Mark 2:23-3:6
Be Still: Lord, I come to you. Let my heart be transformed and restored as I seek your face in this holy place. Amen
Read: Mark 2:23-3:6
Then he said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. So the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath.” (v27)
Encounter: Have you taken a break this Summer? Have stopped from all the hard work to unplug? If, so well, done. It’s a good thing to take a break. My family and I try to get away every year, just us, for a week or so. It’s normally camping in Cornwall but this year my son has pleaded with us for a change in scenery so we are instead off to the South of Wales. Body, soul and spirit need time to be restored and the summer is the perfect time to do that.
In this passage, I want us to simply focus on when Jesus says, “the Sabbath was made for man”. In other words, God has designated a day and a time, for us to rest, be restored, and reflect on what has gone before. This should be weekly, as well as termly and annually. Rest is a biblical principle and needs to be intentional. Resting doesn’t always mean sitting back and watching TV shows. Reflecting on the work we we’ve done is key to resting. Trevor Hudson, a South African pastor, once quoted his supervisor who said, “We do not learn from experience; we learn from reflection upon experience.”* In resting we thank God for what he has done in and through us, and we ask him to restore our strength for the next season. Resting can also be a time to dream with God about what’s to come. What hopes and prayers do you have for the upcoming season? In resting, we position ourselves to surrender fully to God’s will for us.
Apply: If you haven’t, spend some time this week resting before September hits. Reflect on what what you’ve done this last year, what God has been teaching you and how he’s been shaping you through it. What have been the highs and lows? Try journalling about it. Finally, re-submit yourself to God and his purposes, giving him your dreams and hopes for what’s ahead.
Devote: Lord, as the Summer ends, and the time for resetting is at hand, I rest in you. Thank you for all you’ve done and all you’ve brought me through. I submit myself again to you for your purposes and what’s ahead. Lead me, Lord, I pray. Amen
*Trevor Hudson, A Mile in My Shoes: Cultivating Compassion, (Nashville: Upper Room Books, 2005), 57.