Refreshing Our Spirits With Scripture

11.10- Acts 1. 18  (With the payment he received for his wickedness, Judas bought a field; there he fell headlong, his body burst open and all his intestines spilled out. 19  Everyone in Jerusalem heard about this, so they called that field in their language Akeldama, that is, Field of Blood.) 20  “For,” said Peter, “it is written in the Book of Psalms: “‘May his place be deserted;      let there be no one to dwell in it,’ [ e ] and, “‘May another take his place of leadership.’ [ f ] 21  Therefore it is necessary to choose one of the men who have been with us the whole time the Lord Jesus was living among us, 22  beginning from John’s baptism to the time when Jesus was taken up from us. For one of these must become a witness with us of his resurrection.” All religions in all nations teach against murder and suicide. Are there any consequences to someone taking their own life? Yes. They may fail at their attempt and ...

11.9- Psalm 5 in the context of the California mass murder caused these tears and prayer in my heart this morning. My prayer for today in light of the shooting in California near the Pepperdine Campus. It is right to worship God who is willing to listen to our cries for help We are tired of these mass shootings of you young people in our country. You have appointed Jesus, our prince of Peace. Help us be helpers instead of haters. You are our King and our God. Each morning I lay my requests before you. We wait expectantly for your deliverance. Help us be helpers instead of haters. You are not a God who is pleased with wickedness. With you evil people are not welcome. The arrogant cannot stand in your presence. Help us be helpers instead of haters. All who hate You O God do wrong. You detest the telling of lies. Help us be helpers instead of haters. I, by your amazing grace, can come into your...

11.8- I find that when I try to get my security from this earth and the things of this earth there is nothing but insecurity, anxiety and worry. When I rely upon God and His grace toward His children, then I find grace, mercy and peace in my heart. “Put your feet in the right place and then stand firm.” Abraham Lincoln Jesus, Matthew 6. 25 “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life,

11.7- There is a joy in doing something that you believe you were created to do. My good friend, Joe Sabah, who has helped many people to find the job that they really fit by asking the question, "Are you singing the song you came to sing?" Today as I was in the hot tub at the club with a man who is a volunteer teacher of Jesus' way at a rehab center commented that when he was volunteering there he feels completely aligned with the purposes of of his life. The Psalmist says that the purpose of everything that has breath is to praise God. The rocky shores of Maine provided such glory for Sheila and I on a 2005 trip for some leaf peeping. Psalm 150. Hallelujah! Praise God in his holy house of worship, praise him under the open skies; Praise him for his acts of power, praise him for his magnificent greatness; Praise with a blast on the trumpet, praise by strumming soft strings; Praise him with castanets and dance, praise him with banjo and ...

11.6- You are the light of the world.  You are the salt of the earth. Matthew 5. 13  “You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt has become tasteless, how [ e ] can it be made salty again ? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled under foot by men. 14  “You are the light of the world. A city set on a [ f ] hill cannot be hidden; 15  nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a [ g ] basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. 16  Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.

11.5- Stand up for a place where men and women are respected.  Work to make your community a place of fairness for men and women and for people of all races.  Jesus did. John 4. 4  Therefore when the Lord knew that the Pharisees had heard that Jesus was making and baptizing more disciples than John 2  (although Jesus Himself was not baptizing, but His disciples were), 3  He left Judea and went away again into Galilee. 4  And He had to pass through Samaria. 5  So He *came to a city of Samaria called Sychar, near the parcel of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph; 6  and Jacob’s well was there. So Jesus, being wearied from His journey, was sitting thus by the well. It was about [ a ] the sixth hour. The Woman of Samaria 7  There *came a woman of Samaria to draw water. Jesus *said to her, “Give Me a drink.” 8  For His disciples had gone away into the city to buy food. 9  Therefore the Samaritan woman *said to Him, “...

11.4- Tension and stress about life in this world.  Pray. Acts 12. belonged to the church in order to mistreat them. 2  And he had James the brother of John put to death with a sword. 3  When he saw that it pleased the Jews, he proceeded to arrest Peter also. Now [ b ] it was during the days of Unleavened Bread. 4  When he had seized him, he put him in prison, delivering him to four [ c ] squads of soldiers to guard him, intending after the Passover to bring him out before the people. 5  So Peter was kept in the prison, but prayer for him was being made fervently by the church to God. 6  On [ d ] the very night when Herod was about to bring him forward, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains, and guards in front of the door were watching over the prison. 7  And behold, an angel of the Lord suddenly appeared and a light shone in the cell; and he struck Peter’s side and woke him up, saying, “Get up quickly.” And his ch...