“And he appointed twelve (whom he also named apostles) so that they might be with him and he might send them out to preach.” Mark 3:14
Life can be very busy. We run here and there, taking care of our lives. Many of us are also busy with work for the Lord and His church. But if we are not careful, we are running around with an empty cup and we do not take time to fill our cup with Jesus before we rush to help others.
Years ago, my husband preached a sermon asking, “Are you a bucket or a hose?” A “bucket Christian” comes to church and fills their bucket then goes out into the world to help others. They come back to the next service with an empty bucket, tired and needing to be filled again. But a “hose Christian” is always connected to the source. Everywhere they go, they have a source of living water.
In this verse of scripture, we see when Jesus called His disciples. We are told that He called them to BE WITH HIM and then He sent them out to preach. There were two parts to their calling. They had the relationship part and the work part. We must make sure that we also keep these two parts in our lives. We will find fullness when we spend time with Jesus before going out to serve Him. He wants our hearts to be filled with Him before our hands are busy working for Him.
Everyone has a different preference for how they spend time with Jesus. Most people find that having a quiet time with Jesus in the morning helps them for the rest of the day. That does not mean you pray for fifteen minutes in the morning and never think of Jesus again the rest of the day. No! But spending some time in the morning before you get busy with the day’s work will help to keep your mind focused on the Lord. Maybe you wait to read and study the Bible until later in the day when you have more time, but you can still take a few minutes in the morning to pray and maybe read a verse or two in the Bible.
When we take care to fill our hearts and minds with Jesus, there is no room for other things to occupy our mind. If your heart and mind is filled with Jesus and His Word, when offenses come, it is easier to forgive. When temptation comes, we have the power to resist and flee. When sorrow comes, the joy of the Lord will be our strength. When trials come, we can endure knowing that He is working all things for our good. When we see a lost soul or meet someone who is hungry for hope, we are ready to speak truth and share the salvation plan.
But first…be with Jesus.
We cannot get so busy doing the work that we forget the Lord of the work. We cannot be so busy working FOR Jesus that we forget to be WITH Jesus. He seeks a relationship. We see this in the Garden of Eden with Adam and Eve and we see it throughout the Word of God. He desires a relationship with us and that is a precious treasure.
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