To Be With Him

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"And He appointed twelve, so that they would be with Him and that He could send them out to preach, and to have authority to cast out the demons."  (Mk. 3:14-15, NASB) 

   Many of my friends know that we (my wife and I) have embarked on a new venture of raising and breeding long-haired dachshunds. Currently we have, well, enough, and each one has its own personality. Daphne, our little brown female, loves to mow with me. The other dogs will run away once the mower is cranked up, but not Daphne. She runs towards the mower, wanting me to hold her while I work. Yesterday, as I was mowing, she was contently in my arms as I walked and mowed. She never made a sound, and never made a move. She just quietly rested in my arms as I worked. I was amazed at how she was content simply to be with "her master" while he worked. 

   I could not help recalling the verse above. Jesus most certainly had a task for the disciples to do, and He would give them the authority to complete the task, but the first task was to simply "be with Him." It is so easy to get caught up in "working for the LORD" that we can easily bypass "being with the LORD. Our first and greatest responsibility is to be with Him. Incidentally, we will find working "for Him" to be both more enjoyable and fruitful once we focus on remaining "with Him." Today, take some time to simply be with Your Master. Be content just simply to sit in His presence and enjoy His goodness. You will be glad you did.

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