12 Now it came to pass in those days that He went out to the mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God. 13 And when it was day, He called His disciples to Himself; and from them He chose twelve whom He also named apostles: 14 Simon, whom He also named Peter, and Andrew his brother; James and John; Philip and Bartholomew; 15 Matthew and Thomas; James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon called the Zealot; 16 Judas the son of James, and Judas Iscariot who also became a traitor.
I Corinthians 12
Dear Jesus,
You were incredibly skilled at taking a group of diverse men and melding them into a cohesive unit. Of course, there were moments that the group called disciples looked anything but cohesive, but those moments were really temporary.
"There is nothing which the church needs more than to learn how to yoke in common harness the diverse temperaments and qualities of different people. If we are failing it is our own fault, for, in Christ, it can be done--and has been done." (William Barclay in The Gospel of Luke, 1953, p. 96).
Thank You for diverse gifts and abilities in the Body of Christ. The Apostle Paul described this unity within diversity beautifully. "There are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit... But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He wills. For as the body is one and has many members, but all the members of that one body, being many, are one body, so also is Christ... But now indeed there are many members, yet one body... Now you are the body of Christ, and members individually."
Teach me how to unite people around a shared vision that can inspire, direct, and move them forward in Kingdom purpose. When I pray, "I want to lead as You led," I have to remember that You were headed to a cross. Eventually, most of Your faithful apostles would die as martyrs for their faith and obedience to You while they were taking the Gospel to the nations.
Dear Jesus,
"There is nothing which the church needs more than to learn how to yoke in common harness the diverse temperaments and qualities of different people. If we are failing it is our own fault, for, in Christ, it can be done--and has been done." (William Barclay in The Gospel of Luke, 1953, p. 96).
Thank You for diverse gifts and abilities in the Body of Christ. The Apostle Paul described this unity within diversity beautifully. "There are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit... But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He wills. For as the body is one and has many members, but all the members of that one body, being many, are one body, so also is Christ... But now indeed there are many members, yet one body... Now you are the body of Christ, and members individually."
Teach me how to unite people around a shared vision that can inspire, direct, and move them forward in Kingdom purpose. When I pray, "I want to lead as You led," I have to remember that You were headed to a cross. Eventually, most of Your faithful apostles would die as martyrs for their faith and obedience to You while they were taking the Gospel to the nations.
- Andrew--beaten severely and crucified in Edessa, Greece.
- James, the brother of John--the first martyr of the church.
- Philip--martyred in Syria.
- Nathanael--martyred in India.
- Thaddeus--crucified in Edessa, Greece.
- James, the son of Alphaeus--thrown from the temple tower and then clubbed to death.
- Matthew--axed to death in Ethiopia.
- Simon the Zealot--crucified for his missionary work in Britain.
- John--survived being deep fried in oil and died of natural causes in Turkey.
Teach me this surrender of sacrifice that I may lead as You led.
I embrace the crucible of leadership. I recognize that this journey is more about melting me down to be reformed in Your likeness than it is about manipulating others to perform my will. Thank You for inviting me to serve You by serving others.
In Your transforming Name,
Amen.
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