Jump Start # 475

2 Corinthians 7:13 “For this reason we have been comforted. And besides our comfort, we rejoiced even much more for the joy of Titus, because his spirit has been refreshed by you all.”

  Refreshments—that word brings the thoughts of Coke-Cola, popcorn and food. I like refreshments. Here Paul speaks of a different kind—a refreshing of the spirit. Earlier, Paul was on the receiving end of these spiritual refreshments. Titus came and brought news about the Corinthians. Paul had written some hard things—things of corrections. He didn’t know how his letters would be received. Would they be mad? Would they go the other way? The waiting was long and hard for Paul. No cell phones. No emails. No facebook. New crawled. News came via messengers. They had to travel back and forth. The mind can think the worst while one is waiting. Titus came. The news was better than expected. The Corinthians were doing what Christ wanted them to. It was amazing.

  Often the messenger was the first line of reaction. It wasn’t easy to carry letters such as Paul’s back and forth to churches. If folks didn’t like what was said, they could rip into the messenger. This didn’t happen. The spirit of Titus had been refreshed.

  Good friends have a way of doing that—especially when you haven’t seen each other in a while. There is so much to catch up on, pictures to be shared and so forth. But in all the excitement, there is just a good atmosphere, a refreshing time. Families can be that way too, especially when the kids are grown and live away. The holidays come and everyone gathers, fun, laughter and good times are shared.

  I think church services can do the same, and on a level that often family and friends can’t. It seems that going to work every day, heading off to school, and just living in the world we do can wear us down spiritually. Bad news prevails. It seems that no one cares. Everyday can seem like a battle, and in many ways it is. The solider gets tired. Sunday comes, we gather with fellow believers. We sing, we pray, we are reminded, we connect. Our souls get rest. Our spirits get lifted. We long to be with our Savior. Church services are refreshing. Sometimes we get our toes stepped on, that happens. Sometimes, serious things have to be dealt with. But all in all, it’s a filling station for our hearts. I think this is why I love Sundays. It’s the best day of the week. I wish every day was a Sunday!

  One guy recently told me, “Sunday is your day to work. How can you feel that way?” Some think it’s the only day the preacher works—but we won’t go there. It’s the presence of Jesus, it’s the faces of brethren, it’s the goodness that is done, it’s the hope that is shared, it’s the joy of one another, it’s the fellowship we have, it’s the beneficial refreshing that takes place. That’s how I see it. It’s not classes, and sermons, and bulletins—No, it’s all of us connected and connecting with Christ.

  You know how it is when you are really tired, bone tired, as they say. After a good nights sleep, you feel awesome. Give me the world, because he I come. You are refreshed. You are charged and ready to go. This is what we do for each other. God’s word for this is, “encouragement.” That word means to “build up,” or “strengthen.” It’s the inner strength, the inner courage that we get from one another. We need that. By ourselves, we doubt. We get fearful. We question and wonder.

  Titus, the refresher. He refreshed Paul and he refreshed the Corinthians. What a great role he played. How about you? You may not be like a Paul, most of us never will be. You may not be a leader, not all can be. But you can be that refresher of spirits. The one that calls one on the phone and encourages them. Maybe they have been sick. Maybe they have been having troubles. Few know. You call. You let them know that you care. The words are few, but heart felt. You think nothing of it. On the other end is a person who thinks, “wow, he cared enough to call.” He is refreshed. Maybe it’s a plate of cookies for a neighbor. Maybe it’s a card in the mail to someone. Maybe it’s a book for a young preacher. Maybe it’s asking someone out to eat after services.

  Often, it’s not the sermon that opens the eyes of people, but the refreshing manner that others have. People look for that. Corporations are big and cold. Some churches have the same feeling. Finding people who are real, and guanine and caring—that’s refreshing! That’s Titus! That’s you!

  Some times if the Coke has been left out all night, it’s a bit flat. It doesn’t do what it should. You have to take care of it to keep it “refreshing.” So, it is with us. Some days we are flat. Some days we are the ones who need “refreshing.” But once we get refreshed, it’s back to it. There’s a lot of people needing help these days—and we sure can do what we can. That alone is refreshing!

  Thanks to all who keep me going. We need each other. And some day we will all be together in Heaven—where we’ll get to spend some time talking to Titus. Won’t that be great!

Roger