God’s Refreshment

God’s refreshment is required because without it we risk living a dull and sad life. Like bread gone stale our heart can become crusty and hard. God’s refreshment softens our heart and shaves away the rough edges. He understands the need to break from work and responsibilities. He created times of refreshment for refinement and rest.

We think too much of our capabilities when we have no time for Him. We work hard and play hard, but where is God in the equation? His desire is to be at the core of our concentric circles of marriage, children, work, ministry and leisure. When we place Christ in the center of our priorities, He then influences us from the inside out.

He moves from being another life compartment to permeating through all aspects of your life. It is not just a Sunday routine that brings refreshment—though the Lord’s Day is crucial for corporate worship, prayer and teaching from Holy Scripture. It is taking time to pause daily and receive refreshment from the Word of God and the Bread of Life.

“The law of the LORD is perfect, refreshing the soul. The statutes of the LORD are trustworthy, making wise the simple” (Psalm 19:7).

Jesus is there to refresh. You cannot bear your current burden alone, but He can. You cannot fix the other person, but He can. You cannot save the world, but He can. The refreshing love of Christ energizes and rejuvenates. Take the time and observe Him in His creation. The chirping of the birds, the crashing of the waves, the changing of the leaves, and the transformation of lives are all soul refreshers. Jesus satisfies.

“Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty” (John 6:35).

People are also an important part of the refreshment process. Let people love on you. Receive their kind words like drops of cool water on a parched tongue. For example, learn to enjoy the presence of your children. Their honesty, purity, energy and naivety are all meant to refresh, not frustrate. Don’t wish them away for they will fly from the nest soon enough. Enjoy every moment with them. Let them refresh you, not upset you.

We can enjoy the refreshment of others when we first learn to accept it from those who love us the most. You become a more effective giver as you grow in the grace of receiving. You are then able to refresh others as you are refreshed by God and people. And as a bonus, your refreshment of others even refreshes you! “A generous person will prosper; whoever refreshes others will be refreshed” (Proverbs 11:24).

Do I allow the Lord to regularly refresh me, so in turn I can refresh others in Christ?

Related Readings: Psalm 23:3; 68:9; 1 Corinthians 16:18; Philemon 1:7, 20

Boyd Bailey is the author of Wisdom Hunters daily devotional and two devotional books, Infusion and Seeking Daily the Heart of God