And He went up on the mountain and called to Him those He Himself wanted. And they came to Him. Then He appointed twelve, that they might be with Him and that He might send them out to preach. Mark 3:13-14
Everywhere Jesus went, huge crowds of people followed Him. The most famous of which were the 5,000 men that trailed Him from the cities to the desert. But Jesus was not drawn to the multitudes who only craved for His great teaching and free food. Neither did Jesus find appealing the 70 who just desired ministries. Jesus was more moved by the 12 who just wanted to serve Him, to spend time with Him, and to love Him. So, He called and appointed the 12 to Himself, that they might be with Him.
There is a big difference between being involved in ministry and serving Jesus. Ministry is what you can and like to do for God–using your talents, gifts, skills and life experience. Ministry is saying, “Jesus, this is what I want to do for You.” But serving Jesus is asking, “Jesus, what do You want me to do?” You freely avail yourself to Christ with no hidden agenda, no ulterior motives, and no preconditions. You just want to please the Lord and follow Him unreservedly.
In Luke 10:38-42, we have the story of the two sisters, Martha and Mary. At fi rst glance, it seems like Martha was the better of the two sisters. After all, she was the one who took the initiative in inviting Jesus to her home. She was extremely busy trying to be hospitable. She was definitely the more vocal of the two sisters. Martha was capable, gifted, and in today’s vernacular, a born leader.
But at the end of that evening, it was Mary who was singled out by Jesus for praise.
What happened? Mary understood what it means to be called to the Lord. Your first calling, your primary calling, is not to a ministry but to Jesus. Your primary love must be for the Lord. The example of Martha speaks of Christians who have their priorities all messed up. They are more concerned about the busyness of the ministry than the God of ministry. And when the “God factor” in your ministry is gone, everything becomes dry and hard going. Like Martha, you can end up being worn out, resentful and frustrated.
But when you come to Jesus with no agenda, saying, “Lord, I avail myself fully to You. I will do anything and be anything for You. Even if You want me just to be an unnoticeable doorkeeper in Your house, it would be the greatest privilege of my life.” When you have a humble attitude like that, you are ready to be a disciple of Christ.
Everywhere Jesus went, huge crowds of people followed Him. The most famous of which were the 5,000 men that trailed Him from the cities to the desert. But Jesus was not drawn to the multitudes who only craved for His great teaching and free food. Neither did Jesus find appealing the 70 who just desired ministries. Jesus was more moved by the 12 who just wanted to serve Him, to spend time with Him, and to love Him. So, He called and appointed the 12 to Himself, that they might be with Him.
There is a big difference between being involved in ministry and serving Jesus. Ministry is what you can and like to do for God–using your talents, gifts, skills and life experience. Ministry is saying, “Jesus, this is what I want to do for You.” But serving Jesus is asking, “Jesus, what do You want me to do?” You freely avail yourself to Christ with no hidden agenda, no ulterior motives, and no preconditions. You just want to please the Lord and follow Him unreservedly.
In Luke 10:38-42, we have the story of the two sisters, Martha and Mary. At fi rst glance, it seems like Martha was the better of the two sisters. After all, she was the one who took the initiative in inviting Jesus to her home. She was extremely busy trying to be hospitable. She was definitely the more vocal of the two sisters. Martha was capable, gifted, and in today’s vernacular, a born leader.
But at the end of that evening, it was Mary who was singled out by Jesus for praise.
What happened? Mary understood what it means to be called to the Lord. Your first calling, your primary calling, is not to a ministry but to Jesus. Your primary love must be for the Lord. The example of Martha speaks of Christians who have their priorities all messed up. They are more concerned about the busyness of the ministry than the God of ministry. And when the “God factor” in your ministry is gone, everything becomes dry and hard going. Like Martha, you can end up being worn out, resentful and frustrated.
But when you come to Jesus with no agenda, saying, “Lord, I avail myself fully to You. I will do anything and be anything for You. Even if You want me just to be an unnoticeable doorkeeper in Your house, it would be the greatest privilege of my life.” When you have a humble attitude like that, you are ready to be a disciple of Christ.
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