Then Shaphan the secretary informed the king, “Hilkiah the priest has given me a book.” And Shaphan read from it in the presence of the king. When the king heard the words of the Book of the Law, he tore his robes. – 2 Kings 22:10-11.

But some of them became obstinate; they refused to believe and publicly maligned the Way. So Paul left them. He took the disciples with him and had discussions daily in the lecture hall of Tyrannus. This went on for two years, so that all the Jews and Greeks who lived in the province of Asia heard the word of the Lord. – Acts 19:9-10.

She stood in New York Harbor for ninety-seven years, welcoming seventeen million immigrants to her shores. As her century birthday approached, it was obvious that the Statue of Liberty needed restoration. Two thousand iron bars within her superstructure had deteriorated to less than half their original thickness. The skin had been thinned by acid rain and air pollution, and pieces of her torch had fallen off. Americans gave millions of dollars to restore the lady in time for the nation’s 112th birthday, July 4, 1986.

Human monuments, history, life, and morals must be constantly reinforced and resupplied, fixed and repaired. Everything in creation suffers constant deterioration. Likewise, our Christian lives demand constant reinforcement to serve at optimum strength. Always subject to influences that bear us away from God, we cast an anchor into his Word to hold us steady. Knowing that spiritual fervor is lost from slow leaks, not blowouts, we must constantly check our spiritual pressure by feeding daily on God’s Word and renewing our life through prayer. Revivals aren’t just convenient intervals in otherwise normal lives; they are essential reclamation projects for our souls.

Courtesy of Speaker’s Sourcebook of New Illustrations by Virgil Hurley © 1995 by Word, Incorporated.
Unless otherwise noted, Scripture taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV © 2011 by Biblica, Inc.®
Used by permission. All rights reserved.