Learning to travel light

Freely you have received; freely give. Do not get any gold or silver or copper to take with you in your belts— no bag for the journey or extra shirt or sandals or a staff, for the worker is worth his keep.  –Matthew 10:8-10 (NIV)
 
When Jesus sent out the twelve, He created a situation where they would be completely dependent on God for protection and provision. They were to travel light, finding food and shelter from those who were open to their message. Their target audience, for now, was the Jewish people – not Gentiles, not Samaritans. And they were to expect plenty of opposition.
 
I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves. Be on your guard.  –Matthew 10:16-17
 
It was a test of their faith. Would they stay the course when the crowds turned hostile? Would they trust God to meet their physical needs? It was also an opportunity for God’s people to respond. Would the Jews, who were to be given a preview of the messianic plan, affirm the truth of the message by making an investment in these traveling preachers?
 
This is how it usually goes with assignments from God. The task at hand needs to be finished, but in all honesty, could be completed by almost anyone who was available and willing. In fact, if God wanted to be real efficient about getting the job done, He could probably skip the human component altogether and just do it Himself. Instead, when we’re chosen by God to carry out an assignment, it’s generally as much about what He is doing in us as it is about the task itself.
 
Of course, it takes a specific type of heart to effectively carry out an assignment from God – the kind Jesus was seeking to plant in His followers. We must be surrendered, wholly dependent on Him. For me, that has shed some new light on Jesus’ statement a few verses before:
 
Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.”  -Matthew 9:37-38 (NIV)
 
Contrary to what I’ve thought for most of my life, I no longer see the prayer for workers as a prayer for more bodies. To view the verse in that way totally ignores the fact that God does not need our help at all! Rather, I believe it’s a prayer for more hearts sold out to God. His will is done and His battles won with many or with few. Jesus doesn't need a bigger army; He wants more soldiers who understand their need for Him, who are ready to experience the joy of being a Kingdom-builder. Are you in?
 
This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: “Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,” says the Lord Almighty.  –Zechariah 4:6 (NIV)