And he went up on the
mountain, and called to him those whom he desired; and they came to him. And he
appointed twelve, to be with him, and to be sent out to preach and have
authority to cast out demons.
Mark 3:13-15
If I had been Jesus’ Human Resources manager, I would have chosen
an entirely different group of apostles for Him. The people Jesus chose are a
strange group of men, especially when you consider that He was just beginning
His ministry. Remember, they would eventually deny him, doubt him, betray him,
misunderstand him, and argue over who was the most important in his ministry.
Why then did He choose them?
The reason why Jesus decided to
call them and not some others was not immediately clear to the disciples either.
But very quickly, Jesus instructed them, guided them, and served as a model for
them during his earthly ministry. Yet, they would not fully understand until,
on Pentecost, they received the Holy Spirit.
Gloriously, what was true for these
twelve is just as true for each of us! His call is not to a select few but to
everyone. Yes, Jesus summons each of us – You! - to be with Him. He is also
calling you to go forth just as He sent those first twelve!
Now, you might feel reluctant to
join Him because you don’t understand His call or don’t feel adequate to serve
Him. So, I’ll remind you again. Neither did the apostles. It took a lot of
time, work, and grace, but with only one exception, they stuck with Him to the
end and became the greatest ministry team of all time.
The Lord does not want you to be
discouraged or to put yourself down for any weaknesses you may see in yourself.
You are a pilgrim on a journey, a work in process. This means that if you are
obedient, The Father will provide for you just as He did for disciples.
Jesus doesn’t call you just to be a
spectator of His ministry. He is calling upon you to play a vital and
influential role in it. Of course, it is important to be with Jesus in prayer
and worship, but it is just as important that you go out and actively build His
kingdom. Right now, you have an eternal opportunity: you can take up the call to
follow Jesus. You can allow His grace to transform you to be the
blessing for others that The Lord is calling you to be.
“It is not the critic
who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbled or where the
doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is
marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs and comes
short again and again; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who
spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best, knows in the end the triumph
of high achievement, and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while
daring greatly so that his place shall never be with those timid souls who know
neither victory or defeat.”
Theodore Roosevelt
Today’s Prayer
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