Refreshing Our Spirits With Scripture

9.1- When people need to change, we who love deeply, must encourage them to change toward the good path. If they repent and change to the good path, then we need to forgive as we have been forgiven.   This requires a growth in faith from small faith to great faith. Luke 17. 17  He said to His disciples, “It is inevitable that [ a ] stumbling blocks come, but woe to him through whom they come! 2  It [ b ] would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck and he were thrown into the sea, than that he would cause one of these little ones to stumble. 3  [ c ] Be on your guard! If your brother sins, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him. 4  And if he sins against you seven times a day, and returns to you seven times, saying, ‘I repent,’ [ d ] forgive him.” 5  The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!” 6  And the Lord said, “If you [ e ] had faith like a mustard seed, you would say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and be planted in the

8.31- Matthew 22.21 They *said to Him, “ Caesar ’s.” Then He *said to them, “Then render to Caesar the things that are Caesar ’s; and to God the things that are God’s.” I believe it is normal for people to love their nation.   Those of us who are Christians have a higher allegiance to God. “one nation” under God.   Still, we may have appreciation for our nation.   Not to worship our nation, but to be thankful to our God for our nation. I grew up in the Viet Nam era and had many friends to go and serve there and a close friend of Shelia, Danny Dennis, died there. Senator John McCain was held captive there for five and one half years and later has served in the Senate for over thirty years.   He passed from this life on Saturday.   Many tributes have been given to him as a veteran who served with honor and Senator and Presidential Candidate on two campaigns, 2000 and 2008. Senator John McCain was active in opening relations with Viet Nam, the nation that had captur

8.30- The most important thing is my family. The most important thing is the military because they support our freedom of religion to worship as we wish and truly see the importance of our families. The most important thing is the taxes that comes out of our wallet to pay for the military to support our freedom of religion. The most important thing is the words of Jesus that teach us the proper attitude toward paying taxes to support our military to support our religion which helps us set up our attitude toward what is important. The most important thing is the ability to let go of your opinion of what is the most important thing and embrace God’s opinion. The most important thing is not really a thing. It is our Father in Heaven and His Son Jesus and their amazing grace, how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me. God gave me my family, my country and its best guidance and gave me my family as well as my best opinions about all of them.  Matthew 6.

8.29- Jesus had the goal of gathering all God’s children together into one flock of sheep.   That means there will be division.   On the way to the ultimate unity there will be some division.   Those who don’t believe that God loves all nations and all ethnic groups and wants all of them to be in heaven may even be a minority on the earth at any given time.   The good news teachers who follow Jesus will have those who don’t agree with them.   This is no surprise. For the last 2,000 years there have been religious and political groups who were focused on money and power instead of helping people.   Jesus came up against these people.  Luke 13. 10  And He was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath. 11  And there was a woman who for eighteen years had had a sickness caused by a spirit; and she was bent double, and could not straighten up at all. 12  When Jesus saw her, He called her over and said to her, “Woman, you are freed from your sickness.” 13  And He la