Be With Jesus

"And He [Jesus] went up on the mountain and called to Him those He Himself wanted. And they came to Him. ¹⁴ Then He appointed twelve, that they might be with Him and that He might send them out to preach, ¹⁵ and to have power to heal sicknesses and to cast out demons..." 

Mark 3:13-15

I love Jesus.  I love everything about Him:  the way He spoke, the things He said, what He did, and how He interacted with others.  Everything about Jesus Christ is unfathomably significant, and as we walk with Jesus in faith day by day our eyes are increasingly opened to His goodness, love, majesty, and power.

The God who said "Let there be light!" and there was light, the Creator of all the universe, put on human flesh in the person of Jesus.  As a man He called people to follow Him, even though He could have done everything by Himself.  In doing this Jesus not only provided us an example, but revealed how deeply personal He wants our relationship to be with Him.  Unfortunately for some people, a relationship with God is merely a connection to benefits they desire for themselves.  They can be so fixated on their calling, gifting, abilities, and authority through Jesus they miss out on the most fundamental aspect of following Jesus in the first place:  being with Him.

After Jesus went up the mountain, He called His disciples to Him.  He had found them caught up in the busyness of life mending their nets, even sitting behind a desk in the tax office.  Jesus walked up to some and said as He passed by, "Follow me."  As time progressed Jesus called some to be His intimate associates, twelve disciples who committed their life to follow and "be with Him."  This is a small phrase found in verse 14 which is easy to gloss over, overshadowed by the preaching, power to heal, and casting out demons.  Jesus desired for these men to be with Him continually, and everything else was a natural outflow of that relationship.

God spoke through the prophet in Isaiah 7:14:  "Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel."  Immanuel means, "God with us."  Mary conceived through the power of the Holy Spirit and brought forth a son named Jesus, and He would save His people from their sins.  All who have repented and trusted in Christ have received Him through the Gospel by faith.  After His death and resurrection, Jesus ascended to the Father and has sent the Holy Spirit to dwell within and empower every one of His disciples.  God will never leave or forsake us (Hebrews 13:5), yet familiarity does not mean we intentionally set time aside to spend with Jesus.  He bids us even now to come away from the pursuits of this life and be with Him.  I recently heard a pastor say it is tragic when our talks with God have been reduced to "necessary conversation."  It is also tragic when we are so focused on our calling or gifting that we forget who has called us and why:  Jesus wants us, and wants us to spend time with Him!

I encourage you to answer the call to spend time with Jesus today - not just for a set amount of time, but purpose to abide continually in His presence and love.  What sort of healthy relationship could you possibly cultivate with strict time limits over your social interaction?  Do you have to juggle your routine to squeeze a little time in with God?  "First thing in the morning I spend an hour in prayer and Bible reading," you might say, perhaps even pleased with your level of devotion.  Is this the extent of a quality, loving relationship - time meted out by the hour?  That sounds more like a prison visit, speaking to someone behind glass at your convenience!  No my friends, this will never do.  Jesus called us to be with Him, and we need to abide in Him throughout the day.  Have conversations with Jesus, tell Him how you feel, thank Him for what He has done, and meditate on His Word.  Drop what you might normally do or feel like doing and spend time with Jesus today.  He loves you and wants you to be with Him!