#3 It Is Important to Know How to Stop

Thanks again for joining me. It was 1990 something. I lived in Ackerman, Mississippi, with my wife and our two young children at the time, Commerce Street. Our house had a long, sloping front yard. A friend of mine had given me a large cardboard tube that the railroad had used to send newspaper print on.

Why I ended up with it, I don't know, but we were out in the front yard with it one day, and the tube was big enough for me to get in, so I got in it. And my children and wife watched me as the tube started to roll, and I was rolling down the long, sloping front yard. The further I went, the faster I went, and it was ground and sky and ground and sky and ground and sky.

And if you know me well, you know I get dizzy pretty quickly. I can't ride many of the rides, and I was on the ride of my life that day. The things I remember was my wife and children laughing at me as I'm rolling down the hill towards Commerce Street. I thought about the big hickory trees at the bottom of the hill and Commerce Street and then the ditch on the other side, and fortunately I was okay.

I tell you the story as we begin because today I continue in my list of 10 things every Christian should know, and today I want you to know that it is important to know how to stop. In the 1960s, Time magazine reported that because of advances in technology, that by the 1980s people would have to cut back on how many hours they worked each week, how many weeks a year that they worked, and the retirement would come very early. Time magazine was wrong.

Our time seems more full today than ever. We're often like hamsters on a wheel, just going and going and going, and our schedules are busy and our calendars are full. How did Jesus handle a busy schedule, I wondered. Read the Gospels and see how Jesus was. He was in demand all the time.

People followed him everywhere, to get a glimpse of him, to touch the hem of his garment, to get a free meal, to have him come to their house and heal a loved one, to cast out demons. Remember in the book of Mark, when Jesus sent the disciples out in pairs? In Mark chapter 6, verse 7, it says, "He called the twelve and began to send them out two by two and gave them the authority over unclean spirits." It must have been a very exciting time for the disciples.

And do you know what Jesus did when the twelve got back from their adventure? This is in verse 30 of Mark chapter six. It says, "The apostles gathered around Jesus and told him all that they had done and taught." And in verse 31 we read something that is life-changing, Mark 6:31: "Jesus said to them, come away to a deserted place all by yourselves and rest a while, for many were coming and going, so they had no leisure even to eat."

Aren't those beautiful words? "Come away to a deserted place all by yourself and rest a while." Christians need to know how to stop. C.S. Lewis wrote, "The moment you wake up each morning, all your wishes and hopes for the day rush at you like wild animals, and the first job each morning consists of shoving it all back and listening to that other voice, taking the other point of view, letting that other larger, stronger, quieter life come flowing in."

There are always distractions. I don't need to tell you that. Remember Jesus visiting Mary and Martha? You find the story in Luke 10, beginning at verse 38. We're told, "Now as they went on their way, he entered," Jesus, "a certain village, where a woman named Martha welcomed him into her home. She had a sister named Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet and listened to what he was saying.

"But Martha was distracted by her many tasks, so she came to him and asked, Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to do all this work myself? Tell her then to come help me. But the Lord answered her, Martha, Martha, you're worried and distracted by many things. There's need for only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part, which will not be taken away from her."

Can you relate? Martha was too busy to stop. She didn't know how. God set aside the Sabbath just because of this problem. You know, it is the fourth commandment. It's found in Exodus chapter 20, and we'll look at that scripture and another time when I do a series on the Ten Commandments.

We began in Mark chapter six. We'll end there today, Mark 6:31. "Jesus said, come away to a deserted place all by yourselves and rest a while." You know, maybe it's as simple as turning off your phone for a bit. Maybe you need a prayer closet. Maybe it's the backyard. Maybe you just need to stop and close your eyes.

Aren't you worth it? Isn't your relationship with God worth it? Let's pray together. Lord, thank you for your wisdom in telling us to stop. Thank you, Father, for the Sabbath.

Thank you for the times in the day when we can get away and just be thankful and just focus on you and recharge. Help us all to be still and to know that you are God. In Jesus' name we pray, amen. Thanks.