Refreshing Our Spirits With Scripture

 9.19 When "religion" spends millions on covering up the leaders abuse of people and hundreds on helping the sick and the poor you know God is crying. Jesus overturned the tables and said how dare you turn my Father's house of prayer into a market of money. God forgive us and help us do better. Matthew 23. 25  “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and of the dish, but inside they are full  [ y ] of robbery and self-indulgence.   26  You blind Pharisee, first clean the inside of the cup and of the dish, so that the  [ z ] outside of it may also become clean.

 9.18- John Wesley was right "Do all the good you can. By all the means you can. In all the ways you can. In all the places you can. At all the times you can. To all the people you can. As long as ever you can." James 2. 14  What use is it, my brothers  and sisters , if someone says he has faith, but he has no works? Can  [ j ] that faith save him?   15  If a brother or sister is without clothing and in need of daily food,   16  and one of you says to them, “Go in peace,  [ k ] be warmed and be filled,” yet you do not give them what is necessary for  their  body, what use is that?   17  In the same way, faith also, if it has no works, is  [ l ] dead,  being  by itself.

 9.17- Idealism is seeing the good and beautiful things in life as God intended it to be. I can preserve God’s standards and beauty by being a good steward of all that He has given and done for me and by making His ways known to those who can influence my world.     Rebecca Barlow Jordan Psalm 19. 19  The heavens tell of the glory of God; And their expanse declares the work of His hands. 2  Day to day pours forth speech, And night to night reveals knowledge. 3  There is no speech, nor are there words; Their voice is not heard. 4  Their  [ a ] line has gone out into all the earth, And their words to the end of the world. In them He has placed a tent for the sun, 5  Which is like a groom coming out of his chamber; It rejoices like a strong person to run his course. 6  Its rising is from  [ b ] one end of the heavens, And its circuit to the  [ c ] other end of them; And there is nothing hidden from its heat. 7  The Law of the  Lord  is  [ d ] perfect, restoring the soul; The tes

 9.16= Shelve Them and Move On                    Proverbs 15:30-33                   Ruth O’Reilly Smith     I’m reminded of some wise advice a radio broadcaster friend once gave me. Early on in his career, as my friend struggled to know how to deal with both criticism and praise, he felt that God was encouraging him to shelve both. What’s the essence of what he took to heart? Learn what you can from criticism and accept praise. Then shelve both and humbly move on in God’s grace and power.     Criticism and praise stir in us powerful emotions that, if left unchecked, can lead to either self-loathing or an overinflated ego. In Proverbs we read of the benefits of encouragement and wise counsel: “Good news gives health to the bones . . .   Those who disregard discipline despise themselves, but the one who heeds correction gains understanding” (Proverbs 15:30, 32).     If we’re on the receiving end of a rebuke, may we choose to be sharpened by it. Proverbs states, “Whoever heeds

 9.15= Great News!                                       Psalm 51:1-7                                    Leslie Koh     The article in the local newspaper was short but heartwarming. After attending a faith-based program on building stronger family ties, a group of prison inmates were given a rare treat of an open visit with their families. Some hadn’t seen their children in years. Instead of talking through a glass panel, they could touch and hold their loved ones. The tears flowed freely as families grew closer and wounds began to heal.     For most readers, it was just a story. But to these families, holding one another was a life changing event – and for some, the process of forgiveness and reconciliation was begun.      God’s forgiveness of our sin and offer of reconciliation, made possible through His Son, is more than a mere fact of the Christian faith. The article’s news of reconciliation reminds us that Jesus’ sacrifice is great news not just for the world, but for you a

 9.14- Kangaroos and Emus                           Philippians 3:12-17                            Bill Crowder     Two of Australia’s indigenous creatures, kangaroos and emus, have something in common – they seldom move backward. Kangaroos, because of the shape of their body and the length of their strong tail, can bounce along with forward movement, but they cannot shift easily into reverse. Emus can run fast on their strong legs, but the joints in their knees seem to make backward movement difficult. Both animals appear on Australia’s coat of arms as a symbol that the nation is to be ever moving forward and making progress.     The apostle Paul called for a similar approach to the life of faith in his letter to the Philippians: “Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Je

 9.13- Love Changes Us                                 Acts 9:1-22                                     Xochite Dixon     Before I met Jesus, I’d been wounded so deeply that I avoided close relationships in fear of being hurt more. My mom remained my closest friend, until I married Alan. Seven years later and on the verge of divorce, I toted our kindergartner, Xavier, into a church service.      I sat near the exit door, afraid to trust but desperate for help.     Thankfully, believers reached out, prayed for our family and taught me how to nurture a relationship with God through prayer and Bible reading. Over time the love of Christ and His followers changed me.     Two years after that first church service, Alan, Xavier, and I asked to be baptized. Sometime later, during one of our weekly conversations, my mom said, “You’re different. Tell me more about Jesus.” A few months passed and she too decided to follow Jesus as her Savior.     Jesus transforms lives . . . lives like Sa