Freshness

ARE YOU FRESH FOR EVERYTHING?
"Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." John 3:3

Sometimes we are fresh and eager to attend a prayer meeting do we feel that same freshness for such mundane tasks as polishing shoes?

Being born again by the Spirit is an unmistakable work of God, as mysterious as the wind, as surprising as God Himself. We don't know where it begins--it is hidden away in the depths of our soul. Being born again from above is an enduring, perpetual, and eternal beginning. It provides a freshness all the time in thinking, talking, and living--a continual surprise of the life of God. Staleness is an indication that something in our lives is out of step with God. We say to ourselves, "I must do this thing or it will never get done." That is the first sign of staleness. Do we feel fresh this very moment or are we stale, frantically searching our minds for something to do? Freshness is not the result of obedience; it comes from the Holy Spirit. Obedience keeps us "in the light as He is in the light..." (1 John 1:7).

Jealously guard your relationship to God. Jesus prayed "that they may be one, just as We are one" - with nothing in between (John 17:22). Keep your whole life continually open to Jesus Christ. Don't pretend to be open with Him. Are you drawing your life from any other source than God Himself? If you are depending on something else as your source of freshness and strength, you will not realize when is power is gone.

Being born of the Spirit means much more than we usually think. It gives us a new vision and keeps us absolutely fresh for everything through the never-ending supply of the life of God.

I liked this reading from My Utmost for His Highest. (There is lots of good stuff in it, I highly recommend it. Don't feel like you have to start it at the beginning of the year. This is a daily devotional you can start on any day.) I love having my morning Quiet Time. It is this time spent with God that gives me freshness. Journalling has really helped with this because I am paying more attention to the messages God wants me to hear in my reading so that I have something to journal about it. Before there were days when I couldn't even have told you what I just read. But now, I really think about it and absorb it and learn from it and carry it with me all day.

I am just amazed at the transformation God has done in me over the years. Five years ago I had no quiet time at all. I did do some bible reading and study, but it did not involve getting up early to spend time with God. I was just fitting into my day whenever I could. And it certainly wasn't consistent. My consistent quiet time started when I began reading Streams in the Desert (another good daily devotional you can start at any time, particularly good if you are going through a period of suffering). That daily reading gave me consistency and the length of my quiet time has grown since then. I used to get up and get entirely ready for the day before I had my quiet time, but in May I started having my quiet time first. I really noticed a difference doing that. Before I was anxious and my thoughts were filled with everything about my day while I was getting ready. Now, I get up and have my quiet time first and I am much happier and have a better outlook on the day. It gives me a freshness for the day and I love it!

Do you have a quiet time?

P.S. If you buy either of these devotionals, I recommend getting the updated version edited by James Reimann. I tried reading the traditional version of My Utmost and had a very hard time understanding it. It was first published in 1927 in England so the language was very difficult for me.

P.P.S. I don't know how the polishing shoes comment at the beginning of this devotional fits in with the rest, but I found it humorous because the past few weeks, when I have put on my black shoes I have thought to myself that I really needed to polish them. Of course, I don't have time in the morning and forget by the end of the day. So, it is like God was reminding me this morning that I needed to polish my shoes.