Acts 3:19-20

Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord,and that he may send the Messiah, who has been appointed for you—even Jesus. Acts 3:19-20

There are often times in life when we feel dry, in need of spiritual refreshment. This verse gives us a promise of that, with an exception. We must first find the parts of us dying in sin and deal with them. How can death be refreshed? It can't. We have to first be made new. So, I ask you today, "what do we need to repent of today in order to have a time of refreshing?"

Prayer: Lord, please bring new life to the death sin has caused. I desire your refreshment.

Romans 12:1-2

Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.- Romans 12:1-2

I don't know if you realize this already, but I can really relate to Paul. That is one of the reasons I like Romans so much. 

Tomorrow I am leading children's church in a small Bible lesson, so I just started reading the scriptures. I looked over the verses I heard in service last week, I glanced at old notes, I even took in a few verses that just caught my eye. Finally I read this one and I knew what I wanted to share with the kids. I figured if I was willing to share it with them, I should take a moment and share it with you as well. 

These two verses are both about how we are a different kind of people. One, we are not like the other people around us; we are different. Second, we have been changed, therefor we are different than we used to be. There is a reason God made us different. If we weren't different, we couldn't change anything. We wouldn't change our own lives, or the people around us, or the world we live in. It takes a different person to make a difference!