I greet you in Jesus’ precious name! It is Friday morning, the 25th of August, 2023, and this is your friend, Angus Buchan, with a thought for today.  

We start in the Book of Ecclesiastes 4:6: 

“Better a handful with quietness
Than both hands full, together with toil and grasping for the wind.”

“And He said to them, “Come aside by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while.” For there were many coming and going, and they did not even have time to eat.”
Mark 6:31

Then, the last scripture is one that we should all take notice of. It is found in the Book of Exodus 20:11, right at the beginning of the Bible:

“For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it.”

Even God Himself rested. We really need to purposely take time to rest, my dear friend. This message probably applies more to me than to many others. 

You know, the swallow comes all the way from the Northern Hemisphere, right down to the Southern Hemisphere, as the seasons change, but he rests and feeds on the wing while he is flying. That is exactly right, and we need to do the same. 

William Carey took the Gospel of Jesus Christ all the way across to India. He was probably one of the most busy men. He translated the Bible into many different Eastern languages. He became the chief interpreter in Delhi for the British Government. He was a man who loved God but, he had a very special place where he rested. That’s right - he had a little rose garden. When he was completely worked out, he would go into his rose garden and work on his roses. 

Charles Haddon Spurgeon, the Baptists called him “the Prince of Preachers”, said in his senior years, “By doing less, I hope to achieve more.” Some of us, including me, are rushing around too much. We need to slow down and find a special place to rest, somewhere in your garden, in your closet, where you and Jesus can spend time together and rest, and we will find that we will be much more effective.

God bless you and have a wonderful day,
Goodbye.