Refreshing Our Spirits With Scripture

9.8- Many people try to resist being broken.  It is natural in a way.  Eventually, we are all broken people and must admit it.  It may be on our death bed or someplace before that we learn we are not in control.  By looking at the design of the universe it makes sense that there is a designer of the universe and He does not submit to us, but we must eventually submit to Him.  If we resist being broken and resist being flexible, there will be a time that our life will turn to dust and we will be crushed under death without hope.  If we accept our brokenness and allow God to mold and shape us then hope can come into our hearts and God arranges the broken life into a useful vessel.  As Jesus died on the cross their were two cross beside Him.  One had a thief who submitted to God at the end.  The other resisted and refused to submit, but played a con game on the last day of His life.  Which way will you go?  Broken or Crushed. Luke ...

9.7- 9.7- Effects of fellowship. I grew up as a part of a loving family made up of a bunch of couples.  On 9.1.18, my cousin, H. L. Milton celebrated his 86th birthday.  He is my oldest cousin who is still blessed to have his wonderful wife, Patsy with him.  As Sheila and I approached our 51st anniversary this year we had such a good reflection on other couples who are going before us and showing us the way forward.  Some are from our family and some from our church family.  I made a list this week of 26 couples who have been married many years and have shown us the value of fellowship.  It comes from a broken heart and a purity from God, not from ourselves.  God's Holy Spirit filling the heart causes a kind of generosity of spirit that is good for family life.  These couples have a fresh start every day and hope for the future regardless of their age.  It is a great blessing to feel love and support from God and from one's spouse and the...

9.6- Those who know God well know that He wants His children to be steady and fearless regardless of the circumstances. This world expects that under threat our values can be destroyed and we can be changed forever.  The reality is that we do fall down under stress and pressure.  But with some time and opportunity there are some who can get up and come back to their best values.  Driven by love instead of by fear. Jesus knew that God the Father was able to laugh in the most amazing circumstances.  Why?  Because He knew the steady direction of where His world was going. Luke 20. 20  On one of the days while He was teaching the people in the temple and preaching the gospel, the chief priests and the scribes with the elders confronted Him , 2  and they spoke, saying to Him, “Tell us by what authority You are doing these things, or who is the one who gave You this authority?” 3  Jesus answered and said to them, “I will also ask you a [ a...

9.5- If Jesus is the Son of God as He says He was then He is right to say the truth of this fact.   Now it caused Him trouble with the political and religious powers of His day to say this fact.   The place in the nation that Jews had would be affected by this “King of the Jews.” Some would accept Jesus their King instead of the earthly king and it was cause imprisonment.   Since Jesus was the Son of God, He would be able to provide them a rescue either in life or even in death.   Some would be forced to lose their house because of their desire to please the Father in heaven as Jesus did.   Since there is life beyond this earth then Jesus would be the ultimate moral teacher.   But if Jesus did not rise from the grave then He would not be a good moral teacher for He would have taken something greater to return nothing of value. Luke 18. 29  And He said to them, “Truly I say to you, there is no one who has left house or wife or brothers o...

9.4- It is true that Jesus came into the world in humble circumstances without power.   His parents had to submit to the boot of Roman rulers who demanded they travel to Bethlehem to register for the census.   It is not just a Christmas story that there was no room for them in the inn and the baby was wrapped in clothes and laid in a manger.    Today we have ministers who have turned the focus of their congregations to developing and maintaining religious and political power. I believe that it is true that in the church for 2,000 years we have had some who were comparatively “rich” and some who were “poor”.    Those of us in America in a world comparison are rich.   We must be careful to stay humble and grounded in Jesus as our only secure treasure.    Riches can become a distraction.   Our basic work of having compassion on those who are poor and need to hear the good news.   The practical work of feeding the hung...

God gives human beings a radical power.   The power of choice. “She took from its fruit and ate. She gave also to her husband with her and he ate” These two first humans had the freedom of choice. From then on all humans have used this freedom of choice to rebel against God’s best for them. We are all sinners by our choices.   We then cover it up by denial. How do we get over the denial. God’s grace and mercy. God sends people who are filled with grace and mercy and they get across to us that we are loved by God and by them in spite of our foolish choices. God pursues His children.   In spite of their sinful rebellion against Him and their cover up and denial, God wanted a relationship of love with them. Genesis 3  Now the serpent was more crafty than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, “Indeed, has God said, ‘You shall not eat from [ bq ] any tree of the garden’?” 2  The woman said to th...