Vol 13 No 4
February 11, 2014
Dear Friend,
This is one of my very favorite verses in the
Bible, “He [Jesus] went up the mountain and called
to him those whom he wanted, and they came to him.” Mark 3:13*
While Jesus continued to speak to large crowds
and heal those whom he encountered, at this point in his ministry he began to
“focus on a few.” We can apply that to our own lives because you and I also
have the opportunity to focus on a few, no matter how many our many may be.
Our “few” are the people we spend more time with,
invest our lives in, and trust our Lord to be working in their lives. If we say
that we invest ourselves in everyone we know, the probability is that we are
not investing enough of ourselves in people deeply enough to actually change
their lives and our own lives in the process.
The process Jesus used is both simple and
intensely profound. We call it the with-me principle. Jesus called twelve to be
with him in order to send them to serve. As we spend time with Jesus, we
discover ourselves growing to know, love, and become more like Jesus.
At the same time, if Jesus invited a few to be
with him, so we too may practice the with-me principle as we invite family
members, friends, church people, and others into our personal lives – that we
might grow to know and love not just one another but also our Lord who invites us
to be with him.
So the next time you attend worship, go to a
movie, go out for supper, or watch some special event on television, whom will
you invite to be with you?
With joy –
E. Stanley Ott
