….those who refresh others will themselves be refreshed. Proverbs 11:25
I recently had afternoon tea with a lovely elderly lady who is ‘long and strong’ in the Lord. She had previously shared with me her struggles with the weaknesses of aging; lack of sharp memory, deafness and a growing fear of venturing out of her home or inviting others in. Later in our conversation she shared how she spends considerable time reading her Bible and praying each day and yet she feels very ‘dry’.
There are good reasons for her difficulties but as I pondered on that today I thought that it is very possible and easy for us to get into that spiritually dry position ourselves. I remembered again the illustration of the Dead Sea in Israel; a sea which is so full of salt that it cannot be used for irrigation. What is the reason for this strange phenomenon? The Jordan River constantly flows into the Dead Sea, a salt water lake 8 times saltier than the ocean, but there it stays. It doesn’t have any outflow – nowhere for the water to go. It evaporates and also leaches into the soil (I suppose), and the minerals just build up in the remaining water.
I think this may be one reason for my friend’s dryness. She is taking in fresh ‘water’ by spending time in the word of God but by closing herself off from the world around her she is stemming the flow of God’s Spirit through her to others. We are made for relationship and the blessing comes from being a blessing to others. Jesus said, that in giving we shall receive (Luke 6:38). We have to receive from God and allow his Spirit to move in our lives in order to have something worthwhile to offer to others, but in order to keep the supply coming in we have to use what we’ve been given.
If you have been feeling drying lately perhaps you need to see if you have been releasing the flow of God out of you to refresh others. The world around us is hungry for love, acceptance, friendship, peace and joy, all the things God freely gives to us as we spend time with him. Remember he also said, “Freely you have received, freely give.” Matthew 10:8.
Prayer: Father God, thank you for the flow of your Spirit freely given to me to enrich my life. Help me to use it, not just for myself, but also to be a refreshing blessing to others. Amen
I recently had afternoon tea with a lovely elderly lady who is ‘long and strong’ in the Lord. She had previously shared with me her struggles with the weaknesses of aging; lack of sharp memory, deafness and a growing fear of venturing out of her home or inviting others in. Later in our conversation she shared how she spends considerable time reading her Bible and praying each day and yet she feels very ‘dry’.
There are good reasons for her difficulties but as I pondered on that today I thought that it is very possible and easy for us to get into that spiritually dry position ourselves. I remembered again the illustration of the Dead Sea in Israel; a sea which is so full of salt that it cannot be used for irrigation. What is the reason for this strange phenomenon? The Jordan River constantly flows into the Dead Sea, a salt water lake 8 times saltier than the ocean, but there it stays. It doesn’t have any outflow – nowhere for the water to go. It evaporates and also leaches into the soil (I suppose), and the minerals just build up in the remaining water.
I think this may be one reason for my friend’s dryness. She is taking in fresh ‘water’ by spending time in the word of God but by closing herself off from the world around her she is stemming the flow of God’s Spirit through her to others. We are made for relationship and the blessing comes from being a blessing to others. Jesus said, that in giving we shall receive (Luke 6:38). We have to receive from God and allow his Spirit to move in our lives in order to have something worthwhile to offer to others, but in order to keep the supply coming in we have to use what we’ve been given.
If you have been feeling drying lately perhaps you need to see if you have been releasing the flow of God out of you to refresh others. The world around us is hungry for love, acceptance, friendship, peace and joy, all the things God freely gives to us as we spend time with him. Remember he also said, “Freely you have received, freely give.” Matthew 10:8.
Prayer: Father God, thank you for the flow of your Spirit freely given to me to enrich my life. Help me to use it, not just for myself, but also to be a refreshing blessing to others. Amen
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