August 19, 2020
Saturday, August 22, 2020 at 10:13AM August 19
Running with Jesus
Acts 3:19 Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord.
We all love refreshing! We travel to beaches, Sonic, buy tons of makeup, take long baths and pay for massages! We are a people who love refreshing. As Christians, we should long for refreshing and renewal. We get bogged down with the same old ways of worship and do the same things day after day. As I looked "intentionally" at this verse I first passed up where refreshment comes from, "the Lord"! We are all longing for refreshment and we have to learn to live in God's presence! So how do we get into God's presence? In John 14:23 Jesus replied, "Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them." Jesus himself gives us the conditional promise of how we get into God's presence by obedience to His Word and His teachings. We must learn to obey His commands. This truth has never changed from the days of old. He told His children, Israel, to choose blessings or curses. They were to obey His commands. We will never have refreshing times without obedience, because obedience is the requirement for refreshing.
So let's chew on this piece of meat this morning! What one command can we start with He is telling us to do? Let's let the Holy Spirit search our hearts and reveal what area is hindering His presence in our lives which is not allowing us to have the refreshing we so long for.
Oh Father, create a clean heart in us oh Lord, search us and reveal what You want us to do and empower us to obey because we want and long for Your presence and the refreshing of Your Spirit in our life.
Let's sit quietly this morning! Spend some time confessing and refreshing! Whew! I almost missed that phrase, "the presence of the Lord"! Oh the little things in His Word are big things! Enjoy His presence!
Let us run in the morning with unlearned and uneducated men! Meet them here tomorrow!
Judy Hollaway
Originally penned 2015
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