Word for the day by Christian Education Forum

 Beginning of the Feast of the Apostle

Calling and Selection of Apostles
Luke 6:12-19
 
Decisions. Decisions. When was the last time we took an important decision in our life? In Luke chapter 6, we find Jesus taking an important decision during His public ministry. He came to the world to teach and reveal God to mankind so that they can have an everlasting relationship with Him. He chose a few as Apostles to follow Him and to proclaim His teachings/salvation so that His ministry on earth is continued even after He went back to heaven. When we face a difficult situation or a rough road ahead, we think that the most important thing is to get a good night of sleep. Jesus, on the other hand, realized that prayer was the most important way for Him to be in constant touch with God. In today’s devotion portion, we can observe the following three important actions of Jesus:-

1. Praying: 
Luke 6:12. “One of those days Jesus went out to a mountainside to pray, and spent the night praying to God.”
 – Here, we see that Jesus spent the whole night in prayer before he chose the twelve apostles. Jesus was a man of prayer and His foremost priority was prayer, because without prayer, His ministry would not have been successful. John Bunyan once said “You can do more than pray after you have prayed, but you cannot do more than pray until you have prayed.” Jesus knew this, which is why whenever He faced a problem, He spent extra time in prayer. Prayer was more important for Jesus than food or rest, and it was His spiritual lifeblood.

2. Choosing: 
Luke 6:13 - “When morning came, he called his disciples to him and chose twelve of them, whom he also designated, apostles.” 
In the choice of the twelve, we see a characteristic feature of God's work: Jesus chose very ordinary men. They were chosen from the common people who did ordinary things, had no special education, and had no social advantages. Jesus wanted ordinary men who could take an assignment and do it extraordinarily well. He chose these men, not for who they were, but for what they would be capable of becoming under His direction and power. Mark 3:14 says that the purpose of choosing the twelve disciples is to stay with Him, to preach the Gospel, and to have the authority to drive out the demons.

3. Healing:
Luke: 6:18 “They had come to hear him and to be healed of their diseases, and those who were troubled with unclean spirits were cured.”
 Immediately after choosing the twelve, we see Jesus coming down from the hill with the Apostles, where Jesus healed a large number of people, who had gathered there to be touched and healed of their diseases. Healing ministry was also an important aspect of Jesus’ public ministry. 

We are called to serve and not to be served. When the Lord calls us to serve, we must respond positively to His call and not shrug back because we think that we have little or nothing to offer. The Lord calls ordinary people, like us, to be used for the furtherance of His kingdom. We are called to continue the ministry of Jesus here on earth. Do we make our life an offering to the Lord and allow Him to use us as he sees fit? We, the chosen people are called to lead a prayerful life and fulfill the teaching, preaching, and healing ministry of Jesus.

 
Prayer
Lord, fill me with gratitude and generosity for all you have done for me. Accept my life and all that I have as an offering of love and living sacrifice to you. Let your light shine brightly through me so that I may show others your goodness and love. Amen
 
Thought of the Day
Where there is no vision, there is no mission and people perish
 Dr. Jessin Philip
The Marthoma Church of Staten Island

 

Popular posts from this blog

Word for the day by Christian Education Forum

Word for the day by Christian Education Forum

Word for the day by Christian Education Forum