Come Apart and Rest

The Lord Jesus Christ said, "Come ye yourselves apart into a desert place, and rest a while: for there were many coming and going, and they had no leisure so much as to eat." (Mark 6:31) As a ministry student, I had no concept of the real demands of the ministry. To teach, and preach was very easy, but now I find the ministry to be much more than that. Even as a missionary on deputation, without a congregation of my own, I feel the ever increasing weight of the ministry. Whenever I am called upon to preach, I know that there are people, both saved and lost, who are depending upon me to give them something from God's word. To me, it's not enough to preach a Bible message. I must have God's message! And sometimes, in order to get God's message, there is a great deal of struggle, and spiritual battles that must take place. I know when we are in Scotland, and have a congregation of our own, that the demands of the ministry will take on an even more complex aspect. For, as the shepherd, I will be in the position of watching for the souls of the people the Lord gives me (Hebrews 13:17).


I have found that such a burden of responsibility often leaves me tired and drained. My family and I were on the road for six months straight, without a break, and we really began to feel tired! And so, we've taken a break. We're staying at my parent's house for a couple of weeks for some much needed R&R.

There reaches a point in which a man is too tired, and too stressed, and too weary to be of much help to anybody else. In my experience, I've met some pastors who never have taken time to get away with just their families, or just their wives. Some of them were on the edge of bitterness. Others had become very cynical in their approach to the ministry and their people. I really believe that men in the ministry of pastoring, and evangelism (missionaries) need to come apart and rest, before they come apart in pieces!