Refreshing Our Spirits With Scripture

 12.19-   We grew up observing how healthy families practiced kindness with each other. One definition of kindness is loaning someone your strength rather than reminding them of their weakness. 1 Corinthians 13. 13  If I speak with the tongues of mankind and of angels, but do not have love, I have become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. 2  If I have the gift of prophecy and know all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. 3  And if I give away all my possessions to charity , and if I surrender my body so that I may [ a ] glory, but do not have love, it does me no good. 4  Love is patient, love is kind, it is not jealous; love does not brag, it is not arrogant. 5  It does not act disgracefully, it does not seek its own benefit ; it is not provoked, does not keep an account of a wrong suffered , 6  it does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; 7  it [ b ] keeps every confidence

 12.18- Promises from God that are 100% true for everyone. Death will come to you. Be ready. Promises from God like this one. If you need wisdom from God ask and seek and you will find wisdom. Obey your Godly parents and you will have a longer life. Working with God is easier than working against God.   Matthew 11. 25  [ u ] At that time Jesus said, “I praise You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and intelligent, and have revealed them to infants. 26  Yes, Father, for this way was well pleasing in Your sight. 27  All things have been handed over to Me by My Father; and no one knows the Son except the Father; nor does anyone know the Father except the Son, and anyone to whom the Son determines to reveal Him . 28  “Come to Me, all [ v ] 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 [ w ] rest for your souls . 3 0  For

 12.17-   12.17-   Home for Christmas Genesis 28:10-17 Tim Gustafson One year Christmas found me on assignment in a place many of my friends couldn’t locate on a map. Trudging from my worksite back to my room, I braced against the chilly wind blowing off the bleak Black Sea. I missed home. When I arrived at my room, I opened the door to a magical moment. My artistic roommate had completed his latest project – a nineteen-inch ceramic Christmas tree that now illuminated our darkened room with sparkling dots of color. If only for a moment, I was home again! As Jacob fled from his brother Esau, he found himself in a strange and lonely place, too. Asleep on the hard ground, he met God in a dream. And God promised Jacob a home. “I will give you and your descendants the land on which you are lying,” He told him. “All peoples on earth will be blessed through you and your off-spring” (Genesis 28:13-14). From Jacob, of course, would come the promised Mes

 12.16-   How to Change a Life Proverbs 15:4; 16-24; 18:21 Monica Brands Sometimes our lives can change in a moment through the powerful impact of others. For rock ‘n’ roll legend Bruce Springsteen, it was the work of musical artists that helped him through a difficult childhood and a persistent struggle with depression. He found meaning in his own work through the truth he’d experienced firsthand, that “You can change someone’s life in three minutes with the right song. Like a compelling song, others’ well-chosen words can also give us hope, even change the course of our lives. I’m sure most of us could share stories of a conversation that forever impacted our lives – words from a teacher that changed the way we saw the world, words of encouragement that restored our confidence, gentle words from a friend that carried us through a difficult time. Perhaps this is why the book of Proverbs spends so much time emphasizing our responsibility to treasure wor

 12.15-   A Blanket for Everyone John 18:15-18, 25-27 Arthur Jackson Linus Van Pelt, better known as simply “Linus,” was a mainstay in the Peanuts comic strip. Witty and wise, yet insecure, Linus constantly carried a security blanket. We can identify. We have our fears and insecurities too. The disciple Peter knew something about fear. When Jesus was arrested, Peter displayed courage by following the Lord into the courtyard of the high priest. But then he began to show his fear by lying to protect his identity (John 18:15-26). He spoke disgraceful words that denied his Lord. But Jesus never stopped loving Peter and ultimately restored him (See John 21:15-19). Peter’s emphasis on love in I Peter 4:8 came from one who had experienced the deep love of Jesus. And he, in turn, stressed the importance of love in our relationships with the words, “above all.” The intensity of the verse continues with the encouragement to “love each other deeply, because love cover

 12.14- Do not give easy success to the people who want to force and bully you into submission.  Give cooperation to the people who want to offer the opportunity to grow and change spiritually into being  refresher of people's courage. God's mercy is like Billions.  God is the greatest peacemaker of all.   God's work is given to those who are willing to work in a way that causes people to love God rather than resent being helped.  Because the standards of healthy love are so high we know we will fall short of perfection, but we can ask forgiveness and start over. God is over all. Nations will by their nature demand taxes. God favors nations that believe in Him   There are those who are so loving and honest that this world is not worthy of them.  They move on to the next realm at a time that to us seems way too young to have gone from us.   When people move over to the next realm after this life it is important to remember that things will be different there.  Here we learn