came to share with them some good news about God, it was well received precisely because he had earned their trust as he hung out with them.”

Last year I saw Bob Goff, bestselling author and speaker, speak about quitting something every Thursday. Basically he quit certain things to make more room in his life for the things that are really important. One of those important things, as Jesus modeled, was reclined time spent with those who do not yet know Him.

How does joining Jesus on His mission in this way mess with your busy schedule and what you’ve considered as effective use of your time? How may God be calling you to make room, quit something, recline with others? What is your next step with this?