Vacation in Rome

“That I may come unto you with joy by the will of God, and may with you be refreshed” —Romans 15:32

The Apostle Paul worked hard in taking the Gospel all over Asia minor. He told the Romans, “From Jerusalem, and round about unto Illyricum, I have fully preached the gospel of Christ” (Rom. 15:19).  If you look at a map, that area covers over 1,400 miles. Paul traversed this territory without the aid of a car, train, or plane.  It was hard work. He had been on the road a long time and desired to come to Rome (Rom. 15:23-24). For what purpose did he long to come to Rome? He says in today’s text that he might “be refreshed.”  In other words, he was looking forward to a vacation.

There is nothing wrong with taking a break from the work of the ministry to relax and be refreshed on a vacation.  Jesus approved of it.  He told His disciples, “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” (Mk. 6:31). As someone said, “You need to come apart, lest you fall apart!”

So, with that in mind, my wife and I are going on vacation to a mountain cabin in Kila, Montana for the next 10 days. There will be no daily devotions or “Thot for the Day” until we return after August 30.

Pray for us as we “kick-back” and enjoy the refreshing mountain air.