Refreshing Our Spirits With Scripture

Matthew 8. 14  When Jesus came into Peter’s house, he saw Peter’s mother-in-law lying in bed with a fever. 15  He touched her hand and the fever left her, and she got up and began to wait on him. 16  When evening came, many who were demon-possessed were brought to him, and he drove out the spirits with a word and healed all the sick. 17  This was to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah: “He took up our infirmities      and bore our diseases.” [ b ] Psalm 19 [ a ] For the director of music. A psalm of David. 1  The heavens declare the glory of God;      the skies proclaim the work of his hands. 2  Day after day they pour forth speech;      night after night they reveal knowledge. 3  They have no speech, they use no words;      no sound is heard from them. 4  Yet their voice [ b ] goes out into all the earth,    ...

Matthew 8. 8  When Jesus came down from the mountainside, large crowds followed him. 2  A man with leprosy [ a ] came and knelt before him and said, “Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean.” 3  Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. “I am willing,” he said. “Be clean!” Immediately he was cleansed of his leprosy. 4  Then Jesus said to him, “See that you don’t tell anyone. But go, show yourself to the priest and offer the gift Moses commanded, as a testimony to them.” The Faith of the Centurion 5  When Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to him, asking for help. 6  “Lord,” he said, “my servant lies at home paralyzed, suffering terribly.” 7  Jesus said to him, “Shall I come and heal him?” 8  The centurion replied, “Lord, I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. But just say the word, and my servant will be healed. 9  For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell thi...

Matthew 7. 21  “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22  Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ 23  Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’ The Wise and Foolish Builders 24  “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25  The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. 26  But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. 27  The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fe...

Matthew 7. 7  “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 8  For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. 9  “Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? 10  Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? 11  If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him! 12  So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets. Psalm 16. Psalm 16 A miktam [ a ] of David. 1  Keep me safe, my God,     for in you I take refuge. 2  I say to the Lord , “You are my Lord;     apart from you I have no good thing.” 3  I say of the holy people who are in the land,     “They...

Matthew 7. 13  “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. 14  But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it. True and False Prophets 15  “Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. 16  By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? 17  Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. 18  A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. 19  Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20  Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them. True and False Disciples 21  “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven....

My first memory in life is in the context of the death of an old person.   My great grandmother died when I was about two and I vaguely remember staying in the home of Eli and Jean word, one of my mom’s good friends during the funeral.   She had been sick only about two weeks.   I suspect I got an impression that death should be kept away from the thoughts of a young child.   My second memory is the funeral of my grandfather.  He was about 70 and died of a heart attack.  I went to the funeral and served as a pall bearer.  I couldn't understand the purpose of a funeral.  Why?  People sit around and cry and think of things that make them cry. My third memory today is the death of Gene Turman, the most spiritual guy at our school.   He was planning to be a minister and lived a life of clear commitment to God.  He was unashamed of his faith.  He was driving to lunch with his young cousin.   The new red and white 195...

Matthew 7. 7  “Do not judge, or you too will be judged. 2  For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. 3  “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? 4  How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? 5  You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye. 6  “Do not give dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls to pigs. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you to pieces. Ask, Seek, Knock 7  “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 8  For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. 9...

Matthew 6. 25  “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? 26  Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27  Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life [ e ] ? 28  “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29  Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30  If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? 31  So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32  For the pagans run after all these thing...