S) "19 Therefore repent and return, so that your sins may be wiped away, in order that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord;"
Acts 3:19 (NASB)
O) This is a very familiar sequence to me. Fighting to maintain purity and righteousness is exhausting. The 2 keys that drive the above verse, to me, are the "return" that follows the repentance, and the way it's worded to say that refreshing comes from the presence of the Lord. So first, after we've been struggling with a sin, it's important for us to re-establish our good habits. Hold ourselves accountable to people, get ourselves back to church (as so often, struggles with sin tend to keep us at home Sunday mornings), and put ourselves in position to worship God with our brothers and sisters. That bridges to the second part. True worship puts us in touch with the Lord. The Holy Spirit comes to meet us in times of worship, and that brings the refreshing that is so important to maintaining righteousness.
A) This doesn't have to be anything dramatic. Sometimes, I can feel a little detached from God's presence. It's almost like a dryness. If I'm not struggling against some big, ugly, obvious sin, it's easy to forget that other little sins can sort of pile up and go unnoticed. I need to make it a habit to search out the inconspicuous sins in my life, so that I can repent from every mistake and make my way back into the presence of the Lord and be refreshed.
P) Father, forgive me for my sins, God. I have been selfish with my time, lately. I've been arrogant and careless at work. I've taken my eyes off of the eternal and become obsessed with the temporal. Cleanse me of this unrighteousness that has accumulated on me, God. Holy Spirit, come upon me fresh, God. Be all around me. Help me walk step in step with You, so that I can follow Your lead and walk in the fruit of Your Spirit, Lord. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
A) This doesn't have to be anything dramatic. Sometimes, I can feel a little detached from God's presence. It's almost like a dryness. If I'm not struggling against some big, ugly, obvious sin, it's easy to forget that other little sins can sort of pile up and go unnoticed. I need to make it a habit to search out the inconspicuous sins in my life, so that I can repent from every mistake and make my way back into the presence of the Lord and be refreshed.
P) Father, forgive me for my sins, God. I have been selfish with my time, lately. I've been arrogant and careless at work. I've taken my eyes off of the eternal and become obsessed with the temporal. Cleanse me of this unrighteousness that has accumulated on me, God. Holy Spirit, come upon me fresh, God. Be all around me. Help me walk step in step with You, so that I can follow Your lead and walk in the fruit of Your Spirit, Lord. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
No comments:
Post a Comment