Many of the fantastic blessings from God become available to us only when we recognize our need for them. Think about salvation in these terms. When we recognized our need for salvation, He showed us how we need only accept what He had already provided.

Colossians 2:6

6 Therefore as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him,

Just as salvation is accepting what God has accomplished for us, so is the Christian way of life!

Even this verse works the same way:

Matthew 11:28-30

28 "Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest.

29 "Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and YOU WILL FIND REST FOR YOUR SOULS.

All it takes for us to get that rest that Jesus Christ has provided is for us to recognize our need for it! We simply have to recognize when we are weary and heavy-laden.

I love this advice Jesus gives in Mark’s gospel. They had just gone through the death of John the Baptist in Mark 6:21-28, where Herodius’ daughter demanded his head on a platter. Then the disciples had gone and gotten the body, and put it in a tomb. Then Jesus says this:

Mark 6:29-32

29 When his disciples heard about this, they came and took away his body and laid it in a tomb.

30 The apostles gathered together with Jesus; and they reported to Him all that they had done and taught.

31 And He said to them, "Come away by yourselves to a secluded place and rest a while." (For there were many people coming and going, and they did not even have time to eat.)

32 They went away in the boat to a secluded place by themselves.

Mark is often viewed as the Gospel of great activity. It seems the disciples were always busy, going about teaching, supporting Jesus, and organizing things for His ministry. Look in verse 31, they didn’t even have time to eat!

I love how Jesus tells them to go away to a quiet place and REST! We often get too busy to think about what the Word of God has been saying to us. Sometimes you have to take a break from all the activities, and the hectic schedule, and go away by yourself to a secluded place and rest. You have to take time to relax, and reflect on all the things that God has said to you.

It’s important for us to make time to take in the Word of God. It’s important for us to make time for prayer. It’s important for us to make time for service. But it’s also important for us to make time to rest, and reflect on all that God has provided!

There’s a great passage that goes through this process of rest, and gives us an example of the things that God will bring to your mind when you take some time and reflect.

You’ll just have to read tomorrow’s to get it!