Two weeks ago, my
husband and I returned from a missionary training course at CAMP BIMI in
Chattanooga, Tennessee. If I could
describe that week-long camp in one word, it would be “refreshing”. What a blessing it was to our hearts! I had attended the camp before, when I was in
high school, but there was something about being able to leave the day-to-day world
behind, that was so much more meaningful to me now than it was back then! I didn’t have to cook meals! I didn’t change
any diapers or prepare any bottles! I didn’t have to fight to “squeeze in” a
devotional time! I didn’t have the
distractions of television or the internet! I think EVERY ONE of us needs some
life moments like those!
In Psalm 51:10+12,
David cries out, “Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit
within me . . . Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation . . .” When was the
last time you closed out the “day-to day”, and just spent some time alone with
God? When was the last time you played an inspirational CD, just for the sake
of refreshing your spirit and reminding you that GOD IS GOOD? During our week
at camp, I began reading through the book of Hosea. Hosea 2:15 says, “. . . and
she shall sing there, as in the days of her youth . . .” Are there certain hymns or praise choruses
that take you back to a specific camp meeting or Bible college dorm house?
Jesus wants to RENEW YOUR JOY and to bring that musical rejoicing back to your
heart! Hosea 6:3 declares, “. . . he shall come unto us as the rain . . .” Just
as the rain refreshes and waters dry ground, the Lord Jesus desires to REFRESH
OUR SPIRITS. Will you allow Him to?
Do you know what one of the most refreshing
elements of CAMP BIMI was, this year? The TESTIMONIES of the other campers! Our
electricity went out for several hours, during a storm, this past week, and as
I used one candle to light another candle and another, I was reminded of those
testimonies. Proverbs 27:17 says, “Iron
sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend.” Just like
being lit by someone else’s candle or being sharpened by their piece of iron, it
is a BLESSING to hear how God is working in other people’s lives, and to know
that He can do the same for YOU! If you cannot physically “get away” and listen
to the stories of others, then I encourage you to READ them in biographies and
autobiographies! Take note of the life examples that preachers use in their
sermons! And let your spirit be lifted by the knowledge that our God is “the
same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.” (Hebrews 13:8)
Are you feeling
dry and parched in your spirit? Are you caught up in the whirlwind of dishes,
and laundry, and meal preparation? I have to admit that, since returning from
camp, I have been overwhelmed on several occasions. I need this reminder just as much as you do!
In II Corinthians 4:16, Paul tells us that we don’t have to live a “parched”
life. “For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the
inward man is renewed day by day.” I
thank the Lord that He is in the business of REFRESHING AND RENEWING, if we
will but allow Him to work in our lives!
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