Refreshing Our Spirits With Scripture

John 7. 37  On the last and greatest day of the festival, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. 38  Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.” [ c ] 39  By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive. Up to that time the Spirit had not been given, since Jesus had not yet been glorified.   They are sourced in heaven's love.   They are generous to the poor.   They free women from oppression. They receive their source of refeshment from God. They give good advice to the poor.  They love even their enemies. They have been redeemed.  Like a car towed for illegal parking.  They have been redeemed. They have Jesus as their minister, priest and High Priest. They leave even their enemies. They are a sight for sore eyes to those who fear God.  They have been worn out by the li...

3.17- Matthew 16. 18  And I tell you that you are Peter, [ b ] and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades [ c ] will not overcome it. 19  I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be [ d ] bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be [ e ] loosed in heaven.” 20  Then he ordered his disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Messiah. Bloody Sunday.  Blood on my jeans because I went to church.  I can blame the church.  I touch walls as I walk.  There was an exposed nail in one as I left Bible class Sunday.  They hurt me.   Or. During the Lord's Supper my friend Jerry started praying about my problem with me.  I opened my phone app Bible and life giving words written in Greek two thousand years ago could be read by me in English.  Translated by scholars from church.  I could read it because my first, second grade teachers were ...

3.16- Because God is God and we are not there are many things that are hard to understand.  His ways are not our ways.  His thoughts are not our thoughts.  The Bible was not written by man because he couldn't write it, but if he could write it he wouldn't write it. Most of the people who have followed Jesus as their teacher for a while have tried other things beside Jesus that did not work. John 6. 60  On hearing it, many of his disciples said, “This is a hard teaching. Who can accept it?” 61  Aware that his disciples were grumbling about this, Jesus said to them, “Does this offend you? 62  Then what if you see the Son of Man ascend to where he was before! 63  The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you—they are full of the Spirit [ e ] and life. 64  Yet there are some of you who do not believe.” For Jesus had known from the beginning which of them did not believe and who would betray him. 65...

3.15- James 3. 13  Who is wise and understanding among you? Let them show it by their good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom. 14  But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth. 15  Such “wisdom” does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. 16  For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice. 17  But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. 18  Peacemakers who sow in peace reap a harvest of righteousness. Do you ever get the thought that both the major political parties in America and lying and deceiving in their ambition to win.  Is winning elections more important than honesty and justice?  Are there not statesmen and women who can see good in the other people?  They ...

3.14- John 4. 7  When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, “Will you give me a drink?” 8  (His disciples had gone into the town to buy food.) 9  The Samaritan woman said to him, “You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?” (For Jews do not associate with Samaritans. [ a ] ) 10  Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.” 11  “Sir,” the woman said, “you have nothing to draw with and the well is deep. Where can you get this living water? 12  Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did also his sons and his livestock?” 13  Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, 14  but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water we...

3.13- After observing thirteen Presidents in my life it is clear we are one nation under God. Not under Trump or Obama. They left office and died. God lives. Presidents who were arrogant and rebellious were humbled by God and by their own choices. Daniel 4.30-36,   30  he said, “Is not this the great Babylon I have built as the royal residence, by my mighty power and for the glory of my majesty?” 31  Even as the words were on his lips, a voice came from heaven, “This is what is decreed for you, King Nebuchadnezzar: Your royal authority has been taken from you. 32  You will be driven away from people and will live with the wild animals; you will eat grass like the ox. Seven times will pass by for you until you acknowledge that the Most High is sovereign over all kingdoms on earth and gives them to anyone he wishes.” 33  Immediately what had been said about Nebuchadnezzar was fulfilled. He was driven away from people and ate grass like the...

John 1. 14  The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. 15  (John testified concerning him. He cried out, saying, “This is the one I spoke about when I said, ‘He who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.’”) 16  Out of his fullness we have all received grace in place of grace already given. 17  For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. 18  No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is himself God and [ b ] is in closest relationship with the Father, has made him known. When I was thirteen or so and later at age twenty I was greatly impacted by a couple of guys I thought of together today as I read these verses.   Bill Luttrell and John Davis.  They were both teachers and ministers who got down close to their students.  They played games and tricks....