Renewed

1/20/2020

John 3:3

“Being born again from above is a perennial, perpetual and eternal beginning; a freshness all the time in thinking and in talking and in living, the continual surprise of the life of God.” Oswald Chambers

Most of my Christian life was lived in two dimensions, flat and often lifeless. I was involved in ministry and doing a lot, but much of that “work” for God was done under my own steam. I busied myself for Him, but I was rarely still enough to listen and truly connect with the Holy Spirit. My thinking, talking, and living seemed to honor God outwardly, but I was stale in my walk. The fire I had in the beginning grew dim, and I never even really noticed, until…

It took the weight of a storm to uncover how dried up my walk actually was. I needed to hear God and feel His presence in my life, but I had forgotten that my relationship with Him was a two way street. I had become complacent in my walk, my fire for Him had become but an ember, and – like the frog in the slow boiling pot – I didn’t even notice. How could this be when I had been going to church and involved in ministry all of my adult life? I had become stale in my walk, or as one minister put it “puke in a pew”, lukewarm and useless. I know that is not a lovely image, but it was strong enough that it stuck with me.

I needed to repent of my self-sufficiency and pride, and release to Him all I had been holding onto so tightly. I needed to get out of the way and trust fully in Him to restore my body, mind, and soul. Truth be told, at that time, I was hanging on to Him with all I had.

I started to prioritize my relationship with God and sought to be in His presence daily with study, prayer, and worship. My desire for connection with Him grew and grew and a freshness entered my soul. He had always been there, of course, and was waiting for me to be still, and I finally was.

Now my faith walk is three dimensional; full of depth, color, and sound. I thirst for the Holy Spirit to be present and apparent in my life. I am now, and will always be, a work in progress.