Rest A While

MARK 6:31 KJV
31 And he said unto them, Come ye yourselves apart into a
desert place, and rest a while: for there were many coming and
going, and they had no leisure so much as to eat.

One preacher paraphrased this verse by saying "come apart
before you come apart."

God is our Source, so resting should be a turning to God, not a
turning away from Him. It would be unwise to take a "vacation"
and ignore God.

Our bodies need rest, but our minds also need rest from the
constant barrage of bad news and entertainment the media tries
to sell us.

Many fill their days with noise. The news or some other
broadcast plays constantly in their background. But we need
times of quietness. We need time when we allow God to guide our
thinking, instead of the media.

We need to make room for the thoughts God desires to share with
us. We need times when we shut out all the other voices trying
to speak to us and focus on God.

Everyone wants your attention. Advertisers want to convince you
to buy their product. Broadcasters want your attention so they
can attract advertisers.

But God also wants your attention, not to get something from
you, but to provide you with His wisdom and guidance.

God wants to communicate with you. But when you surround
yourself constantly with other voices, you will miss some of
what God wants to say to you.

Prayer is a way for us to rest. It is a time when we can cast
our load on the Lord, refocus on Him, and quit carrying all the
responsibilities ourselves.

ISAIAH 40:31 NKJ
31 But those who wait on the LORD Shall renew their strength;
They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and
not be weary, They shall walk and not faint.

The Bible also cautions against laziness, so resting should not
be our primary focus in life. But with today's hectic pace of
life, many are neglecting this part of God's instruction given
for our benefit.

Remember, God commanded the children of Israel to rest for one
day each week. Their Sabbath was not a day full of religious
activity either, but a true day of rest.

While we are not under Law requiring us to keep the Sabbath in
order to be right with God, it is still a principle we need to
practice. To be our best, humans need to rest!

Rest should be a time when you do something different than your
normal daily activity.

We cannot ignore God's instruction without it costing us. Many
today are broken in body and burned out needlessly. We must
learn to rest properly, so God can refresh us and strengthen us
in order to finish our course.

SAY THIS: I will obey God and rest in Jesus.