“He appointed twelve that they might be with Him
and that He might send them out to preach
and to have authority to drive out demons.” Mark 3:14-15
If you skim through this verse (like I have many times), you might miss Jesus’ first priority for His disciples.
Go ahead and look again. I’ll wait.
Did you catch it?
It was simply to be with Him.
Before they preached His message. Before they cast out demons. Before they healed the sick or raised the dead or built His church. He just wanted them to be with Him.
I believe verses like this one reveal a beautiful, life-changing, mind-blowing truth. I think Jesus likes us. And I think He enjoys our company.
The Basis of Friendship With God
Any Christian will agree that “Jesus loves me.” How many of us learned to sing the song before we could even speak? But when is the last time you really let it sink in?
He takes delight in you…
and rejoices over you with singing.
(Zeph. 3:17)
Don’t rush through this priceless message from your God! Let it sink down into your soul and fill all the empty, dark, weary, painful, fearful, lonely crevices.
God sees the very depths of your soul – the good, the bad, the broken, and the oh-so-ugly – and He loves you anyway.
And not in an “I guess I have to put up with her” kind of way.
I think it’s more like a “I would create her and die for her so I could be with her and live through her all over again” kind of way.
And maybe even a “She’s one of my favorites” kind of way.
Yes, I really believe He wants His disciples to be with Him for His own sake.
But He wants it for His followers’ sakes, too. Because being with Him was a necessary prerequisite for the work He would assign them. He certainly knew they needed to be with Him.
The Benefit of Friendship With God
Before they could have the miraculous power, they had to know the Source of power.
Before they preached the message, they had to know the Message.
Before they healed the sick, they had to know the Great Physician.
Before they raised the dead, they had to know the Way, the Truth, and the Life.
Before they cast out evil, they had to know the Holy One.
They had to be filled up so they would have something to give.
So when I’m struggling with not having enough to give, I have to ask myself whether I’ve been with Jesus enough.
And not just in a “I guess I’ll spend five minutes reading my Bible so I don’t have to feel guilty about not doing it” kind of way. It’s really more like a “sit still and read and ponder and ask Him and listen and confess and plead with Him and pour out my heart” kind of way.
Do you know what else is interesting to me about Jesus and His disciples?
They didn’t know about the work when they made the decision to be with Him. They didn’t choose to be with Him just so they could be equipped for the tasks He would assign them.
Because He hadn’t assigned them yet.
They chose to be with Him just because they wanted to.
Are you catching a glimpse of what a beautiful relationship that is?
Jesus calling followers because He wants them to be with Him, and them coming to Him just because they want to be with Him, too.
No obligations.
No preconceived ideas about what was involved with Christ-following.
No to-do lists waiting to be checked off each day.
Just mutual desire, pure and simple.
This is exactly the relationship He wants for you and for me, dear heart. A friendship with God.
~~
Now that we know how much God longs for a friendship with us, where do we start? Here are more top posts about this topic.
The Ultimate Example: Jesus’ Relationship With God
Let Go of the Junk: Making Time With God a Priority
Fresh Wind: Rejuvenating Your Time With God
Worth Your Everything: God’s Character and My Compulsion
Thank you. God is teaching me this over and over and over again; my prayer the past couple of weeks has been, “Jesus, please let me love You more each day as I soak in Your Word; I want to really be in love with you!” Circumstances have driven me here…they are not easy, but I am so thankful for them at the same time. 🙂 Thank you for this timely reminder once again; I am grateful for you!
He is so patient in His teaching of us, isn’t He? Thank you for reading, Katie, and for taking the time to comment. I will join you in this prayer for your life, as I pray the same for mine. ((Hugs))
This is such a timely reminder for me, Jennifer. I specially like the sentences “I think Jesus likes us. And I think He enjoys our company.” Sometimes I find it hard to like myself, much less imagine that I might be like-able. To grow to the knowledge that I have a Saviour Who longs to spend time with me, was a huge realization for me a few years ago. Thank you for bringing me back to this this truth.
It’s a truth I have to keep reminding myself of, too, my friend. I’m grateful to have a like-hearted sister in you!
Wow, must be for me. I have been listening to a sermon online, a series on putting God first. This fits right in line!
I’m so glad this blessed you, Tanya! Thank you so much for letting me know.
I have been going through a phase of constantly questioning God. I feel as though I’m not aware of what His plans are for me. Basically I have a lot of ‘whys’.
How would you advise me to handle this ‘phase’?
I really want to have a close relationship with God.
Hi, Bilha, and welcome! In Jeremiah 29:13, God offers quite an amazing promise: “You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart.” This doesn’t mean that God will give us a full understanding of His work in the world or in every circumstance of our lives, because His ways are infinitely higher than ours. What it does mean is that God wants to reveal Himself to those who want to know Him. He wants us to know Him, and so He will not hide Himself from the truly seeking heart. And the more we know Him, the more we see His utter goodness, kindness, faithfulness, and love. And the more we see the beauty of who He is, the more we can trust Him with those things we don’t understand.
So what does it mean to “search for Him with all our hearts”? Much could be written about this subject, but the most important point is to dig into His Word. The Bible is the primary way in which God shows us who He is. If you’ve never read the Gospel of John in the New Testament, that’s an excellent place to start.
Regarding God’s plans and our human tendency to ask “why,” I once heard someone say that God’s will is exactly what we would choose if we knew what God knows. God works in ways that we often don’t understand, but because He is infinitely wise, strong, kind, and loving, He can be trusted with the details of our lives. If you’d like an aid in digging into the Bible, you might consider purchasing my book, Drawing Near: 30 Days Toward Intimacy With God. It’s a 30-day devotional geared toward pursuing intimacy with God.
Wow!! This is so beautiful. It is worth reading. Thank you so much Jennifer. May God bless you abundantly.
Hello, Johan, and welcome! Thank you for reading, and for letting me know how this blessed you. What a wonderful God, who wants to be with us. May He be glorified!
Thank you for sharing. I am going through a mess right know. It’s been about a year know. I need it to change back to how it use to be. I put emptiness first and God second. This gives some encouragement.
Thank you
Annie
I’m so glad this encouraged you, Annie. I will pray that God would draw you more closely into relationship with Him, and that in His presence you would find fullness of joy. (Psalm 16:11)
Hi….beautiful….thank you for sharing….
God just knows what we need…and His always on time…
Thank you for sharing with us …
I’m so glad this ministered to you, Charmaine. May God richly bless you in your friendship with Him.