The Set Up: I love the saying, “The juice is not worth the squeeze.” It describes situations where the benefit doesn’t justify the cost of something. For instance, when I was a kid my brother and I along with some of our friends really, really, really wanted an Atari game system (the old school kind with controllers made up of a joystick and one orange button to push). We decided the bast way to get one was to collect cans to turn in for recycling. Now, this was before can deposits and we were not in Iowa, so it was going to take A LOT of cans. We scoured the ditches along the roads in our neighborhoods, dug around in the weeds in the woods near our houses, and even did a lot of dumpster diving. It wasn’t pretty, but it was for an Atari 2600, so it was totally worth it. Or so we thought. I remember hauling several garbage bags of cans to a local recycling center ready to become rich beyond my wildest dreams. I also remember walking out of the recycling center with a little over four dollars. At that rate, it was going to take a loooonnng time to bring Pac Man, Centipede, and Asteroids into my living room. We all decided that the juice was not worth the squeeze, and we turned to our Plan B strategy of begging our parents until they got us one just to shut us up.
Sometimes the juice is not worth the squeeze. Maybe you have felt that way about pursuing God, or about giving up something or some things for Lent. You’ve wondered, “Is it worth it?” I want to share with you the words of the Apostle Peter in Acts 3. Acts is the history of the origin of the Christian church and in chapter three, Peter is speaking to a crowd of people in the Temple in Jerusalem. He is calling them to put their faith in Jesus, who had recently been crucified and resurrected. Peter tells them to repent and put their faith in Jesus. This was a big ask for the crowd. They would be trusting in Jesus, rather than their own self-righteousness, for salvation. Here’s what Peter told them:
“Friends, I realize that what you and your leaders did to Jesus was done in ignorance. But God was fulfilling what all the prophets had foretold about the Messiah—that he must suffer these things. Now repent of your sins and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped away. Then times of refreshment will come from the presence of the Lord, and he will again send you Jesus, your appointed Messiah.” – Acts 17:20
Peter called them to repentance, which isn’t high on most people’s list of fun things to do. Then he promised them that when they repented, they would experience, “times of refreshment from the presence of the Lord…” The juice, Peter said, was worth the squeeze. During this Lenten season, you might be struggling with what you have given up for Lent, wondering if it is worth it. I want to encourage you that the juice is worth the squeeze. When you come to God in fasting and repentance, he wants to refresh you.
Biblical passage to read: Acts 3:17-20
Reflection Questions:
• When is the last time you did something and wondered if what you got was worth what it cost you?
• Why do you think fasting, or giving something up for Lent, helps us to grow closer to Christ?
• What would it mean for you to experience, “times of refreshing from the Lord”?
Prayer Focus: Jesus, I believe that you want to bring times of refreshing in my life. As I focus on you this Lenten season I pray that you will help me to give up temporary things to experience the eternal rewards you have in store for me. As I experience your refreshing, help me to refresh others. In your name, amen.