Refreshing Our Spirits With Scripture

 8.8- Don’t play word games with God.   If God is all wise and He is.   If God is present everywhere and He is.   He if knows the secrets of our hearts and He does.   Why do we play word games with Him and run and hide from Him?   Lying to God about what we have to give in honor and support of our mother and father is not wise. Mark 7. 7  The Pharisees and some of the scribes *gathered to Him after they came from Jerusalem,   2  and saw that some of His disciples were eating their bread with  [ a ] unholy hands, that is, unwashed.   3  (For the Pharisees and all the  other  Jews do not eat unless they  [ b ] carefully wash their hands,  thereby  holding firmly to the tradition of the elders;   4  and  when they come  from the marketplace, they do not eat unless they  [ c ] completely cleanse themselves; and there are many other things which they have received  as traditions  to firmly hold,  such as  the  [ d ] washing of cups, pitchers, and copper pots.)   5  And the Pharisees a

 8.7. There are some things that God wants to happen before He is willing to accept a contribution from us. Isaiah 1. 11  “What are your many sacrifices to Me?” Says the  Lord . “I  [ d ] have had enough of burnt offerings of rams And the fat of fattened cattle; And I take no pleasure in the blood of bulls, lambs, or goats. 17  Learn to do good; Seek justice, Rebuke the oppressor, Obtain justice for the orphan, Plead for the widow’s case. Jesus said the same. Matthew 5. 23  Therefore, if you are presenting your  [ n ] offering at the altar, and there you remember that your brother has something against you,   24  leave your  [ o ] offering there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother, and then come and present your  [ p ] offering.  

 8.6- The good news is that we don’t have to react to people in the way they act toward us.   We can change the dynamic movements.   Others may be pushing division toward us but we can stay committed to harmony in our lives. As George Stebbins wrote: Out of bondage, sorrow and night Into freedom gladness and light. Out of sickness into health. Out of want and into spiritual wealth. Out of sin and guilt and into the pure health of life with Jesus. Out of shameful, failure and loss. Into the glorious gain of the cross. Out of sorrows into the balm of Gilead. Out of life’s storms and into the calm. Out of distress and into a Psalm. Out of unrest and arrogant pride. Into God’s will to abide. Out of self into His love. Into the upward flight of the wings of a dove. Out of the fear and dread of the tomb. Into the light and hope of God’s eternal home. Out of the depths of ruin untold. Into the peace of being in Jesus’ secure sheepfold. Ever Jesus’ glori

 8.5- Healing our hearts involves receiving the forgiveness and grace and mercy from God and passing it along.  Moving forward from the paralysis in our journey involves a fresh start.  Religious people sometimes are more focused on the miracle of physical sickness than emotional, spiritual and psychologic ailments.  Jesus did not make this mistake.  He put forgiveness at the top of His piorities. Mark 2. 2  When  Jesus  came back to Capernaum a few days later, it was heard that He was at home.   2  And many were gathered together, so that there was no longer space, not even near the door; and He was speaking the word to them.   3  And  some people  *came, bringing to Him a man who was paralyzed, carried by four  men .   4  And when they were unable to  [ a ] get to Him because of the crowd, they removed the roof  [ b ] above Him; and after digging an opening, they let down the pallet on which the paralyzed man was lying.   5  And Jesus, seeing their faith, *said to the paralyzed man, 

 8.4- There is a kind of religious person who is anxious to accuse others.   They think that religion is about showing who is wrong and who is right.   They are focused on testing the doctrines of others to make sure they conform to the orthodox point of view.   These kind of people tested Jesus Christ and tried to get Him off track of doing His Father’s will. Mark 3. 3  He entered a synagogue again; and a man was there whose hand was withered.   2  And they were watching Him  [ a ] closely  to see  if He would heal him on the Sabbath, so that they might accuse Him.   3  He *said to the man with the withered hand,  “ [ b ] Get up and come forward!”   4  And He *said to them,  “Is it lawful to do good on the Sabbath or to do harm, to save a life or to kill?”  But they kept silent.   5  After looking around at them with anger, grieved at their hardness of heart, He *said to the man,  “Stretch out your hand.”  And he stretched it out, and his hand was restored.   6  The Pharisees went out

 8.3- The Art of Forgiveness                         Luke 15:11-24                         David C. McCasland     One afternoon I spent two hours at an art exhibit – The Father & His Two Sons: The Art of Forgiveness – in which all of the pieces were focused on Jesus’ parable of the prodigal son (Luke 5:11-31). I found Edward Riojas’ painting, The Prodigal Son especially powerful. The painting portrays the once wayward son returning home, wearing rags and walking with his head down. With a land of death behind him, he steps onto a pathway where his father is already running toward him. At the bottom of the painting are Jesus’ words, “But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion (verse 20).     I was deeply moved by realizing once more how God’s unchanging love has altered my life. When I walked away from Him, He didn’t turn His back, but kept looking, watching and waiting. His love is undeserved yet unchanging; often ignored yet never withdrawn.

 8.2- The Point of No Return                        Bill Crowder                                  James 3:1-12     It wasn’t as simple as just crossing another river. By law, no Roman general could lead armed troops into Rome. So when Julius Caesar led his Thirteenth Legion across the Rubicon River and into Italy in 49 BC, it was an act of treason. The impact of Caesar’s decision was irreversible, generating years of civil war before Rome's great general became absolute ruler. Still today, the phrase “crossing the Rubicon” is a metaphor for “passing the point of no return.” Sometimes we can cross a relational Rubicon with the words we say to others. Once spoken, words can’t be taken back. They can either offer help and comfort or do damage that feels just as irreversible as Caesar’s march on Rome. James gave us another word picture about words when he said, “The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole body, sets the whole course