2 Timothy 1:16-18
I admire my friends who are marathon runners. I don't want to be one of them, but I admire them. Although I've never run a marathon, but I have watched some, and I've talked to my friends who have done the whole 26-mile distance. If you've ever watched or run a marathon, you've seen those volunteers that are stationed all along the way - the ones with orange slices and water. As the miles become more and more grueling, the body can actually begin to shut down. Water is desperately needed, of course, to avoid dehydration; the potassium in those orange slices replenishes an important deficit in your body. It's questionable if many runners could make it if it weren't for those little refreshment stands.
In a way, I guess all of us are marathon runners. Just look at the course you have to run every day, then every week, then every month, and so on. And all of us reach those points where we feel like we can't go on; where a vital system seems to be shutting down. And that's where the refreshment folks are desperately needed. I hope the folks around you consider you one.
Every one of us needs people who will be our refreshers. Every one of us knows people who need for us to be their refresher. Here's a great example of one of those unsung heroes, as recorded in our word for today from the Word of God. In II Timothy 1:16-18, Paul is writing about this lonely season of his life. He's isolated in Caesar's prison, awaiting what will ultimately be his execution. Now this man who has helped so many run their race needs someone to help him finish his.
And along comes a man with a name that's a mouthful and a ministry that is wonderful. Paul says, "May the Lord show mercy to the household of Onesiphorus because he often refreshed me and was not ashamed of my chains. On the contrary, when he was in Rome, he searched hard for me until he found me. May the Lord grant that he will find mercy from the Lord on that day!" Onesiphorus: that name literally means "profit-bringer." It's something all of us can be - someone who makes a person richer because they have been with you.
To be one of God's refreshment stands, you're there for someone when it's awkward and you don't know what to do or what to say, you're there when it's hard, when it's inconvenient, when they're un-loveable, or when you have to "search hard" to find a way to get to them. You go out of your way to bring some love and support to a person who needs it. You walk in when everyone else is walking out. Your ministry of refreshment can take many forms. Sometimes it's just a hug. Other times it's a compliment, a word of encouragement, a letter or e-mail, a visit, noticing something good, or praying with them. It's usually just a matter of obeying, instead of squelching the prompting of the Holy Spirit to go to someone He knows needs you. Learn to listen to those promptings from God. Don't blow them off.
God's promise to you is this: "He who refreshes others will himself be refreshed." He'll give back to you with the measure you give. So what effect are you having on the people around you? Are you making it harder for them to run their race? Or are you one of those holy heroes whose offering them the refreshing care that they need? You may be the difference in someone running the distance!
posted by I love Jesus! ! ! @ Tuesday, July 10, 2007
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