Acts 3:19 (AMP)
So repent [change your inner self—your old way of thinking, regret past sins] and return [to God—seek His purpose for your life], so that your sins may be wiped away [blotted out, completely erased], so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord [restoring you like a cool wind on a hot day].
Father God, change my thinking, scrub away those sins I so regret. Make me like a clean, bright white sheet, fluttering on the clothesline in the refreshing wind of Your presence.
The TV greats who outshine Paul
claim to have God’s special grace,
for when they venture to the mall,
they get a favoured parking place.
I must have gone awry somewhere
and my soiled heart was never cleaned,
so I guess Heaven doesn’t care
about the insights I have gleaned.
For me, prosperity is defined
by the life I choose to give away
and by rough days the soul’s refined
to stand in flames, come what may.
But for all of this, I stand beneath
the faultless suit and perfect teeth.
Methinks God’s favor isn’t measured in parking spaces, clothes and perfect teeth. God shapes us for his glory with His sandpaper discipline and refining fire. Transformation is a measure of His favor.
LOVE the way you put this.