Wednesday, January 11, 2017

Ministry devotion - The Call - Matthew 10:1

Matthew 10:1             Jesus called His twelve disciples to Him and gave them authority to drive out impure spirits and to heal every disease and sickness. (NIV)

            As a Presbyterian, I firmly accept the priesthood of all believers. To me, this means that everyone is given a specific calling from Christ to do His work in their own community. His ministry is expanded by what we say and do as Christians among our families, other church members, and in the wider world. The credibility of Christianity rises or falls on how we express and display our faith to others.

            When I read about the calling of the First Disciples (Matthew 10:1-4), I remember that they weren’t perfect and they all had flaws. Some of them doubted, others denied Him, and even one betrayed Christ. Jesus didn’t choose them because they were holy; He called them because each one of them had the potential of advancing God’s Kingdom.

            No matter who we are or what we’ve done, Christ calls us continually to do His work and share His ministry. Some days we get it right; other days we fail. The good thing is this: Christ is still willing to call us, day after day, because He loves us completely, forgives us totally, and restores us thoroughly to God’s Kingdom.

            Think about your calling from Christ and as you do this watch and listen to a congregation from my hometown of Glasgow, Scotland sing the beautiful modern Scottish hymn called “The Summons.” You can watch it at this link:


May Christ guide and bless you this day. Amen.


John Stuart is the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. You can view the church website at www.erinpresbyterian.org.

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