Refreshing Our Spirits With Scripture

10.1- John 10. 31  The Jews picked up stones again to stone Him. 32  Jesus answered them, “I showed you many good works from the Father; for which of them are you stoning Me?” 33  The Jews answered Him, “For a good work we do not stone You, but for blasphemy; and because You, being a man, make Yourself out to be God.” 34  Jesus answered them, “Has it not been written in your Law, ‘I said, you are gods ’? 35  If he called them gods, to whom the word of God came (and the Scripture cannot be broken), 36  do you say of Him, whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world, ‘You are blaspheming,’ because I said, ‘I am the Son of God’? 37  If I do not do the works of My Father, do not believe Me; 38  but if I do them, though you do not believe Me, believe the works, so that you may [ f ] know and understand that the Father is in Me, and I in the Father.” 39  Therefore they were seeking again to seize Him, and He eluded their grasp. 40...

Matthew 6. 25  “For this reason I say to you, [ n ] do not be worried about your [ o ] life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Today is the 82nd anniversary of my mother and father’s marriage. They moved to their reward over ten years ago, but their way of life with each other is not forgotten by me. They had come from families that were loving and committed to God and each other, but far from perfect. Each their families had experienced disappointment and failure. Their first date was on October the sixth, 1932. Mom wrote in her diary, “On Sunday, September 30, 1934, we drove to Windom in the afternoon and J.E. Luttrell married us in his home, which was back of his meat market. We didn’t take anyone with us. We stopped on the way at Mama Wood’s and she gave her blessings. Mrs. Luttrell, her daughter, Lonetta, and her friends, Irene Ja...

9.30- John 10. 22  At that time the Feast of the Dedication took place at Jerusalem; 23  it was winter, and Jesus was walking in the temple in the portico of Solomon. 24  The Jews then gathered around Him, and were saying to Him, “How long [ b ] will You keep us in suspense? If You are [ c ] the Christ, tell us plainly.” 25  Jesus answered them, “I told you, and you do not believe; the works that I do in My Father’s name, these testify of Me. 26  But you do not believe because you are not of My sheep. 27  My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; 28  and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand. 29  [ d ] My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. 30  I and the Father are [ e ] one.” Psalm 118 118  Give thanks to the Lord , for He is good; For His lovingkindness is everl...

9.29- John 10. 19  A division occurred again among the Jews because of these words. 20  Many of them were saying, “He has a demon and is insane. Why do you listen to Him?” 21  Others were saying, “These are not the sayings of one demon-possessed. A demon cannot open the eyes of the blind, can he?” Psalm 117. 117  Praise the Lord , all nations; Laud Him, all peoples! 2  For His lovingkindness [ a ] is great toward us, And the [ b ] truth of the Lord is everlasting. [ c ] Praise [ d ] the Lord !

9.28- John 10. 13  He flees because he is a hired hand and is not concerned about the sheep. 14  I am the good shepherd, and I know My own and My own know Me, 15  even as the Father knows Me and I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep. 16  I have other sheep, which are not of this fold; I must bring them also, and they will hear My voice; and they will become one flock with one shepherd. 17  For this reason the Father loves Me, because I lay down My life so that I may take it again. 18  No one has taken it away from Me, but I lay it down on My own initiative. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This commandment I received from My Father.” Psalm 116. 116  I love the Lord , because He hears My voice and my supplications. 2  Because He has inclined His ear to me, Therefore I shall call upon Him as long as I live. 3  The cords of death encompassed me And the [ a ] terrors of [...

My country has some men and women who claim to be Christians and think God wants them to be the President of the the USA. Here is what Jesus says God the Father will show them. More suffering than they imagined. That seat of importance in the limo or plane is an appointment from God the Father and each breath they take there is a gift from Him. Servants there will be useful. Bosses and lord it over the people types will be judged and condemned by Him. Except for the grace o f God all of us rich and sinful people would be unable to be with God. This is very evident in leadership competition situations such as being under attack which is is normal in leadership situations. God will humble and break everyone who is not broken. That seat of power will demand the surrender of everything except submission to God. When one goes into leadership under God they must surrender everything most of us enjoy. Privacy. Family. Privacy about our money and our sins. When God shows som...

9.27- John 10. 11  “I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep. 12  He who is a hired hand, and not a shepherd, who is not the owner of the sheep, sees the wolf coming, and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them . Psalm 115. 115  Not to us, O Lord , not to us, But to Your name give glory Because of Your lovingkindness, because of Your [ a ] truth. 2  Why should the nations say, “Where, now, is their God?” 3  But our God is in the heavens; He does whatever He pleases. 4  Their idols are silver and gold, The work of man’s hands. 5  They have mouths, but they cannot speak; They have eyes, but they cannot see; 6  They have ears, but they cannot hear; They have noses, but they cannot smell; 7  [ b ] They have hands, but they cannot feel; [ c ] They have feet, but they cannot walk; They cannot make a sound with their throat. 8  Those who make them [ d ] will become l...

Tonight I will look for a good leader whom I can support. What is a human being and how does life begin and end? What is the finish of our lives to look like? All in to help people the best we can till the end or Selfishly demanding everyone pay attention to us. What shall we do with our wounds and failures in life? Lie about them. Cover them up with deception. Distract from our need to change by slandering others. Or Admit sins and humbly seek forgiveness and grace. Who has the peace that passes understanding? Who has aligned their mission as leaders with the mission we have been given by Jesus? Who has the Holy Spirit power to forgive others and change the conversation from hate to love? Who persists in moving toward things that are real and truthful? Who does all they can to help others? Tonight as every night I will reflect on this. Jesus is the leader I have chosen. I will support leaders who are most like His style of leadership. John 20. 19  S...

9.26- John 10. 7  So Jesus said to them again, “Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. 8  All who came before Me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them. 9  I am the door; if anyone enters through Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture. 10  The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and [ a ] have it abundantly. Psalm 114. 114  When Israel went forth from Egypt, The house of Jacob from a people of strange language, 2  Judah became His sanctuary, Israel, His dominion. 3  The sea looked and fled; The Jordan turned back. 4  The mountains skipped like rams, The hills, like lambs. 5  What ails you, O sea, that you flee? O Jordan, that you turn back? 6  O mountains, that you skip like rams? O hills, like lambs? 7  Tremble, O earth, before the Lord, Before the God of Jacob, 8  Who turned the rock into a pool of water, T...

9.25- Jesus is our shepherd/king.  Presidents come and go, but Jesus is the shepherd who makes sure that we will not want. John 10. 10  “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who does not enter by the door into the fold of the sheep, but climbs up some other way, he is a thief and a robber. 2  But he who enters by the door is a shepherd of the sheep. 3  To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4  When he puts forth all his own, he goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow him because they know his voice. 5  A stranger they simply will not follow, but will flee from him, because they do not know the voice of strangers.” 6  This figure of speech Jesus spoke to them, but they did not understand what those things were which He had been saying to them. Psalm 23. 23  The Lord is my shepherd, I [ a ] shall not want. 2  He makes me lie down in green pastures; He leads...