Refreshing Our Spirits With Scripture

6.3 Thankful that Matt Dabbs reported on a study of ministers who were very satisfied with their relationship with God.  Ministry/Study: These ministers spent more time studying for lesson prep than everyone else and more time in personal study. They also reported significantly better relationships with their elders than everyone else on average. Last, these people were more hopeful about the future on average than the rest of the sample. The more time you spend meditating on God's word, the better relationship you have with God, with yourself and others. If you dwell on the difficulty of the times you will feel hopeless. If you dwell on healthy people who love God and you and dwell on Scripture you will feel hopeful. You get to choose your attitude by your mental choices on a daily basis. During difficult times we need to reflect on the people who are healthy and who have taught us the word of God.  We need to study the Scriptures because they train is int...

6.2- Jesus builds the church.  It is His work and we are merely His assistants. 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. 1 9  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. 1 Corinthians 13,14 13  If I speak in the tongues [ a ] of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. 2  If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. 3  If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, [ b ] but do not have love, I gain nothing. 4  Lov...

6.1 Have compassion for your children and grandchildren and notice when they need first aid type help and be ready to deliver it to them.   God used Abraham to help Lot when he needed a rescue.   This is the responsibility of having the power to help someone in a crisis. Take a humble position and trust God for wisdom and strength and guidance.   Arrogant leaders who exalt themselves will be broken by God. Proverbs 28. 15  Like a roaring lion or a charging bear      is a wicked ruler over a helpless people. 16  A tyrannical ruler practices extortion,      but one who hates ill-gotten gain will enjoy a long reign. As a leader we will make mistakes and mess up.   We need to be humble, apologize and ask forgiveness and move forward.   Great men and women of God in the Bible did so.   David was a leader and known as a man after God’s heart.   He lusted for a woman who was not his wife...

5.31- We build up our family only because God is doing it and we are following Him.  He protects us at night while we sleep.  It is better to trust in God than to get up early or stay late because He will guide us in regard to this.  We do go to work early as needed and we do stay late at work because we work not for our earthly boss, but for God.  We expect to work for what we eat.  We expect to be tired and therefore sleep well at night.  We believe all children are a gift from God. There have been great blessings given to us from each person in our clan.  The war of this world may come against us but we can stick with God and each other and win. Psalm 127 Psalm 127 A song of ascents. Of Solomon. 1  Unless the Lord builds the house,      the builders labor in vain. Unless the Lord watches over the city,      the guards stand watch in vain. 2  In vain you rise early    ...

5.30- When you can't rest. Meditate on what you know to be true.  There is a beautiful designed universe to see.  Remember the lives of the people who have been helpers.  Reflect on their lives.  Meditate on some Psalms.  Read starting at Psalm 1 up to Psalm 19 and watch for a writer in the Bible having some of the same emotions that you have right now. When rested. Determine to use your resources of energy, thought, prayer, time, money and any other resource to be used to build up people. Be wise. Use your brain.  Think before you act. Don't act impulsively. Make up you mind to be  trustworthy person.  Never lie and deceive.  When you have go back to those who deceived and straighten it out.  Nothing is more important in a relationship than trust. Remember that love for God cannot be done at the same time you are loving money. Be careful if you are a person who thinks you are better than others.  You must remember that...

5.30- God created man in His own image with the idea that He would be ruling over the animals with compassion and care.  Compassion for animals means that we meet their needs for care for them.  They are sacred gifts from God. Genesis 1. 26  Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, [ a ] and over all the creatures that move along the ground.” 27  So God created mankind in his own image,      in the image of God he created them;      male and female he created them. 28  God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.” 2 Samuel 12. 12  The Lord sent Nathan to David. When he came to him, he said,...

5.29 “Freedom” America on Memorial Day, 5.29.17 We went to see last week for our haircuts.   Kim escaped Viet Nam on a boat as a child but I think her mother and father remained there.   She escaped with an uncle and aunt.   She’s been in America for many years.   She owns her own hair style shop/barber shop.   She been experiencing some health challenges.   She had the idea that America was worse than communism in one way, health care. With a deeper conversation and reflection she admitted that there was something better about America than communist countries.   We could all go to the ER and eventually be seen and helped.   In communism they would leave you outside the hospital to die.   I asked her what she loved about America and her answer in one word,   “Freedom”.  Danny Dennis was the name we wanted to find at the Viet Nam memorial because he had been a friend of ours who died in the war.   We took a p...