A FRESH START (part two)
Last week I talked about how we may need a fresh start for various reasons-relationship problems, job loss, trouble with the law, etc. So, we change locations, find a new job, start getting connected with new people, etc. Obviously the best fresh start we can make is becoming born again.
But making a fresh start isn't so easy. We see that we need one, but we have a hard time making a clean break from the people, places or things we need to. I also talked about how a fresh start can feel rotten at first. Going through the pruning process or having something cut off hurts, but it's necessary if we are going to blossom and grow.
Things like discipline hurt at first but if we learn from it the bible says it produces a harvest of righteousness. A fresh start often starts out slow; it might take some time before we start seeing the rewards of our efforts. But the fruit will come if we stay the course.
Sometimes, we may not need a total fresh start, we may just need a restart. We like the idea of being refreshed. Refreshment feels good; it's invigorating. Quote: "a great sermon helps people in two ways: some rise up highly motivated while others wake up highly refreshed. Hopefully my sermon today will be refreshing but not quite in that way.
1) A fresh restart.
We may have had a fresh start but somewhere along the way we became weary and tired. We may have gotten off track; we may have lost our spiritual sizzle. We can get bogged down spiritually; maybe even have become dissatisfied with how our lives are going. We're in need of a jumpstart. We need to be ready to shake off the cobwebs and get moving again.
And God is ready to refresh us. Jer. 31:25, "I will refresh the weary and satisfy the faint.” What do we do when we need to be physically refreshed? If we're hungry we eat. If we're dehydrated we drink some water. If we're tired we lay down and get some rest. But what about when we're spiritually tired? How do we get refreshed then? Pretty much the same remedy.
Maybe we haven't been taking in enough spiritual food. Are we run-down because we've gotten away from the word? If we're spiritually dehydrated we need to drink in some of that living water.
John 7:37-38, "On the last and greatest day of the Feast, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him.”
If you read on you'll see that he was talking about the Holy Spirit. If we are in Christ streams of fresh, living, spiritual water will flow from us. We drink Christ in, we get filled up and satisfied and then we let it flow from us. If nothing is flowing from you lately then it's a good indicator your tank is low.
Maybe the streams of living water aren't flowing through us as much as they used to because we haven't filled ourselves up with the things of Christ lately. Have you taken in things that fit into the category of spiritually healthy? Have you stayed connected to his people? Have you listened to spiritual music? Have you watched spiritual programming or videos?
What about being spiritually tired? Have you been doing too much? Have you taken on too many roles? Has your busyness caused you to move away from your quiet time? How is your prayer life? God said he will refresh you; he will satisfy you. Are we looking to him to do that or are we relying on something else?
If you need some fresh air you have to open the windows. When we go away on summer vacation we usually close all the windows and curtains and such. After we come back we walk into a house filled with hot, heavy, stale air. So what do we do? We push back the curtains and open the windows, letting all the light and fresh air in. Soon the whole house feels and smells better.
It's the same with us. After a period of inactivity we get stagnant and stale. We need to open the curtains and windows to our souls and take in the light and fresh air of the Holy Spirit. And when you open your windows you don't need to go outside and force the fresh air in; it will come right in as if it's been waiting to enter.
The Holy Spirit is waiting to come right in and start freshening us up. But we need to open the window. We may need to plug in a fan or two to help circulate the air. But, we do what we need to do to get that freshness to permeate the whole house so we can feel much better.
One of the things that may need to be refreshed is our memory. In his 2nd letter, Peter reminded his recipients of some things. Listen to the things Peter mentions here and see if they will help us to be refreshed. [Congregational participation-refreshing part].
2nd Pet. 1:3-13, "His divine power [refreshing] has given us everything we need for life and godliness [refreshing] through our knowledge of him [refreshing] who called us by his own glory and goodness [refreshing]. Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises [refreshing], so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires [refreshing].
For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness [refreshing]; and to goodness, knowledge [refreshing]; and to knowledge, self-control [refreshing]; and to self-control, perseverance [refreshing]; and to perseverance, godliness [refreshing]; and to godliness, brotherly kindness [refreshing]; and to brotherly kindness, love [refreshing].
For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive [stagnant and stale] in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But if anyone does not have them, he is nearsighted and blind, and has forgotten that he has been cleansed from his past sins [lost sight of our precious freedom].
Therefore, my brothers, be all the more eager to make your calling and election sure. For if you do these things, you will never fall, and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. So I will always remind you of these things, even though you know them and are firmly established in the truth you now have. I think it is right to refresh your memory as long as I live in the tent of this body."
Peter had no problem reminding them of these things because they are important to keep fresh. He basically said that as long as he was still around he was going to remind and refresh their memories. If we need some spiritual refreshing it may be because we've lost our focus on the things Peter mentions here.
If we are weak and weary we may be lacking in the productivity department. It could be because we're just drained and need a recharge. But it might be due to a loss of interest or motivation. Maybe we've lost sight of what it's all about. Maybe our attention to goodness, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, brotherly kindness and love has not been there like it needs to be.
Maybe we've lost sight of the reality of the magnitude of what we've been given-spiritual life and the gift of the Holy Spirit. We're not spiritually fresh; we're stale. Peter said as long as we focus on cultivating and increasing in the things he mentioned we will keep ourselves free from ineffectiveness. We need to be reminded of what's most important; lest we get bogged down by lesser things. There are times when we'll need to have our minds refreshed. Maybe it's time to make a fresh restart.
2) A fresh restart includes refreshing others.
Prov. 11:25, "A generous man will prosper; he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed." Being generous does not just mean monetarily. Yes, my generosity can refresh those who are poor and destitute, and that's a good and necessary thing. But there are other ways too.
If I'm generous with my time, I can refresh people's spirit. If I'm generous with my abilities and spiritual gifts I will refresh people. Sometimes we're weighed down by our to do lists and we need help. Sometimes we are stressed because there are things that need to get done that we're not really equipped to do.
When we have someone we can call on to help lift that burden and alleviate the stress by completing the work we cannot do that is refreshing in more ways than one. I know I've experienced that here at the church with various people doing certain projects and it's very refreshing.
If I notice you might be in need of some spiritual refreshment I need to go to you and ask what I can do? Maybe someone needs some encouragement. Perhaps someone just needs to know that you care about their well being. God uses us to refresh others as we have been refreshed by God and others.
And when I am able to help refresh you in some way I myself am refreshed by knowing I was able to be a blessing to you and by knowing it pleases God when I use what he has given me to help refresh others. We need to pay it forward.
There was a man who was lost and wandering in the hot desert, dying of thirst. He came upon a rundown shack. There wasn’t much to it but at least it would provide a bit of shade and respite for him. So he stumbled in and found the shade provided needed relief. He was looking around when he noticed a rickety, rusty old pump. His eyes brightened as he thought, "hmmm, I wonder."
He staggered over to the pump and grabbed hold of the handle. He began to work it up and down but nothing came out. Discouraged, he fell back to the ground. When he did, his hand hit something. He looked and saw it was an old jug. It was covered with dirt and filth. When he picked it up it felt like there was something in it. He figured it was probably sand or something.
He began to wipe off what appeared to be a label or a note. As he brushed away the dirt he began to make it out. It said: "You have to prime the pump with all the water in the jug. P.S. Be sure to fill the jug again before you leave." Wow!" he thought, "this is great!"
Suddenly he was faced with a big decision. Here’s a jug of water. It was old and warm but at least if he drank it would keep him going for a little while. But, if the note was true, he would have access to fresh, flowing, cool water; as much as he could possibly want.
He pondered that decision for a few moments. Could he really trust that set of instructions; I mean, there's no telling how old this is. He decided to go for it. He popped the cork. Sure enough, it was almost full of water. He walked over to the pump. He stood there for a moment, sighed deeply and said, "ok, here we go", as he poured it all into the pump.
He then grabbed hold of the handle, prayed, and then began to work the pump again. Squeak, squeak, squeak. Nothing came out. "Oh, no", he thought. He tried again-squeak, squeak, squeak. Suddenly, a trickle of water appeared."Ok, now we're getting somewhere." Squeak, squeak, squeak. The trickle grew into a larger stream of water. Squeak, squeak, squeak. Suddenly, it was gushing all the cool, wonderful water he could possibly want.
He filled the jug and drank it. He filled it and drank it again. He was marvelously refreshed. Then he remembered the note. He realized he was left with another dilemma-he was tempted to fill the jug again and take it with him so he could continue to be refreshed on his journey. But he thought, "what if the last guy had done that?" He filled the jug again, put the cork back in place, and added his own little note to it: "Believe me, it really works. You have to pour it all in to get it all back."
What about us? Have you been refreshed by someone? Have you been refreshed by the Lord? Are you focused only on being refreshed or are you focused on refreshing others too? Sometimes we are refreshed when we know people are refreshing others. Paul spoke this way of his friend, Philemon.
Phm. 1:7, "Your love has given me great joy and encouragement, because you, brother, have refreshed the hearts of the saints." I like Paul's spirit here. As Paul became aware of all the people Philemon had helped and refreshed he was refreshed. That is so selfless. Perhaps Paul included himself here among the saints but he could very well have simply meant other people.
He had joy and encouragement from the expressions of Philemon's love towards others. What about us? Does it refresh us to see others being refreshed or only when it's about us?
Paul cites Philemon's love-'your love has...' We see here that a willingness to refresh stems from love. We love God and so we love others. Love motivates us to be a blessing by refreshing the lives of our brothers and sisters in Christ. After Paul's statement in verse 7 he goes on to make an appeal for Philemon's runaway slave, Onesimus.
Paul speaks of his conversion and that he is now a brother in Christ so Paul wants Philemon to forgive him and welcome him back. Paul appeals to Philemon's love, willingness and ability to refresh the hearts of the saints to refresh his own heart in being willing to do this. Vs. 20, "I do wish, brother, that I may have some benefit from you in the Lord; refresh my heart in Christ."
Again, Paul's refreshment was to come through others being refreshed. If Philemon were to forgive Onesimus, Paul would be refreshed. Sometimes our refreshment happens when we see the Holy Spirit work in the lives of others.
And we see that we can refresh others by forgiving them; especially when it's between fellow Christians. When I decide to discontinue the tension; when I decide to make amends and restore a strained relationship, the bitterness and resentment melts and is replaced by refreshed spirits. Refreshed by refreshing others.
There are many different ways we can be refreshed and how we can refresh others. We may be in need of a fresh start. Someone we know may be in need of a fresh start. How can we help them? By befriending them? By encouraging them? By assisting them in some way? By forgiving them? How does a refreshment sound to you? Maybe it's time for a fresh start.
