Devotional
A Place to Serve
“He ordained twelve, that they should be with him.” Mark 3:14
It is interesting to examine the twelve disciples our Lord Jesus Christ chose to be with Him and ordained to His service. In His inscrutable wisdom, the Lord chose men from all walks of life and from a wide variety of backgrounds.
He chose Peter, James, and John from a fisherman’s boat. They were “unlearned and ignorant men” (Acts 4:13), but Christ chose them. Matthew occupied a place in a rather seamy side of the business world. Yet God chose him for He had a work for him to do, chiefly to write the Gospel that bears his name. He chose Thomas, a man of doubting disposition whom the risen Christ persuaded to confess, “My Lord and my God.” He chose Simon Zelotes from an extreme anti-Roman wing of Jewry. Full of burning zeal, Simon had been prepared to kill in his nation’s cause, but Christ transformed his carnal fervour into spiritual zeal. Christ chose others among the twelve of whom we know little, men such as Bartholomew, James the Son of Alphaeus, and Judas the brother of James. But God knew them, called them, and used them.
God has chosen us and has a work for us to do. Some He calls to serve in a place of prominence; others He calls to labour inconspicuously. Most of us are in the latter category. However, though we may serve without the notice or acclaim of man, we cannot be in a better place than the centre of God’s will. Seek not great things for yourself. Be content to serve as and where He ordains. Remember that to have any place in the service of Christ is an unspeakable honour. So labour that whatever your calling, you may receive His “Well done, good and faithful servant.”
Quote: “The meanest work for Jesus is a grander thing than the dignity of an emperor.” – C. H. Spurgeon
Daily devotions are from the book “A Word in Season,” published by Let the Bible Speak. © Let the Bible Speak 2010 – All Rights Reserved.
