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“1 of the best aspects of spending time along with God is being renewed daily by His word and presence. Lamentations 3 verses 22 through 23 says, The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases.”From the transcript
One of the best aspects of spending time alone with God is being renewed daily by his word and presence. Lamentations 3:22-23 says, “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness” (Lamentations 3:22-23).
When we make space for God in our lives, especially at the beginning of the day, he is faithful to renew and prepare us for all we will face out in the world. So as we enter into this week focusing on renewal, Where do you need renewal? How greatly do you need God’s mercies in your life? May God teach and guide us into daily renewal as we make space every morning for him to fill.
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First15 Devotional — God’s Plan for Renewal. Machine-transcribed; use the interactive transcript above to jump the player to any line.
1 of the best aspects of spending time along with God is being renewed daily by His word and presence. Lamentations 3 verses 22 through 23 says, The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases. His mercies never come to an end. They are new every morning. Great is your faithfulness. When we make space for God in our lives, especially at the beginning of the day, He is faithful to renew and prepare us for all we will face out in the world. So as we enter into this week, focusing on renewal, where do you need renewal? How greatly do you need God's mercies in your life? May God teach and guide us into daily renewal as we make space every morning for Him to fill?
Welcome to the 1st 15 podcast. Our scripture for today comes from 2 Corinthians 4 verse 16. Scripture says, Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. God has an incredible plan for renewal in your life. He knows better than anyone, the trials, circumstances and people that wear you down. And He knows that you need time to be refreshed by Him. Often, we seek rest and renewal from people and entertainment. Our friends, family and entertainment can be sources of fun and rest to be sure.
But the only consistent and true source of renewal we have is spending time with our Heavenly Father. Only He knows to the full extent what you need. And only He can give it to you. So before we dive into the process of having specific areas of our lives renewed by God this week, let's allow Him to simply reveal how to rest in His Word and Presence. First, let's look at what scripture says about our need for renewal. 2 Corinthians 4 16 says, Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. Because of the nature of sin and separation from God, we as humans will not live in our fleshly bodies forever. Genesis 3.19 says,
By the sweat of your face, you shall eat bread, till you return to the ground. For out of it, you are taken, for you are dust, and to dust, you shall return. But we also have the promise of Jesus in John 1126 that everyone who lives and believes in Him shall never die. We live on the earth knowing one day our earthly bodies will pass away, and we will at the same time be taken from this world to the next. But God's desire is that while you are here in this body, you would be renewed in your spirit every day. Though your body will grow weary, he desires to strengthen your spirit with the hope of an everlasting life with an all loving God who cares for you. You can meet with God every day.
You have been given the ability through the spirit to rest in God's presence, to know his nearness and love. You can have the same experience as Paul in being renewed day by day. So how can we experience God's promised renewal? How do we rest in God's presence and allow Him to revive us? First, it starts with trusting that God will reveal His love to you when you meet with Him. In Jesus' high priestly prayer in John 17, He asked God to love us with the same love with which He loves Jesus. When you ask Him to show you His love, He will. When you make space to encounter Him, He will fill you with His presence. Trust that God loves to meet with you and renew you.
Also, foundational to experiencing renewal is engaging in worship. You and I are created to worship. It is both our highest goal and greatest success. When you engage in worship daily, you will experience a renewed sense of purpose in direction. And last, spending time reading God's Word, allowing it to change you and lead you to obedience. You must experience renewal in areas of your life that are not aligned with God's Word. You have to spend time allowing yourself to be shaped and transformed by what God says is best for you. So much of being renewed by God is choosing to believe His Word over our experience of what we feel is true. Let your faith be stirred to encounter your Heavenly Father today.
You can earnestly desire to meet with Him without any fear or reservation that you won't experience His renewal. Know that when you wake up every morning, God has a plan for the time you spend with Him and the ability to reveal it to you through the Holy Spirit. God earnestly desires to renew you this week. He longs to heal the wounded and dry places in your life. Spend time today meditating on God's promise of renewal and allow your desires to be stirred to receive all that your Heavenly Father longs to give you.
As we begin, meditate on God's promise for renewal. Lamentations 3 verses 22 through 23 says, The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases. His mercies never come to an end. They are new every morning.
And next, reflect on areas in your life that seem dry or weary. Where do you need to be renewed today? Where do you need to be renewed today? Where do you need to be renewed today? In last, rest in God's presence and allow
His love to renew those areas of your life. Spend time in His presence. Spend time worshipping. Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to you God's specific plan for renewal in your life. Look up Scripture that applies and let it mold and renew you. First John 416 says, God is love and whoever abides in love abides in God and God abides in Him. May the prayer of your heart today be like David's
in some 63 verses 1 through 3. He says, Oh God, you are my God. Earnestly I seek you. My soul thirsts for you. My flesh faints for you as in a dry and weary land where there is no water. So I have looked upon you in the sanctuary, beholding your power and glory. As your steadfast love is better than life, my lips will praise you. Just as David looked upon the Lord in his sanctuary, you can see God daily. Just as he beheld God's power, glory and love, you can experience God. May you be renewed today as you step out into the world and may God's strength be your source as you seek to live in light of his glorious nearness.
Thank you for listening to today's podcast, the first in our weeklong series on God's plan for renewal. I'm Josh Miller with verse 15. As you go about your day today, allow God to meet you at your place of weariness, right when you sense it, so you can experience renewal throughout your day today. The best declaration of God's reality and goodness we can make is living out of the abundance of life he makes available to us every day. May God use us all to draw more of his children to relationship with him. Have a wonderful rest of your day and may God bless you as you seek him.
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