9.28.2026 - Karla Whitman
This week’s devotions are written by Karla Whitman. She lives in Redlands, California and works at the River Christian Reformed church as Ministry Engagement Coordinator. She wrote a week’s worth of devotionals for the 2025 Discipleship Journal and is grateful for the opportunity to write a week’s worth for this year, also.
Monday, September 28
Luke 9:1-3
The ripple effect is a real thing. One small change today easily leads to impactful change tomorrow. This concept was dramatized in the movie Back to the Future. Marty fell in front of his grandfather’s car, which changed the timeline and led to the collapse of his entire future!
Though we cannot go back to the past and accidentally change the future, the decisions we make and the work that we do influences our present and future. Those influences affect those around us, either furthering Kingdom work or, sometimes, hindering it.
Work is an important component of Kingdom growth, as we see in examples provided throughout the Bible, and in today’s scripture.
Luke 9:1-3a: When Jesus had called the Twelve together, he gave them power and authority to drive out all demons and to cure diseases, and he sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal the sick…
Just as they were commanded, the apostles went out to make disciples, to proclaim the Kingdom and heal the sick. That produced a powerful ripple effect. Those touched by the apostles shared that they were healed by the power of Jesus Christ, leading to the growth of the church.
Jesus assigned his disciples, and the rest of us, a task:
Matthew 28:19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
The command is clear: We are called to make disciples, to deliberately seek out ways to further the Kingdom of God.
Are you answering that call? In your day-to-day life, do you witness to others? Do you think about how your words and actions reflect your walk with the Lord?
For some, Kingdom work is a calling to the ministry. For others, it is a calling to missionary work in distant lands. For most of us, though, Kingdom work means daily ministering to those in proximity to us – in our homes, at the store, at work, at school, etc.
It means being deliberate in our prayers, asking God for open hearts and for the betterment of the lives of those around us.
It takes work to lead others to Christ. It takes work to love on others as a way of demonstrating Jesus’ love. It takes work to be deliberate in our prayers. When we put in this work, though, we improve the quality of life of the people around us. We improve our lives, as well.
Pray for courage and wisdom as you go about your day. Pray that your interactions with others, even the brief ones, will lead to furtherment of the Kingdom.