“For I have derived much joy and comfort from your love, my brother, because the hearts of the saints have been refreshed through you” [Philemon, verse 7].

“…for they refreshed my spirit as well as yours. Give recognition to such people” [1 Corinthians 16.18]

We’ve all seen them, most of the time during breaks in the action of a football game. I just call them the ‘Gatorade guys’ (and gals, too). But when there’s a time-out, and the players run to the sideline for a huddle, the Gatorade guys run out to meet them as they come in. They are carrying their cartons with bottles of Gatorade. The players pull off their helmets as the Gatorade guys squirt the refreshing electrolytes and hydration into their parched and thirsty mouths. Then, back into the game action they go—except that the Gatorade guys have literally ‘refreshed their spirits’ with renewed energy and vigor.

The Gatorade guys are anonymous—nameless to us. We have no idea who they are. They don’t have jerseys with their distinctive number or their name on the back. They’re not on the roster. They are not celebrated. They are not highlighted on the jumbotron. No play announcer ever credits them with any kind of ‘assist.’

They’re not Gatorade guys for the recognition. They’re Gatorade guys to serve refreshment and refresh the spirits of the other team members and participants in the game. That’s what they do. That’s their service. That’s what they want to do. That’s enough. They serve mindlessly of the cameras. They are never looking around to see where a camera is: “Hey, did you get what I just did?”

Our ministries are like that. I have been pastoring in some capacity for over fifty years now. Always low-key. Never widely-recognized or well-known. No prominent platform. Probably considered ‘small-time’ by many metrics. And very content for it to be that way. Just trying to faithfully, day by day, service by service, sermon after sermon, year after year, person by person, encounter by encounter—to refresh someone’s spirit. To preach, teach, exhort, and encourage everyone whose life I can touch to seek and know the Lord; love God with all your heart; place all of your belief, faith, and trust in Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior; and commit your life to obey, serve, and please Him. Be encouraged. Don’t quit. Get up and back in the game again.

And then go and refresh someone else’s spirit with the refreshment by which you have been refreshed.

However, there is recognition for ‘spirit-refreshers.’ And it’s really the only recognition ‘spirit-refreshers’ seek—and, that is, that the souls of those whom they seek to refresh are indeed refreshed. I’ve often wondered whether any of all those football ‘stars’ ever returned even a breath of their refreshed spirit to say ‘Thank you! I really appreciate your refreshing my spirit’ to the Gatorade guy? I kind of doubt it.

But in Paul’s testimony in 1 Corinthians 16.16.17-18, he names names: “I rejoice at the coming of Stephanus and Fortunatus and Achaicus, because they have made up for your absence, for they refreshed my spirit as well as yours. Give recognition to such people.” Except for Stephanus, all three of these ‘spirit-refreshers’ are one-time honorable mentions in the New Testament. For what?  All three of them stand on record as being ‘spirit-refreshers.’ We do hear of Stephanus two other times here in 1 Corinthians (1.16; 16.15), where he and his family are recognized: “…and that they have devoted themselves to the service of the saints…” Stephanus was a career ‘Gatorade guy,’ a committed and veteran ‘spirit-refresher.’

That’s really all I aspire to be. I just want to refresh someone’s spirit—strengthen and encourage someone along the way. And when and where God doesn’t call or assign me to serve, just let me help refresh the spirits of those who do.

I don’t know what I’ll be remembered for when I’m dead and gone. I’ve got a lot of ideas about what I won’t be remembered for… But, at the end of my life’s day, it will be enough if someone says of me as they said about Elisha’s ministry to Elijah: “He refreshed his spirit” (… except that in his case, they said “…who poured water on the hands of Elijah” [2 Kings 3.11]).

Here…a shot of Gatorade?