Refreshing Our Spirits With Scripture

8.25- Fifty years ago today, 8/22/68, I graduated from Abilene Christian College as it was called then. We lined up and Sheila was with me to “Hood” me with the honor of receiving a BS in Education and Business. When the summer graduation group had marched in and an invocation was given, there were students honored for their high achievements. Dean Walter Adams chose as his text Luke 2. 52 And Jesus kept increasing in wisdom and [x]stature, and in favor with God and men.” During my years of elementary, junior high and high school most, if not all, of my teachers, attended one of the local churches in town. Their model teacher was ultimately Jesus Christ. Sheila and I went forth to teach that first year at Boles Home Independent School, BISD, near Quinlan, Texas. She taught kindergarten and I taught several subjects in high school and junior high in addition to coaching. We had spent 18 years in school. Now we would be the teachers. We were excited the f...

8.24-We are taught by Jesus to not judge others.  We don't know their hearts.  At the same time don't give that which is holy to dogs.  Discern who can be trusted with God's holy things and those who have not come to be trusted by you.  Use common sense.  Don't reveal all of your inner things of your heart to those who are destructive people or have not proven they are trustworthy. Matthew 7. 7  “Do not judge so that you will not be judged. 2  For in the way you judge, you will be judged; and [ a ] by your standard of measure, it will be measured to you. 3  Why do you look at the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? 4  Or how [ b ] can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ and behold, the log is in your own eye? 5  You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye. 6...

8.23- Jesus has no problem with those of us who have unanswered questions. Where did my friend Anita go when she died in the car accident a couple of weeks ago?  John 20. 24  But Thomas, one of the twelve, called [ d ] Didymus, was not with them when Jesus came. 25  So the other disciples were saying to him, “We have seen the Lord!” But he said to them, “Unless I see in His hands the imprint of the nails, and put my finger into the place of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe.” 26  [ e ] After eight days His disciples were again inside, and Thomas with them. Jesus *came, the doors having been [ f ] shut, and stood in their midst and said, “Peace be with you.” 27  Then He *said to Thomas, “Reach here with your finger, and see My hands; and reach here your hand and put it into My side; and do not be unbelieving, but believing.” 28  Thomas answered and said to Him, “My Lord and my God!” 29  Jesus *said to him, “Bec...

8.22  Today on television a man said, "Truth is not truth." Men and women of our day are increasingly given to this idea: the only absolute is that there are no absolutes—the only truth is that there is no truth. The only intolerance is the intolerance of intolerance. All this gives popularity today to the approval of such things as abortion, homosexuality, euthanasia, pornography, and all kinds of lewd behavior. It is all traced back to this point of departure: the rejection of the truth… We see it everywhere today. Humanism says man is the truth; pragmatism says whatever works is the truth; pluralism says everyone has a piece of the truth; relativism says each situation determines the truth; mysticism says intuition is the truth; skepticism says no one can know the truth; hedonism says whatever feels good is the truth; existentialism says self-determination is the truth; secularism says this present world is the truth; positivism says whatever man confesses...

8.21-  Be careful about religious bigots using their food rules to take away your freedom in Christ Jesus. Regarding details rules about what Christians should eat. For Jesus followers it seems to me that detailed rules about eating certain things and not eating others is not in keeping with His ways. Be careful to not violate your own conscience in food matters. Do not judge other people in matters of conscience. Do not fall into the temptation to the world's ways of immorality, out control eating and drinking and grumbling. Do not get bogged down in legalistic food rules. Mark 7. 7  The Pharisees and some of the scribes gathered around Him when they had come from Jerusalem, 2  and had seen that some of His disciples were eating their bread with impure hands, that is, unwashed. 3  (For the Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they [ a ] carefully wash their hands, thus observing the traditions of the elders; 4  and when they come f...

8.20- It was a Friday evening and there was big business in a fast food place.  They are normally understaffed on Fridays as most fast food places are. The guy ahead of me had texted his order and paid on line.  He came when they said come and he could not find his order in his phone.  They could not find this on their equipment.  He had two sons with him and he was getting "hangry" and so were they I suspect. The worker explained the problem and he said, "Where's the manager?" He came and offered to replace the order and give 50% discount.  They made a deal.   I was ten minutes past the time I was promised food.  I was relaxed because we weren't "hangry" and I called Sheila to tell her the situation.  She said, "No, problem." On this day four of their workers had quit.  There was one cook where they needed three.  They replaced my order.  I spoke to a young worker about me being a teacher of Christian relaxation pr...

8.19- We need to be watching for the people God sends our way. Acts 8. 25  So, when they had solemnly testified and spoken the word of the Lord, they started back to Jerusalem, and were preaching the gospel to many villages of the Samaritans. 26  But an angel of the Lord spoke to Philip saying, “Get up and go south to the road that descends from Jerusalem to Gaza.” ( [ h ] This is a desert road .) 27  So he got up and went; and there was an Ethiopian eunuch, a court official of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, who was in charge of all her treasure; and he had come to Jerusalem to worship, 28  and he was returning and sitting in his [ i ] chariot, and was reading the prophet Isaiah. 29  Then the Spirit said to Philip, “Go up and join this [ j ] chariot.” 30  Philip ran up and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet, and said, “Do you understand what you are reading?” 31  And he said, “Well, how could I, unless someone guides me?” And he invi...