Refreshing Our Spirits With Scripture

“You, without sin, cast the first stone.” “Neither do I condemn you, go and stop your sinning.” “You don’t know God.” “You are from below. I am from above.” “You must believe that I am He or you will die in your sins.” “God, the Father, is with me.” “The Son of Man makes you free indeed.” “You are not children of Abraham; you are children of the devil. A liar and a murderer.” “If you keep My word, you will never die.” John 8 Larry Wishard

Day of Year: 74 Date:3.15.14 Favorite Verse: Matthew 19.13-15 Thought for the day: Love children and do not hinder them from their love for each other and God.  Adventurous children naturally explore the world. This includes thoughts about God and "Where did I come from."  Do not hinder them, but instead learn from them. Jesus Reading (Ten Minutes): Matthew 19.13-15 + Rest of New Testament:Romans 2.1-16 +Psalm of the Day: Psalm 55.15-19 +Proverb of the Day: Proverbs 11.20-21 +Rest of Old Testament: Numbers 36

Mirror Therapy When someone has lost a limb, it is difficult to get that message to the brain. Mirror therapy is used to communicate to the brain that the limb is there so the brain can properly work the muscles around the missing limb. This eventually gets rid of phantom pain. What does this have to do with anything spiritual? Not sure. But here is what I do know from my own spiritual experience. Sometimes God has to help us get rid of something bad in our life experience. The experience is a regretful burden. The bad part of our memory bank can limit or even kill our spiritual vision. Through God's grace and mercy, we experience forgiveness from God because this is what He wants to give His children. We get a fresh start and we begin to live without this burden. We must believe this experience is real in order to move on. For a while the bad experience is in our mind and our brain acts the same. We keep believing that the mirror of the mind is forgiven and we are free and...

Day of Year: 73 Date:3.14.14 Favorite Verse: Matthew 19.1-12 Jesus Reading (Ten Minutes): Matthew 19.1-12 + Rest of New Testament: Romans 1.24-32 +Psalm of the Day: Psalm 55.12-14 +Proverb of the Day: Proverbs 11.18,19 +Rest of Old Testament: Numbers 34,35 My parents, Wayne and Cora Sue Wishard, 1970's picture. Married 67 years.  They made it look like team work and a lot of fun.

Day of Year: 72 Date:3.13.14 Favorite Verse: Matthew 18.22 22  Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times. [ g ] Thought for the day: Jesus trains His disciples to be forgiving to the point that others might consider Him and His followers naive. They are not.  The reality is that forgiveness is releasing all pressure to punish and turn the person over to God for judgment.  A weight is taken off our spirit at that moment. This does not mean that we put the person back in a position to hurt us or others again. That would be bad for everyone concerned. Jesus Reading (Ten Minutes): Matthew 18.21-35 + Rest of New Testament:Romans 1.18-23 +Psalm of the Day: Psalm 55.1-11 +Proverb of the Day: Proverbs 11.16,17 +Rest of Old Testament:Numbers 31,32

Multnomah Falls Oregon Yesterday I was a bit down in spirit for no reason. I am blessed beyond measure with general good health, but my left ankle forces me to walk as if I were 85 years old.  Otherwise, with family health and an abundance of love from family and friends, I have no reason to be "blue". I decided to take about two hours and sit on my back porch here in the lovely city of North Richland Hills and read the four books that summarize Jesus' life. Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. I was looking for lists that I wanted to memorize again when I am on my exercise bike. I think I will print this off and place in my wallet. You might be interested in what surfaced in those two hours of surveying Jesus' life. He gave clear direction to His followers of what to do and what to avoid. I am going to share them over the next few posts in addition to my regular posts. I think I will call these the river of blessings from Jesus' teachings. There are blessings...

Day of Year: 71 Date: 3.12.14 Favorite Verse: Matthew 18. 15  “If your brother or sister [ b ] sins, [ c ] go and point out their fault, just between the two of you . If they listen to you, you have won them over. Thought for the day:  Share your negative things in a small circle.  Share your positive comments widely. Jesus Reading (Ten Minutes): Matthew 18.15-20 + Rest of New Testament: Romans 1.1-7 +Psalm of the Day: Psalm  54. +Proverb of the Day: Proverbs 11.14,15 +Rest of Old Testament: Numbers 29,30

Day of Year: 70 Date:  3.11.14 Favorite Verse: Matthew 18. 14  In the same way your Father in heaven is not willing that any of these little ones should perish. Thought for the day: Our hearts are broken with the tragedy of a child's death.  It is God's will that not one of the "little ones" would perish.  God has given humans free will and so some things that happen are the will of man and not of God.  If you want to know who God is, look at the people working in the midst of troubled, innocent children. The first responders. The neighbors. The people with heart who stop and get involved. These have the heart of God and know that He doesn't want the little ones to perish. Jesus Reading (Ten Minutes): Matthew 18.12-14 + Rest of New Testament: Acts 28.30,31 +Psalm of the Day: Psalm 53 +Proverb of the Day: Proverbs 11.12,13 +Rest of Old Testament: Numbers 27,28

Day of Year: 69 Date:3.10.14 Favorite Verse: Matthew 18. 6  “If anyone causes one of these little ones—those who believe in me—to stumble, it would be better for them to have a large millstone hung around their neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea. 7  Woe to the world because of the things that cause people to stumble! Such things must come, but woe to the person through whom they come! Thought for the day: Because humans were created with free will, there will be times that we mess up.  It causes regrets and pains if we are involved in leading a person to mess up.  Therefore, Jesus says to us as followers, strive to avoid that. Jesus Reading (Ten Minutes): Matthew 18.7-11 + Rest of New Testament:Acts 28.30,31 +Psalm of the Day: Psalm 52. +Proverb of the Day: Proverbs 11.9-11 +Rest of Old Testament: Numbers 25.26