The First Call

"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 (ESV)

Dr. Bobby Boyles said lots of things during our Fall Revival last week at FBC Atwood that caught my attention and made me reflect deeply on the Word of God. But, few things he said impacted me more profoundly that his assertion that the first call of God upon the life of His followers is, "that they might be with Him..." Before ministry; before mission; the first call is to be with Him!

It is stunning to me how easy it is for me to allow everyone and everything else to take priority in my schedule over spending time with Jesus. Oh for the joy of just being with Jesus! Not to seek His blessing, not to fulfill an obligation, but simply to be WITH HIM.

Of the many family and friends whose fellowship we appreciate, the thing we ought to desire most is spending time with Jesus. Dr. Boyles went on to mention a time when he began to "pencil in" time for personal devotion on his weekly calendar. I have been guilty of that; and worse, there are weeks in my life that I set aside very little time just to be alone with Him. As we focus on our calling to be the people of God and to do the work of God, let us focus first on our first call: to be with Jesus!