Seasons of Refreshing

Photo by atmtx

Pool Time

Some of the fondest memories I have growing up happened in my parent's backyard. You see, around age eight, my parents were able to move up in house, and one of the awesome benefits that we as kids received was a pool in the backyard! We were the envy of some of our neighbors and friends. Not that we made a big fuss over the pool, but we had a blast inviting our friends over to go swimming with us.

There was nothing better on a hot, humid, summer day then to put on the old swimming trunks, fly out the back door, and run off our wood, reddish-stained deck into the pool. The water was cool, blue, clean, and refreshing. What made it even more refreshing was the fact that my parent's house is not air-conditioned (even to this day in 2012 - crazy!). I enjoyed doing cannonballs into the deep end, doing laps, and holding my breath under the cold water for as long as I could. By the time I finished my swimming session, my body temperature was lower, my thinking was clearer, and my body was refreshed.

Repentance Brings Refreshment

In Acts 3:19-20, we read the following:

Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord, and that he may send the Messiah, who has been appointed for you—even Jesus.

When Peter preached this message to the people in Jerusalem, he was speaking to those that didn't know Jesus. He was telling them that if they would repent of their sin and turn to God, that their sin debt would be completely wiped out. As a result of repentance and forgiveness, God would give refreshment to these new believers. The feeling would maybe kind of like jumping into a cold pool on a hot, humid, August day.

I not only think this is an important word for new believers, but even for those of us who have walked with Jesus for a while now. Sometimes in our spiritual walk, we can get lazy and sloppy. We allow a little sin here and a little sin there to creep into our lives and don't deal with that sin. Pretty soon, we have full blown sin habits and seeds of rebellion that have taken root in our lives. Over time, they start to become a pretty big problem. Our personal worship of Almighty God has been hindered. The sin growing in our lives is preventing intimacy with the Father.

Keep Short Accounts

There is a better way, though. Each day in our personal worship, we should be taking time to confess the sin that we are struggling with. We all need to do a better job of keeping short accounts with God. Not only should we confess that sin, but also we need to do a 180 degree turn away from that sin. We need to completely forsake it and run back to the Lord.

We should also strive to keep short sin accounts with our spouses, children, and friends. When we wrong those closest to us, we should be quick to ask for forgiveness. Plus, we should be especially quick to forgive those closest to us that have wronged us.

The results of this repentence and forsaking of sin are incredible! A season of refreshing will come on your life that is WAY better than jumping in a cold pool on a hot, summer day! An intimate, loving relationship with God will be re-established. Intimacy will be re-established with those closest to us.

The only way we can truly worship God Almighty is with clean hands and a pure heart. As you start this day, confess and forsake your sin to God and to others. Allow this day to begin with refreshment and not turmoil.

Also, check out these related posts:

• Aiming To Please God
• Useful to the Master
• Pay Attention To Your Walk
• Behaving Like a Child of God
• Taking Pleasure In Problems