I was reading in Luke 5 today where Jesus was calling his first disciples. It’s crazy to think what it would have been like for James, John, Peter, and Andrew to leave their boats—and everything they had known—to go and to follow Jesus. I know it must have been scary, but at the same time so exciting and exhilarating knowing that they were becoming a disciples of Jesus—The Messiah.
As I continued to read through Luke 5 and the amazing miracles that Jesus was doing, I found myself thinking, “how awesome it would have been to be one of Jesus’ disciples.” Then it dawned on me, or perhaps a still, small voice inside of me said, “You are one of Jesus’ disciples!” Duh!
I think many of us know this, but for some reason we forget or think of our role as a disciple differently. But what makes us any different than Peter, James, John or the rest of the twelve? Really, the only difference is a couple thousand years. Yes, they got to physically see and touch Jesus, but we have the same amazing and wonderful gift that they received at Pentecost: His Spirit, Who guides us and directs us.
It’s true that we don’t get to physically walk beside Jesus like they did, but His Spirit is with us. His Spirit lives in us and we have been given the same commission that the original twelve were given: To take the Gospel to our neighbors and to the nations.
I know sometimes we can look at these amazing men in the Bible and feel like their calling was so much greater than ours, but the reality is that every calling is important to God because every life matters. So we must embrace our calling and be disciples of Jesus who help to extend His kingdom!
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