Episode 388: I’m Talkin…Renew

I’m Talkin, episode 388 for September 21st, 2025.

This is Joel from the I’m Talkin microcast, where I share my thoughts on a topic that has piqued my interest this past week.

This week, we’re talking renew.

So I looked up a definition for renew, and the one that I like the best, it says to restore to freshness, vigor, or perfection.

And I kind of like that.

It’s like, I don’t know, they’re just great words.

Freshness, vigor, perfection.

It’s just so good.

And then I think, you know, how does the world look at the word renew?

I think there’s a lot of self-help.

There’s a lot of maybe recharging through vacations or some other kinds of breaks.

There’s a lot of focus on the personal time and a lot of focus on me and who I am and what I need so that I can be renewed to do whatever it is, to carry on whatever it is that I do.

And therein lies the challenge for those of us who call ourselves Christians.

Today’s word comes from Psalm 23, the first part of verse 3, but I’m going to say the first three verses, I think.

It says, the Lord is my shepherd.

I have all that I need.

He lets me rest in green meadows.

He leads me beside peaceful streams.

He renews my strength.

He leads me along right paths, bringing honor to his name.

So you heard it there.

It said he renews my strength.

And I’m thinking, you know, what is the source?

I think we’ve had this conversation before on other words, but the fact is that we are not self-reliant to be renewed.

We have a God who is there to renew us, who wants to build up our strength, who wants us to have vigor, who wants us to have that freshness and even perfection, I guess, in and through him.

So he is the source of what we want.

It says in the sentences before the word renew shows up, it says, he lets me rest in green meadows.

He leads me beside peaceful streams.

That is the words of a renewing God, of a God who wants your strength to be whole.

And then why does he do that?

It says he makes my path straight.

I think in the version I’m learning, it says he leads me along the right path.

And why?

It’s because it brings honor to his name.

So when we allow God to let us rest, when we allow God to lead us along peaceful streams, then we allow him to renew our strength.

And so that builds our trust in a God who loves us.

It builds our trust in a Savior who died for us.

And the result is not for us to be better, although that’s what’s going to happen as well.

The result is to bring honor to the name of our God.

Until next week, this is Joel from the I’m Talking Microcast.