May 6

Short-term rest = long-term gain

So they went out and preached that people should repent.And they cast out many demons, and anointed with oil many who were sick, and healed them. Mark 6:12-13 (NKJV)

Mark’s gospel is a lot like an action movie. It doesn’t devote a lot of space to dialog but really hones in on the comings and goings of Jesus and His disciples. We find the disciples in full flight here, as they’ve just been commissioned by Christ to fan out and perform miracles and proclaim the coming of God’s Kingdom.

And they did! We can just imagine their wide eyes and breathless voices as they returned and reported to Jesus what happened:

Then the apostles gathered to Jesus and told Him all things, both what they had done and what they had taught. (Mark 6:30 NKJV)

Now, if that was you, if you had just made a spiritual splash like that, what do you think your next thoughts would be? Let’s go back out and do even more! After all, who wouldn’t assume that Jesus would be so happy with all that you’d done that He would only want you to keep going? But the Bible tells us He actually wanted something else from His followers:

He said to them, “Come aside by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while.” (Mark 6:31 NKJV)

Rather than have them rush out in a tempest of activity, Jesus wanted them to get alone with Him so that they could rest for a while. Doesn’t that seem somewhat counter-productive with all those needy people out there? Yet in His great foresight and wisdom, Jesus knew this rest was required in the short term if they were to be effective in the long term.

The Lord does the same thing today. He will often call us out of an active season of service so we can be alone with Him and find our rest in Him. But it’s not because He wants to bring our effectiveness to an end. It’s so He can use us to an even greater extent in the long run.

Think About It…
What does this passage reveal to me about God?
What does this passage reveal to me about myself?
Based on this, what changes do I need to make?
What is my prayer for today?

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