Our Daily Bread -- Human Race
Read: Mark 6:7-13, 30-32
Bible in a Year: Psalms 31-32; Acts 23:16-35
Bible in a Year: Psalms 31-32; Acts 23:16-35
[Jesus] said to them, “Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.” —Mark 6:31
The alarm clock goes off. Too early, it seems. But you have a long day ahead. You have work to do, appointments to keep, people to care for, or all this and more. Well, you are not alone. Each day, many of us rush from one matter to another. As someone has wittily suggested, “That’s why we are called the human race.”
When the apostles returned from their first mission trip, they had a lot to report. But Mark did not record Jesus’s evaluation of the disciples’ work; rather, he focused on His concern that they rest awhile. Jesus said, “Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest” (6:31).
Ultimately, we find true rest through recognizing the presence of God and trusting Him. While we take our responsibilities seriously, we also recognize that we can relax our grip on our work and careers, our families and ministry, and give them over to God in faith. We can take time each day to tune out the distractions, put away the tense restlessness, and reflect in gratitude on the wonder of God’s love and faithfulness.
So feel free to stop and take a breath. Get some real rest. —Poh Fang Chia
Lord, I thank You today for all You have given me to do. Help me to truly rest in You—physically, emotionally, and spiritually.
We do not rest because our work is done; we rest because God commanded it and created us to have a need for it. Gordon MacDonald
INSIGHT: When Jesus asked His disciples to go to a quiet place and rest (Mark 6:31), He was telling them to do something that He had often done with them. Jesus had withdrawn with His disciples to the lake (2:13; 3:7) or up on the mountain (3:13). Jesus was also in the habit of withdrawing from the crowds to a solitary place to rest and to spend time talking with His Father (Matt. 14:13,23; 26:36; Mark 1:35; 6:46; Luke 4:42; 6:12; John 6:15). The gospel of Luke tells us, “Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed” (5:16). Sim Kay Tee
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