Our theme for this month: “Confidence”
Our Bible verse for today: “Come away by yourselves to a remote place and rest for a while.” Mark 6:31 (HCSB)
Our thought for today: “Being well-rested will increase your confidence.”
Have you ever gotten to the point where you were so busy for so long that you were physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually drained? You were running on fumes, scraping the bottom of the barrel, feeling like you had nothing more to give? What did that do for your confidence level?
Do you sometimes feel as if you are trying to do so many things at once that you no longer have enough time or attention for them all? When that happens, you end up doing a lot of things poorly rather than any of them well. That then leaves you feeling guilty, dissatisfied, and it saps your confidence.
Interestingly, as busy as He was, even with all the demands and expectations placed on Him, we never read of this happening to Jesus. Somehow He always seemed to have it all together and He never got flustered. Yes it’s true that He was God in a human body, but there’s more to it than that. He may have been God in a human body, but it was a human body after all, and so He still had physical limitations just as you and I do. His secret? He rested.
In Mark chapter six we find Jesus fully into His ministry years; traveling from village to village; swarmed by crowds everywhere He went; an endless stream of sick people wanting healing, demon possessed people in need of deliverance, critics needing a good slap (just kidding); and thick-headed disciples who needed to have lessons re-taught to them over and over again. Not only would such a regime be wearing on Jesus, but it would be exhausting for those working alongside Him too.
And so in Mark 6:31 Jesus gathers up His disciples, leaves the pressing crowds behind, and He takes a short vacation. He deserved it; He needed it; and so did those working with Him. And this wasn’t an isolated incident. The evidence in the Gospels leads us to understand that Jesus frequently gave Himself and others plenty of time to rest and recuperate.
This is instructive for us. We need to take breaks and get away from it all. If we don’t, not only will we end up out of gas and therefore ineffective, but it will impact our confidence as well. Taking the breaks you need in order to be well-rested and recharged is one of the best things you can do to help keep your confidence up.
God Bless,
Pastor Jim
Oak Hill Baptist Church 