The Refreshing of God

My oldest son moved out of his apartment and back on campus this year.  While packing up, cleaning out, and moving on can be extremely tiring and time consuming, there is a distinct refreshing that results.  God desires nothing less for our lives in general - physically, mentally, and spiritually.

We often live at such a frenetic pace we miss the build up of clutter, dirt, and unnecessary obstacles.  At other times it has nothing to do with the speed of life, but simply the content.  My son's apartment contained an over abundance of Tupperware, courtesy of meals from my kitchen. :)  It also accumulated quite a bit of dust because, well, how many college guys really dust?  Refreshing came to that apartment through cleaning products, a vacuum cleaner, and some hard work.  God's Word provides a similar solution to those desiring an inward (and even outward) refreshing from the Lord.

In Acts 3:19 Peter is speaking to a crowd who had just seen him heal a crippled beggar.  One person's refreshing (the beggar's) created a flood of interest.  Seizing the moment, Peter gladly shared with them saying, "Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord."  Many of us need a similar refreshing in our hearts. Let's follow Peter's directions - repent - turn away from the clutter and mess in our lives that is not of God; turn to God - removing clutter is pointless if we only replace it with more clutter - turn away from the sin and turn completely to God; receive the refreshing of Jesus - He alone can refresh every area of our lives.  In what way do you need to be refreshed today?

Let's pray.  Father, thank You for Your willingness to refresh us!  Please help us to see the mess in our lives and repent, turn to You, and be refreshed.  In Jesus' Name we pray.  Amen.