The disciples didn’t blend in, they stood out, and the world they lived in recognised that they ‘had been with Jesus’ (Acts 4:13 NCV). They preached His message, used His methods, and demonstrated His miracles. At Antioch they were first called ‘Christians’ (Acts 11:26). That’s because they talked and acted so much like Christ. We can end up reading about all the things the disciples did and feel pretty inadequate compared to them. But we don’t need to feel like that. When we’re looking for a job we go through the list of essential and desirable qualities or skills and think that we’re either suitable or unsuitable for the job. But it’s different in God’s kingdom. When God calls us, He equips us. He knows our limitations but through Him we can do so much more. He’s the One who enables us to be able to do what He’s calling us to do. In 1 Corinthians 1 we’re reminded that God chooses those that the world wouldn’t expect. The Message translation sums it up like this: ‘Isn’t it obvious that God deliberately chose men and women that the culture overlooks and exploits and abuses, chose these “nobodies” to expose the hollow pretensions of the “somebodies”? That makes it quite clear that none of you can get by with blowing your own horn before God’ (vv. 27-29 MSG). So when we’re feeling like a ‘nobody’, believing that we’re not good enough to do what God’s calling us to do, we need to remember that God calls us, then He equips us. Our success, with His help, then glorifies God - not us.

What now?
Where do you feel God’s leading you? Write a list of all the things that you feel are limiting you and stopping you getting there. Keep your list. As God works on each limitation to remove it and equip you (be prepared for this to take a while), cross it out.