Today Annette concludes her devotions looking at the theme of nourishment, which have been a key part of Officer’s Fellowship for the Central Division.
In past few years I have recognised the need for me to spend time in retreat from the everyday things so that I can nourish my soul and find the refreshment that I need to keep up with the demands of ministry.
While I recognise the need for times of retreat, the reality is that I am not very good at making this a priority, often putting it off for another time, that more often than not, it does not eventuate. Often leaving the time of retreat until my heart and soul is parched, and the need for nourishment is urgent.
I am pretty sure that all of us realise the importance – in theory – of making sure we participate in the things that nourish our lives and souls.
Yesterday we discovered from the scripture for fellowship that the Father’s love is what we need to nourish the fullness of our body, soul and spirit.
To fully rediscover this nourishing love there are moments when we need to take time to retreat from the everyday – as you have hopefully been able to in the past few days.
In these moments I pray that you have been reminded of the love that never lets us go and to refresh our relationship with Jesus. To be refreshed in the love that nourishes us deep down in our hearts.
When our hearts have been nourished the result – we are reminded in scripture – is that we are empowered by God.
Even more than that, Jesus tells us that he wants us to know about this love for us because He wants us to experience a joy that will fill our hearts to overflowing.
You see, Jesus wants us to experience a joy that is beyond our current reality because we carry the love of God wherever we go.
We can only experience that joy through letting Jesus’ love, nourish and restore our hearts, letting that love nourish and restore our very lives.
So, let the scripture from John 15:1-17 remind you in the coming days, weeks and months ahead to spend time regularly in retreat from the everyday so that you can nourish and care for yourself, your relationships, your heart, your soul and your spirit. Spend time restoring the nourishment that the world takes from you before you become parched and dry.
Blessings ’til next time 🙂
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