As our Lord Jesus continued to fulfill the will of our Heavenly Father, He chose twelve men whom He called to be with Him so that He may equip them to be His apostles. The meaning of an apostle means one sent on a mission. In Mark 3:14-15, it says, "Then he appointed twelve of them and called them his apostles. They were to accompany him, and he would send them out to preach, giving them authority to cast out demons." He called Simon (Peter), James, John, Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James, Thaddaeus, Simon the zealot, and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed Him. Interestingly, Jesus did not choose religious, educated, or famous men, but He chose imperfect ordinary men, such as a tax collector (swindler), a zealot (troublemaker to the Romans), a person who would betray Him, and fishermen.
So why would Jesus choose such men? The reason was that He called people who were willing to follow and rely on Him for everything. It was not according to their strength and wisdom that they would serve Jesus, but it was according to His power and wisdom. We notice that Jesus did not choose perfect people but broken people that He could restore with His grace and righteousness. Jesus taught them the gospel that they may preach the gospel. He gave them the authority to cast out demons and heal the sick. Similarly, God chose us to become His children and disciples. He chose us not because of what we can give or do for Him but because of His love for us. Just as Jesus gave the apostles everything they needed to serve Him, Jesus is also giving us everything we need to serve Him.
All of us can serve God even when we feel that we are not adequate. Jesus wants us to rely on Him in everything we do to serve Him because He knows that we cannot do anything apart from Him (John 15:5).
Ask yourself these questions: Why did Jesus choose ordinary and broken people to serve Him? Why does God want me to rely on Him to serve Him? Am I relying on Him in serving Him?
Write down all the worries you are facing today and lift them up to God.
Prayer:
Father in Heaven, thank you for choosing me to be your child and disciple. Please help me to rely on serving you. May you give me the direction, the provision, the strength, and the wisdom in serving you so that you may be honored in everything that I do. In the name of Jesus, I pray. Amen.
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