He appointed twelve designating them apostles that they might be with him and that he might send them out to preach and to have authority to drive out demons. —Mark 3:14.
The one phrase that touches my heart is this one: “… that they might be with him “ This reminds me of that great passage: “[The leaders of the Sanhedrin] recognized that [Peter and John, his apostles,] had been with Jesus” (Acts 4:13). Now I know that we can’t “be with” Jesus in quite the same way the twelve apostles were. However, we do have the four Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John) that tell his story and invite us to follow Jesus, too. As we pursue Jesus, we have the Holy Spirit transforming us to become like him (2 Corinthians 3:18). So, when was the last time you sat down and read one straight through? When was the last time you read a Gospel and asked Jesus to make himself and his will known to you? Why not spend some time with Jesus this week? Who knows, maybe someone around you will recognize that you have been with Jesus!