Daily Devo

How to Take a Break

By: Bob Beck

Tuesday, August 12, 2025

As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said. But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!” “Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed—or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.” Luke 10:38-42

An important thing to notice in this passage of scripture is that Martha was distracted by "overserving." In other words, she was so busy serving, she didn't have time for anything else. In contrast, her sister Mary stopped what she was doing so she could listen to Jesus. What does it all mean? Jesus modeled servanthood for us, so it can’t mean we should ignore serving. But it does mean our serving can't consume us... if it does, we can get burned out, or even worse, we might miss what God is trying to say.

Our world is extremely busy, so many of us race through our day trying to accomplish "everything on our plate.” Our families are awesome, but being part of a family takes a lot of time. From sunup to sundown, some of us never stop moving. Work is necessary, God instructs us to do it, but it can't be our priority. Staying informed is great, but we can't allow world news to keep us on edge. Drama in life is inevitable, but we can't let it stress us out. So, "yes" we should serve, but we should serve with a proper perspective and keep it in proper balance.

Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed. Mark 1:35

In Mark 1:21-34, Jesus taught, healed, and cast out demons. It's a fast-paced passage, so I imagine Jesus (the man) was exhausted. But the very next verse (V35) tells us He woke up early and took the time to pray. Jesus' prayer time energized and encouraged Him. It cleared His mind for the day ahead, and it helped Him keep His focus on eternal things. Jesus valued His quiet time with His heavenly Father each day, shouldn't we?

Let’s follow Jesus' example. Take a break from the business of life and spend some quality time with God!