Refreshing Our Spirits With Scripture

8.19-Racism, Release from judgment. We must not expect the answer to come in one generation. We must not expect to be made uncomfortable by Jesus moral standards as compared to our lives. John 4. 15  The woman *said to Him, “ [ c ] Sir, give me this water, so I will not be thirsty nor come all the way here to draw.” 16  He *said to her, “Go, call your husband and come here.” 17  The woman answered and said, “I have no husband.” Jesus *said to her, “You have correctly said, ‘I have no husband’; 18  for you have had five husbands, and the one whom you now have is not your husband; this you have said truly.” 19  The woman *said to Him, “ [ d ] Sir, I perceive that You are a prophet. Catherine Marshall said that what the Gospel taught her to do was to take her personal judgment off other people. Taking your personal judgment off of another person doesn’t mean that you agree with what he has said or done. It simply means that you will not act as his judge.  You will not pro

8.18 Ezekiel 36:26 Moreover, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh Friends, This writing is deep water for me. I’m asking my partners to help me get this message out if it is something you think is needed in our country right now. We stand ready to speak truth to power and we are ready to see repentance, forgiveness and healing to come to all of us. God promises that He will take out a heart of stone and give us a heart of flesh. On this date 13 years ago one of my beloved relatives had a liver transplant which took out a liver that didn ’t work and put in one that did. He lives today because of the amazing power of a transplant. We need a spiritual transplant. We must not be afraid to speak up in difficult times. We must confess our own sins and ask for God to help us with His Spirit for self-examination and deeper reflection on things we have not

8.18--Racism, There must be good laws, but the answer must go deeper than laws. We must go when we feel weary. John 4. ; 6  and Jacob’s well was there. So Jesus, being wearied from His journey, was sitting thus by the well. We must ask for help. We must ask for help of all kinds of people.   Men and women.   Old and young.   Black, white Hispanic, Jew and Gentile and mixed race people. We must not expect any answer to work except the work of God and His living water. “Removing a statue and changing a name are ways of addressing the symptoms of a much deeper problem, the problem of racism.  And the crucial question as I see it, is, how do we address this deeper problem?  How do we put an end to racism?” We must not quench the wrong thirst and overlook the deeper thirst. John 4. 12  You are not greater than our father Jacob, are You, who gave us the well, and drank of it himself and his sons and his cattle?” 13  Jesus answered and said to her, “Everyone who dr

8.17-Racism, going where we don't want to go.   It’s the living water of Jesus Himself in our hearts. John 4. . 23  But an hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for such people the Father seeks to be His worshipers. 24  God is [ e ] spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.” 25  The woman *said to Him, “I know that Messiah is coming (He who is called Christ); when that One comes, He will declare all things to us.” 26  Jesus *said to her, “I who speak to you am He .” We must go where we others don’t want to go. John 4. 4  Therefore when the Lord knew that the Pharisees had heard that Jesus was making and baptizing more disciples than John 2  (although Jesus Himself was not baptizing, but His disciples were), 3  He left Judea and went away again into Galilee. 4  And He had to pass through Samaria. Jews didn't go through Samaria. They would go a long way around to avoid it. 

8.16- Jesus and Racism, Deep change The transformation Jesus has in mind. John 4. 7  There *came a woman of Samaria to draw water. Jesus *said to her, “Give Me a drink.” 8  For His disciples had gone away into the city to buy food. 9  Therefore the Samaritan woman *said to Him, “How is it that You, being a Jew, ask me for a drink since I am a Samaritan woman?” (For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.) 10  Jesus answered and said to her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, ‘Give Me a drink,’ you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water.” We needed a different response to the events in Charlottesville, “to change the hate and the hurt, the fear and the aggression, the frustration and the indignation that clashed so violently in the streets of Charlottesville on Saturday I believe that we are going to need more than just outrage and talk.  We are going to need something else, something more.” Douglas Skinner, Northway Christia

8.15-Do you have a favorite place where you live? Psalm 87 87  His foundation is in the holy mountains. 2  The Lord loves the gates of Zion More than all the other dwelling places of Jacob. 3  Glorious things are spoken of you, O city of God. [ a ] Selah. 4  “I shall mention [ b ] Rahab and Babylon [ c ] among those who know Me; Behold, Philistia and Tyre with [ d ] Ethiopia: ‘This one was born there.’” 5  But of Zion it shall be said, “This one and that one were born in her”; And the Most High Himself will establish her. 6  The Lord will count when He registers the peoples, “This one was born there.” Selah. 7  Then those who sing as well as those who [ e ] play the flutes shall say , “All my springs of joy are in you.” This is an amazing picture because it shows my parents and Amy and with the beautiful Rockies in the background. Once on a trip to Texas I casually mentioned to mom and dad why didn't they fly back to Denver with me. I assumed they wo

8.14-Did you forget something? We can get so busy describing why everyone else is wrong that we forget to love God and people. Have you been in some kind heated discussion about something that you found yourself in the "us" versus "them" attitude.  They are wrong and we are right.   Sometimes in trying those who are false we forget to keep love as our constant attitude. Revelation 2. 2  ‘I know your deeds and your toil and [ b ] perseverance, and that you cannot tolerate evil men, and you put to the test those who call themselves apostles, and they are not, and you found them to be false; 3  and you have [ c ] perseverance and have endured for My name’s sake, and have not grown weary. 4  But I have this against you, that you have left your first love.

8.13- Have you ever been questioned harshly by some authority figure? Mark 15. 3  The chief priests began to accuse Him [ b ] harshly. Jesus understands Have you ever been spit on? Mark 15. 19  They kept beating His head with a [ f ] reed, and spitting on Him, and kneeling and bowing before Him. Jesus understands. Have you ever felt forsaken by God? Mark 15. 34  At the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, “ Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani ?” which is translated, “ My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me ?”   Talk to Jesus about it.  Ask for His guidance and help.  He will help you. Larry Wishard