Refreshing Our Spirits With Scripture

I Will Never Forget 9-11 I will never forget What I will never forget. That call to my minister, friend, Robert Lee, to confirm our appointment at 9am that morning. “Hello, Robert this is Larry.” “Have you heard what has happened?” “No.” “Somehow I knew something like this would eventually happen.” “What?” “Two planes have flown into the twin towers in New York.” “Oh, my! Bye.” I headed home. Then to watch the screen as fire trucks raced to the twin towers. Watching the scene as the first responders went up the stairs and the buildings came crashing down. The building that they said couldn’t fall down, did fall down. I will never forget the people who were seen jumping to their deaths. I will never forget that a chaplain for the fire department went the scene and was killed by a plate of glass that fell off the building. I will never forget the number of people walking out of the dust with a handkerchief over their nose to breathe. I will never forge...

9.10 Luke 11. 11  One day he was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said, “Master, teach us to pray just as John taught his disciples.” 2-4  So he said, “When you pray, say, Father, Reveal who you are. Set the world right. Keep us alive with three square meals. Keep us forgiven with you and forgiving others. Keep us safe from ourselves and the Devil.” 5-6  Then he said, “Imagine what would happen if you went to a friend in the middle of the night and said, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread. An old friend traveling through just showed up, and I don’t have a thing on hand.’ 7  “The friend answers from his bed, ‘Don’t bother me. The door’s locked; my children are all down for the night; I can’t get up to give you anything.’ 8  “But let me tell you, even if he won’t get up because he’s a friend, if you stand your ground, knocking and waking all the neighbors, he’ll finally get up and get you whatever...

Our Focus is Life Changing It matters what you focus on. If you focus on something positive then something good can come out of something bad. As I was meditating on the concept of what we believe in makes a big difference there were a couple of news stories that illustrated this. A fireman who lived through 9-11 was in a position to die. The building fell down on him. He was just waiting for a beam to kill him and he was saying his prayers and waiting for moving into the special light of eternity. He lived. He has three children. Two are perfectly normal but one is a special needs child. “I now believe that I was saved to be a part of the team who takes care of my children and especially my special son. It is a great joy and a challenge to be there for him but he has a perfect soul.” The next story was a boy of six who survived the holocaust who was taken to a gas chamber and they ran out of gas that day. He was in firing squad line and an olde...

9.9 Luke 10. 38-40  As they continued their travel, Jesus entered a village. A woman by the name of Martha welcomed him and made him feel quite at home. She had a sister, Mary, who sat before the Master, hanging on every word he said. But Martha was pulled away by all she had to do in the kitchen. Later, she stepped in, interrupting them. “Master, don’t you care that my sister has abandoned the kitchen to me? Tell her to lend me a hand.” 41-42  The Master said, “Martha, dear Martha, you’re fussing far too much and getting yourself worked up over nothing. One thing only is essential, and Mary has chosen it—it’s the main course, and won’t be taken from her.”  Psalm 98 98  Sing to God a brand-new song. He’s made a world of wonders! He rolled up his sleeves, He set things right. 2  God made history with salvation, He showed the world what he could do. 3  He remembered to love us, a bonus To his dear family, Israel—indefatigable...

9.8- Luke 10. 25  Just then a religion scholar stood up with a question to test Jesus. “Teacher, what do I need to do to get eternal life?” 26  He answered, “What’s written in God’s Law? How do you interpret it?” 27  He said, “That you love the Lord your God with all your passion and prayer and muscle and intelligence—and that you love your neighbor as well as you do yourself.” 28  “Good answer!” said Jesus. “Do it and you’ll live.” 29  Looking for a loophole, he asked, “And just how would you define ‘neighbor’?” 30-32  Jesus answered by telling a story. “There was once a man traveling from Jerusalem to Jericho. On the way he was attacked by robbers. They took his clothes, beat him up, and went off leaving him half-dead. Luckily, a priest was on his way down the same road, but when he saw him he angled across to the other side. Then a Levite religious man showed up; he also avoided the injured man. 33-35  “A Samaritan traveling ...

9.7 1 John 4. 19  We, though, are going to love—love and be loved. First we were loved, now we love. He loved us first. 20-21  If anyone boasts, “I love God,” and goes right on hating his brother or sister, thinking nothing of it, he is a liar. If he won’t love the person he can see, how can he love the God he can’t see? The command we have from Christ is blunt: Loving God includes loving people. You’ve got to love both. Psalm 96 96  1-2  Sing God a brand-new song! Earth and everyone in it, sing! Sing to God — worship God ! 2-3  Shout the news of his victory from sea to sea, Take the news of his glory to the lost, News of his wonders to one and all! 4-5  For God is great, and worth a thousand Hallelujahs. His terrible beauty makes the gods look cheap; Pagan gods are mere tatters and rags. 5-6  God made the heavens— Royal splendor radiates from him, A powerful beauty sets him apart. 7  Bravo, God , Bravo! Everyone ...

9.6 1 John 4. 17-18  God is love. When we take up permanent residence in a life of love, we live in God and God lives in us. This way, love has the run of the house, becomes at home and mature in us, so that we’re free of worry on Judgment Day—our standing in the world is identical with Christ’s. There is no room in love for fear. Well-formed love banishes fear. Since fear is crippling, a fearful life—fear of death, fear of judgment—is one not yet fully formed in love. Psalm 95 95  1-2  Come, let’s shout praises to God ,      raise the roof for the Rock who saved us! Let’s march into his presence singing praises,      lifting the rafters with our hymns! 3-5  And why? Because God is the best,      High King over all the gods. In one hand he holds deep caves and caverns,      in the other hand grasps the high mountains. He made Ocean—he owns it!      Hi...

9.5 1 John 4. 13-16  This is how we know we’re living steadily and deeply in him, and he in us: He’s given us life from his life, from his very own Spirit. Also, we’ve seen for ourselves and continue to state openly that the Father sent his Son as Savior of the world. Everyone who confesses that Jesus is God’s Son participates continuously in an intimate relationship with God. We know it so well, we’ve embraced it heart and soul, this love that comes from God. Psalm 94 94  1-2  God , put an end to evil;      avenging God, show your colors! Judge of the earth, take your stand;      throw the book at the arrogant. 3-4  God , the wicked get away with murder—      how long will you let this go on? They brag and boast      and crow about their crimes! 5-7  They walk all over your people, God,      exploit and abuse your precious people. They take ...

9.4 During times of division and shifting to a new way of life there are bound to be times where the followers of Jesus will be hated just as He was.   This is a critical moment to shift the atmosphere from hate to love.   We are called to keep loving our fellowman in the most difficult moments.   1 John 4. 7-10  My beloved friends, let us continue to love each other since love comes from God. Everyone who loves is born of God and experiences a relationship with God. The person who refuses to love doesn’t know the first thing about God, because God is love—so you can’t know him if you don’t love. This is how God showed his love for us: God sent his only Son into the world so we might live through him. This is the kind of love we are talking about—not that we once upon a time loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to clear away our sins and the damage they’ve done to our relationship with God. 11-12  My dear, dear f...