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Prepare Your Heart

To the best of your ability, get rid of all distractions. Take a few minutes to breathe deeply and quiet yourself in the Lord’s presence. Then, ask the Lord to speak to you in this time. Let Him know that you will listen and make whatever adjustments He will reveal to you.

Read God’s Word

Genesis 29:31-31:21
Matthew 10:1-25

A Verse for Today

Slowly and reflectively read the following verse(s) and listen to what God will say to you through His written Word. Consider writing down any insights He reveals to you.

Matthew 10:14 (CSB): “If anyone does not welcome you or listen to your words, shake the dust off your feet when you leave that house or town.”

Reflecting on God’s Word

Have you ever been in a situation where you felt like you were wasting your resources?

I remember a car I owned when I was in college. I used money I didn’t have to fix a problem, only for the lemon of a car to develop another problem. I kept sinking money into it. Eventually, I got into a wreck (my fault, but no one was hurt) and totaled that car. Honestly, it hastened the demise of a futile situation so that I could get my next used car, which proved to be just as problem-prone.

If you want to grow fruit trees but aren’t seeing any fruit for your labor year after year, you’ve got two options. You can either try to figure out what you can do to remedy the problem, or you can realize that you are wasting your time and choose to do something else.

When resources are wasted, and there is no hope of improvement, you should seriously consider changing situations. This doesn’t apply to everything, but it’s a general rule that applies to many scenarios.

And this is the principle that Jesus is highlighting in the verse I have chosen for today. As Jesus sent His Twelve out to do ministry, He told them that if they found themselves in a place where they were seeing fruit for their labor, then stay and serve. But if they found themselves serving in a place where people weren’t receptive, and they were simply wasting their time, then they should leave.

Matthew 10:14 (CSB): “If anyone does not welcome you or listen to your words, shake the dust off your feet when you leave that house or town.”

We have only been given one life, and God only gives so many resources. The New Testament contains a boatload of parables that speak of good stewardship—being responsible with what God has entrusted to us. Wasting time and resources makes absolutely no sense at all. We are wasting Kingdom resources that could be used productively elsewhere.

Don’t waste your life on things that are not producing a yield for the Kingdom. Certainly, many things we engage in will take time, care, and competency before fruit appears. But if the Holy Spirit reveals to your heart that you are wasting your time and resources, don’t keep doing what you’re doing. There are other places and other projects where God might use you.

Spend Time in Prayer

  • Ask God to help you properly assess how you are using your time. Are you seeing fruit for your labor that benefits the Kingdom?
  • If you aren’t seeing fruit, is there something you can do? Pray? Learn a skill? Collaborate with someone else?

Going Deeper

If you want to dig a little deeper into Jesus’ command to His disciples about leaving an unproductive place, consider reading the following GotQuestions article:

“What does it mean to shake the dust off your feet?”

Sharing

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Matt Ellis is the pastor of First Baptist Church in Polk City, Florida (fbcpolkcity.com)