"As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.” "
Matthew 4:18, 19 NIV
"Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God— "
Romans 1:1 NIV
How do you view yourself?
Do you ever feel like God can't use you because of your lack of diplomas and certificates, physical flaws or disabilities, or an unremarkable resume?
In the Old Covenant, God used people who were stutters, prostitutes, and wimps, and when I think about how Jesus picked the Twelve, I am always amazed. He didn't go to the Sanhedrin or the cohenim (the priesthood), or rabinical schools like Gamaliel's, advertising:
"Wanted - 12 Disciples, Now Accepting Applications". He wasn't interested in fancy resumes, the declarations of the proud and the self-aggrandizing. He was looking at the hearts of men, and He found what He was looking for in Simon called Peter, Andrew, John, and the others.
"Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated and untrained men, they marveled. And they realized that they had been with Jesus."
Acts 4:13 NKJV
They did not have credentials or titles, just pure hearts, willing to drop everything and follow Him.
Although Paul was highly credentialed, (a Pharisee from the tribe of Benjamin, Gamaliel-trained, etc) this is not what he identified with. He wanted to be known as "Paul, a servant of Messiah Yeshua", counting everything else as garbage (Phil. 3:8).
Jesus is no respecter of persons, which is not to say that He doesn't respect each person as a person but it does mean that He has equal consideration and love for every one, regardless of their list of credentials, or lack of credentials.
I am blessed to be associated with a kaleidoscope of people and personalities in different walks of life, and the different ministries we are associated with, and I see among these brothers and sisters a commonality: they, like Paul, don't flaunt their credentials, because they know and understand that "the eyes of the Lord are run to and fro across the earth"... they possess pure and surrendered hearts, abandoning all else, for the highest calling...all servants and bond-slaves of Jesus.
Matthew 4:18, 19 NIV
"Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God— "
Romans 1:1 NIV
How do you view yourself?
Do you ever feel like God can't use you because of your lack of diplomas and certificates, physical flaws or disabilities, or an unremarkable resume?
In the Old Covenant, God used people who were stutters, prostitutes, and wimps, and when I think about how Jesus picked the Twelve, I am always amazed. He didn't go to the Sanhedrin or the cohenim (the priesthood), or rabinical schools like Gamaliel's, advertising:
"Wanted - 12 Disciples, Now Accepting Applications". He wasn't interested in fancy resumes, the declarations of the proud and the self-aggrandizing. He was looking at the hearts of men, and He found what He was looking for in Simon called Peter, Andrew, John, and the others.
"Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated and untrained men, they marveled. And they realized that they had been with Jesus."
Acts 4:13 NKJV
They did not have credentials or titles, just pure hearts, willing to drop everything and follow Him.
Although Paul was highly credentialed, (a Pharisee from the tribe of Benjamin, Gamaliel-trained, etc) this is not what he identified with. He wanted to be known as "Paul, a servant of Messiah Yeshua", counting everything else as garbage (Phil. 3:8).
Jesus is no respecter of persons, which is not to say that He doesn't respect each person as a person but it does mean that He has equal consideration and love for every one, regardless of their list of credentials, or lack of credentials.
I am blessed to be associated with a kaleidoscope of people and personalities in different walks of life, and the different ministries we are associated with, and I see among these brothers and sisters a commonality: they, like Paul, don't flaunt their credentials, because they know and understand that "the eyes of the Lord are run to and fro across the earth"... they possess pure and surrendered hearts, abandoning all else, for the highest calling...all servants and bond-slaves of Jesus.
As we respond to His call with willing hearts it is then that He qualifies and enables us to do extraordinary things through the Holy Spirit, just as He did with twelve "ordinary"uneducated blue collar men.
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