Refreshing Our Spirits With Scripture

Mark 14. 38  Keep watching and praying that you may not come into temptation; the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.

I'm not as good at tenderly caring for the bruised and hurting as I would like to be.  I see them.  Yesterday, -I watched a woman who was in a wheel chair push herself up a small hill in a parking lot so she could cross two lanes of busy Bedford traffic and then roll back down an incline in the street beside cars to get from one medical building to another because there was no sidewalk.  She came out and wheeled herself back up the hill and returned across two lanes of traffic.  A man was with her, but was not pushing her. -A bit later I saw a man who appeared to be seventy struggle to get a handicap motor chair to help him from the parking lot into the Walmart store.  He gave some money to a person to get him to bring one out to his car.  He was determined to get inside and get things and he did it. -There was a woman appearing to be 95 and bent 3/4 forward and her 75 year old daughter who grabbed a cart from the parking lot to help them get into the store.  They too

Mark 14. 32  They *came to a place named Gethsemane; and He *said to His disciples, “Sit here until I have prayed.” 33  And He *took with Him Peter and [ n ] James and John, and began to be very distressed and troubled. 34  And He *said to them, “My soul is deeply grieved to the point of death; remain here and keep watch.” 35  And He went a little beyond them , and fell to the ground and began to pray that if it were possible, the hour might [ o ] pass Him by. 36  And He was saying, “Abba! Father! All things are possible for You; remove this cup from Me; yet not what I will, but what You will.”

Mark 14. 27  And Jesus *said to them, “You will all [ k ] fall away, because it is written, ‘I will strike down the shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered .’ 28  But after I have been raised, I will go ahead of you to Galilee.” 29  But Peter said to Him, “ Even though all may [ l ] fall away, yet I will not.” 30  And Jesus *said to him, “Truly I say to you, that [ m ] this very night, before a rooster crows twice, you yourself will deny Me three times.” 31  But Peter kept saying insistently, “ Even if I have to die with You, I will not deny You!” And they all were saying the same thing also.

Matthew 7. 12  “Here is a simple, rule-of-thumb guide for behavior: Ask yourself what you want people to do for you, then grab the initiative and do it for them . Add up God’s Law and Prophets and this is what you get. 1 John 4. 17-18  God is love. When we take up permanent residence in a life of love, we live in God and God lives in us. This way, love has the run of the house, becomes at home and mature in us, so that we’re free of worry on Judgment Day—our standing in the world is identical with Christ’s. There is no room in love for fear. Well-formed love banishes fear. Since fear is crippling, a fearful life—fear of death, fear of judgment—is one not yet fully formed in love. 19  We, though, are going to love—love and be loved. First we were loved, now we love. He loved us first. 20-21  If anyone boasts, “I love God,” and goes right on hating his brother or sister, thinking nothing of it, he is a liar. If he won’t love the person he can see, how can he love the

Mark 14. 22  While they were eating, He took some bread, and [ j ] after a blessing He broke it , and gave it to them, and said, “Take it ; this is My body.” 23  And when He had taken a cup and given thanks, He gave it to them, and they all drank from it. 24  And He said to them, “This is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many. 25  Truly I say to you, I will never again drink of the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God.”

Mark 14. 3  While He was in Bethany at the home of Simon the leper, and reclining at the table , there came a woman with an alabaster vial of very costly perfume of pure [ a ] nard; and she broke the vial and poured it over His head. 4  But some were indignantly remarking to one another, “Why has this perfume been wasted? 5  For this perfume might have been sold for over three hundred [ b ] denarii, and the money given to the poor.” And they were scolding her. 6  But Jesus said, “Let her alone; why do you bother her? She has done a good deed to Me. 7  For you always have the poor with you, and whenever you wish you can do good to them; but you do not always have Me. 8  She has done what she could; she has anointed My body beforehand for the burial. 9  Truly I say to you, wherever the gospel is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be spoken of in memory of her.”

We visited this cemetery often with Ralph Self, Sheila's dad, after the death of Gladys his wife of over 60 years.  He was always happy to visit there and show his honor to her.  He had honored her each year of their marriage.  He had been taught by Jesus to honor her by laying down his life for her.  Earlier years in their retirement they had traveled together and in later years he took care of her during months and years of dementia.  When she passed he was totally focused on their hope in Jesus Christ. He was quiet and reflective when we visited the cemetery, but never in despair. Never overwhelmed and overcome by sadness.  I believe he was hopeful because of the one who was raised from the dead, Jesus, had raised Ralph's  life into a new kind of life when he became a Christian. Romans 6. What shall we say, then?  Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? 2  By no means! We are those who have died to sin;  how can we live in it any longer?   3  Or don’t you

Mark 13. 31  Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away. 32  But of that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone .