Be careful what you ask for.
Being chosen to run a special team or project at work is frequently a sign of confidence. Your boss thinks you're the one for the job.
How do you feel when you're chosen? Proud, happy? Ah yes, an opportunity for glory! I'll make my mark. I'll rise through the ranks, get that promotion and raise. They'll see what I can do.
And your boss is such a smart person, right? Picking you was a sure sign of intelligence and good judgment. After all, a good boss makes the choice based on the qualifications and competence of the person to get the desired result, as opposed to "playing favorites."
Feels good, doesn't it?
In Mark 3:13 Jesus chooses "the twelve" from a group of disciples who were following him. He sent them out "to preach and have authority over demons." I wonder how the chosen felt. Were they proud, happy, self-satisfied?
If they thought that Jesus was the Messiah, they probably had an idea that they would be the "inner circle" of a great political leader. The Jews thought the Messiah would lead Israel from bondage under the Romans. They thought the Jews were destined for glory under their Messiah.
Our Lord knew better. I wonder what he thought when He chose the twelve. Was it a tough decision for Him? It must have been, knowing what the fate of these men would ultimately be. After all, He developed a close and loving friendship with them - even with Judas.
The apostles would persist in their thoughts and dreams of glory pretty much until Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit filled their hearts and minds with the Truth - and the courage to pursue it. To their credit, they didn't back down. They marched straight ahead.
Of course, we know what ultimately happened to them. One betrayed Our Lord, and the rest (with the exception of John) were killed. They died martyrs.
Probably not what they anticipated when He chose them years before.
So you wanna be picked? You wanna be one of the chosen? Great. Just know what you're getting yourself into. It's not going to be the feel-good, praise the Lord life you see with some TV 'preachers'. It'll be more like the Apostles.
And for most of us, it won't be "to preach and have authority over demons." It'll be to prayer and work in our ordinary, everyday lives. A job well done and the love for our families and neighbors will be how we're judged in the end.
Maybe not the glory we had in mind when we took that last job or led that last project.
How do you feel when you're chosen? Proud, happy? Ah yes, an opportunity for glory! I'll make my mark. I'll rise through the ranks, get that promotion and raise. They'll see what I can do.
And your boss is such a smart person, right? Picking you was a sure sign of intelligence and good judgment. After all, a good boss makes the choice based on the qualifications and competence of the person to get the desired result, as opposed to "playing favorites."
Feels good, doesn't it?
In Mark 3:13 Jesus chooses "the twelve" from a group of disciples who were following him. He sent them out "to preach and have authority over demons." I wonder how the chosen felt. Were they proud, happy, self-satisfied?
If they thought that Jesus was the Messiah, they probably had an idea that they would be the "inner circle" of a great political leader. The Jews thought the Messiah would lead Israel from bondage under the Romans. They thought the Jews were destined for glory under their Messiah.
Our Lord knew better. I wonder what he thought when He chose the twelve. Was it a tough decision for Him? It must have been, knowing what the fate of these men would ultimately be. After all, He developed a close and loving friendship with them - even with Judas.
The apostles would persist in their thoughts and dreams of glory pretty much until Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit filled their hearts and minds with the Truth - and the courage to pursue it. To their credit, they didn't back down. They marched straight ahead.
Of course, we know what ultimately happened to them. One betrayed Our Lord, and the rest (with the exception of John) were killed. They died martyrs.
Probably not what they anticipated when He chose them years before.
So you wanna be picked? You wanna be one of the chosen? Great. Just know what you're getting yourself into. It's not going to be the feel-good, praise the Lord life you see with some TV 'preachers'. It'll be more like the Apostles.
And for most of us, it won't be "to preach and have authority over demons." It'll be to prayer and work in our ordinary, everyday lives. A job well done and the love for our families and neighbors will be how we're judged in the end.
Maybe not the glory we had in mind when we took that last job or led that last project.
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