Refreshing Our Spirits With Scripture

 2.20- Put Down Your Burdens                       Matthew 11:25-30                     Lawrence Darmai     A man driving his pickup truck on a country track saw a woman carrying a heavy load, so he stopped and offered her a lift. The woman expressed her gratitude and climbed into the back of the truck.     A moment later, the man noticed a strange thing: the woman was still holding onto her heavy load despite sitting in the vehicle! Astonished, he pleaded, “Please, Madam, put down your load and take your rest. My truck can carry you and your stuff. Just relax.”     What do we do with the load of fear, worry and anxiety we often carry as we go through life’s many challenges? Instead of relaxing in the Lord, I sometimes behave like that woman. Jesus said, “Come to me, all you who are wear and burdened, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28), yet I’ve caught myself carrying burdens I should offload onto Jesus.     We put down burdens when we bring them to the Lord in prayer. T

 2.19- 1. God brings order and peace to a life lived following His ways.  When you watch someone who is Godly who is skilled it is no accident.  They are people who have allowed God to lead them to focus and diligence and become skilled as a gift from following His ways.  Exodus 34, 35 12  Be careful that you do not make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land into which you are going, or it will become a snare in your midst.   13  But  rather , you are to tear down their altars and smash their memorial stones, and cut down their  [ m ] Asherim   14  —for you shall not worship any other god, because the  Lord , whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God—   15  otherwise you might make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land, and they would prostitute themselves with their gods and sacrifice to their gods, and someone might invite you  [ n ] to eat of his sacrifice,   16  and you might take some of his daughters for your sons, and his daughters might prostitute themselves with thei

 2.18- The mission given in Galilee by Jesus to go into all the world makes us excellent workers for Jesus whether our boss is a Christian or not. The people of God in one way are peculiar people because they believe God is leading them and they are walking with Him.   Therefore, they are restful in the work they are doing. Psalm 38. 21  Do not abandon me,  Lord ; My God, do not be far from me! 22  Hurry to help me, Lord, my salvation! When you go with God.   When you let Him lead then our work is much more restful. With God’s guidance His children have a sense of timing. Ecclesiastes 3. 3  There is an appointed time for everything. And there is a time for every matter under heaven— 2  A time to give birth and a time to die; A time to plant and a time to uproot what is planted. 3  A time to kill and a time to heal; A time to tear down and a time to build up. 4  A time to weep and a time to laugh; A time to mourn and a time to dance. 5  A time to throw stones a

 2.17- Vic Knowles has been writing things for years that draw people closer to God and each other. He posted this as an old poem TRAVELING ON MY KNEES Last night I took a journey To a land across the seas; I did not go by boat or plane, I traveled on my knees. I saw so many people there In deepest depths of sin, But Jesus told me I should go, That there were souls to win. But I said, “Jesus I cannot go And work with such as these.” He answered quickly, “Yes you can By traveling on your knees.” He said, “You pray; I’ll meet the need, You call and I will hear; Be concerned about lost souls, Of those both far and near.” And so I tried it, knelt in prayer, Gave up some hours of ease; I felt the Lord right by my side While traveling on my knees. As I prayed on and saw souls saved And twisted bodies healed, And saw God’s workers’ strength renewed While laboring on the field. I said, “Yes, Lord I have a job, My desire Thy will to please; I can go and heed Thy call By traveling on my knees M

 2.16- Once you decide you are free to place God as the number one leader in your life it is possible others may not be happy with your views and beliefs because they want everyone to think in the way they think. Some nations try to force their thinking on everyone. How blessed is a nation who stands for freedom. Psalm 33:12 Blessed is the  nation  whose God is the  Lord , The people He has chosen for His own inheritance. Acts 4. 4  As they were speaking to the people, the priests and the captain of the temple  guard  and the Sadducees came up to them,   2  being greatly disturbed because they were teaching the people and proclaiming  [ a ] in Jesus the resurrection from the dead.   3  And they laid hands on them and put  them  in prison until the next day, for it was already evening.   4  But many of those who had heard the  [ b ] message believed; and the number of the men came to be about five thousand. 5  On the next day, their rulers and elders and scribes were gathered together i