Refreshing Our Spirits With Scripture

 10.2- Jesus said,"My kingdom is not of this world." There is meant to be a separation between church and state. Christians are to be a salt and light in their nation whether USA or China. When state and church are merged both are diminished. John 18. 33  Therefore Pilate entered the Praetorium again, and summoned Jesus and said to Him, “You are the King of the Jews?”   34  Jesus answered,  “Are you saying this  [ l ] on your own, or did others tell you about Me?”   35  Pilate answered, “I am not a Jew, am I? Your own nation and the chief priests handed You over to me; what have You done?”   36  Jesus answered,  “My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, My servants would be fighting so that I would not be handed over to the Jews; but as it is, My kingdom is not  [ m ] of this realm.”   37  Therefore Pilate said to Him, “So You are a king?” Jesus answered,  “You say  correctly  that I am a king. For this  purpose  I have been born, and for this I ha

10.1- He spoke and created two trillion galaxies. It is not a stretch to say I know the Lord will find a way for me. 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.  

 9.30- Wayne and Cora Sue Wishard enjoyed most of the people they met. The ones they did not enjoy they were able to move on from without obsessing on them. They made 1,000s of friends in Fannin County Texas. Mother felt very out of place most times out of the county because she didn’t feel known by the place that she was. It was a marker of how much she felt at home in Fannin County. Sam Rayburn was from Flags Springs. The speaker of the house for many, many years. Choice Moore the county judge was a cousin. Dad had seven siblings and twenty close cousins and whole community from Oak Ridge and Bug Tussle and everyone knew the whole clan who never met a stranger. It is no surprise that they had nearly 300 people come to their golden wedding anniversary back on September 30, 1984. All five of us kids had a big time and enjoyed seeing how everyone was enjoying themselves. Here is the place that I must tell the truth about our family, clan and friends. We all were and are very im

 9.30- Work has many benefits in addition to income for food and shelter. It is an emotional stability. Friends are there who support us through good and bad times. There we are reminded that we are here on earth to serve people and encourage them. There we are reminded that God is God and we are not and neither is our boss. There God shows up in our storms to rescue us. Thank you God for our jobs. 2 Thessalonians 3. 6  Now we command you, brothers  and sisters , in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you  [ d ] keep away from every brother  or sister  who  [ e ] leads a  [ f ] disorderly life and not  one  in accordance with the tradition which  [ g ] you received from us.   7  For you yourselves know how you ought to  [ h ] follow our example, because we did not act in an undisciplined way among you,   8  nor did we eat  [ i ] anyone’s bread  [ j ] without paying for it, but with labor and hardship we  kept  working night and day so that we would not be a burden to any of you

 9.29 Since I am a child of God, created by God and sustained by Him I may be going through a very hard part of life right now.  I may not feel that He is rejoicing over me with joy, but someday that will be a part of my story.   Right now may be a still night of the soul for me.  No shouts of joy from me or my God, but in the future.  At a later time there is going to come into the narrative of my life that my God will be quiet in His love for me and will rejoice over me with shouts of joy. Today, I will remember times when I did feel that way. Today, I will lament with a friend of mine who lost his 1 year old son who choked on the nipple of his baby bottle some 44 years ago today.  That friend is in heaven now also rejoicing with his baby and I am still here trying to rejoice with those who rejoice and weep with those who weep.  But I am going to a place where there is no death and no mourning over death. For today I will rejoice in the blessings I have for today.  I will thank God f

9.29- Don’t Be Afraid!                                         Luke 2:42-52                           Philip Yancey     Nearly every time an angel appears in the Bible, the first words he says are “Don’t be afraid!” Little wonder. When the supernatural makes contact with planet Earth, it usually leaves the human observers flat on their faces in fear. But Luke tells of God making an appearance in a form that doesn’t frighten. In Jesus, born with the animals and laid in a feeding trough, God takes an approach that we need not fear. What could be less scary than a newborn baby?     On Earth Jesus is both God and man. As God, He can work miracles, forgive sins, conquer death, and predict the future. But for Jews accustomed to images of God as a bright cloud or pillar of fire, Jesus also causes much confusion. How could a baby in Bethlehem, a carpenter’s son, a man from Nazareth, be the Messiah from God?     Why does God take on human form? The scene of twelve-year-old Jesus debating rabbis

 9.28-   Hope is Our Strategy                                    Micah 7:1-7                            Adam Holz     My favorite football team has lost eight consecutive games as I write this. With each loss, it’s harder to hope this season can be redeemed for them. The coach has made changes weekly, but they haven’t resulted in wins. Talking with my coworkers, I’ve joked that merely wanting a different outcome can’t guarantee it. “Hope is not a strategy,” I’ve quipped.     That’s true in football. But in our spiritual lives, it’s just the opposite. Not only is cultivating hope in God a strategy, but clinging to Him in faith and trust is the only strategy. This world often disappoints us, but hope can anchor us in God’s truth and power during the turbulent times.     Micah understood this reality. He was heartbroken by how Israel had turned away from God. “What misery is mine! . . . The faithful have been swept from the land; not one upright person remains” (verses 7:1-2). But

 9.27- Theology is for Everyone                   Jeremiah 23:25-32                 Julie Ackerman Link     Some say that theology is only for “professionals.” But the situation in the days of the prophet Jeremiah illustrates why it’s important for everyone to know what God says about Himself.     The religious experts in Jeremiah’s day were misrepresenting God by prophesying “the delusions of their own minds” (Jeremiah 23: 26) and leading people astray with their lies (verse 32). Due to their dishonesty, the people did not know the true nature of God.     Today there are people who portray God as angry, vengeful, and eager to punish people for every minor offense. God, however, describes Himself as “merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abounding in goodness and truth” (Exodus 34:6). Others show the world a picture of a loving God who is too kind to punish wrongdoing. But God describes Himself as one who exercises judgment and righteousness (Jeremiah 9:24). He is both a just