When I was growing up, we played a lot of sports on the playground and in the yards. Each time it began by picking teams. If you were the captain, you wanted the biggest, strongest, fastest – whatever it would take for your team to come out on top. I can remember praying silently that I wouldn’t be picked last, that the captain would recognize what I brought to the table.
I look at some of the choices that God used when “selecting” His team. Abraham, though he was faithful, twice told people that Sarah was his sister so that he wouldn’t be killed. Jacob was a deceiver, a trickster. David was the smallest of his household (and later was an adulterous murderer) and yet God chose him to be the king.
Jesus, when selecting His team, chose not the religious leaders and those well versed in the scriptures, but chose instead, fishermen, tax collectors, and even Judas, who would later betray Him to the authorities. To be on Jesus team, you don’t have to pretend to be the smartest, the holiest, or the bravest. Jesus simply chooses those that recognize their need for forgiveness and that He is God and we are not.
The fact that Jesus uses us – flawed, wrecked, far from perfect people to tell the world about His love for all, reveals His grace and mercy and heart for the lost.