What an odd cast of characters

Good morning everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Sanctification”

Our Bible verse for today: “These are the twelve he chose: Simon (whom he named Peter), James and John (the sons of Zebedee, but Jesus nicknamed them “Sons of Thunder”), Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James (son of Alphaeus), Thaddaeus, Simon (the zealot), Judas Iscariot (who later betrayed him).” Mark 3:16-19 (NLT)

Our thought for today: “What an odd cast of characters”

What odd choices Jesus made when He selected the men who would be His closest companions and ultimately, the Twelve Apostles. Peter was a loud, brash, overbearing, and impulsive fisherman. James and John were fishermen too, and evidently with explosive tempers. Andrew was quiet and reserved, living in the shadow of his outspoken brother Peter. Matthew was a hated tax collector. Simon was a zealot, a political assassin. And Judas Iscariot was a thief, a fraud, and a betrayer.

Why did Jesus choose them to help Him establish this new faith and then to do the almost impossible work of spreading that faith in an extremely difficult and dangerous cultural setting? Why didn’t he instead select religious leaders and scholars, successful businessmen, powerful politicians, and noted celebrities? People like that would seem to have been much better qualified to help with the huge thing Jesus was attempting. Why this motley crew instead?

It’s because Jesus sees people for who they can become, not for who they are. He sees the potential in us and He knows what we can become and what we can accomplish as His committed disciples. He also knows that it will be His power working in us and through us that accomplishes great things for the kingdom, not our own.

This is what progressive sanctification is all about. This is how and why Jesus saves us and then goes to work changing us. Over the course of a lifetime, He uses our good discipleship practices to mold us and shape us into the men and women He wants us to be.

To this day, He still does it with a motley crew and an odd cast of characters. Look in the mirror. Then look around your church. My goodness! It’s almost laughable what we give Jesus to work with, and it’s nothing short of miraculous what He does with it!

There’s a great song by the contemporary Christian music group “Casting Crowns”. The title is “Crazy People.” The chorus goes,

“Here’s the church, here’s the steeple, here’s to all God’s crazy people! (and) I’m one of those crazy people!”

It’s a fun song that reminds us of what an odd cast of characters we are. You can’t help but laugh. I encourage you to Google it this morning. It would be a fun and lighthearted way to start your day. What an odd cast of characters we are! But Jesus uses us anyway because He sees us how we can be, not how we are.

God bless,
Pastor Jim

(If you like what you’re reading in these daily devotionals, and if you would like more content from Oak Hill Baptist Church, join us on Sundays at 10:00, in-person if you are nearby or, if you are geographically distant or if you just can’t make it, online at www.YouTube.com/@oakhillbaptistcrossville

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