Day 30: Our Next Stretch - Commissioned to Continue

Focus Area - REACH FORWARD
Stretching Toward the Future

Scriptures: Matthew 28:18-20 (NIV)

Reflection: This is the last day of The Stretch but not the last stretch God will call you to make.

Expanded Focus:
I was watching Black Panther again (yeah, go figure…you all knew that I had to use at least one movie illustration), and the ending struck me. After all the internal battles and family tension, T’Challa stands before the United Nations. Wakanda had enough resources to stay hidden and comfortable. They could have kept everything inside and simply enjoyed what they built. But T’Challa chooses something different. He declares that Wakanda will no longer watch the world from the shadows. They will engage, invest, and help. What they built was never meant to stay within Wakanda.

That is what Jesus does in Matthew 28. The disciples walked with Him, sacrificed with Him, saw the cross, and celebrated the resurrection. If there was ever a time to rest, it was after the empty tomb. But Jesus does not tell them to settle into what happened. He sends them to reach. He says, Go and make disciples.

The resurrection was not a finish line. It was the launching point where Jesus gave the disciples, and by extension us, authority to go, an assignment to fulfill, and assurance that He would be with them. Authority means you are not relying on your own strength. An assignment means purpose is ahead. Assurance means you are never sent alone.

BFB, this is the last day of The Stretch, but not the last stretch God will call you to make. We’ve made it. We did it! This fast was God working in us so ministry could work through us. The prayers we prayed were never meant to stay in our journals. The clarity we received was never meant to sit in our minds. The discipline we built was never meant to stop at day thirty.

We stretched so God could help us REACH. You may be tempted to ask, “What did I gain during this fast?” I argue the more important question is, “Where is God calling me to REACH?”

I love you and there ain’t nothing you can do about it.

Questions to Consider:

1. Where is God calling you to step beyond comfort in this next season?
2. What clarity did God give you during The Stretch that you now need to act on?
3. What does REACH mean to you,and where can God use you as we carry out His mission?