Refreshing Our Spirits With Scripture

Day of Year: 46 Date:1.15.14   Favorite Verse: Matthew 13. 30  Let both grow together until the harvest. At that time I will tell the harvesters: First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat and bring it into my barn.’”   Thought for the day: Allow things to be as they are if separating the good from the bad would do more harm than good.   Never miss a good chance to shut up. Never interrupt your opponent when he leading blind people out of the way of your work.  God will make His own separations the good from the bad in His timing.   Jesus Reading (Ten Minutes): Matthew 13.24-30   + Rest of New Testament: Acts 21.1-14   +Psalm of the Day: Psalm 36   +Proverb of the Day: Proverbs 8.32-36   +Rest of Old Testament: Leviticus 5,6

Day of Year: 45 Date: 2.14.14 Favorite Verse: Matthew 13.41 41  The Son of Man will send forth His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom [ w ] all stumbling blocks, and those who commit lawlessness, 42  and will throw them into the furnace of fire; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 43  Then the righteous will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, [ x ] let him hear. Thought for the day: Love gives freedom of choice.  God is love.  Humans have this radical freedom to choose to love God back or not.  People can follow God's way or not.  If we choose God's way our life with Him is from His mercy and grace and not our goodness.  But there were two thieves crucified with Jesus.  Only one chose to have faith in Jesus.  The other thief did not choose Jesus' way. Jesus Reading (Ten Minutes): Matthew 13.24-30, 36-43 + Rest of New Testament: Acts 20.17-38 +Psalm of the Day:  Psalm 35.17-28

Day of Year: 50 Date: 2.19.14 Favorite Verse: Matthew 13.44 44  “ The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in the field, which a man found and hid again ; and from joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. Thought for the day: Sell out!  Have you ever wanted something so badly that you would sell everything you had in order to buy that.  God has set up a kingdom so that everyone has what it takes to receive the kingdom of heaven.  100% of your heart is what it costs.  He wants us to be "all in."   When one is being interviewed for a job and the potential employee is taking about when will his days off be, that is not a good sign.  The kind of employee people want is one who wants to be able to give his focus to and be proud of the work.  God gives skill to people, but it comes at the cost of ones total attention.   Someone once said to a great musician, "I would give my life to play like that."  To which he replied, "

Day of Year: 44 Date:  2.13.14 Favorite Verse: Matthew 13. 12  For whoever has, to him more shall be given, and he will have an abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has shall be taken away from him. Thought for the day: If you had some money which you wanted to invest to make it grow wouldn't you find a mutual fund that had a record of integrity and solid, steady and stable growth.  Yes.  When we use what God has given us to use He will give us more resources to be a blessing to other people.  He can give us resources to manage without destroying us and this is a blessing to us. Jesus Reading (Ten Minutes):  Matthew 13.10-17 + Rest of New Testament: Acts 20.13-16 +Psalm of the Day: Psalm 35.1-16 +Proverb of the Day: Proverbs 8.10-21 +Rest of Old Testament: Leviticus 1,2

Day of Year: 43 Date: 2.12.14 Favorite Verse: Matthew 13. 23  And the one on whom seed was sown on the good soil, this is the man who hears the word and understands it; who indeed bears fruit and brings forth, some a hundredfold, some sixty, and some thirty.” Thought for the day: Stay focused and what you pray about and think about will lead to action and actions will lead to being fruitful.  Sowing and reaping.  Plant love and love will come back.  Plant selfishness and selfishness will be what you reap.  Sow the wind reap the whirlwind. Jesus Reading (Ten Minutes): Matthew 13.1-9, 18-23 + Rest of New Testament: Acts 20.1-12 +Psalm of the Day: Psalm 34.11-22 +Proverb of the Day: Proverbs 8.1-9 +Rest of Old Testament: Exodus 39.1-40.38

Day of Year: 42 Date: 2.11.14 Favorite Verse:  Matthew 12.49,50 49  And stretching out His hand toward His disciples, He said, “Behold My mother and My brothers! 50  For whoever does the will of My Father who is in heaven, he is My brother and sister and mother.”   Thought for the day:  Blood is thicker than water, but spiritual, sold out total commitment is thicker than blood.  Jesus honored His mother constantly from the beginning of His work when He turned water to wine until the end on the cross when He said to John, "Behold, your mother."  Still, when it came to the work Jesus came to do some of His family thought He was out of His mind.  He accepted all who came to Him with an obedient heart as "family". Jesus Reading (Ten Minutes): Matthew 12.46-50 + Rest of New Testament: Acts 19.21-41 +Psalm of the Day: Psalm 34.1-10 +Proverb of the Day: Proverbs 7.6-27 +Rest of Old Testament: Exodus 37.1-40.38

Day of Year: 41 Date: 2.10.14 Favorite Verse: Matthew 12. 45  Then it goes and takes along with it seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there; and the last state of that man becomes worse than the first. That is the way it will also be with this evil generation.” Thought for the day: Passive doing nothing is not a good plan for life.  Some people have as their goal in life to not fail.  To be sure they never fail, they never try to do anything significant and that in itself is a failure.  We must fill up our days as followers of Jesus acts of mercy and compassion to those around us. Jesus Reading (Ten Minutes): Matthew 12.38-45 + Rest of New Testament: Acts 19.11-20 +Psalm of the Day: Psalm 33.12-22 +Proverb of the Day: Proverbs 7.1-5 +Rest of Old Testament: Exodus 35.1-36.38

Day of Year: 40 Date: 2.9.14 Favorite Verse:Matthew 12. 37  For [ ai ] by your words you will be justified, and [ aj ] by your words you will be condemned.” Thought for the day: Humans have self control ability.  If you say with your mouth that Jesus is your leader then they leads to a certain opportunity to be justified by Him and His death on the cross in your behalf.  If you chose words that resist Jesus love then that choice leads to dark paths.  Choose the words that reflect trusting Jesus for your justification. Jesus Reading (Ten Minutes): Matthew 12.33-37 + Rest of New Testament: Acts 19.1-10 +Psalm of the Day: Psalm 33.1-11 +Proverb of the Day: Proverbs 6.30-35 +Rest of Old Testament: