Refreshing Our Spirits With Scripture

 2.24- Men and women who stay with their deeply held faith in the creator can do amazing things. They can be rejected, insulted, beaten, imprisoned and sing joyful hymns of praise to their designer. They rejoiced that they were for considered worthy of this unique place to influence their world. Is there a way that my hard times might give hope to others? Acts 16 25  Now about midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns of praise to God, and the prisoners were listening to them;   26  and suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened, and everyone’s chains were unfastened.   27  When the jailer awoke and saw the prison doors opened, he drew  his  sword and was about to kill himself, thinking that the prisoners had escaped.   28  But Paul called out with a loud voice, saying, “Do not harm yourself, for we are all here!”   29  And  the jailer  asked for lights and rushed in, and trembling wi

 2.23- Things that can do the heavy lifting in building relationships through hard times. Silence. Tears. Prayer. Psalm 126:5 Those who  sow   in   tears  shall harvest with joyful shouting.

 2.22- Are you able to get out of the bed in the morning without assistance? Can you find food to eat for breakfast and prepare it for yourself? Can you brush your teeth, fix your face and bath yourself? Can you walk? Can you see and hear? Are you able to give and receive hugs from your spouse, kids and grandkids? Do you have family and friends who love to come to your home? Do you have a home? Yes to many of these? Wow! Aren't we blessed today. Luke 6 20  And He raised His eyes toward His disciples and  began  saying,  “Blessed  are   [ k ] you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.   21  Blessed  are   [ l ] you who are hungry now, for you will be satisfied. Blessed  are   [ m ] you who weep now, for you will laugh.   22  Blessed are you when the people hate you, and when they  [ n ] exclude you, and insult you, and scorn your name as evil, on account of the Son of Man.   23  Rejoice on that day and jump  for joy , for behold, your reward is great in heaven. For their fa

 2.21- Sometimes our heart, soul and minds are disturbed and we don't know why? At other times we do. Regardless it is a time to cry out to God in prayer. He is our lawyer so we can appeal for him to plead our cause. Are we mourning? Remember the teacher said, "blessed are those who mourn". If we are in a time of darkness we can ask God for light. Silence can lead to a spiritual mountain of refuge in comfort from our heavenly Father and his children. Our delight can be rooted In things that cannot be shaken by our current disturbances. As long as our hope is in God the future is bright. Psalm 43 Vindicate me, God, and plead my case against an ungodly nation; [ a ] Save me from the deceitful and unjust person! 2  For You are the God of my strength; why have You rejected me? Why do I go about mourning  [ b ] because of the oppression of the enemy? 3  Send out Your light and Your truth, they shall lead me; They shall bring me to Your holy hill And to Your dwelling places. 4

 2.20- I was reminded today how important a child's self image is to their success in life. God doesn't make junk. Every human being created was created with a soul and the capacity to receive love and pass that along. When we cherish a child we ignite the very best creative energy that can change the world for the good. Psalm 139 13  For You created my innermost parts; You wove me in my mother’s womb. 14  I will give thanks to You, because  [ i ] I am awesomely and wonderfully  made ; Wonderful are Your works, And my soul knows it very well. 15  My  [ j ] frame was not hidden from You When I was made in secret, And  skillfully formed in the depths of the earth;

 2.19- Freedom. There is a wonderful thing about being someone who is honest is that we can find things that we want to keep doing more of and things that we want to do less of. Much of this can be summarized in that we don't want to be mastered by anything that is causing us to not be healthy. There can be the misuse and overuse of things that in themselves are not bad. Food and drink and money among others. What God's grace, mercy and peace does is to set us free for a time of thought and reflection and change to allow our use of these thigns to be handled in a more helpful way. The Bible does not say that money is the root of all evil, but that the "love of money" is the root of all evil. A very important distinction. The greatest teacher of all times teaches that money and food and drink should be used to build up good friendships. When we use things things in a selfish way is when they become self destructive. Galations 5. 5  It was for freedom that Christ