Times of Refreshing

When we think about summer, we probably think of hot weather, holidays, and cool refreshing drinks and ice creams. Although it is cooler at the moment (which in itself is refreshing), we have had some hot, sunny weather this summer.

So in this week's blog post, I wanted to take the theme of summer weather, and link it with Jeremiah 17:7-8, as we have looked at these verses recently as part of the Free July Scripture Writing Plan. At the end of this blog, I will share with you a surprise FREEBIE for next month...

In Jeremiah 17:7-8 we read:

"Blessed is the man that trusteth in the LORD, and whose hope the LORD is.

For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, and that spreadeth out her roots by the river,

and shall not see when heat cometh, but her leaf shall be green; and shall not be careful in the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit."

Here we see that we should trust and hope in God. If we trust and hope in God, we will be like "a tree planted by the waters". "The waters" in this verse refers to God's word, the Bible. So therefore, we see that we can gain refreshment and nourishment from the Bible, if we have it always at the centre of our lives. If we read it every day, we can gain daily refreshment from it to help us in our lives.

We go on to see in Jeremiah 17:8, that if we have the Bible at the centre of our lives, then when "heat" (hard times) come in our lives, we will not be destroyed by them. We will remain positive and strong in our resolve to follow God's ways. We will continue to keep following God's ways in our lives, despite our trials. Reading and thinking about God's word daily for refreshment - encouragement, will help us to remain strong throughout our trials, rather than being overcome with anxiety and worry. Understandably we may still feel worried and anxious during hard times, but if we gain comfort daily from the Bible this will help us through our hardships.

In 2 Corinthians 1:3-4, we see that just as God has given us his word for encouragement and guidance in our lives, we can also encourage each other with Bible verses too.

"Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort;

Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God."

In Proverbs 16:2, we read how valuable and good encouraging others is.

"Pleasant words are as an honeycomb, sweet to the soul, and health to the bones."

Also, in 2 Corinthians 7:13 we see how Paul and Timothy were comforted by the encouragement that Titus received from his friends.

So today, try and find some Bible verses that you could tell your friends and family about, to give them some encouragement today. If you are wondering where in the Bible to turn to for encouragement, you may find my two self - help books helpful. You can find out more information about them and how to buy a copy, by clicking on the "Self Help books" section on this website.

Finally, I want to share with you a teaser about your FREEBIE for August. Currently, I am completing the August Scripture Activity Plan! This is slightly similar to the plan for July, in that you have verses from the Bible to focus on each day. However, the August plan also has different components to it, making it something which the whole family can get involved in. Each day there are Bible verses to read, and fun questions and activities for your children to enjoy completing too.

So join me next week on my blog for more details about the FREE August Scripture Activity Plan!