Lifting the Load
Acts 3:19 Repent therefore, and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out, that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord.
We all carry burdens around in our lives. For some they’re heavy burdens indeed. For others, not so heavy, but even those tend to slow you down; they have this effect of taking the spring out of your step.
And the longer we carry a burden, the heavier it becomes. There’s an old hymn that starts with the lyrics: Would you be free from your burden of sin?
Perhaps you haven’t considered your sin – your foibles, your flaws, your failures – to belong under the label of “burden” but that’s exactly where they belong. They’re like lead in your saddlebags and they do indeed become heavier as more lead accumulates and as we carry that ever-increasing burden around longer and longer.
So, what’s the answer? When you’re weary the real question is, “How do I ditch the lead? How to I lighten my burden?” Well, here it is:
Acts 3:19 Repent therefore, and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out, that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord.
Hmm, “repent” … sounds like an old-fashioned word that belongs in the religious past. But what it literally means is to change your mind, deeply, profoundly; to turn back to God; to decide once and for all that those sins simply aren’t worth it.
And when you do that, when you turn back, when you rest in the Presence of God … that Presence, nothing else but God’s very own Presence, will bring you times of refreshing. Isn’t that truly what we all need?
Repent therefore, and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out, that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord.
That’s God’s Word. Fresh … for you … today.
Blessed by this devotion?
Share it with a friend!
Respond