The Bible teaches that we must continually renew our minds. Otherwise we drift in our thinking and eventually our living. We must be in a constant state of renewal. That usually involves getting away from our daily lives to think about how we live. We must evaluate where we are going.
When our outside actions differ from our inside feelings, we are out of congruence. We are headed for trouble. When we pile and pile bricks onto a wheelbarrow, it topples. As we continue to stuff and stuff our emotions, we fill the wheelbarrow to overflowing. What happens when the last brick is added? It can be just a simple comment by another, or a small annoyance, but it causes the wheelbarrow to collapse from the weight! AAAAGGGGH — we explode! Your husband, wife, kids look on in wonder — they were the last brick.
Why do we need renewal? An old proverb says, “Man who gets too big for his britches is exposed in the end.” A time will come when we think we have it all together. First Corinthians 10:12 says, “So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall!”
We need meditation, not rumination. We don’t think and dwell on the negative. Meditation is being quiet, slowing down long enough to absorb God’s Word. Let Him talk to us. Most people go through life busy and confused, jumping at each email, text or tweet and miss the call of the Almighty.
If we try to fill our cars with gas as we drive by the tank, we just spray gas all over the car. We circle and circle but never stop. Can you imagine that? Circling and circling with God and telling Him we need His power but not slowing down leaves us empty. As we drive by, we get a small amount but never fill the tank. We tell Him that we need a little power as we drive by again and again. We use all the power we have and run out of gas. That’s burn out — running out of gas.
Renewal is the comfort of God and clarity from God. It is the process of making clear the path we are to follow. It is a time to look in His book. His Spirit will guide our path. A missionary hired a guide to take him into the jungle. When they arrived at the edge, the guide used his machete to cut the brush. The missionary inquired about the path, and the guide responded, “I am the path.”
Coaches say that a football team is not made or broken on the two-yard line with two minutes to play. Teams are only revealed. They are made or broken in the summer when the players run along the same roads day after day, getting into shape and learning the plays. The crisis, the tight spot in the game, reveals how much they have already practiced and learned.
Renewal is the time to practice and learn the plays God has for us. I took my kids to see “The Empire Strikes Back.” Do you remember when Luke Skywalker met Yoda, his teacher and mentor in that dismal place? As Luke Skywalker landed his ship, it sunk in the mud and Yoda was teaching Luke how to use the Force. Luke tried to follow Yoda’s instructions, but he still sank in the mud. The spaceship just sat there in the muck and mire. Finally Yoda looked at Luke and said, “Rumination, meditation, and renewal.”
“Luke, you are trying to use the Force, and you can’t use the Force. You have to let the Force use you.” Luke caught on and was able to remove the spaceship from the mud. Now that is Hollywood psychobabble — unless you understand that the real Force is Jesus.
Renewal is changing from head knowledge to heart knowledge. Jesus understood it very well: “Not my will, Father, but Your will be done.” It is about renewing our faith, not redirecting our effort, and finding His peace and path. Let’s not wait until we are stuck in the mud to begin renewal.