My annual appointment with Jesus

“Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, to the mountain which Jesus had appointed for them” (Matthew 28:16 NKJV).

I started going “away” for an annual retreat at the end of the year around 15 years ago. I have found it to be one of the wisest practices in my life. It gives me uninterrupted time to reflect on the past year and to reset my sights on God’s calling for the next.

It also gives me time to study the Bible and listen for the Lord’s voice for myself, my family, and our church. I don’t want to lead an unexamined and haphazard life. Neither do I want to have those under my care following an aimless shepherd. Since I’m not wise enough to bear the weight of this responsibility, I “retreat” from the world’s influence in order to “advance” in the Lord’s wisdom and power.

I am thankful for a wife that understands this necessity for spiritual renewal. She fully supports me in my desire to spend an extended time alone with God (She takes this time to be with God too). I am also thankful for a church like WCC that encourages me to take these times away in order to be alone with Jesus.

It seems to me no accident that the timing of the “appointment” that Jesus made with His disciples to pull away to a mountain to meet with Him was just prior to His giving them the Great Commission:

“And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, ‘All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.’ Amen” (Matthew 28:18-20 NKJV).

As the disciples “went away” from Jerusalem to the countryside of Galilee, up into the mountains, they left behind the distractions of the city and meeting with Jesus, they received His command. Coming down the mountain with fresh fire and clear marching orders from their Master, they began to preach the gospel message that turned the world upside down for Him.

I didn’t retreat to a mountain, but I have found a beach that is fairly unpopulated this time of the year. I came here to keep my annual appointment to meet with Jesus. I’m praying for fresh fire and clear marching orders too.

So, I’m keeping my annual week-long appointment with Jesus at the end of 2013. Now, have I mentioned the other daily, monthly, and quarterly “appointments” that He has invited me to keep in 2014?