Ordinary People Called by an Extraordinary God

​Of the disciples who followed Him, Jesus called Peter and Andrew, James and John, Philip and Bartholomew, Thomas and Matthew, James Thaddaeus, and Simon, and Judas to be His Apostles (His “sent ones”) to do the good work of The Good Shepherd.

These men weren’t religious professionals. In and of themselves, they were not qualified to be His apostles. In fact, they probably wouldn’t have been the first choice for many of us if we were to decide who to delegate the responsibility of the holy work of The Good Shepherd. 

But Jesus saw something in them that maybe no one else saw. He wanted them, so He called them to be with Him. He chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, the weak things of the world to shame the strong, and the things of this world that are common and looked down on. God chose things considered unimportant to do away with things considered important.

This is why He chose you, too—ordinary people called by an extraordinary God who wants and calls us to be with Him. Then out of the overflow of our fellowship with Him, we find ourselves living, loving, serving, and caring just like Him as we do the good work of The Good Shepherd. 

Like the Apostles, we might be unlikely from a worldly perspective, but God knows we’re perfect for what He has called us to do. Though we have failures, flaws, and personal liabilities, Jesus still loves us enough to receive us just as we are, but loves us too much to leave us just as we were.