The Men Jesus Chose

“He called unto Him whom He would and He ordained twelve that they should be with Him” Mark 3:13-14

Our Lord Jesus hand picked 12 men to be with Him, to serve before Him during His earthly ministry. How wonderful for them!

They were ordinary men; common, yet they had a very uncommon calling - to be with Him. Yet remember they were ordinary, quite unqualified. Truth is, God uses unqualified people to accomplish His will.

The society we are surrounded with is qualification conscious. Almost everything that’s going you need to meet certain standards. You must qualify to purchase a house, buy a car, get a credit card, or attend a college. The job market is a very qualified one, that’s why so many parents press their children to study, and the government makes it a priority.

Strangely (yet not when you know the word of God) God uses the ordinary, usually the unqualified. Since Adam and Eve plunged the world into sin it has always been so. Read the stories of the people in scripture. They were very ordinary, and not so good either! Abraham doubted God and committed adultery; Jacob deceived his father and stole from his brother; Moses was a murderer, and so it goes on. Unqualified to do God’s work and yet they did it.

The fact is, no-one is qualified to do God’s work. The only truly qualified man was our Lord Jesus. So the men Jesus chose were a very mixed bunch. They had many failings and many frailties. They were of different temperaments, different skills and backgrounds, yet Jesus used them to ‘turn the world upside down’ and to put a dividing line in history.

Of course, He knew what He was doing. He trained and loved them to the full stretch, and on the day appointed He poured his Spirit into their hearts, and in His name they conquered. When Jesus chose them He knew what He would make them. And He will use you if you respond to His will and obey His voice.

There is a job only you can do for Jesus. That is thrilling and transforms all life. To be called to Him, to be sent out to serve him, is the best ever. Just nothing could be better. Go for it, let Him use you and remember, it can only be done in the strength which He supplies.

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