Refreshing Our Spirits With Scripture

6.21- Are you tempted to be a worrier? Jesus teaches us not to worry. It is 7.54pm, CDT, Fort Worth Texas and it is dusk.  A little sparrow is sitting on the corner of my roof.  He seems completely filled with joy and he flies around.  He doesn't stay there long.  He looks at the sunset.  He flies off to get a worm of other good food that the Lord provides for him. Two days ago I was sitting in my recliner and the phone rang.  It was our neighbor, Ronnie, she had a box of food for us.  It was a gift to her and she wanted to gift us with it.  A bag of apples.  A bag of potatoes.  A bag of carrots.  A bag of onions.  Two oranges.  A bag of dried beans. A gift from God through Ronnie to us.  Had not idea God was going to give this to us but he did.  God is good. Matthew 6. 26  Look at the birds of the [ p ] air, that they do not sow, nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they?

6.20- “As I was returning to earth, I realized that I was a servant - not a celebrity. So I am here as God’s servant on planet Earth to share what I have experienced that others might know the glory of God.” Colonel James Irwin, Astronaut “Keep one thing in view forever – the truth; and if you do this, though it may seem to lead you away from the opinion of men, it will assuredly conduct you to the throne of God.” Horace Mann When we learn from our mistakes, we are less likely to repeat them. Silence is the best response to a fool.

6.19- Falling Short Romans 3:19-28 Bill Crowder One of the fads of 1970s America was the motorcycle jump. This trend reached its high (and low) point on September 8, 1974. Thousands of spectators gathered around the Snake River Canyon in Idaho to see if Evel Knievel could jump across the chasm in a specially designed “sky cycle.” In the end, however, it was unsuccessful. Knievel made it only part of the way across the gulf before his parachute deployed and he dropped to the canyon floor below. Some spectators asked, “How far across the canyon did he get?” But that wasn’t the point. He didn’t make it all the way across, so he fell short of his goal. This scene is a good illustration of sin. The Bible talks about sin in Romans 3:23, where Paul declared, “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” No one is capable of bridging the gap between God and ourselves by our own efforts, but the Savior came to do just that on our behalf. Jesus perfectly fulf

6.18- Even Her? Joshua 2:1-14 Dave Branon Imagine looking through your family tree and finding this description of your ancestor” “A prostitute, she harbored enemies of the government in her home. When she was confronted by the authorities, she lied about it.” What would you do about her? Hide her story from anyone inquiring about your family? Or spotlight and praise her in the legends of your family’s story? Meet Rahab. If what we read about her in Joshua 2 were all we knew, we might lump her in with all of the other renegades and bad examples in the Bible. But her story doesn’t stop there. Matthew 1:5-6 reveals that she was King David’s great-great grandmother—and that she was in the lineage of our Savior, Jesus. And there’s more. Hebrews 11:31 names Rahab as a woman of faith who was saved from the fall of Jericho (see Joshua 6:17). And in James 2:25, her works of rescue were given as evidence of her righteous faith. God’s love is amazing that way

6.17- Nowhere to Hide                     Genesis 3:6-13, 22-24                  Julie Ackerman Link     I smelled something burning, so I hurried to the kitchen. Nothing was on the stove or in the oven. I followed my nose through the house. From room to room I went, eventually ending up downstairs. My nose led me to my office and then to my desk. I peeked beneath it and there, peering back at me with big eyes pleading for help, was Maggie, our dog, our very “fragrant” dog. What smelled like something burning when I was upstairs, now had the distinct odor of skunk. Maggie had gone to the farthest corner of our home to escape the foul smell, but she couldn’t get away from herself.     Maggie’s dilemma brought to mind the many times I have tried to run away from unpleasant circumstances only to discover that the problem was not the situation I was in but me. Since Adam and Eve hid after sinning (Genesis 3:8), we’ve all followed their example. We run away from situations thinking we

6.16- My thanks to Mark Hamilton, ACU Bible Professor, for his sermon on Pentecost Sunday.   It reminded me of certain realities. Pentecost Sunday is a day of mercy won for us through the cross of Jesus.   “No Pentecost without Plenty of Cost”. Joel, a prophet of God had spoken forth a word from God that He would pour out His Spirit on all flesh. Men, women, Jews, Gentiles, Old and Young.   This word from the ninth century B.C.   This promise of God and from God was not forgotten. God sent His Son from heaven and they killed Him. Death does not have the last word.   God raised Jesus from the dead.   This is the foundation stone of our hope.   The resurrection of Jesus and our resurrection when Jesus comes back to claim His own. Death does not prevail. The audience asks the question Peter wants to hear.   “What should we do?” The answer for them and all of us. Repent.   This means a total turn of our hearts from ourselves to God. And be baptized, every one of you in