R E N E W A L
Refreshment.
Rejuvenate.
These are words I associate when I think about renewal.
In Romans 12:2 it says,
"Stop imitating the ideals and opinions of the culture around you, but be inwardly transformed by the Holy Spirit through a total reformation of how you think. This will empower you to discern God’s will as you live a beautiful life, satisfying and perfect in his eyes."
In this new season, let us spend time with God afresh, meditating on his word night and day.
Renewal makes me think about water as Jesus calls himself the living water, the Holy Spirit living within us. It says in John 7:38-39,
"Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them."
By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive. Up to that time the Spirit had not been given, since Jesus had not yet been glorified.
I decided to make a visual piece of art to represent renewal. I thought about water as it symbolises new life. ‘Therefore if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come, the old has gone and the new has come.’ (2 Corinthians 5:17) I loved seeing how the ink and the water would interact with one another. This is a technique that I haven't tried before but worked successfully creating subtle patterns.
As the deer longs for flowing streams, so I long for you God. In this time of renewal, help me to refocus my mind and my heart. Focus on the things that are of you Lord, not of worldly things. May we be refreshed as we spend time in your presence.
Three ways to renew yourself in God:
- Get in nature, go for a walk
- Be still and take time to separate yourself from noise
- Journal your thoughts and feelings, acknowledging how you are right now.
Here is a song which talks about renewal:
Whilst listening to this song, reflect on how you need to be renewed and refreshed in God.
‘You're making me new Lord’