Devotion:
Read Acts 1:15-17, 21-22.
When Judas, one of Jesus' closest followers, betrayed Jesus, a replacement was necessary. Jesus had handpicked the original twelve, but how would they choose a replacement without Jesus to guide them? Peter determines that Judas's replacement would come from that small group of believers who had been witnesses of the earliest days of Jesus' ministry as well as his resurrection. They nominated two men who had spent time with Jesus and believed in the resurrection: Joseph Barsabbas and Matthias. At this point, I imagine that we would have asked for a speech from these two candidates and then taken a vote. In contrast, this early congregation prayed and asked God to make plain which of the two he would choose for leadership. Next they turned to an ancient tradition, the casting of lots. For ancient Jews, this was a way to assure that God would have the ultimate choice! Beyond human control, the casting of lots left the decision completely up to God's decision. They then drew straws. Matthias won and was counted in with the eleven apostles. While I can’t imagine us drawing straws to select our church leaders, we can learn valuable lessons from these early followers. We can bathe our decisions in prayer and ask God to guide us as we select leaders who spend time with Jesus and believe in the resurrection.
Personal Worship Option:
Spend time today praying for our leaders at Christ Church and thank God for their faithfulness to him and to our church. Ask God to continue to bless them and to give them wisdom as they serve him.
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