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Companionship and relationship

Scripture reading for January 5th: Genesis 6-8, Psalm 104, Mark 3

Mark 3:13-15 “And He went up on the mountain and called to Him those whom He desired, and they came to Him. And He appointed twelve (whom He also named apostles) so that they might be with Him and He might send them out to preach and have authority to cast out demons.”

God didn’t design us to function alone. Sin’s original lie through the serpent, “you shall be as God”, implies that we need no one else. We alone can determine what is right and what is wrong for us. We can set our own rules and call the shots. Jesus invited those who responded to His call to follow Him and to “be with Him,” to spend time in His presence. Jesus desired their companionship and used that as a primary means of discipleship. As these disciples were ‘with Jesus,’ they saw Him model for them the ministry of preaching good news, of forgiveness of sins and the spoiling of Satan’s kingdom by casting out demons. Ministry is caught, more than just ‘taught’. He then sent them out to follow His example and to win new disciples for the kingdom of Heaven, bringing them to relationship with Jesus!

Genesis 6:9 “These are the generations of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his generation. Noah walked with God.”

Genesis 8:18-19 “So Noah went out, and his sons and his wife and his son’s wives with him. Every beast, every creeping thing, and every bird, everything that moves on the earth, went out by families from the ark.”

Prayer: Father God, thank You for Your desire for relationships with sinners and Your stated purpose in choosing disciples to be with Jesus, Your Son. Forgive me for forgetting my responsibility to spend time with You and to be aware that You are with Me each day. Remind me when I lack awareness of Your Presence or fail to seek guidance for reaching out to my own family and the lost. Open opportunities today to preach the Good News and to cast out spirits of demons.

Psalm 104:33-34 “I will sing to the Lord as long as I live; I will sing praise to my God while I have being. May my meditation be pleasing to Him, for I rejoice in the Lord.”