Daily Devotions
Many Sparrows
Reading for January 20: Exodus 14-16
Weekly reading for January 14-20: Matthew 10-14
Title: Many Sparrows (By Joshua Carter)
When Jesus sent his apostles out to preach, He warned them that they would be going out into a world that would reject them. They would be like “sheep in the midst of wolves” (Matthew 10:16). They would meet people who wouldn’t listen to them or receive them. They would be falsely accused of doing wrong. They would be hated. They would even be killed.
Yet, after all of these warnings, Jesus’ conclusion to them was not, “So I understand if you’re sort of timid about all this.” He said, “So have no fear of them” because they can “kill the body but [they] cannot kill the soul. Rather fear Him who can destroy both soul and body in hell” (Matt. 10:26, 28). That alone should put our fears of evangelism into perspective. If the apostles weren’t to fear people who might kill their bodies, what do you think Jesus would say about fearing people who might hurt our feelings?
But there’s another aspect to this charge in the subsequent verses, when Jesus explains His reasoning.
“Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father… Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows” (Matt. 10:29, 31).
God cares about you. He watches everything that’s going on in your life and there is nothing that He doesn’t know about. Even the seemingly insignificant sparrows don’t escape our Heavenly Father’s attention. And you are worth more than many sparrows. You mean a lot to God.
Here’s what we need to realize, though- Jesus speaks of not one, but two sparrows. God cares just as much about one of them as He does the other. Neither lives outside of the scope of His concern and neither dies without His knowledge. If you’re worth more than many sparrows, so are all the people you’re around every day.
Evangelism is where our righteous fear and God’s vigilant compassion come together. When we begin to appreciate both aspects of our relationship with the Father, that’s when we’ll begin to boldly and persistently tell others about the kingdom of heaven. It’s not enough to fear God for ourselves. We need to learn to fear God for other people, too. We are not the only ones worth more than many sparrows.
Father, help us to see people the way You see them. Teach us how much a soul is worth in Your loving eyes.
