Did you ever sit down and ask yourself: "If Jesus were here on Earth today, would he want me to be in his band of disciples?" That's a pretty important question for those of us who claim to be His disciples right now. When you think about what Jesus put up with from His own followers, ask yourself if you would make the cut so to speak were He recruiting today.
First, Simon Peter: always impetuous, spoke first, thought later. This man denied that He knew Christ when Jesus was standing before false witnesses. Despite his apparent cowardice, Peter had one thing that most people ignore: he was who he was. Peter did not claim to be holy or righteous. He had no delusions of grandeur about his position with God, although he was at times misguided about his commitment. When his mother-in-law was lying sick in bed, Peter didn't go to Jesus to ask a favor of healing. While mother-in-laws today can sometimes be portrayed as the "Wicked Witch of the West", back then, your wife's mother was your mother. Peter opened his home, but let Jesus be a guest, not a servant. You have to admire that. Later, Peter would jump out of the boat and walk on water when everyone else would stand in awe of Jesus walking on water. And finally, while Peter did deny the Lord during his trial, do not forget that when Jesus was first confronted, Peter was the only one who was willing to put up a fight. Peter was not perfect...but he was earnest in following Christ
Consider next, James and John: they did have presumptions about their position with God. They believed that they were in tight with the most high because they were in tight with Jesus. But when Jesus rebuked them, he gave them a difficult cross to bear. He let them know that they would have to face every inch of suffering that He Himself was to endure. James who wanted to be first in the kingdom, was first to get there. After all, he was the first martyr among the disciples. John, who died of old age, had to suffer many things, including torture and banishment. They were not perfect...but they were willing to change and see their faith through.
What of the rest: Andrew: started strong in the faith and recruited his brother Peter. After Jesus' death, Andrew stood with the rest on Pentecost to proclaim the wonders of Jesus' resurrection. Philip: used to preach to the Ethiopian. Thomas: even in doubting the resurrection, he committed wholeheartedly with a little proof from his Master. Matthew went on to write one of the four gospels.
The truth is that the disciples had something that we today need to consider getting: commitment. They endured persecutions, they continued when hope seemed lost, they abounded when the Holy Spirit moved. They weren't lost in a stupid TV series, or distracted by a new phone, computer, or other device. None of the disciples ever hung out in a bar just to see an old friend, nor did they work hard just to make money. When the chips fell, each one of them was committed to serving Christ. I would imagine that that is the reason that Jesus chose to hang out with them in the first place. So the question sits for us today, are we really committed to being a friend of Jesus? If there are distractions in your life, as there are in mine, it is time to pray them aside and get back in tune with God. We like to think we have plenty of time, but James reminds us that "life is a vapor." Don't wait, be the person that Jesus would want to hang out with, and bury the rest of you. The Bible tells us, that to be alive in Christ, is to be dead to sin. So, get out there and LIVE.
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