October 1

When daylight came, He called His disciples to Him and chose twelve of them, whom He also designated as apostles: — Luke 6:13 BSB

Jesus was a friend to everyone, yet He chose twelve men to be His close companions. These twelve became His personal family, providing Him with the friendship and support that everyone needs in the midst of a busy life.

However, the main reason He chose the twelve was to train them so that they could carry on His work after He was gone. While He continued to preach to the multitudes, He focused most of His time and attention on these chosen ones. They were to be His witnesses, and to do that, they needed to see His life up close and hear His words directly.

It’s significant that Jesus spent the entire night in prayer before selecting His friends. This shows how important it is to pray for wisdom and guidance when choosing our friends and companions. If we prayed more earnestly about our friendships, we would likely experience fewer regrets and heartaches later on.