"One of those days Jesus went out to a mountainside to pray, and spent the night praying to God. When morning came, He called His disciples to Him and chose twelve of them..."

Bill's Blurbs

ORDINARY! Up until now, I have never given the word much thought. Webster's Dictionary gives the definition of ordinary as "common" or "unexceptional".

Have you ever stopped to think that Christ called "ordinary, common, unexceptional" people to be His messengers of hope; to proclaim the message of forgiveness of sins and eternal life?

Jesus called 12 men, filled with faults and character flaws, prone to mistakes, all too familiar with failure, great lapses of faith, and many wrong attitudes, to be His personal messengers of hope. Most were slow learners. Several were full of misunderstandings and prone to wrong statements. One was a political radical, another worked for the Revenue Department of a government that held their nation captive, seven of them were fishermen by trade, and we do not even know what the others did for employment.

Not one of them was a scholar. They were not theologians or great speakers, nor did they possess great natural talents or intellectual skills. They were just ordinary! No flash, no bang, just a bunch of common guys.

Yet, these remarkably ordinary men would carry the Gospel to the known world. Their infulence is felt to this very day -- common men with an uncommon calling.

The next time the thought comes to your mind that "I am just an ordinary person, what can I do?", remember what Jesus did with 12 ordinary men. Jesus delights in using the ordinary in extra-ordinary ways. He is in the miracle business and His strength is made perfect in weakness.

Remember, Jesus took the ordinary and did exceedingly extra ordinary things. Are you willing to allow Christ to use you in an extra ordinary way? Remember that you and the disciples share one common characteristic that Christ can use. You are ordinary and because you are, He can do great things if you will allow Him.

In His Grip and Grace

Bill