Days of Refreshing #4

In I Kings 13 there has just been a split in the nation of Israel, with Jereboam taking the majority - ten of the twelve tribes - to establish a new nation, and along with it, a new system of worship, complete with an altar for sacrifice. When a man of God interrupts Jeroboam's dedication service and announces God's curse on the whole system, Jeroboam points at the man and says "Arrest him". But Jeroboam's hand withered up, and the altar fell apart. Here's what happened next.
6 And the king said to the man of God, “Entreat now the favor of the Lord your God, and pray for me, that my hand may be restored to me.” And the man of God entreated the Lord, and the king's hand was restored to him and became as it was before. 7 And the king said to the man of God, “Come home with me, and refresh yourself, and I will give you a reward.” 8 And the man of God said to the king, “If you give me half your house, I will not go in with you. And I will not eat bread or drink water in this place, 9 for so was it commanded me by the word of the Lord, saying, ‘You shall neither eat bread nor drink water nor return by the way that you came.’” 

Jeroboam asks for another sign -the healing of his hand, which the man of God asks for, and God gives. The king then says: “Come home with me, and refresh yourself, and I will give you a reward.” He offers the man of God royal treatment and a hefty reward. Think how inviting that would be: he had just gone up against the king and dared to oppose him, and lived to tell about it. He deserved to be refreshed, rewarded. But he refused. Why? When we need to be refreshed - and often we do - there are right and wrong places and ways to do so.  Refreshing is not simply what makes us feel good; it is a renewal of spirit in doing the right thing, even when it is hard. This man of God was to have nothing to do with Jeroboam's religion or his rule; the whole thing was bad apples. You can be sure, when you are tired and worn down and spent, that there will be offered to you what seems like the easiest and best ways to be refreshed and renewed, which are in fact paths away from what you actually need - shortcuts to cheap substitutes for refreshing from God.  Refreshing is not just a party or a vacation or you splurging on yourself to feel better. It's far deeper. Like this man of God, say "no." Hold out for the real thing, the right way, and God will refresh you.