Word of the Week - Refresh

“A generous person will prosper; whoever refreshes others will be refreshed.” Proverbs 11:25

Our Need to be Refreshed – The universal law of entropy is active in our world and lives each day.  Entropy is defined as: a measure of the degree of disorder in a substance or a system;  entropy always increases as available energy diminishes in a closed system; a process of degeneration marked variously by increasing degrees of uncertainty, disorder, fragmentation, chaos, etc,; a doctrine of inevitable social decline and degeneration;  Based on what has transpired in our world and country over the past 5 months, I think we would all agree that the law of entropy is alive and well, and at work in a big way creating disorder in all aspects of life.  Entropy is not only at work in our society, it is also at work inside us and impacts our family, personal relationships and everything we do, especially during particular seasons of life.  I think we can all relate to the fact that summer can accelerate entropy as we are out of our rhythms and routines and have a tendency to gravitate to less structure and order, which has been exacerbated by COVID-19.  So how do we work to oppose this negative force that leads to apathy and be refreshed by God so we can live to the full?  I believe the best way to overcome the forces of entropy is to seek the power of God by connecting with Him through His spirit.  He is a God of Refreshing, Rebirth, Renewal, Redemption, Regeneration, Re-vision, Rejoicing….Re-everything.  He designed this world such that we would be dependent on Him and need Him to overcome the reality of this world and be Refreshed in Him.Refresh your Mind:  I think if we are honest, we would admit that our thoughts are influenced by our culture and what is going on in the world around us, and over time it impacts our perspective and distorts how we see things.  We are all susceptible to allowing our minds to think and believe things that are not true and not aligned with God’s word and plan for us.  God is very clear when He tells us “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.  Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is – His good, pleasing and perfect will”.  Romans 12:2  So the antidote to stinking thinking is to reject the ways “patterns” of this world and adhere to God’s ways, which are clearly outlined in God’s Word.  God’s promise is that if we turn from the patterns of the world and follow His ways then our minds will be transformed and renewed and our thinking will become aligned with Christ.  Everything starts in our head with our thoughts allow our minds to be renewed in Christ.  When we allow God to renew our minds by pursuing His ways, He give us life, peace and hope as we gain spiritual clarity and live with more purpose and God breathed vision.  This allows us to better align with the will of God.  There is no better place to begin than renewing our minds in Christ.Refresh your Strength:  Similar to entropy, there is another force at work in this world in that all things are aging and decaying including our bodies. “Do not lose heart, though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day”. 2 Corinthians 4:16  The forces of life take a toll on us physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually and if we are not careful we can grow tired and weary as life goes on, especially when we are enduring times of hardship and strain.  Life has a way of simply wearing us out.  When we get tired and weak we become vulnerable.  “Do you not know?  Have you not heard?  The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth.  He will not grow tired or weary, and His understanding no one can fathom.  He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.  Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength.  They will soar on the wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, and they will walk and not be faint.” Isaiah 40: 28-31 God makes it very clear in this verse that He desires to renew our strength so we can soar and never run out of energy.  But God is the only source of this strength and we must pursue Him daily to tap into this amazing strength that only comes from the Lord, “The Joy of the Lord is our strength” Nehemiah 8:10Refresh your Soul: Our soul is the wellspring of life and emotions and I would say it is synonymous with our heart, which is the core of our being.  This is where we find the deepest joy and most painful sorrows.  This is where we dream dreams and find excitement about life and our deep longing for connection and purpose on earth.  We are all born with a deep sense of longing for something more, the hole of the soul, a desire to connect with something that is larger than life and eternal.  God’s Word reveals that He is the only thing that can fill this desire and make us complete through Christ.  In Psalm 23, King David articulates this beautifully “The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.  He makes me lie down in green pastures, He leads me beside quiet waters, He refreshes my soul.”  God makes it clear that He is the source that refreshes our soul and gives us all that we need to be secure in Christ if we simply allow Him to be our good Shepherd.  The key to having a full heart is to give it fully to God and allow Him to be our Shepherd.  It is at this place that we find amazing grace and are able to drink of the living water that never runs dry.  This is where our cup runs over and we are living the abundant life that is made available through the Cross. This is a place where we are so full of the living water of God’s spirit that we cannot contain it within ourselves and we are compelled to share it with others and in doing so we are filled with even more.  The reproducing life of Christ.  This is the life that is truly life and I pray that we will all live in this place.I pray that as we move into this fall season that we are refreshed in mind, body and soul so that we are filled to overflowing, allowing us to spill over and bless all those around us in the name of Jesus.Have a great week.-Duane