In The Word
Read: Mark 3:7-19a
7 Jesus withdrew to the sea with His disciples; and a great multitude from Galilee followed; and also from Judea, 8 and from Jerusalem, and from Idumea, and beyond the Jordan, and the vicinity of Tyre and Sidon, a great number of people heard of all that He was doing and came to Him. 9 And He told His disciples that a boat should stand ready for Him because of the crowd, so that they would not crowd Him; 10 for He had healed many, with the result that all those who had afflictions pressed around Him in order to touch Him. 11 Whenever the unclean spirits saw Him, they would fall down before Him and shout, “You are the Son of God!” 12 And He earnestly warned them not to tell who He was.
The Twelve Are Chosen
13 And He *went up on the mountain and *summoned those whom He Himself wanted, and they came to Him. 14 And He appointed twelve, so that they would be with Him and that He could send them out to preach, 15 and to have authority to cast out the demons. 16 And He appointed the twelve: Simon (to whom He gave the name Peter), 17 and James, the son of Zebedee, and John the brother of James (to them He gave the name Boanerges, which means, “Sons of Thunder”);18 and Andrew, and Philip, and Bartholomew, and Matthew, and Thomas, and James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus, and Simon the Zealot; 19 and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed Him.
New American Standard Bible (NASB) Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation
Walking In The Word
Here, we see our Lord doing the Father’s work. If He would have listened to the people in Chapter 1, and stayed where He was, He would not have reached the great multitude from Galilee, Judea, Jerusalem, Idumea, beyond Jordan, or the vicinity of Tyre and Sidon. He knew the will of God for His life, and He stuck to it. The Father’s will for your life is different in where it is done, but not in what is done. Some are called to stay and make an impact right where they are, like His friend, Lazarus, or the demoniac who stayed where they were to reach the people around them. Some are called, like the twelve apostles, to be sent out into the world to do God’s work.
The important thing for all of us is to know where we belong, and to continue to be about the work of God where He has us. Our Lord only asks that each of us do our part in reaching people with the gospel. In fact, most of us are called to reach people right where we live. It is our family, our neighbor, our co-worker, the person at the cash register where we shop, or the stranger we come in contact. Wherever that is and whomever it is, if we all do our part, His mission will be accomplished.