ESOCS Devotional 25 June 2023
MEMORY VERSE: “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.” Mark 6:31
TEXT: MARK 6:14-32 (KJV)
14 And king Herod heard of him; (for his name was spread abroad:) and he said, That John the Baptist was risen from the dead, and therefore mighty works do shew forth themselves in him.
15 Others said, That it is Elias. And others said, That it is a prophet, or as one of the prophets.
16 But when Herod heard thereof, he said, It is John, whom I beheaded: he is risen from the dead.
17 For Herod himself had sent forth and laid hold upon John, and bound him in prison for Herodias’ sake, his brother Philip’s wife: for he had married her.
18 For John had said unto Herod, It is not lawful for thee to have thy brother’s wife.
19 Therefore Herodias had a quarrel against him, and would have killed him; but she could not:
20 For Herod feared John, knowing that he was a just man and an holy, and observed him; and when he heard him, he did many things, and heard him gladly.
21 And when a convenient day was come, that Herod on his birthday made a supper to his lords, high captains, and chief estates of Galilee;
22 And when the daughter of the said Herodias came in, and danced, and pleased Herod and them that sat with him, the king said unto the damsel, Ask of me whatsoever thou wilt, and I will give it thee.
23 And he sware unto her, Whatsoever thou shalt ask of me, I will give it thee, unto the half of my kingdom.
24 And she went forth, and said unto her mother, What shall I ask? And she said, The head of John the Baptist.
25 And she came in straightway with haste unto the king, and asked, saying, I will that thou give me by and by in a charger the head of John the Baptist.
26 And the king was exceeding sorry; yet for his oath’s sake, and for their sakes which sat with him, he would not reject her.
27 And immediately the king sent an executioner, and commanded his head to be brought: and he went and beheaded him in the prison,
28 And brought his head in a charger, and gave it to the damsel: and the damsel gave it to her mother.
29 And when his disciples heard of it, they came and took up his corpse, and laid it in a tomb.
30 And the apostles gathered themselves together unto Jesus, and told him all things, both what they had done, and what they had taught.
31 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.
32 And they departed into a desert place by ship privately.
Read Yesterday’s ESOCS Devotional here
Week after week we are taught kingdom principles and making our contributions towards kingdom advancement. Everyone in the Church seems to be very busy with some group or departmental activities. These things are excellent in themselves, but God’s people must learn better and excellent ways of serving the purposes of the kingdom.
This may be a scarce and uncomfortable truth in our Church today. This is for Ministers, Administrators, Heads and Workers of units. We must learn how to take time off for rest.
We must not weary ourselves to the finishing point; we must not weary ourselves to the point of death. No! It is not an efficient way to serving the kingdom of God. Taking a time off does not make you less spiritual, even God himself rested (Gen. 2:2).
Similarly, Jesus acknowledged that there ought to be a time off with his disciples (the ones he love). Therefore, we too must learn how to take time off from work. The most painful part is that sometimes we may be very busy blessing others outside whilst our families may be in dire need of us, and sometimes we make ourselves unreachable.
Solomon, in the wealth of his experience, acknowledged the timeliness of everything under the sun according to Ecclesiastes 3. This presupposes that the time so allocated for each event must be adhered to for a fulfilling life. Most times, believers find it difficult to take time off because of their lack of effective time management. This, on a long run, results in stress and other forms of psychological imbalance that impede on overall performance in Kingdom service and personal pursuits.
Our families need us, our friends need us too. Sometimes, be intentional about taking time off, to attend to yourself. Take time off and attend to your primary circle, it is necessary.
- Endeavour to dedicate time to rest. Your body needs time to regain lost physical energy for your mind to function effectively.
- Father Lord, help me to maximize my time for optimal results, in Jesus name, Amen.
FURTHER READING: Joshua 24:1-end; Ezekiel 37:15-end; Acts 5:1-16
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ESOCS Devotional 25 June 2023
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