Devotions 28-09-07

Mark 3:14-15 (Again)

And He (Jesus) appointed twelve that they might be with Him, and that He might send them out to preach, and to have authority to cast out the demons.

I have been thinking on these verses more and feel I was not very exact in my conclusions that I wrote yesterday. I would like to try it again. I think there are three different issues that Jesus was dealing with concerning His disciples and not just two. 1. He wanted them to be with Him. 2. He wanted to send them out to preach. 3. He gave them authority to cast out demons. I did not list this as a separate item yesterday.

All three of these are important and I think we must grow in our ability to move up to the next level. I think each one demands more spiritual maturity and a closer walk with God. I know God is not bound to any steps of growth and can give us all three at once but I do not think this is the general case.

I think we each need to spend much time to be with Jesus. I do not think we every grow out of this and the more mature we become the more we are driven to spend time with our Lord. Our ministry is not in our own strength but it is in His. So we begin by spending time with Jesus and we never grow out of this vital need.

But the purpose of our time with Jesus is so we can know how to go to the lost world. That is why Jesus has left us in the world to reach those who we know and love and those in our sphere of influence. Even when we know what we should do we need His strength and wisdom in actually doing this work.

The third issue is having authority over the demons that are in our world to do evil and to inspire evil. God will give us this authority as we are faithful to Him and allow Him to work through us. This is serious warfare and demands serious commitment to the ways of God. I must be ever close to the Lord Jesus and submit to the leading of the Holy Spirit to guide and direct my life.

Lord, this is Your plan to reach the world with the good news of Jesus Christ. It was true when You were on earth and it is still true today. Lord, help me to pay close attention to Your Word and to obey it with all my heart. Continue to teach me every day how much time I must spend with You and in Your Word. Lord give me Your wisdom and strength as I speak of this tomorrow.