“Until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fulness of Christ.”
Ephesians 4:13
It took the Lord Jesus three years to form the twelve people he had chosen to be His disciples. He had to dig deeply into their lives, just as a builder must do when he wants to build a house; like an architect who produces a scale model so that the builder can keep to the design. In the same way Jesus gave His disciples a model of how to live, one they could aspire to and copy.
When they argued about which of the twelve would be the greatest, Jesus asked them what they were arguing about. They didn’t know how to answer or what to say in reply. So Jesus took a child and put him in front of the disciples and told them that whoever wants to be the greatest, must be like that child (Luke 9:46-48). He taught them the right way to give an offering, since an offering that is pleasing to God is one given sacrificially (Luke 21:1-4). Jesus taught them to value the Kingdom of God above all things (Luke 14:25-28). He spoke to them about the importance of service and of maintaining a humble heart (John 13:14-17).
Jesus never saw the work with the twelve as a burden or a heavy chore. Rather, He enjoyed each moment that He was able to share with them. His disciples loved Him because they saw His sincerity and His dedication towards each one of them; they knew that they had His full attention. To the other people Jesus would speak in parables but to them He would reveal all things. The Lord’s impartation of life was to such a degree that people would later see the same traits of the Master inside of them (Mark 14:70).
Before ascending to heaven, Jesus saw there was something still missing in order to complete the work in them. He wanted them to give them his life in order for them to do the evangelistic work throughout the nations of the earth. This is why He said to them, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit” (John 20:21-22).
In having constant contact with Jesus these Apostles saw in Him a model to follow. Although they were all aware that they could never surpass Him, they wanted to try very hard to be just like Jesus. The Apostle Paul said: “Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ.” (1 Corinthians 11:1)
SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT
An older man that used to fix umbrellas knocked on the back door. “Do you have any umbrellas for me to fix?” He asked.
“Yes,” I said and went to look for my umbrellas with the torn lining and the broken rods.
The old man sat on the steps and carefully removed the torn covering. He measured the new covering and fixed the rods with just such care. I was intrigued by the amount of care and concentration with which he worked.
I said to him, “You take a great deal of pride in your work.”
“Yes,” he answered with a smile on his face that showed a certain sense of pride in his work. “I try to do my best.”
“Your clients cannot judge the quality of your work until after you are long gone. But, I guess you might see them again some day?”
“No,” the old man replied. – “I doubt I will come around here again.”
“So then, why do you put so much effort into your work?”
“To make things easier for the one coming after me. If I do a poor and careless job the clients will quickly notice and will not allow the following repair man to fix their umbrellas.”
Many people only care about “the now.” But when we understand the importance of leaving a legacy for others, we do things with a view to the future and how others will benefit from our actions.
TODAY’S DECLARATION
“God formed me into the full measure of Jesus, He gave me His Spirit, He covered me with His love and gave me His blessing.”
Today’s post is an excerpt from Pastor Cesar Castellanos’ book, Declarations of Power for 365 Days of the Year: Volume Four.
TODAY’S BIBLE READING
- Old Testament: Amos 7-9; Job 33:1-11
- New Testament: John 17:6-19; Revelation 8
