A New Kind of “R and R” (Luke 15:11-32 & Isaiah 55:1-9)
If you are a sports enthusiast, you’ve probably heard of those athletes who “revived” or “resurrected” their careers after a serious injury or a year of very poor performance. Those kinds of stories aren’t uncommon to any of us.
If you have been a follower of Jesus very long, you probably know someone who has been away from the Lord and come back to Him. It is the story of a Christian who has seen his walk with the Lord “revived” or “resurrected.” Again, those kinds of stories aren’t uncommon. We hear more of them than we should!
Most, if not all of us who try to live for the Lord will need, at some time in our journey, revival, if not resurrection. At the very least, we are sometimes in need of a spiritual tune up. It is far too easy to get our spiritual engines plugged up with neglect, busyness, and sin. How do we come back? How do we see that renewal come into our lives?
I first remember hearing of the “R&R” concept during the Viet Nam war. The Armed Forces would rotate their men out of Viet Nam to somewhere else in the region, often Thailand, for “rest and recreation.” It is not uncommon these days to hear people say, “I need some R&R.” We know exactly what they mean, and we often feel the same way.
May I ask you to think about a different kind of “R&R” this morning? It’s the kind of “R&R” that will bring renewal and resurrection to your spiritual life. It can restore you to a place of victory if you’re living without victory. I’m not thinking about “rest and recreation,” however.
The first “R” in my “R&R” is REPENTANCE. Let me share a little with you about it’s meaning. It means to “turn around” or to “change one’s mind.” When the prodigal son “came to himself” (See Luke 15:17) while feeding the pigs, he experienced “repentance” or a “change of mind.” He changed his mind about himself and his situation and decided to go a different direction.
He also changed his mind about his father. He had shown little or no respect for his father when he left with his inheritance. He heads for home expecting to become a servant, but you know what happens. The ring on the finger, the robe, the feast tells him of a loving father who has never stopped caring about him. The prodigal son experienced a change of direction that set him on the road to renewal and resurrection.
The second “R” is RIGHTEOUSNESS. This word defines a way of living that adheres to a standard. For Christians, that standard is the instruction God gives us in His Word. The pursuit of righteousness is choosing to reject that which is of lesser value to go after that which is of greater value. Isaiah challenged the children of Israel to live with righteousness when asking them why they spent all their resources on that which cannot satisfy. (See Isaiah 55:1-9) Choosing righteousness will keep us on the road to renewal and resurrection.
Do you need some “R&R” today? -- John Strain is Senior Pastor First Baptist Toms River
If you are a sports enthusiast, you’ve probably heard of those athletes who “revived” or “resurrected” their careers after a serious injury or a year of very poor performance. Those kinds of stories aren’t uncommon to any of us.
If you have been a follower of Jesus very long, you probably know someone who has been away from the Lord and come back to Him. It is the story of a Christian who has seen his walk with the Lord “revived” or “resurrected.” Again, those kinds of stories aren’t uncommon. We hear more of them than we should!
Most, if not all of us who try to live for the Lord will need, at some time in our journey, revival, if not resurrection. At the very least, we are sometimes in need of a spiritual tune up. It is far too easy to get our spiritual engines plugged up with neglect, busyness, and sin. How do we come back? How do we see that renewal come into our lives?
I first remember hearing of the “R&R” concept during the Viet Nam war. The Armed Forces would rotate their men out of Viet Nam to somewhere else in the region, often Thailand, for “rest and recreation.” It is not uncommon these days to hear people say, “I need some R&R.” We know exactly what they mean, and we often feel the same way.
May I ask you to think about a different kind of “R&R” this morning? It’s the kind of “R&R” that will bring renewal and resurrection to your spiritual life. It can restore you to a place of victory if you’re living without victory. I’m not thinking about “rest and recreation,” however.
The first “R” in my “R&R” is REPENTANCE. Let me share a little with you about it’s meaning. It means to “turn around” or to “change one’s mind.” When the prodigal son “came to himself” (See Luke 15:17) while feeding the pigs, he experienced “repentance” or a “change of mind.” He changed his mind about himself and his situation and decided to go a different direction.
He also changed his mind about his father. He had shown little or no respect for his father when he left with his inheritance. He heads for home expecting to become a servant, but you know what happens. The ring on the finger, the robe, the feast tells him of a loving father who has never stopped caring about him. The prodigal son experienced a change of direction that set him on the road to renewal and resurrection.
The second “R” is RIGHTEOUSNESS. This word defines a way of living that adheres to a standard. For Christians, that standard is the instruction God gives us in His Word. The pursuit of righteousness is choosing to reject that which is of lesser value to go after that which is of greater value. Isaiah challenged the children of Israel to live with righteousness when asking them why they spent all their resources on that which cannot satisfy. (See Isaiah 55:1-9) Choosing righteousness will keep us on the road to renewal and resurrection.
Do you need some “R&R” today? -- John Strain is Senior Pastor First Baptist Toms River
Dig This Quote: Poor souls are apt to think that all those whom they read or hear of to be gone to heaven, went there because they were so good and holy...Yet not one of them, not any one that is now in heaven (Jesus Christ alone excepted), did ever come there any other way but by forgiveness of sins. John Owen
Determined Digging: Level 1 -- Psalm 37:23; Level 2 -- Psalm 40:1-5
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