Jesus is baptized by John, the Holy Spirit comes upon him, and God the Father declares Jesus as the One. Jesus is ready to go to work, so what does he do? He takes 40 days off, first.

Jesus prays and fasts in the desert. The devil tempts him there, but not until the 40 days had passed. Jesus abides, is refreshed and renewed, and is ready for anything. Yes, including the devil.

When Jesus starts teaching large crowds for the first time, the response is tremendous. Whole cities show up to hear him. Any preacher who gets this kind of response is really cooking. It is like a Harvest Crusade on steroids! So, what does Jesus do?

(Mark 1:35-37) 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. Simon and his companions went to look for him, and when they found him, they exclaimed: "Everyone is looking for you!"

Jesus follows the most influential day of preaching, ever, with abiding. He spends time alone, with God. See the pattern?

Mike Breen, from 3D ministries, says it this way,

"We work from our rest, we don't rest from our work."

Time to be renewed and prune away anything that isn't helpful. "Busyness" is a way to keep us from facing what we really need. Finding that rhythm of rest and work is what keeps us fresh and ready to face anything immersed in God's power.

Abide…

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