Read Mark 3:13-19.
Imitation, they say, is the sincerest form of flattery. The Bible is clear that we, as believers, should imitate Jesus, not out of flattery, but out of obedience.
Jesus chose twelve men to be His disciples to carry out His mission. These men were going to carry on after He had ascended to Heaven. Jesus selected the disciples to “be with” and to “be sent out” Him. This really sets forth His training plan for the disciples. Don’t we do the same thing? We are with Jesus as we worship and read His word and then we go out to live on mission for Him.
The goal of His training was to prepare the disciples by reshaping their priorities into conformity with Jesus’s priorities. How should we think about those priorities? Jesus made God’s word and prayer a priority. He also made obedience to God, love, and investing in people a priority. These give us upward and outward dimensions to the priorities of Jesus.
Are His priorities your priorities? What can you begin to do now to make your priorities imitate His?
Mark Riser - Apologist 