When our family lived in Germany, recycling ruled society. In the early 1980’s, this nation took the lead and established itself on the cutting edge of the global recycling movement. Successfully, they trained an entire nation in the nuances of recycling. Red bins for this, yellow bins for that, and green bins for the other. In schools, in malls, in villages, on autobahns, on ski slopes, on hiking trails, recycling controlled the environment.
As domestic-in-chief, I bought in. Our household cooperated, and we learned to march to the recycling beat.
But not all recycling is profitable. Follow me here.
“But not all recycling is profitable.”
Spiritually speaking, when a disproportionate portion of our spiritual diet comes to us recycled through another, we marginalize our growth. Seminars, devotional books, and online courses meet a valid need in our spiritual formation. But genuine life transformation occurs in our ongoing one-on-one times alone with Jesus. Here we find relational intimacy and life-giving Words.
Granted, the recycling approach for spiritual nutrition is tempting since it serves up fast and convenient. But our souls are starving for fresh, for the set apart time when we sit still and listen firsthand to God and learn firsthand from God. (Psalm 46:10)
Aspects of Fresh
· Fresh requires time and planning: a time, a plan, a place, be it a desk, a table, a coffee shop, or a library.
· Fresh brings real life, a Bible, a hot cup of coffee, and a warm muffin.
· Fresh keeps showing up.
· Fresh expects Jesus to be there.
· And He always is.
Fresh from The Word, we read in Psalm 1: 1-3:
How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked,
Nor stand in the path of sinners,
Nor sit in the seat of scoffers,
But his delight is in the law of the LORD, And in His law he meditates day and night.
He will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water,
Which yields its fruit in its season
And its leaf does not wither;
And in whatever he does, he prospers.
Living with eternal Intentionality®
“And this is eternal life, that they may know You the only true God, and Jesus Christ
whom You have sent” (John 17:3).
What is your best suggestion for keeping your relationship with God fresh?
Why do you think fresh is such a desirable quality in one’s time alone with Jesus?
“Eternity is in your heart because God wanted you to live with that perspective. Step into His Story in every area of your life and live as though everything has meaning. Because it does.” - Chris Tiegreen
