Be with Him

Mark 3:14 says, "He appointed twelve - designating them apostles - that they might be with him ..."

Interesting isn't it - before the preaching and teaching; before the ministry and miracles; before the church starting or church organizing; before the problem solving or question answering ... even in fact before anything else, the call to discipleship was an opportunity to simply be with Jesus.

My Bible has the following commentary on this verse:

"The primary call of a disciple is to "be with" Jesus - to develop a close personal relationship with him. Serving God's purposes involves instruction and practice of various ministries, but these things must flow out of time spent with Jesus. Anyone who desires to serve Christ must first practice his presence. Out of a deep relationship with Christ comes the power and sensitivity to effectively serve and minister for him. After having been with him, Jesus sent his disciples out to preach his message. That message is to be proven with power. Such power comes from being with Jesus and knowing him. Our activity for God must be preceded by our intimacy with God."

Let me simplify that for you - there's nothing more important than time spent with Jesus! Anything we'd ever want or need God to do in us or for us, anything we'd ever want God to do through us - it'll only be realized on the other side of quality time spent with Him.

Let me put it to you another way ... you can't be too busy to spend time with Him! I know you've got life to live ... but you can't experience the blessing and favor of God that you seek and need for your life apart from first spending time with Him. You've got ministry to do, right - gifts to use, a church to serve, the lost to evangelize ... but you can't be effective to do any of that apart from time spent with Him. There are sick people in need of healing, hurting people in need of hope - they need you, I understand ... but you won't have anything for them if you haven't first been with Him.

I wonder ... for the church of Jesus Christ today - maybe it's not about doing different or doing more ... maybe it's just about spending time with Him before we do anything!

Never mind that. I wonder ... for my own life - maybe it's not about me, about what I feel I can do, should do, or need to do ... maybe it's about me learning to do what a real disciple, a true disciple is supposed to do - be with Him!

They say that practice makes perfect. Well then - let's practice His presence ... until we've become perfect disciples!

Take some time to be with Him today, every day ... and encourage someone to spend time doing the same!