Mark 6:30-32 – Accounting and replenishing time

There came the time of accounting for the 12 apostles whom the Lord had sent out on the mission. For the first time Mark called them apostles. All along they were referred to as disciples. Verse 30 indicates that they returned from their tour of duty and met with the Lord, and reported to Him all that they had done and taught.  In other words they came to give account to Him for their mission. It was stork-taking time. Like them, there will also come a time when we will have to account to the Lord for the gifts and resources He had placed in our hand.

The apostles were then instructed to find a secluded place for retreat. The Lord knew that they themselves could do with some rest. Needs of the people could never cease. People will always need ministry. Verse 31 affirms this fact. Many people were still coming and going and they didn’t even have time to eat. An exhausted and jaded minister would lose his cutting edge and effectiveness. The Lord knew that they needed to get away for a time of personal refreshment. So He instructed them to find a place for retreat so that their body could be rested and their soul could be replenished and calibrated.  What better way to do it, then to go away to somewhere quiet and have a time of solitude and be present with the Lord.

The Lord instructed that they should go to a secluded place. It was to be a place free from the hustle bustle of activities. Busyness is the outward activities that keep us going. As important as work could be, we need to know the reason why we are busy. We need to be careful not to allow work and busyness to deceive us and give us a false sense of our self-importance. And we also need to be sure that that we don’t lead a hurried life. It is a devastating force that kills the spiritual life. It keeps a person pre-occupied till he or she cannot find time to be simply present with God. All of us need to find time to be present with the Lord and listen to Him unhurriedly.

Secondly, they must rest. This is so needful for everyone to prevent a burnout. Rest afford us the time to rejuvenate our tired body and also to re-calibrate our souls. It give the opportunity to rest in the Master.

And thirdly, the instruction from the Lord was to get away from the crowd to attend to basic necessity, like a proper meal. People will always have needs and they can be demanding. As indicated in verse 31, there were many people coming and they didn’t even have time to eat.  Yet, their own personal need must be taken care of. What about finding time to partake spiritual food? We can never be effective when we are depleted of our spiritual supplies. As instructed by the Lord, let’s schedule times daily to replenish our soul. We need to have a constant replenishing strategy in life to remain effective for the Lord.