Weekday Devotionals
The Economy of God
“And they appointed two, Joseph called Barsabbas, who was surnamed Justus, and Matthias.”
Acts 1:23
Do you recall a guy named Justus? I’m betting his name sounds vaguely familiar to some and to others, no idea. He also went by Barsabbas. No, still nothing? That’s ok, I’d bet most people read right past him. I did!
In Acts 1, Peter and the rest of the Apostles have a discussion about replacing Judas. (Who had recently left the group, and world. Acts 1:18) To replace Judas, as the Apostles understood it, was to take initiative in restoring the Kingdom. Twelve apostles were needed to coincide with the twelve tribes of Israel.
After deliberation it was decided that the one who would replace Judas must be “one of the men who has been with us the whole time the Lord Jesus was living among us, beginning from John’s baptism to the time when Jesus was taken up from us.” (Acts 1:21-22). Two men qualified. One was named Matthias, and the other, as you might have guessed by now, was called Justus. We can safely imagine, both of these men, as they continued to follow Jesus in the days of the birth of the church, served faithfully to the end. Imagine, Matthias was praying in the upper room where the spirit of God came upon all present; filling them and empowering them to take the gospel to the ends of the earth.
"But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere, in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”(Acts 1:8)
The truth, however, is that there is no certainty of whatever became of either Matthias or Justus. Neither one of them, even though Matthias was given the role of apostle, became headliners in Acts. Those roles belonged to Peter, Stephen, Philip, Barnabas, James and Paul.
It’s hard sometimes not to want to be a Peter or Paul. They get the front page.
But what if we are to be a Justus? What if our role is one that gets no press? How do we handle it?
There are no “small” roles in the Kingdom of God. It is true that there are different roles, but none are insignificant. And each are vital to what God is doing in the world. Building His economy. His Kingdom culture. To serve the person in your neighborhood, that no one notices, is no small thing. To share the gospel and your life with a co-worker who annoys the rest of the staff is crucial to Kingdom work. To be a welcoming and warm soul to new people who attend your church on Sundays makes an impact.
I wanted to re-introduce you to a man who wanted to create, what we would call today, Kingdom culture. A man who wanted to serve Christ thru serving others. A man who wanted to build the economy of God.
Are you serving where God has placed you? Or, are you prayerfully inquiring where your next serve is to be? Are you loving all of those around you? (Even the annoying co-worker)
In the economy of God, where you spend your time serving is just as important as Peter preaching to a huge crowd!
It’s an important work!
-Sam
“And they appointed two, Joseph called Barsabbas, who was surnamed Justus, and Matthias.”
Acts 1:23
Do you recall a guy named Justus? I’m betting his name sounds vaguely familiar to some and to others, no idea. He also went by Barsabbas. No, still nothing? That’s ok, I’d bet most people read right past him. I did!
In Acts 1, Peter and the rest of the Apostles have a discussion about replacing Judas. (Who had recently left the group, and world. Acts 1:18) To replace Judas, as the Apostles understood it, was to take initiative in restoring the Kingdom. Twelve apostles were needed to coincide with the twelve tribes of Israel.
After deliberation it was decided that the one who would replace Judas must be “one of the men who has been with us the whole time the Lord Jesus was living among us, beginning from John’s baptism to the time when Jesus was taken up from us.” (Acts 1:21-22). Two men qualified. One was named Matthias, and the other, as you might have guessed by now, was called Justus. We can safely imagine, both of these men, as they continued to follow Jesus in the days of the birth of the church, served faithfully to the end. Imagine, Matthias was praying in the upper room where the spirit of God came upon all present; filling them and empowering them to take the gospel to the ends of the earth.
"But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere, in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”(Acts 1:8)
The truth, however, is that there is no certainty of whatever became of either Matthias or Justus. Neither one of them, even though Matthias was given the role of apostle, became headliners in Acts. Those roles belonged to Peter, Stephen, Philip, Barnabas, James and Paul.
It’s hard sometimes not to want to be a Peter or Paul. They get the front page.
But what if we are to be a Justus? What if our role is one that gets no press? How do we handle it?
There are no “small” roles in the Kingdom of God. It is true that there are different roles, but none are insignificant. And each are vital to what God is doing in the world. Building His economy. His Kingdom culture. To serve the person in your neighborhood, that no one notices, is no small thing. To share the gospel and your life with a co-worker who annoys the rest of the staff is crucial to Kingdom work. To be a welcoming and warm soul to new people who attend your church on Sundays makes an impact.
I wanted to re-introduce you to a man who wanted to create, what we would call today, Kingdom culture. A man who wanted to serve Christ thru serving others. A man who wanted to build the economy of God.
Are you serving where God has placed you? Or, are you prayerfully inquiring where your next serve is to be? Are you loving all of those around you? (Even the annoying co-worker)
In the economy of God, where you spend your time serving is just as important as Peter preaching to a huge crowd!
It’s an important work!
-Sam
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