Benched Player

I started reading through Acts recently and in the first chapter something stuck out and I haven't been able to shake it. In Verse 12 it tells the story of finding a replacement for Judas. Verse 21 is where it gets interesting

I had to read it a few times to sink in. But what they are doing is looking for someone to replace Judas that has been with them the whole time. The WHOLE time. From the time John was baptised to the time Jesus ascended back into heaven. They ended up picking Matthias.... He was a benched player! Matthias was there the whole time, he saw all the miracles Jesus performed. He heard all of Jesus' teachings! But he was never one of "The 12". Then, after all that time of following Jesus and seeing all those signs and wonders Matthias gets called up into the Big Leagues!! He is one of "The 12"! So here is the thing, Matthias put in the work. He put in the time. The discipline of following someone he believed in without receiving anything in return! He went to every "practice" and sat on the bench handing the team water, hoping that there would be a time he could get in the game. Then his time came. He was ready to be called into the Big leagues because he put in the time needed before hand. 

Conviction hit. Lord, how often am I upset because I feel like I didn't get the recognition I deserved. Or how often do I feel entitled to something just because I have served in the past? God, fix my heart! Help me to learn that without spending time seeking you and preparing my heart I will never be ready to do big things for you! 

It's a scary thing to ask God to teach me something. I never know how that's going to play out... But I know God is showing me this because it is something he needs to teach me. So Lord, prepare my heart for the lesson you need to teach. Help me be ready to receive it and put it into action in my faith.


Grace & Peace