Refreshing Our Spirits With Scripture

2.18- How to keep going in hard times? Matthew 11. 28  “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29  Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30  For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Galations 6. 6  Brothers and sisters, if someone is caught in a sin, you who live by the Spirit should restore that person gently. But watch yourselves, or you also may be tempted. 2  Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. 3  If anyone thinks they are something when they are not, they deceive themselves. 4  Each one should test their own actions. Then they can take pride in themselves alone, without comparing themselves to someone else, 5  for each one should carry their own load. 6  Nevertheless, the one who receives instruction in the word should share all good things with their instructor. 7  Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked

2.17- Luke 4. 4  Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, left the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, 2  where for forty days he was tempted [ a ] by the devil. He ate nothing during those days, and at the end of them he was hungry. 3  The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread.” 4  Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone.’ [ b ] ” 5  The devil led him up to a high place and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. 6  And he said to him, “I will give you all their authority and splendor; it has been given to me, and I can give it to anyone I want to. 7  If you worship me, it will all be yours.” 8  Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God and serve him only.’ [ c ] ” 9  The devil led him to Jerusalem and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. “If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down from here. 10  For it is written: “‘He will

2.16- What does a person turning to God look like? Luke 3. 7  John said to the crowds coming out to be baptized by him, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? 8  Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. And do not begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham. 9  The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.” 10  “What should we do then?” the crowd asked. 11  John answered, “Anyone who has two shirts should share with the one who has none, and anyone who has food should do the same.” 12  Even tax collectors came to be baptized. “Teacher,” they asked, “what should we do?” 13  “Don’t collect any more than you are required to,” he told them. 14  Then some soldiers asked him, “And what should we do?” He replied, “Don’t extort money and don’t accuse people falsel

2.15- Luke 2. 2  In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. 2  (This was the first census that took place while [ a ] Quirinius was governor of Syria.) 3  And everyone went to their own town to register. 4  So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. 5  He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. 6  While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, 7  and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them. 8  And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. 9  An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10  But the angel said to

2.14- Luke 1 26  In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, 27  to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. 28  The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.” 29  Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. 30  But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. 31  You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. 32  He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, 33  and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.” 34  “How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?” 35  The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So t

2.13-He has risen! Mark 16. 16  When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices so that they might go to anoint Jesus’ body. 2  Very early on the first day of the week, just after sunrise, they were on their way to the tomb 3  and they asked each other, “Who will roll the stone away from the entrance of the tomb?” 4  But when they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had been rolled away. 5  As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man dressed in a white robe sitting on the right side, and they were alarmed. 6  “Don’t be alarmed,” he said. “You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him. 7  But go, tell his disciples and Peter, ‘He is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.’” 8  Trembling and bewildered, the women went out and fled from the tomb. They said nothing to anyone, because they were

2.12 Have you ever experienced being released from jail? During the summer of 1966 I sold Bibles in Louisiana.  I had many unusual experiences, but one is a bit embarrassing.  I was told by my company not to get a sales license.  I was taken into jail for a few hours before a local Christian businessman vouched for me.  I still remember that feeling of being scared in jail.  There were only two guys in there.  One said he was there for failure to give his wife a support check.  The other claimed to be in for murder.  They both asked me what I was in for.  I said. "Selling Bibles."  They got a laugh.  I was excited to be released. Mark 15. 6  Now it was the custom at the festival to release a prisoner whom the people requested. 7  A man called Barabbas was in prison with the insurrectionists who had committed murder in the uprising. 8  The crowd came up and asked Pilate to do for them what he usually did. 9  “Do you want me to release to you the king of the Jews?” as