Refreshing Our Spirits With Scripture

 6.16- Fishing. Hunting. Enjoying your work and family and fun. I watched three memorial service in the last two weeks. These elements were present in all three. The people were very different in many ways. Two were males and one a female. All three died of cancer after a painful fight to overcome it. There were stories of mistakes, messes and laughter. All three were dedicated to faith, family and friends. They were sincere and real. No facade. What you see is what you get. These were great reminders of a life well lived. 1 Thessalonians 5 12  Now we ask you, brothers and sisters, to acknowledge those who work hard among you, who care for you in the Lord and who admonish you.   13  Hold them in the highest regard in love because of their work. Live in peace with each other.   14  And we urge you, brothers and sisters, warn those who are idle and disruptive, encourage the disheartened, help the weak, be patient with everyone.   15...

6.15- Excuses for not enjoying our life with our designer watching us as Americans in the top 5% materially blessed. Thank you God for rain. Thank you for this dry house. Gratefulness is the key to the mansion of joy. Do you have health? Do you have plenty of good food and clean water? Do you have good health care? Have you been guided away from regrets as to how you interacted with your family? Do you have family and friends who forgive you and allow a fresh start in your relationships? Then you are blessed. Celebrate that you can breath and have cup of coffee give energy today. Philippians 4 4  Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!   5  Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near.   6  Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.   7  And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and...

 6.14- Three prayers. Help. Thank you. Wow. Matthew 6 5  “And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full.   6  But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.   7  And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words.   8  Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. 9  “This, then, is how you should pray: “‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, 10  your kingdom come, your will be done,      on earth as it is in heaven. 11  Give us today our daily bread. 12  And forgive us our debts,      as...

 6.13- 3,000 year old wisdom. Do yourself a favor. Be kind to yourself. "A kindhearted woman gains honor, but ruthless men gain only wealth. Those who are kind benefit themselves, but the cruel bring ruin on themselves. A wicked person earns deceptive wages, but the one who sows righteousness reaps a sure reward." Proverbs 9 16  A kindhearted woman gains honor,      but ruthless men gain only wealth. 17  Those who are kind benefit themselves,      but the cruel bring ruin on themselves. 18  A wicked person earns deceptive wages,      but the one who sows righteousness reaps a sure reward.

 6.12- Because all humans are perfectly flawed each family has its own strengths and weaknesses. By perfectly flawed I mean all humans are created in the image of God. All of us were made perfect for us. Then humans start making free will choices. Then from careless words that hurt other people. To who we run with. Big and little lie we tell ourselves. We get off track from being the best we can be. God calls this sin The world of media likes putting people on pedestals and taking them down. Watching human crashes is what we call "art" or "entertainment" or "celebrity sports". Some humans mess up with judgemental self righteous off track. Others self harm prodigal behavior. These groups occur in families, workplaces and churches and other groups. The best solution is honesty, change, forgiveness and moving forward and moving on. Matthew 18 15  “If your brother or sister [ b ]  sins, [ c ]  go and point out their fault, just between the two of you. ...

 6.11- Thanks to Determine to Know More By Oswald Chambers June 08 Edition Modern Classic Updated Classic Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them. — John 13:17 If you do not cut the moorings, God will have to break them with a storm and send you out. Launch all on God, go out on the swelling tide of his purpose, and you will have your eyes opened. If you believe in Jesus, you are not to spend all your time safe inside the harbor, full of delight. You have to get out into the great deeps of God and begin to know for yourself. You have to develop spiritual discernment. When you know you should do a thing and you do it, God immediately grants you more knowledge. Look at the places where you’ve become stuck spiritually. You’ll find that your entrenchment began when you failed to do something you knew you should. You procrastinated, thinking there was no urgency. Now you have no perception and no discernment. In times of crisis, you are spiritually distracted ...

 6.10- "Self distrust is good if it leads to trust in God. The issue is not who is Moses but who is God". Allister begg Exodus 3 3  Now Moses was tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian, and he led the flock to the far side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, the mountain of God.   2  There the angel of the  Lord  appeared to him in flames of fire from within a bush. Moses saw that though the bush was on fire it did not burn up.   3  So Moses thought, “I will go over and see this strange sight—why the bush does not burn up.” 4  When the  Lord  saw that he had gone over to look, God called to him from within the bush, “Moses! Moses!” And Moses said, “Here I am.” 5  “Do not come any closer,” God said. “Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.”   6  Then he said, “I am the God of your father, [ e ]  the God o...

 6/9- I have some friends going to Niagra Falls. Can you imagine them carrying a coffee cup of water back to me? Or a Beer mug of water or a Folders coffee can full? Niagara Falls water. They would all fill and overflow. That's how God's love flows like a river. His grace, mercy and peace flows from God and overflows our lives. Daily forever. We have not because we ask not. God fill us to overflowing with your love. 1 Corinthians 13 13  If I speak in the tongues [ a ]  of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal.   2  If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.   3  If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, [ b ]  but do not have love, I gain nothing. 4  Love is patient, love is kind. It does not en...