Refreshing Our Spirits With Scripture

1.11 33 A. D. Matthew 24. 9 “Then they will deliver you to tribulation, and will kill you, and you will be hated by all nations because of My name. 10 At that time many will [d]fall away and will [e]betray one another and hate one another. 11 Many false prophets will arise and will mislead many. 12 Because lawlessness is increased, [f]most people’s love will grow cold. 13 But the one who endures to the end, he will be saved. ABC News, 12.30.19 WHITE SETTLEMENT, Texas -- Two innocent men were killed when a shooter opened fire during Sunday service as a Texas church. The Texas Department of Public Safety on Monday identified the dead as Anton Wallace, 64, of Fort Worth and Richard White, 67, of suburban River Oaks. Both men were rushed to the hospital after the gunman emerged from a back-row pew at West Freeway Church of Christ in White Settlement and began shooting. The shooter was quickly shot and killed by Jack Wilson, a parishioner ...

1.10- Little children are great. Jesus was this baby and then at age twelve He decided to do something his mom didn't know He was doing. He didn't go home with the people He was supposed to be with. They started looking for Him and when they found Him what Mary said is priceless. "Why did you do this to us?" He had chosen a different path than they expected. He was hanging out at the temple engaging in "His Father's business". I can imagine how upset they were. Children a re great. Twelve and thirteen year olds are great some of the time. The reality is that Jesus, God in a body, came to earth so He could experience everything we would experience down here on earth. When we cry out for problems when our children don't do exactly what we thought they were supposed to do we can cry out to our Father in heaven and He understands. Having children increases connections because it makes us vulnerable. This builds bridges o...

1.9- I receive peace when I spend time with people who have been scarred in the arena of life but stay fearlessly engaged. John 20. 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, “Because you have seen Me, have you believed? Blessed are they who did not see, and yet believed.”

1.8- After an encounter with God that changes our life we want to get back to normal life when the encounter is over, but in another way the encounter is never over and we don’t want a “normal” life and cannot really have one.   Once you encounter the resurrected Jesus, life is never the same. John 21.  21  After these things Jesus [ a ] manifested Himself again to the disciples at the Sea of Tiberias, and He manifested Himself in this way. 2  Simon Peter, and Thomas called [ b ] Didymus, and Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, and the sons of Zebedee, and two others of His disciples were together. 3  Simon Peter *said to them, “I am going fishing.” They *said to him, “We will also come with you.” They went out and got into the boat; and that night they caught nothing. 4  But when the day was now breaking, Jesus stood on the beach; yet the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. 5  So Jesus *said to them, “Children, you do not have [ c...

1.7- Evil is overcome with good. There were highly educated men killing millions of Jews in the concentration camps and demanding that music be played for them.  Evil is not overcome with education alone.  To get to know God involves Godly education.  This includes training in what is good and what is evil. Romans 12. 19  Never take your own revenge, beloved, but [ p ] leave room for the wrath of God , for it is written, “ Vengeance is Mine , I will repay ,” says the Lord. 20  “ But if your enemy is hungry, feed him, and if he is thirsty, give him a drink; for in so doing you will heap burning coals on his head .” 21  Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

1.6-I know my redeemer lives. I see the movement of the trees in my back yard. I see a shadow of a squirrel jumping from a tree to my roof. I hear the sound of something on my roof. I have not seen a squirrel yet I “know” there is a squirrel there. I have seen God’s spirit move some things. I have seen a shadow of Jesus’ doing all kinds of great work through the church. I know there is a God and I know my redeemer lives. Someday I will finish my work as my cousin, Jerry*, has done and move to see Je sus face to face. Till then I will notice the movement of tree limbs. I will see shadows of Jesus in the body, the church. We do not know when our work will end, but we do know that if we keep our faith in Him we will see Him face to face. (*Jerry Jones my cousin finished his work and moved to be with the Lord yesterday evening after a long time of health challenges. He was a strong Christian man. He was the husband of my dearly beloved cousin, Ruth Ann Milton...

1.5- Hard things.  Difficult things.  When handled with God's love can show the glory of God. John 9. Disciples of Jesus have forever wanted to know what is the connection between someone’s sin and bad things that happen to them. Jesus view is that in this case it was no one’s sin, but a case of God’s glory to be shown through this sad circumstance of birth defect. John 9. 9  As He passed by, He saw a man blind from birth. 2  And His disciples asked Him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he would be born blind?” 3  Jesus answered, “ It was neither that this man sinned, nor his parents; but it was so that the works of God might be displayed in him.   Romans 5. 5  Therefore, having been justified by faith, [ a ] we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2  through whom also we have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand; and [ b ] we exult in hope of the glory of...