WITH-ME

 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