I went to a pastor’s retreat and conference this week and had a great time.  It was a whole lot like going to summer camp – except that we didn’t have to walk 10 miles every day, we didn’t make any crafts and I forgot to pack my Skittles.  Though we didn’t make any crafts to take home we did work on our craft and I know what we brought home will benefit our families, our churches, ourselves and more importantly the Kingdom.

While we talked about best practices to follow and tools and techniques that will help us become better leaders we also made time for some recreation.  We played horse shoes and washers and I even found some time to do a little bit of fishing.  As I said, it was a great time.  When I got home I stopped by to see the granddaughters.  Because the wind had been blowing so hard off of the lake the last couple of days I was wearing my glasses instead of my contact lenses.  I sat down to watch TV with my 4 year old granddaughter Avery who invited me to take her to school the next day.  I explained that I couldn’t because I had to go to work.  She looked at my glasses and said, “Oh, you’re going to work because you’re not sick anymore.”  The only other time she has seen me wear my glasses has been when I have been sick or not felt well so since I had them on she figured I must be sick again.

I love the way she uses her mind.  I love the way she is always asking questions, always seeking to understand things, and always trying to put things together.  The Lord expects all of us to use our minds.  In Isaiah 1:18 the Lord says, “Come now, and let us reason together,” Says the LORD, “Though your sins are as scarlet, They will be as white as snow…”

The Lord in His Grace reaches out to us, calls to us and asks us to use our minds and see how desperately we need Him.  We need the grace, the mercy, the forgiveness, the comfort that is found nowhere else in this world.  When we stop and think, we must all acknowledge that we have sinned and fallen short of His glory.  It would do no one any good to say that I have fallen but I have not fallen as far as others.  Separated from God is separated from God – the spiritual distance is not marked by any lengths calibrated or distinguished by the type of our sin.  The Lord promises that whatever our sin may be it stands out prominently before Him as a scarlet stain on a white satin sheet.  He also promises that He can remove that stain, “though your sins are scarlet, they will be white as snow…”  That promise is an easy one to receive.  One simply needs to confess their sin and ask Jesus Christ to be their Lord and Savior for whosoever calls upon the Lord shall be saved.

If you know the Lord, are you still using and sharpening your mind? Have you been listening to the Lord? Have you been seeking to understand His will, His ways and His word?  Take some time to get away every now and then with some other believers and talk about what the Lord is doing in your life, it will be a blessing.  It is a great way to renew your mind.