Unplugging
One of the most important things we can do to be useful is to work hard. We are commanded to work so we can eat! But one of the most important things we can do to make our work effective is to rest before we commence the work! Any woodsman will tell you that a dull axe is his worst enemy. In order to keep our lives sharp we have to learn how to take time off and recuperate.
In Mark 4:35-40, Jesus, leaving his disciples above, went down in the hold of a ship and took a nap. During this time, a storm arose on the sea and his disciples were incredulous that Jesus was sleeping during the storm!
In Mark 6:30-32, Jesus told his disciple to come away with him to get some rest. They had been totally immersed in ministry demands for days on end. The Lord knew that continuing at that break neck pace was not possible for either Himself or His disciples. Human bodies need food and rest to be able to function normally.
In Matt 14:22-23, Jesus went up into a mountain to pray. Imagine, this is Jesus Christ in a human body who needed to get alone with His Father to pray. That is an amazing fact. If in fact, Jesus had to take time to pray and rest in his humanity, how much more important that we model that behavior. The key is taking time to do the right things! Rest is not just sleeping in, eating a lot, doing fun things, etc. These things are all good and fine, but real recuperation involves our spirits. We have to have a plan for rejuvenating our interior life. For the committed believer that means we need a plan for building back up our prayer life, our study of God's Word, and our re-commitment to what God has ultimately called us to invest in.
As I write this blog I am just finishing some time off with my wife to celebrate our 41st anniversary and take some much needed time off before commencing a grueling 7-8 month teaching schedule abroad. I have not always been good at taking time off, but this time I asked the Lord to teach me some important things that I can take with me into the second half of this year. Let me say that these days of rest have provided those things and more.
I have had time to listen to several great men of God who spoke directly to needs in my own heart with timely messages. My wife and I have had time to talk and have conversations about a lot of things which we needed to have moving forward in our marriage and our growing ministry. We both have had personal time to pray and seek God's direction in our own personal lives as well regarding various projects and plans.
I want to encourage our readers as we enter the summer season to take the necessary time to rest, recuperate, and do the necessary spiritual re-energizing to be effective servants in the ministry to which God is directing your life.
Unplug so you can be ready to get plugged in!
Luke 6:12-13, Jesus went to a mountainside to pray and spent the night in prayer.
In Mark 4:35-40, Jesus, leaving his disciples above, went down in the hold of a ship and took a nap. During this time, a storm arose on the sea and his disciples were incredulous that Jesus was sleeping during the storm!
In Mark 6:30-32, Jesus told his disciple to come away with him to get some rest. They had been totally immersed in ministry demands for days on end. The Lord knew that continuing at that break neck pace was not possible for either Himself or His disciples. Human bodies need food and rest to be able to function normally.
In Matt 14:22-23, Jesus went up into a mountain to pray. Imagine, this is Jesus Christ in a human body who needed to get alone with His Father to pray. That is an amazing fact. If in fact, Jesus had to take time to pray and rest in his humanity, how much more important that we model that behavior. The key is taking time to do the right things! Rest is not just sleeping in, eating a lot, doing fun things, etc. These things are all good and fine, but real recuperation involves our spirits. We have to have a plan for rejuvenating our interior life. For the committed believer that means we need a plan for building back up our prayer life, our study of God's Word, and our re-commitment to what God has ultimately called us to invest in.
As I write this blog I am just finishing some time off with my wife to celebrate our 41st anniversary and take some much needed time off before commencing a grueling 7-8 month teaching schedule abroad. I have not always been good at taking time off, but this time I asked the Lord to teach me some important things that I can take with me into the second half of this year. Let me say that these days of rest have provided those things and more.
I have had time to listen to several great men of God who spoke directly to needs in my own heart with timely messages. My wife and I have had time to talk and have conversations about a lot of things which we needed to have moving forward in our marriage and our growing ministry. We both have had personal time to pray and seek God's direction in our own personal lives as well regarding various projects and plans.
I want to encourage our readers as we enter the summer season to take the necessary time to rest, recuperate, and do the necessary spiritual re-energizing to be effective servants in the ministry to which God is directing your life.
Unplug so you can be ready to get plugged in!
Luke 6:12-13, Jesus went to a mountainside to pray and spent the night in prayer.
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