Pastor Kyle’s Weekly Devotion

Mark 3:14, “And He appointed twelve, so that they would be with Him and that He could send them out to preach.”

George Brett became a Hall of Fame baseball player for the Kansas City Royals collecting over 3,000 hits during his career. However, Brett’s career did not begin as successfully as it ended. He struggled as a hitter during his first year with the Royals and nearly got sent back to the minors as his batting average plummeted. One might be curious to consider what made the difference between Brett’s early struggles and his eventual Hall of Fame career. The difference maker was a man by the name of Charley Lau. Brett explains, “Some people think that I could have been the player I was and made it to the Hall of Fame without having met Charley Lau and without using his system of hitting. Well, there's absolutely no way I could have become the player I was without Charley. We threw out everything I'd been taught about hitting and started working on his techniques.” Charley made a career altering difference for George Brett. It is amazing the kind of difference one person can make on another. More importantly it is amazing the kind of difference Jesus can make on a life. We are hopeless and without purpose without Jesus. All of us are in need the kind of transformation that only Jesus can make. In Mark 3 we read about Jesus calling the Twelve Apostles who were purposed to preach the gospel. Jesus ministry lasted for a short three years, yet in those years He prepared the way for the gospel message to reach the ends of the earth. Primary to His missional plan was calling the Twelve Apostles. Judas would go on to betray Jesus. Yet, for those who remained faithful, Jesus worked in and through their lives to spread the gospel message to the ends of the earth. Mark reported in his gospel account that Jesus “appointed twelve, so that they would be with Him and that He could send them out to preach.” Jesus called the twelve men to be with Him and then He sent them out. The men whom Jesus called, serve as a testament of the transformation He alone can accomplish in the life of those who spend time with Him. Among this group of men were brothers, fisherman, and a tax collector. They were men with faults, failures, varied dispositions, and misunderstandings. At one point Peter denied he even knew Jesus. Thomas doubted that Jesus had risen from the dead. James and John came with their mom who asked Jesus if her boys could set on the left and right of Jesus in His coming Kingdom. Yet despite their struggles and failures Jesus transformed them by showing grace in the place of their failures, bringing clarity to their misunderstandings and instilling in each a bold faith. These men went on to play prominent rolls in the early church. Through the transforming work of Christ these men became New Testament authors, martyrs and church leaders. Their faithful efforts are felt even today. If you are a born again believer in Jesus Christ it is a result of the early Apostle’s faithfulness. I encourage you to deeply love the gospel of Jesus Christ. This good news has come to you by means of great sacrifice and commitment from men whose lives were transformed by Jesus. Furthermore, I encourage you to be someone who spends time with Jesus allowing Him to transform your life.