Refreshment
"Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord, and that he may send the Christ, who has been appointed for you -- even Jesus. He must remain in heaven until the time comes for God to restore everything, as he promised long ago through his holy prophets." Acts 3:19-21
With the dust so thick and the temperature so high, I was beginning to doubt that we would make it out of that barn alive. However, after hours of loading wagons and stacking hay bales, the field was cleared. The dust covered us from head to toe. Our arms stung from all the scratches earned by heaving the bales high onto the wagon and into the upper recesses of the barn rafters. We made our way out of the barn as the dust descended upon us like a light snow. The relief of the fresh air was quickly overcome by the scorching sun beating down upon us. There was only one thing on our minds. Water. To say we were sweaty and thirsty would be a huge understatement made only by those who have never stacked hay bales in 95 degree heat. We threw off our gloves, bandannas and shirts as we arrived at the water. We pulled back on the pump handle and were greeted by liquid heaven. One at a time we rinsed off the dirt, grime and sweat. It was the best water that I have ever had. Pure, incomparable refreshment.
Peter, whose words are recorded in our verses for the day, certainly knew something of refreshment. As a fisherman, he undoubtedly had to deal with long hot days out on the water and enjoyed, beyond description, end of the day plunges into the lake. However, here he speaks of a different kind of refreshment, one much deeper ... soul refreshment. The crushing weight of guilt and shame is unrivaled. The mixture of regret, deep seated wounds, brutal consequences and self loathing that accompany sin is one we simply cannot bear. It's into this mess that Peter tells the crowd that God can wipe that all away. He will refresh your soul. Repent/change course and turn to God and your sins will be wiped out and refreshment will flood your soul.
Some of us, as we read this today, are parched beyond description. We are dying from the inside out. The journey away from God has taken its toll on us in ways that we can't even understand much less verbalize. Jesus told one such brokenhearted person that if she were to drink from the water that he would provide, she would never thirst again. That's what I call refreshment. Perhaps it's your time to turn to the one who offers living water...
Grace and Peace,
Tom
With the dust so thick and the temperature so high, I was beginning to doubt that we would make it out of that barn alive. However, after hours of loading wagons and stacking hay bales, the field was cleared. The dust covered us from head to toe. Our arms stung from all the scratches earned by heaving the bales high onto the wagon and into the upper recesses of the barn rafters. We made our way out of the barn as the dust descended upon us like a light snow. The relief of the fresh air was quickly overcome by the scorching sun beating down upon us. There was only one thing on our minds. Water. To say we were sweaty and thirsty would be a huge understatement made only by those who have never stacked hay bales in 95 degree heat. We threw off our gloves, bandannas and shirts as we arrived at the water. We pulled back on the pump handle and were greeted by liquid heaven. One at a time we rinsed off the dirt, grime and sweat. It was the best water that I have ever had. Pure, incomparable refreshment.
Peter, whose words are recorded in our verses for the day, certainly knew something of refreshment. As a fisherman, he undoubtedly had to deal with long hot days out on the water and enjoyed, beyond description, end of the day plunges into the lake. However, here he speaks of a different kind of refreshment, one much deeper ... soul refreshment. The crushing weight of guilt and shame is unrivaled. The mixture of regret, deep seated wounds, brutal consequences and self loathing that accompany sin is one we simply cannot bear. It's into this mess that Peter tells the crowd that God can wipe that all away. He will refresh your soul. Repent/change course and turn to God and your sins will be wiped out and refreshment will flood your soul.
Some of us, as we read this today, are parched beyond description. We are dying from the inside out. The journey away from God has taken its toll on us in ways that we can't even understand much less verbalize. Jesus told one such brokenhearted person that if she were to drink from the water that he would provide, she would never thirst again. That's what I call refreshment. Perhaps it's your time to turn to the one who offers living water...
Grace and Peace,
Tom
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