Mark 6:3 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.
Oh Friends, it’s the weekend; Sabbath time! Time for rest, renewal and worship. Hope the weekend weather is as nice as the rest of the week was. But who knows anymore with the current varied and abnormal weather patterns? I guess though it’s like everything else; change comes to all, at some time or other, with one exception Friends; our God, who’s the same yesterday, today and forever. He never changes. That reminds me of a quote I read yesterday, where the former C.E. O. of General Motors, Charles Erwin Wilson, told the U.S. Senate during hearings in 1953; ‘For years I thought what was good for our country was good for General Motors, and vice versa.’ And back then it was probably true, but that too has now changed, though G.M. still has, or had a sizeable effect on the U.S. until the last financial meltdown. Who would ever have thought that G.M. would plummet to such depths eh? But that’s what happens to companies if they rest on their laurels for too long, and don’t change, innovate and/or adapt to the prevailing situations. The same goes for humans. We tend to get stale and uninteresting if we don’t move on some with the times. That doesn’t mean you have to adopt everything that comes along, but we have to be knowledgeable about what’s happening around us. And there are always some changes we can embrace, which will enhance our lives and the lives of those around us. Today’s Bit provides an interesting scenario between Jesus and His disciples. ‘And he said unto them, Come ye yourselves apart into a desert (deserted) place, and rest a while: for there were many coming and going, and they had no leisure so much as to eat.’ Jesus recognized that they all needed a break, what with the mass of people constantly following them and demanding their attention. They were trying to do too much for too long. That leads to burn out and break downs. So ‘they departed to a desert place by ship privately (by themselves).’ (Mark 6:32) Ah Friends, rest and relaxation are very important parts of our lives. If machines of steel need cleaning and refurbishing every so often, what about the mere flesh and bones of our comparatively soft, fragile body? We too need refurbishing every so often. And that’s why the Lord decreed the Sabbath. ‘And on the seventh day, God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made. And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made.’ (Gen.2:2-3) So my people, if our great God can rest one day in seven, why can’t we mere mortals? Now when we don’t rest or take proper care of ourselves, we fall victims to all sorts of sickness and diseases, mostly stemming from our stressed out hearts, bodies and minds. The human body, like most other things works very well up to a certain point, then without renewal, diminishing returns set in, where we achieve much less for greater effort. But our world is in such poor shape, in such turmoil and uncertainty, that we are forced to work more or longer than we should just to survive, to make ends meet. Anger, fear and doubt that are also prevalent in our world, only serve to further unnerve our already stressed out systems. Consequently it’s become even more important now that we get away from the rat race for a short while, at least one day a week, to chill out and renew our vitality, so that we can hop back on the merry go round, fresh, eager and able. Friends, if we don’t take the occasional break, including vacations, from the current madness that’s our world, that madness will surely be transferred to us, and we’ll either end up in a straitjacket full of mood altering drugs, or in a pine box. The choice is ours. And though we have the Holy Trinity to LOVE and guide us, we still depend too much on our own efforts, often becoming quite neurotic, worrying and fretting over simple, unimportant things, or things we can’t control. Oh Friends, our two most important duties are to look after ourselves physically and spiritually. We have to find time, like Jesus and the Father did, to get away from it all, to relax and rejuvenate ourselves physically. That brings to mind the passage from Song of Solomon, where the dark skinned lover claims; ‘they made me the keeper of the vineyards; but mine own vineyard have I not kept.’ (Song 1:6) Sadly, many of us fall prey to situations like that where we look after everybody but ourselves. Friends, that’s not a healthy situation either. We have to look out for number one, that’s us, because if we’re of no use to ourselves, then we’ll not be of any use to others either. And in the spiritual realm, the same principle applies my people. If we don’t rest in and renew our fellowship with God, then we’ll eventually become spiritual burn outs. And there’s a great passage of scripture that helps us to remember that. It’s termed the Great Invitation. Listen to Jesus offer it. ‘Come unto me all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.’ (Mat.11:28-30) Oh my people, please accept Jesus’ unconditional offer. I guarantee it’s the best decision you’ll ever make, for in Him you will indeed find the hope and rest from all your worries and burdens that He’s promised. Much LOVE!…to live good…rest, relax and refresh…both body and soul…on a regular basis…
SCRIP-BITS 