Last week we were considering Jesus’ instruction to His disciples on the importance of setting boundaries and limits in our ministry. Returning to the passage in Mark’s gospel we read, “Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, he said to them, “Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest”. So they went away by themselves in a boat to a solitary place,” (Mark6:31-32 NIV). We see in this passage that Jesus illustrates to us the importance of taking breaks in our service for Him. God’s design in the universe and for our lives is to have a period of productivity followed by a time of rest. We talk about the sabbatical principle that is still in place and how God has designed us. I tried to keep a regular day off and one of the things that I do on my day off, more times than not, is to go golfing. It’s a hobby that I find relaxing. Taking breaks is necessary if we are going to be productive in our service for Christ. It is very dangerous to think that we can go day in and day out, week after week, month after month without taking time for a rest. I believe also because the Scriptures talk about so many Jewish holidays that taking time for vacations and refreshment is very important.
But Jesus didn’t stop there, He took the apostles away for a time to recharge their spiritual lives. Think about Jesus taking the disciples to a solitary place where they could go and be away from the busy activities that had filled up their lives in the preceding months before this time of refreshment. I believe Jesus’ heart is refreshed and He delights in us when we take time to just be with Him personally, sitting at His feet, listening to His words, and reading His word into our hearts and lives. This is clearly illustrated in the example of Mary and Martha and Luke 10. Whatever our calling is in life our soul needs to spend time with the Lord Jesus Christ. What is it in your life that gets you into the presence of God? What is it that helps you recharge your spiritual batteries and how are you doing in that area? Someone has stated, “that life without a quiet center becomes destructive”.
Getting caught up in all the busyness of living in the 21st century can be very dangerous, but having a quiet center and spending time with the Lord Jesus Christ is not something that is going to happen naturally. We must come apart from our regular routine in order to be silent before the Lord and allow Him to speak into our lives. If that was important for the first disciples, how much more important is it for us? Jesus very much wants us to spend time worshiping Him and preparing our hearts for the daily struggles and trials that we face in our personal lives. Jesus is the one that we wait upon and listen to. Remember His words to Martha about her sister Mary not being willing to help, when He revealed the most important priority, “Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and that will not be taken away from her”, (Luke 10:41-42 NIV). Let’s make sure that we are taking time to sit at Jesus’s so that he may recharge our spiritual batteries so that we can go out to the spiritual battle that is all around us.
In Christ’s Service,
Pastor Rich Sivo
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