Mary’s Lent Diary (Day 22)

Well, Jesus is carrying on doing things his own way…he has chosen more disciples, not waited for them to choose him.

Last night, no one could find Jesus.  He had just disappeared.  He was no where to be found, not even in the synagogue – yes, that is the first place to be checked after what happened when Jesus was 12 and we lost him!  That story has certainly stuck with people…

Anyway, it turned out that Jesus had gone up a mountain on his own, and stayed there all night, praying to God.  In the morning, he called all his disciples to come to him and then chose 12 to be ‘special disciples’ I think is the best way to describe it.  Or ’close’ disciples.  Jesus called them ‘Apostles.’

I must say, from what I can gather, it seems that Jesus has chosen quite an odd bunch.   And Matthew is one of them. Plus some fishermen. It will be interesting to see how that mix turns out! Anyway, I am sure Jesus knows what he is doing – I am learning that he does tend to, even though what he does is often not the norm.

lots of people in shadow and in various groupings

What do you do when you need to make a decision?

Jesus carved out time to be alone with God.

He had a decision to make, and it couldn’t be made without prayer.

Prayer was a priority.

What an example for us.

Maybe you are needing to make a decision at the moment.

It wouldn’t be a bad idea to follow Jesus’ way, and talk it over with God.

Call to me and I will answer you…

Jeremiah 33:3

God promises to answer.

It may or may not be the answer we are hoping for, but He will answer.

Can He answer if we don’t call?

Let’s make prayer a priority.

The follow-on from Jesus’ time of prayer, was that He chose twelve Apostles.

The Twelve seem to have been quite an eclectic bunch.

Different skills, and qualities, and experiences.

Perhaps they wouldn’t naturally have been drawn to each other.

Yet Jesus deliberately brings them together.

From 1 Corinthians 12:

The human body has many parts, but the many parts make up one whole body. So it is with the body of Christ. We all share the same Spirit.

Yes, the body has many different parts, not just one part.

 If the whole body were an eye, how would you hear? Or if your whole body were an ear, how would you smell anything?

But our bodies have many parts, and God has put each part just where he wants it. 19 The eye can never say to the hand, “I don’t need you.” The head can’t say to the feet, “I don’t need you.”

In fact, some parts of the body that seem weakest and least important are actually the most necessary.

All of you together are Christ’s body, and each of you is a part of it.

What about us, in our lives and churches?

Do we embrace diversity?

Do we welcome difference, or expect only uniformity?

All the days ordained for me were written in your book
before one of them came to be.

Psalm 139:16b

Maybe we could try and be mindful of the fact that God has written our days.

When we meet or interact with people, God has brought us together with them.

Perhaps we wouldn’t always naturally choose to spend time together.

Sometimes people will frustrate us, and we them.

How might our attitudes towards each other change if we remember that God arranged the meeting?

Lord Jesus,

Thank You for the example You set me in prayer.

May calling out to You be my first action as I go through life.

Thank You for listening to me, and answering me.

When You bring me together with people who are different from myself,

please help me value our differences.

Thank You for the privilege of being part of the Body of Christ.

Amen

Mary’s Memo Make Prayer A Priority