Welcome to today's encouragement from the Our Daily Bread Devotional.

Our reading was written by Katara Patton, and she titled it, Jesus is Here.

My elderly great-aunt lay on her sickbed with a smile on her face.

Her gray hair was pushed back from her face and wrinkles covered her cheeks.

She didn't speak much, but I still recall the few words she said when my father,

mother, and I visited her.

She whispered, I don't get lonely. Jesus is here with me.

As a single woman at the time, I marveled at my aunt's proclamation. Her husband had died

several years earlier, and her children lived far away. Nearing her 90th year of life, she was alone, in her bed, barely able

to move. Yet she was able to say she wasn't lonely. My aunt took Jesus' words to the disciples

in Matthew 28 literally, as we all should. Surely I am with you always. She knew that Christ's spirit

was with her, as he promised when he instructed the disciples to go out into the world and share

his message with others. Jesus said the Holy Spirit would be with the disciples and us.

I'm certain.

My aunt experienced the reality of that promise.

The spirit was within her as she lay on her bed,

and the Spirit used her to share his truth with me,

a young niece who needed to hear those words and take them to heart.

Today's our daily bread devotional scripture reading is from Matthew chapter 28 verses 16 through 20.

Then the 11 disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go.

When they saw him, they worshipped him, but some doubted. Then Jesus came to them and said,

All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them

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