“And He appointed twelve, so that they would be with Him and that He could send them out to preach,…”-{Mark 3:14}
There are a lot of calls you will receive in your life. Calls from advertisement, calls from culture that tell you who you are, what you need, to make you a “somebody” in society, from their view! Call’s of all kinds. But there is one call that out calls them all. It is the call of Jesus to be with Him. He chose. “appointed,” twelve, for the purpose of being with Him. To be invited into life with Him, to live with Him, speak with Him, learn of Him, confide in Him, watch Him, to do life with him. The call of God is always to Himself! Be taken up with Him. To concentrate your relationship on Him, to rest in His love.-{John 15:10.} Paul wrote, “God is faithful who has called you into fellowship with His Son” -{1 Cor 1:9}.
Jesus makes a comparison between Martha and Mary. Martha had been worried by many things Jesus said, and told her Mary had chosen the “one thing needful,” that would never be taken from her. The problem was not Martha’s work but her attitude in it. She had displaced the Lord with service for the Lord. Jesus said Mary had sat at His feet to listen to His Word. She was preoccupied with Him, Martha was pre-occupied with work for Him! It is easy to displace Him with service. Jesus spoke to the church of Ephesus, and commended them and then said, “But I have this against you, you have left your first love.” They had replaced service for Him with love to Him. They need not be mutually exclusive, but when we fail to remember the call of God is to be with Him, and somehow think substituting, even ministry for Him, it is to abandon first love. We are called to “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; “- {Luke 10:27}. The difference between Martha and MARY? One was occupied with Him, the other was occupied with ministry for Him but not Him! -{Luke 10}. God’s call for you is to Himself, to fellowship with Him, to know Him better.
Thirty years after his conversion writing from prison, Paul revealed his master passion, “that I may know Him.”-{Phil 3:8}. He knew Him, certainly, but so found delight in Him wanted to know Him better. more and more!
TODAY there will be many “calls,” remember the main call is a call to be with Him!
For all other calls in your life will be temporal, they are tied and die with this world, but His call is eternal, for His call is to Himself, to know Him, enjoy Him and know His love for you. “This is life eternal to know You and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.”- {John 17:3}. And He will motivate you as a result to go forth caring and loving others with His message.
He chose twelve to be with Him, and He chose you likewise, to know Him better, to read and understand His view of life through His Word, to familiarize yourself with his character, promises. To be changed by Him, from the inside out, as the Holy Spirit uses his Word to do so. “But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit.”- {2 Cor 3:18}. His call is always to Himself! Be with Him. How? Relating all to Him. Relying on Him. Receiving from Him. Reading about Him and trusting Him as He did those on the road to Emmaues, “And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, He explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning Himself. “-{Luke 24:27} and How did He do this? “…Then He opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures. “-{Read Luke 27:47}.
His call, “Come to Me…Learn of Me…{Matt 11:28-29}… Follow Me… {Matt 4:19} – “Abide in Me…”- {John 15:10}. The call ? to be with Him! Be with Him in the moment!
The call of God is always to Himself!