Be With Jesus.

 He appointed twelve that they might be with him and that he might send them out to preach. Mark 3:14 

 First and foremost, Jesus calls His children to be with Him.  A disciple’s devotion to God precedes his or her duty for God as He first ministers to the heart of the mission-minded disciple.  Obedience is critical to receiving the love of Jesus.  Intimacy defines compliance to His commands with grace.  Solitude with the Savior prepares a disciple to serve for the Savior.

Yes, our primary call is to be with God on earth, before we go to be with Him in heaven.  Sweet communion with Christ sustains our public zeal for His great commission of disciple making.   We go into the world to make disciples after the Holy Spirit molds us into spirit-filled followers through intimate prayer.  Yes, as we experience the Lord’s greatest command to love and be loved by Him, we are ready for His great commission to make disciples.  Be with Jesus to share Jesus!

You do not want to leave too, do you? Jesus asked the Twelve. Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go?  You have the words of eternal life.  We have come to believe and to know that you are the Holy One of God. John 6:67-69

We are tempted to turn our backs on Jesus when it is too hard or too easy.  It may feel too hard because nothing seems to work: our prayers remain unanswered, our relationships teeter on the rocks and our finances are a wreck.  We want to give up on God, because He does not give us what we need.  Or, life may be really good for now, so we feel the freedom to be free from real faithfulness to God.  Our prayers can become perfunctory and our obedience an obligation.