I love the thought of home - a safe place where I can rest, relax and rejuvenate. But if you're living in the real world, your home - like mine - is probably a place where a million things are calling to get done; incomplete projects piling in the corner, closets and garages that need to be cleaned out and the daily tasks of food prep and clean up. Oh, and lest I forget, the constant call to exercise - from which I'm very good at excusing myself. Yes, I love the idea of home but in reality I wouldn't necessarily call it a place to rejuvenate.
I also love the idea of farms where I imagine quietness floats along the soft breeze while an occassional 'moo' breaks the stillness. Having come from a family of farmers, though, I know that farms are smelly, dirty, sometimes noisy and always a lot of work.
So, if home isn't the place to become rejuvenated and running away to a farm isn't the answer, where can I go to rest and truly relax?
So, if home isn't the place to become rejuvenated and running away to a farm isn't the answer, where can I go to rest and truly relax?
Sometimes it takes more than a nap or time away from work projects. Sometimes I need to be refreshed and find a refuge. I have learned from experience that being refreshed is a gift from God; Acts 3:19 says that times of refreshing come from the Lord. But this verse also says we have to repent and turn to God before we can experience His gift of refreshing.
Repent isn't a word we use very often in our daily life. It is a verb that means "to be disposed to change one's life for the better" (dictionary.com). When I'm honest with myself, I recognize that I've done and thought things I shouldn't have. Sometimes I feel sorry for what I've done - especially when those things expose the ugliness in me - and sometimes I stubbornly don't. But, I am anxious to repent because I know that I won't experience true peace and joy until I do.
Turning to God means that I will turn towards God's love and obey Him, I will love others and I will love wisdom and righteousness. Even though I've believed in God's love for most of my life, I've gone through seasons where turning to God was the hardest thing I've ever done. Often I had turned away from God because I was angry at Him for not doing something I wanted Him to do, so I had stopped communicating with Him. My turn towards God would come begrudingly after I'd wallowed in hopelessness and despair for weeks. I would come to a point where I truly had no other option but to turn to Him -- I was at rock bottom emotionally.
Even though I've experienced disappointment in my life, I've come to recognize that God really does love us. But sometimes we have a hard time recognizing that love -- especially when we aren't spending much time each day talking to Him in prayer and listening to Him by reading the Bible.
If I had continued to communicate with God about my feelings, I would have been reminded of His unfailing love for me. Did you know that Jesus loves us in the same way that a mother hen loves her chicks and gathers them under her wings (Matthew 23:37)? He longs to care for us, shelter us and help us grow. The Bible says "He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge" (Psalm 91:4).
Jesus loves us so much that He died on the cross to pay for the sins that you and I have committed. This is a free gift from God but we must accept this gift from Him; He won't force us to take it. Romans 10:9 - 11 puts it simply, "if you confess with your mouth, 'Jesus is Lord,' and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. As the Scripture says, 'Anyone who trusts in him will never be put to shame.'"
Are you looking for refreshment? Do you want to find a refuge? I can say wholeheartedly that Jesus is the answer. If you haven't found Him to be the answer for your life yet, would you consider praying with me?
Dear Jesus, I believe that You are the only answer to my need for refreshment and a refuge. I repent of living my own way. I turn to You and Your love now. I believe in my heart that you died to pay the penalty for my sins and that God raised You from the dead. I confess that You are Lord. I commit to obeying You and allowing myself to be Your gathered chick. Thank you for loving me. In Jesus' name, Amen.
Friend, if you've prayed that prayer with me, either for the first time or if you've prayed a similar prayer before but realize that you need to turn back to God, then you are a new creation! The Bible says that the old has gone and the new has come (2 Corinthians 5:17).
This is truly good news so be sure to tell someone about it!
Your next step is to get a Bible and start reading it every day; the gospel of John is a great place to start. But reading the Bible isn't enough; be praying, too. Talk to God and ask Him to help you with everything in your life -- including learning how to pray. He loves you and wants to help you!
Lastly, find some other Gathered Chicks (Christians) and start hanging out with them by going to church and joining a Bible study. Ask God where He wants you to go to church and He will show you.
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Romans 15:13
Repent isn't a word we use very often in our daily life. It is a verb that means "to be disposed to change one's life for the better" (dictionary.com). When I'm honest with myself, I recognize that I've done and thought things I shouldn't have. Sometimes I feel sorry for what I've done - especially when those things expose the ugliness in me - and sometimes I stubbornly don't. But, I am anxious to repent because I know that I won't experience true peace and joy until I do.
Turning to God means that I will turn towards God's love and obey Him, I will love others and I will love wisdom and righteousness. Even though I've believed in God's love for most of my life, I've gone through seasons where turning to God was the hardest thing I've ever done. Often I had turned away from God because I was angry at Him for not doing something I wanted Him to do, so I had stopped communicating with Him. My turn towards God would come begrudingly after I'd wallowed in hopelessness and despair for weeks. I would come to a point where I truly had no other option but to turn to Him -- I was at rock bottom emotionally.
Even though I've experienced disappointment in my life, I've come to recognize that God really does love us. But sometimes we have a hard time recognizing that love -- especially when we aren't spending much time each day talking to Him in prayer and listening to Him by reading the Bible.
If I had continued to communicate with God about my feelings, I would have been reminded of His unfailing love for me. Did you know that Jesus loves us in the same way that a mother hen loves her chicks and gathers them under her wings (Matthew 23:37)? He longs to care for us, shelter us and help us grow. The Bible says "He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge" (Psalm 91:4).
Jesus loves us so much that He died on the cross to pay for the sins that you and I have committed. This is a free gift from God but we must accept this gift from Him; He won't force us to take it. Romans 10:9 - 11 puts it simply, "if you confess with your mouth, 'Jesus is Lord,' and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. As the Scripture says, 'Anyone who trusts in him will never be put to shame.'"
Are you looking for refreshment? Do you want to find a refuge? I can say wholeheartedly that Jesus is the answer. If you haven't found Him to be the answer for your life yet, would you consider praying with me?
Dear Jesus, I believe that You are the only answer to my need for refreshment and a refuge. I repent of living my own way. I turn to You and Your love now. I believe in my heart that you died to pay the penalty for my sins and that God raised You from the dead. I confess that You are Lord. I commit to obeying You and allowing myself to be Your gathered chick. Thank you for loving me. In Jesus' name, Amen.
Friend, if you've prayed that prayer with me, either for the first time or if you've prayed a similar prayer before but realize that you need to turn back to God, then you are a new creation! The Bible says that the old has gone and the new has come (2 Corinthians 5:17).
This is truly good news so be sure to tell someone about it!
Your next step is to get a Bible and start reading it every day; the gospel of John is a great place to start. But reading the Bible isn't enough; be praying, too. Talk to God and ask Him to help you with everything in your life -- including learning how to pray. He loves you and wants to help you!
Lastly, find some other Gathered Chicks (Christians) and start hanging out with them by going to church and joining a Bible study. Ask God where He wants you to go to church and He will show you.
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Romans 15:13
No comments:
Post a Comment