Refreshing Our Spirits With Scripture

 1.7- I heard a champion athlete this morning speak regarding how long he would continue to play before he retired. "As long as my mind is engaged to tell my body how to train." To experience these is within our power. It requires a decision in the mind. If we are mentally tired then we need to focus our minds to our quiet place. Maybe it's a place, a physical person or a spiritual person or a passage from a book or a video or video clip. We can make choices about what we think on and our self talk. We can control what we say to others. We can decide to speak the truth or nothing at all. The is a price for standing up for what is right is high but there is a higher price for refusing to do so. We can write our own history and we can right our own history. Our growth in understanding how to live effectively in this world is up to us. We can control our focus. Focus on fear and sink. Focus on love and move forward. I read the last chapter of the world's best selling bo

 1.6- What are the things that humans who die want for us who are still on earth. Jesus who rose after His death on the cross wanted these things to be known. Just because you failed at something you wanted to do for God does not mean your work is over. The work we have is to find a way to nourish and care for young and old and everyone in between. The key message is that God loves the world and gave His own Son to save all the world from sin and bring them home for eternity. It is the kindness of God that powers real transformation. The way may involve giving things or money, but they must be rooted in the giving of the heart in order to be truly effective. The work we have is not the work of others and we need to keep our eyes focused on Jesus and our work and refuse to judge and compare our life with others. Regarding life being eternal, some will receive it and believe it and act on it now and others will serve God later. All work that leads a lost sheep to come home is good w

 1.5- When a friend, beloved, long term friend asks me for some counsel I feel honored. I want to not be critical or judgemental, but gentle and humble. I want him/her to feel that I have their back but I am not trying to do their work for them. Thankfully God created us to need each other. Galations 6 6  Brothers and sisters, if someone is caught in a sin, you who live by the Spirit should restore that person gently. But watch yourselves, or you also may be tempted.   2  Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.   3  If anyone thinks they are something when they are not, they deceive themselves.   4  Each one should test their own actions. Then they can take pride in themselves alone, without comparing themselves to someone else,   5  for each one should carry their own load.   6  Nevertheless, the one who receives instruction in the word should share all good things with their instructor.

 1.4- The Christmas season constantly is distracting people from what is best about Christ. I’m not complaining about the American experience of Christmas season, but trying to help all of us observe what gives us the best experiences what gives us close fellowship with friends and family what gives us artistic, musical joy what gives us a warmth of heart with people extending mercy to each other. what helps us to stay focused on baby Jesus in the manger during the storms of life. Anchor families are families that are filled with joy, happiness and support for each other during every kind of adversity. What qualities do they have? Not perfection because their are no perfect families, but their are healthy families. What can you observe about their celebration of holidays including Christmas? They look at what worked in the families they came from and drop what didn’t work and add what has worked well for a healthy, long life of joy and service. They feel a close connection with God a

 1.3- A spiritual workout Bitter to Better The value of life. 33 Chilean miners were saved in 2010 after being trapped for 69 days. They were saved because people went after them with passion and commitment. They obeyed those telling them how to live and become free. When freed they praised God and their helpers. Some admitted their lives were never the same. Now gratefulness and helping others would be necessary. All of us have a burden of some kind in our life. Jesus offers for us to team up with Him and our burden is easy because of His humility and gentleness with each us. We too have been rescued from darkness of bitterness and freed by forgiveness into gracious light. We can now be better instead of bitter. 32 Sandy Wallace, Thomas Rogers and 30 others 5 Like Comment Share