being with Jesus

On Sunday we talked about the parable of the sower in Mark 4.1-20 and our calling to scatter the seed of God's Good News in Christ Jesus wherever we go.  We cannot know the condition of the soil into which we scatter the seed, but we remain faithful to scatter and sow whenever we have the opportunity.

Just one chapter back from that parable, however, is a reminder of what it means to be a disciple in the first place.  If we are to be faithful in scattering the seed and spreading the news, in word and deed, we must first take care that we, too, are receiving the word well.  Our hearts must be made of good soil, too.  In Mark 3.13-19 we have the calling of those first disciples, the Twelve.  There we are told that Jesus 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 (vv.14-15).  Before we have the authority and power to go out and "preach," we must be with him.  

How are we to do that?  We spend time with Christ in prayer and in Scripture reading, of course. But we also spend time in the community of God's people as well.  When we are with brothers and sisters in the Body of Christ, we are with Christ.  We get to know Christ better in these settings and are better prepared to go and preach and to drive out demons.  It reminds me of the stewards and stewardesses on airplanes who go through the whole safety routine before take-off.  When talking about the oxygen masks, he/she says, "Remember to put your own mask on before helping someone else with their mask."  In other words, you're not much good to someone else if you're not taking care of yourself.  How true.  Before we can successfully scatter the seed of God's Good News, we must receive it and nourish it in our own lives, first.  

How are you doing in "being with" Jesus this week?  Are you making time for the necessary disciplines of prayer, Scripture reading, community and corporate worship?  Make sure your own oxygen mask is secure before you help someone else with theirs.