Rest
By Ginger Moore
On Fridays, we like to welcome some of our special friends to join us at Christ Compels Ministries. Today, we are honored to have Ginger Moore, of Speaking Thru Me Ministries, join us as our guest devotional writer.
“He said to them, ‘Come with me by yourselves to a quite place and get some rest.’ “
Mark 6:31
I don’t know about you, but someone telling me to rest awhile is not a very common thing. As a mother of three, rest is the last thing that is willingly offered to me. I fill my life with MANY good things. I believe this is true of most people.
Look at this list:
Working outside the home, serving on committees, being a friend, serving in a civic organization, mentoring, being a wife and mother, coaching baseball, attending events, working with teenagers, teaching Sunday School, volunteering, joining clubs, hosting parties… And that’s just a drop in the bucket!
Recently I attended a conference for people involved in ministry, and our speaker said something that I will never forget. She said, “You cannot do 1,000 things for the glory of God. Discern a few, and do them well.” Boy, that hit home. I don’t need to do all things, only a few.
The truth is our stress level increases with our effort to do more and be more. With an increased drive to “get it all done,” we’re paying a high price, and we actually reduce our ability to accomplish tasks efficiently. It gets increasingly difficult to make decisions and takes longer to complete even simple tasks. We get forgetful and easily distracted, along with becoming just plain worn out!
It takes tremendous faith, discipline, and persistence to manage our time and MAKE time to rest. Again, Mark 6:31 “Jesus said, ‘Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.’”11:28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”
Jesus gives us permission to find a quiet place with Him and rest. I regret that I don't always live out this principle. I often feel guilty if I just stop "doing" and slow down! I don’t know about you, but the world will stop spinning if I take a breather! So, I’ve got to keep trucking, or else the whole world is in a mess.
But today, I need to remind myself to slow down the pace. It's times when life is so hectic that we should have no other choice than to take time and rest at His feet first.
Three reasons come to mind as to why I need HIS rest so desperately!
1) I want stability. Psalm 91:1 (AMP) “He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall remain stable and fixed under the shadow of the Almighty.”
2) I want to rest in God’s peace instead of living in turmoil. Matthew 11:28 (AMP) "Come to me all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest."
3) I want others to see Jesus in my life. Matthew 5:16 (AMP) “Let your light so shine before men that they may see your moral excellence and your good deeds, and praise your Father who is in heaven.”
Pray with me: Mighty Father – You are the Giver of rest. I pray today that I will find my rest in You. Give me the desire to slow down and be still at Your feet. Show me what needs to be done, and help me to prioritize my day – putting YOU at the top of the list. I pray that this will become a pattern - that I will look forward to my rest with You, as You renew me and give me Your strength to accomplish all that You have in store for me. Help me to discern a few good things and to do them well for Your glory. I pray that by my actions, of putting You first in my day, that others will see You in my life. I give to You my burdens and my heavy load, confident that You will give me rest. In the mighty Name of Jesus, Amen.