Refreshing

DEVOTION

1 CORINTHIANS

REFRESHING

1 Cor 16:15-18

15 You know that the household of Stephanas were the first converts in Achaia, and they have devoted themselves to the service of the saints. I urge you, brothers, 16 to submit to such as these and to everyone who joins in the work, and labors at it. 17 I was glad when Stephanas, Fortunatus and Achaicus arrived, because they have supplied what was lacking from you. 18 For they refreshed my spirit and yours also. Such men deserve recognition.

NIV

More personal notes yet still within is a truth we need to see. These three men who arrived and supplied what was lacking have our truth for today. They refreshed Paul’s spirit as well as those who lived in Corinth. It appears this is a very good quality to possess for people who refresh the spirit of others deserve recognition. What does that look like? How do we refresh someone’s spirit? Would that be about the same thing as encouragement? Could we refresh another’s spirit by boasting their ego? Maybe we could refresh their spirit by encouraging them about what they are doing for the Kingdom of God. Maybe we could need to actually tell others we appreciate what they do, how they use their gifts, how their presence in the Body of Christ is so meaningful. Maybe for each one of us there is a different way our spirits are refreshed. Maybe standing among others while they sing and worship God with every fiber of their being is refreshing. Maybe seeing others loving God with all their heart, their mind, their strength is refreshing to our spirit. The point is we should be refreshing each other’s spirits, as well as our spirits actually need refreshing. We need to be the ones others can look to for a time of refreshing and in doing so, then we would be refreshed because others would be the ones we could look to for a refreshing.  We cannot afford to just sit back and wait for others to refresh us. We need to be active in our efforts to refresh their spirit. Even though we know this, it still is a slight mystery just what actually refreshes someone’s spirit. We could simply rely on the Spirit to lead us in whatever we need to do, whenever we need to do it and for whomever we need to do it for. If that is the case, we should be open at all times, and not walk around closed off from others, being isolated from them even when we stand among them. It is easy to always think about our own self. It is easy to avoid actually talking to someone, other than to say “Hi, how ya doing?” or “Man it’s cold or hot out there”. It is easy to just skim over all the importance stuff and stay on the surface. But that does not refresh their spirit. We need to be refreshing.