TWELVE ORDINARY MEN

I’ve been reading a book called “Twelve Ordinary Men” by John MacArthur.   Interesting read & I wanted to take a moment to talk about Jesus’ 12 disciples.   Ok, maybe we’ll talk about 11 of them & touch base on Judas in a future post on 'squandered opportunities'.  Something that I really admire & find encouraging about the disciples is that they were very ordinary men.  No grandiose jobs, no priests, no scholars, no scribes or Pharisees.   Just ordinary, regular Joes with common jobs like Fishermen & such.  Pretty cool when you think of what a small group of ordinary people were able to accomplish.  They were remarkably unremarkable people who became a force that forever changed the world.  

I looked at one study that said there were 2.8 Billion Christians in the world in 2012.   The spreading of the gospel & the founding of the church hinged entirely on these men whose most outstanding characteristic was their ordinariness.  Think of that.....just a few ordinary, determined people getting the word out about Jesus & then look at the number it’s grown to thousands of years later.  That’s pretty amazing.  It also gives us no excuses these days to sit back & take it easy when it comes to spreading the Good News or with anything for that matter.   Whether that involve issues with your family, your job or making a difference in your Community.  We don’t have to be something ‘special’ to make a difference.   All it takes is some determination & drive.  A steady focus on your goal.   Don’t let a pity party or ‘I can’t do it’ mentality steer you off course.  You can do it.   The disciples were ordinary people, just like you and me.  They had plenty of hardships, failings & doubts, and yet they achieved their goal beyond anyone’s wildest expectations.

These ordinary men didn’t have years of history on their side nor did they have the comfort & luxuries we have today.  No cars.  No internet.   They had to get the word out by walking to different cities & telling people the News.  They were consistently persecuted, but they didn’t let that stop them.    

So what’s stopping us today from achieving any of our goals?  No more excuses.   We are all ordinary people and we can do extraordinary things.  You've probably faced or will face some monumental tasks, but don't let them overwhelm you.   Remember the disciples.  If God can accomplish what he did through the lives of those ordinary men.......just imagine what He has in store for you.

Until next time......