Command 49 : Make Disciples | Day 339

Have Faith in God’s Promise!

One dark night, a shy 15-year-old girl looked up into the star-filled sky and asked God for two things. God's answer to that prayer can be the only explanation for what has happened in her life over the six years since that night, including being asked to speak in public high schools in the United States, working with youth in other nations, writing a book that is impacting thousands, and much more! Her requests were: "O God, make me as bold as a lion, and let me influence as many people for you as the stars in the sky!"

We need to ask God for His grace, wisdom, and power to impact and disciple as many people as we can for Him.

God said to Abraham, “... Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them ... So shall thy seed be” (Genesis 15:5). Scripture records that “Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness” (Romans 4:3).

Abraham had only one son, Isaac, but after he yielded Isaac to the Lord, God said: “That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven ... and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies; and in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice" (Genesis 22:17-18).

The Apostle Paul points out that the promise made to Abraham also applies to us: “Know ye therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham. And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen [Gentiles] through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying, In thee shall all nations be blessed. So then they which be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham" (Galatians 3:7-9). The seed of Abraham that has blessed the entire world is the Lord Jesus Christ. (See Galatians 3:16.)

Since believers are made heirs with Abraham through Christ, the promise given to Abraham to have his descendants become as the stars extends to our lives as well. We will be limited in the number of disciples we can make in our lifetime, but think of all the disciples that our disciples will be able to make!

This is not to say that every person we teach will become a disciple maker. During His earthly ministry, Jesus taught the multitudes and worked with various groups of disciples at differing levels, including the 120, the 70, the 12, and the inner 3--Peter, James, and John. Some of these individuals were disciples, and others became disciple makers who impacted the world.

Jesus said, “Neither pray I for these alone [His disciples], but for them also which shall believe on me through their word; that they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee ...” (John 17:20-21).

We may feel that what we are doing for God is insignificant; however, God wants to use each one of us to impact the world for Him. Right now by faith, let's believe God's promise to make Abraham's spiritual descendants as numerous as the stars of the heavens and begin to pursue the opportunities that are around us to make disciples and disciple makers!