“Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord; And he shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you:” (Acts 3:19–20, AV)
During my life, I have had some pretty dirty and miserable jobs. Early on, I had a job unloading a truck full of bags of manure. Yes, it smelled and it was dirty. I was sweaty, dirty, and smelly. I could not wait to get home and take a nice long hot shower. After the shower, I put on fresh clothes and drank some ice water to become refreshed.
Here, Peter speaks of repentance as a means of spiritual refreshing. Sin has the tendency to cause people to feel dirty, oppressed, and drained. Unfortunately, many people do not realize the condition they are in. There is a strange phenomenon with dirt and sweat. If you remain sweaty and dirty long enough, you begin to adapt to the condition and feel it is normal. In other words, the less dirty, oppressed, and drained you will feel until you no longer realize that you are unclean. Sin can have the same affect. Many people living in sin have become so used to it, that they feel as though they are fine.
Yet, sometimes people will wake up to their own spiritual depravity. One such girl once told me that she felt like trash, dirty. Her life was wrecked with sin. I let her know that there was a way to change that feeling. There was a way to be clean again. It was to trust in Jesus Christ alone for her salvation. I mentioned that in doing so, Jesus would cleanse her from all unrighteousness and that she would be as pure as the fresh fallen snow. Of course, repentance accompanies true conversion and as Peter wrote, refreshing follows.
Faith changes everything. Many today need spiritual refreshing. They need the shower of faith followed by repentance that cleanses us from all sin. When they take this shower, they will feel refreshed, cleansed from the guilt of sin. They will also experience the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit, bringing inward renewal. Jesus explained this spiritual renewal as being like rivers of living water springing up from within (John 7:38).
For those who have not yet trusted in Jesus and repented from their sin, there is a refreshing that they can experience. It is one greater than they could ever imagine. It is better than a refreshing shower cleaning of the dirt and smell of a sweaty job. It is better than drinking a cool glass of ice water when you are parched. It is a refreshing of the soul provided for you by Jesus when He died on the cross to cleanse you from sin. Yet, you will only experience this refreshing by genuine faith in Jesus Christ alone for your salvation.
Renewing the Heart 