Thursday 4 Dec 2014

December 4: Matthew 9:9-13

Key Verse: Matthew 9:12
When Jesus heard that, He said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick.

Devotion:
How would you classify “being normal”? Is it the act of being like everyone else, the act of being like the majority or being like someone you like? When we actually look at how we are and why we do things the way we do them it may be a different way, a different thing or a different style, but we cannot really say that it is normal… When Jesus was walking round to find the men He wanted to be His disciples he was not going round for people that looked normal because the group of men that He chose was anything but normal! But when we look at each one in turn then they may strike a chord with us because we can relate to them… So is being normal simply the act of being able to relate to someone else?

Jesus did not ask for interviews from each man. Jesus did not ask a bunch of probing questions. Jesus chose the men based on the way He knew each one on the inside! No that is not cheating! Jesus needed to pick the men who would make the biggest difference to our lives so He had to select the ones whose lives would affect as many people as possible.

When we pick people to work with us or for us we would probably try to pick people we would get on best with and people who would listen to us when we tell them to do things. Jesus wanted people who were already doing that sort of thing in their lives and needed to change in order to make a big difference to other people’s lives.

Would you want the local tax collector to come along and tell the rest of the world what you had been up to in your past? After all, they probably knew a whole lot more about the truth of many people’s lives than other men did! Jesus picked carefully to make the biggest impact on society. So why has He chosen you? And what has He chosen you to do? Think about that for a while and then stand up and make that big difference in the way that God designed you to!

Points to Ponder:
What changes are you making?

Are you changing according to God’s direction?