Verse of the Day 2/27

Through the Bible - Numbers22-24, Mark 8:1-21

 

Good morning,

In today's society, whether you have a secular job or are involved in ministry, most people would say that they are (always) busy.  There doesn't seem to be enough time in our days to get things done, to go where we need to go, and do what we need (like) to do.

 

We seldom find, or set time aside, to think straight, to pray, to communicate with God or our loved ones as we should.

 

As we've been reading through the gospels to start the year you can see that crowds were always around Jesus.  He seemed to be pressed from every side, yet, He knew that He needed time with His Father, and He needed to train His disciples to understand that they needed the same thing as well.

 

For today's verse we'll go to Mark chapter 6.

Mark 6:30 The apostles returned to Jesus from their ministry tour and told him all they had done and taught. 31 Then Jesus said, "Let's go off by ourselves to a quiet place and rest awhile." He said this because there were so many people coming and going that Jesus and his apostles didn't even have time to eat.  NLT

It wasn't a "magical ministry tour", they had been working and were tired  Jesus knew what they needed just as He knows what we need.

 

At a previous job I was so "busy" that for a long time I seldom took time to eat lunch away from my desk.  I didn't skip lunch, I just ate at my desk.  One day, probably after reading something like this passage, I realized that I needed that time to eat, think, read, and pray.  I began taking my lunch time to recharge my batteries.  I believe that I was more productive for the rest of the day.

 

Gordon MacDonald wrote, "Jesus knew His limits well.  Strange as it may seem, He knew what we conveniently forget: that time must be properly budgeted for the gathering of inner strength and resolve in order to compensate for one's weaknesses when spiritual warfare begins."

 

We need to budget time with God as well.  Perhaps with the rain forecasted for the weekend, it will allow some of us here in NC to draw closer to God for a time.

 

If you choose to do so,perhaps one of the things to think about is how you would answer this question:

In as many ways as you can, finish this sentence: "A true follower of Christ should.....".  I'm not talking about legalism here, but back up your answers with scripture.

 

In Christ,

Mike

 

Mark 6:30-32

30 Then the apostles gathered to Jesus and told Him all things, both what they had done and what they had taught. 31 And He said to them, "Come aside by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while." For there were many coming and going, and they did not even have time to eat. 32 So they departed to a deserted place in the boat by themselves.
NKJV