Refreshing Our Spirits With Scripture

 7.25- He reminded me of the quietness of spirit of my mentors as they finished their work here on earth. ""Quiet minds cannot be perplexed or frightened but go on in fortune or misfortune at their own private pace, like a clock during a thunderstorm." R. L. Stevenson 1Thessalonians 5. 12  But we ask you, brothers  and sisters , to recognize those who diligently labor among you and  [ h ] are in leadership over you in the Lord, and give you  [ i ] instruction,   13  and that you regard them very highly in love because of their work. Live in peace with one another.   14  We urge you, brothers  and sisters , admonish the  [ j ] unruly, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with everyone.   15  See that no one repays another with evil for evil, but always seek what is good for one another and for all people.   16  Rejoice always,   17  pray without ceasing,   18  in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus.   19  Do not que

 7.24- In the last couple of months I have had good conversations with a man named Marcus who says that he doesn't believe in God, but he is drawn to Christians because of their love. I speak with him across thousands of miles because he lives in Australia. There is little to no lapse in our conversation. I don't know how Zoom works, but I know it works. I think of prayer the same way. Luke 11. 11  One day he was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said, “Master, teach us to pray just as John taught his disciples.” 2-4  So he said, “When you pray, say, Father, Reveal who you are. Set the world right. Keep us alive with three square meals. Keep us forgiven with you and forgiving others. Keep us safe from ourselves and the Devil.” 5-6  Then he said, “Imagine what would happen if you went to a friend in the middle of the night and said, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread. An old friend traveling through just showed up, and I don’t have a thin

 7.23- Only by Prayer                                   Mark 9:14-29                                  Xochitl Dixon     My friend called me late one night during her cancer treatment.   Grieved by her uncontrollable sobs, I soon added my own tears and a silent prayer. What am I supposed to do, Lord?     Her wails squeezed my heart. I couldn’t stop her pain, fix her situation, or find one intelligible word of encouragement. But I knew who could help. As I wept with my friend, stumbling through a prayer, I whispered repeatedly, “Jesus, Jesus, Jesus.”     Her cries quieted to sniffs and whimpers, until her breathing slowed. Her husband’s voice startled me. “She’s asleep,” he said. “We’ll call tomorrow.”     I hung up, weeping prayers into my pillow.     The apostle Mark shares a story of another person who wanted to help his loved one. A desperate father brought his suffering son to Jesus (Mark 9:17). Doubt clung to his plea, as he reiterated the impossibility of the circumstanc

 7.22- Wonders of Focus                                Job 38:1-18                                   Mart Dehaan     Some of us are inclined to look at the world and see only what’s wrong. DeWitt Jones is a National Geographic photographer who has used his profession to celebrate what’s right about the world. He waits and watches until a shaft of light or turn of perspective suddenly reveals a wonder that had been there all along. He uses his camera to find beauty in the most common faces of people and nature.     If anyone had reason to focus on the wrongs of the world, Job did. After losing all that had given him joy, even his friends became his accusers. Together their voices taunted him for not admitting that he was suffering for sins he was hiding. When Job cried out to the heavens for help, God remained silent.     Finally, from within the chaos of a whirlwind and the darkness of a storm, God asked Job to consider wonders of nature that reflect a wisdom and power far beyon

 7.21- Despised for All of This                         Isaiah 53:3-12                               Tim Gustafson     Susannah Cibber gained fame in the eighteenth century for her talent as a singer. However, she was equally well known for her scandalous marital problems. That’s why when Handel’s Messiah was first performed in Dublin in April 1742, many in the audience did not approve of her role as a featured soloist.     During that inaugural performance, Cibber sang of the Messiah: “He is despised and reject of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief” (Isaiah 53:3). Those words so moved Rev. Patrick Delany that he jumped to his feet and said, “Woman, for this be all your sins forgiven!”     The connection between Susannah Cibber and the theme of Handel’s Messiah is evident. The “man of sorrows” – Jesus the Messiah – was “despised and rejected” because of sin. The prophet Isaiah said, “My righteous servant will justify many, and he will bear their iniquities” (Isaia

 7.20- A toxic atmosphere brings out the worst in people. Therefore, I believe we all need to keep our eyes on our own paper. We need to assume the best about our opponent in political opinions. Jesus said that those who are not against us are for us. Do not name call and label others in our mind or words. This will make our nation more unified. We need to reduce road rage killing of our youth and children. Just sayin'. 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 d

 7.19- Making good suggestions. When I worked in Denver there was a couple who worked in our food bank. They were very happy in spite of many difficulties. She was the night shift manager at a motel for the near homeless. They saw children uncared for and made a good suggestion. Is anyone using our church van on Sunday morning before Sunday school? "No." "Could we use it to bring a bunch of kids to Sunday school?" They did this over twenty years ago and this work continues today. A good suggestion. Matthew 25. 31  “But when the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on His glorious throne.   32  And all the nations will be gathered before Him; and He will separate them from one another, just as the shepherd separates the sheep from the goats;   33  and He will put the sheep on His right, but the goats on the left. 34  “Then the King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom p