The Chosen

Jesus got away and prayed many times in the gospels, and the choosing of the apostles was a time He did just that. He got away and prayed. Luke 6: ¹² It was at this time that He went off to the mountain to pray, and He spent the whole night in prayer to God. ¹³ And when day came, He called His disciples to Him and chose twelve of them, whom He also named as apostles: ¹⁴ Simon, whom He also named Peter, and Andrew his brother; and James and John; and Philip and Bartholomew; ¹⁵ and Matthew and Thomas; James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon who was called the Zealot;¹⁶ Judas the son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor.

All of the apostles were martyred for their faith, except Judas Iscariot, the traitor. They replaced Judas with Matthias, and the apostles spent time in prayer before choosing him as a replacement. Each person has great value when Jesus calls them and chooses them to serve in a specific way. To accept the call of Jesus is a deeper commitment to be a pivotal person in the furtherance of the gospel message being presented. Every called individual is a chosen instrument to be led by the Holy Spirit as they follow the call of the Master. It has always been God's plan to equip and empower certain people specifically to do His bidding with a life commitment, so don't ever discount the call of God on your life, because He has very specific plans for you. Just think about some of the chosen, like Noah, Jonah, Paul, and yes, Jesus.

Have you found your place in the service of the Master? If so, His call is strong and lasting, and life-changing when you give in to that call. We don't just wander around like aimless sheep who don't know what to do. No, we follow the direction of the shepherd and He leads us into a very specific life that He has chosen for those who come to Him by faith.

The Pilgrimage Continues,

David Warren