The Solitary Place.

You know today I was reading Max Lucado's devotional in the back of his book "3:16". He was speaking of Jesus in Capernaum. Luke ch.4. How Capernaum asked him to stay, He said no. He said he must go preach the gospel to other towns as well. What an amazing statement. No. He turned down the town that loved him to reach out to those towns who rejected him, hated him and ultimately would try to kill him. Talk about the love of God. Talk about dedication to a purpose despite the difficulty. Its a great message, but Max missed one point that caught my eye. Right before Jesus turned down the job the town found Jesus in his "solitary place". His place of prayer. We often throughout Jesus's story find him in his place of prayer. How does a man turn down a life of relative comfort and ease in Capernaum. He still would have been preaching, He could have justified it, people still need him there, maybe from there he could send people out, there could have been a myriad of excuses. Jesus didn't buy one of them. He didn't listen, he didn't stay. So back to question how does a man leave a life of relative ease and comfort, a life of doing good things, to pursue a life of difficulty and hardship yet achieve an amazing thing. The most amazing thing in human history. You'll find your answer in your "solitary place". The "solitary place" gives strength, clarity,passion, drive and ultimately a good handle on purpose and destiny. I encourage us to often be found in our "solitary place". If you're never found in your "solitary place" you'll never be found in a "great place". Live the adventure.