Ready:

“When it was day, he went out and made his way to a deserted place. But the crowds were searching for him. They came to him and tried to keep him from leaving them. But he said to them, “It is necessary for me to proclaim the good news about the kingdom of God to the other towns also, because I was sent for this purpose.” –Luke 4:42-43

Set:

One constant in the sport world is busyness. The number of scheduled practices and games fill up the calendar before you can even catch your breath for the next month. When you add on top of that, academics, friends, clubs, social life, church life; there is little to no time left to rest, which is what your body and soul truly need.

No one had greater reasons for being “busy” and having a stacked schedule than Jesus. Jesus could forgive sins, cast out demons and heal sicknesses and diseases. The demand for His time and presence in lives was something heavier than our busy schedules could ever comprehend. And yet with all that responsibility, He still chose to rest.

That is the point. Our level of responsibility should be directly balanced with the amount of time we take to rest and spend time with the Father in the quiet. Jesus understood this. The demands of His life pushed Him to prayer, not away from it. How often do our lives reflect the opposite? We line up our calendars, filling every free moment of our time with something to do or somewhere to go, almost fearful of what would happen if we slowed down enough to be quiet.

There is nothing to fear in the quiet because that is where God is waiting for us. This is why Jesus tells us in Matthew 11:28-30, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, because I am lowly and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Jesus knew what it was like to have demands and expectations placed on Him daily. And yet He never allowed those things to take away His time of rest with the Father. Those reasons, among others, kept Him daily tied to the Father. The schedule doesn’t get to negate the relationship.

Go:

1. How might Jesus be prompting you to respond to Him with your calendar in hand?

2. Which are you more concerned with keeping up, your schedule with others or your relationship with God?

3. If your soul could speak out today, would it ask for rest?

Workout:

Overtime: