Go

Raise Your Hands
Raise your hands high
Don’t take a seat
Don’t stand aside
This time, don’t assume anything
Just go, go, go

Go - The Indigo Girls

The other day, a friend asked me what my favorite word in the Bible was. I didn’t take long to answer. The Bible contains many words, some of which are hard to pronounce, but one word stands out to me because it marked the beginning of a transformation in my life.

In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus tells His disciples to go and make disciples. That simple, powerful command changed everything for me. When my friend asked, I told him my favorite word in the Bible is go.

“Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.”
Matthew 28:19-CSB

This wasn’t always the case for me. In fact, if you’ve read any of the past blog posts on this site, you probably already know that I spent most of my life doing the opposite of going. On the surface, it may have looked like I was moving along and doing the right thing. I played drums in a worship band, was a youth sponsor, and attended church as often as possible. All those things were good, but I was missing the most essential part. I played the drums because I wanted to play them. I served in youth ministry because it was fun and gave me something to do. I was doing all those things selfishly to make myself feel better or present myself a certain way. I had no relationship with Jesus and was not serving for His glory but for my own.

1 Corinthians instructs us to do all things for the glory of God. I believe this is where my heart began to change. Once I dove into His Word, learned who He is, and found a relationship with Jesus, serving became my driving force. It is no longer what I do; it is who I am.

“So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do everything for the glory of God.”
1 Corinthians 10:31-CSB

I recall meeting my wife for the first time, and she shared with me her faith in Jesus. I remember thinking I would disappoint her because none of her words matched where I was or where I thought I was heading. I would even scroll right past any dating profile that mentioned Jesus. I knew I didn’t want one of those types of women. They always say, if you want to make God laugh, tell Him your plans! It wasn’t that I was running from Him, but I wasn’t running toward Him either. Like many Christians, I had become comfortable with my surroundings and my routine life. Nobody was challenging me. Nobody was pushing me. That was until I met Ashlie. Early on, I knew she had something I didn’t have regarding faith. It was beautiful, and I wanted it. Looking back, it is incredible to think about how many pieces of life’s puzzle God orchestrated in His perfect way and timing to bring me to where I am.

The word “go” has been my word ever since that day I was sitting in the pew five or so years ago. I was struggling with the decision to join a daily Bible study with my pastor, and for the first time in my life, I heard a clear voice. It felt like all those stories I’d heard about God speaking to people. I didn’t want to join that group. It wasn’t a comfortable decision, but it was so clear. As I began to pray, I kept hearing the word – go – go – go – it’s time for you to get up and move. Since that moment, my life has undergone a complete transformation. Serving has become my absolute favorite thing to do. Selfishly, it does make me feel good about helping others, but there is a joy in my heart knowing Him and having that relationship with the God of the Universe, which has changed everything for me.

As Believers, we were never meant to sit still. We were never meant to ride on someone else’s coattails. I knew that if I wanted to have what I saw in my wife, there wasn’t anything she could do to get me there. I had to move. I had to go!

The word “go” appears more than 1,400 times in the Bible. We were never meant to sit still!

I cannot imagine what Jesus’ disciples felt when commanded to go. They faced the fear of persecution and death. Sometimes, we won’t even cross the street to show Jesus to someone simply because it might make us uncomfortable.

I am deeply grateful for all the people God has placed in my life, with whom I have the pleasure of serving. I am deeply thankful that God has given me a wife who encourages me to persevere and grow in my faith. There is nothing better or more important. Putting God first was the best decision I ever made.

My prayer for anyone reading this is that if you feel that tug on your heart, seek a relationship with Jesus, listen to Him, and get up and go.