Refreshing Our Spirits With Scripture

 9.27-   Better Than a Pinata Ephesians 2:1-10 Keila Ochoa There cannot be a Mexican party without a pinata – a carton or clay container filled with candies and treats. Children strike it with a stick and try to break it, hoping to enjoy its contents. Monks used the pinatas in the sixteenth century to teach lessons to the indigenous people of Mexico. Pinatas were stars with seven points that represented the seven deadly sins. Beating the pinata showed the struggle against evil, and once the treats inside fell to the ground, people could take them home in remembrance of the rewards of keeping the faith. But we cannot fight evil on our own. God is not waiting for our efforts so that He will show His mercy. Ephesians teaches that “by grace you have been saved through faith . . . it is the gift God” (2:8). We don’t beat sin; Christ has done that. Children fight for the candies from the pinata, but God’s gifts come to all of us when we believe in ...

 9.26-   The Land of “What Is” Psalm 46:1-7 Dave Branon Even all these years after losing our seventeen-year-old daughter Melissa in a car accident in 2002, I sometimes find myself entering the world of “What If.” It’s easy, in grief, to reimagine the events of that tragic June evening and think of factors that – if rearranged – would have had Mell arriving safely home. In reality, though, the land of “What If” is not a good place to be for any of us. It is a place of regret, second-guessing, and hopelessness. While the grief is real and the sadness endures, life is better and God is honored if we dwell in the world of “What Is.” In that world, we can find hope, encouragement, and comfort. We have the sure hope (I Thessalonians 4:13) – the assurance – that because Melissa loved Jesus, she is in a place that is “better by far” (Philippians 1:23). We have the helpful presence of the God of all comfort (2 Corinthians 1:3). We have God’s “ever-pr...

 9.25- Perfect Grace Matthew 5:43-48; John 8:9- 11 Philip Yancey Jesus’ teaching about absolute ideals and absolute grace seem contradictory. Jesus never lowered God’s perfect ideal. In His response to the rich young ruler, He said, “Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect” (Matthew 5:48). He told an expert in the law who inquired as to the greatest commandment, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all you soul and with all your mind” (Matthew 22:37). No one has completely fulfilled those commands. Yet the same Jesus tenderly offered absolute grace. He forgave an adulteress, a thief on the cross, a disciple who had denied ever knowing Him, and a man named Saul, who had made his mark persecuting Christians. Grace is absolute and all-encompassing, extending even to those who nailed Jesus to the cross: “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing” were among the last words He spoke on earth (Luke 23:34)....

 9.24- It has been common for football watching to be a main activity for many generations of guys in our family.  It requires strength and perseverance and teamwork and many things that we believe in.  Here is left to right. Jeff Wishard, me and Jared Wishard and Ralph Self. Joshua 24. 14  “Now, therefore, [ g ] fear the Lord and serve Him in sincerity and [ h ] truth; and put away the gods which your fathers served beyond the [ i ] River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord . 15  If it is disagreeable in your sight to serve the Lord , choose for yourselves today whom you will serve: whether the gods which your fathers served which were beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living; but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord .”  

 9.23-   Psalm 1. How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, Nor stand in the [ a ] path of sinners, Nor sit in the seat of scoffers! 2  But his delight is in the law of the Lord , And in His law he meditates day and night. 3  He will be like a tree firmly planted by [ b ] streams of water, Which yields its fruit in its season And its [ c ] leaf does not wither; And [ d ] in whatever he does, he prospers. 4  The wicked are not so, But they are like chaff which the wind drives away. 5  Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, Nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous. 6  For the Lord [ e ] knows the way of the righteous, But the way of the wicked will perish.   How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, Nor stand in the [ a ] path of sinners, Nor sit in the seat of scoffers! 2  But his delight is in the law of the Lord , And in His law he meditates day and night. 3 ...

 9.22- Almost beyond understanding.   The patience that is required for a mother in rearing her children almost beyond understanding. Monday our son came over to help us with some chores and bring some groceries for us. That is such a uplifting experience to know that he cares for us now and will in the future. We started retracing our life with him going back even before he was born. Sheila said that the pregnancy and the delivery was almost beyond understanding.   Mothers plan for things to go smoothly, but they sometimes don’t.   Oops becomes an opportunity.   Life with God sets up situations where our plan doesn’t go as we had hoped. Then we cry out to God and He has promised that for those of us who love Him that He was cause things to work out for the good.   He turns our mess into a message.   When we are delivered we tell others and our weak moment becomes a witness.   almost beyond understanding.    John 2 2 On the third da...

 9.21-   Lord, I call to you . . . listen to me when I call to you.” Psalm 141:1 Max Lucado Nicodemus came to Jesus in the middle of the night. The centurion came in the middle of the day. The leper and the sinful woman appeared in the middle of crowds. Zacchaeus appeared in the middle of a tree. Matthew had a party for him. The educated. The powerful. The rejected. The sick. The lonely. The wealthy. Who would have assembled such a crew? All they had in common were their empty hope chests, long left vacant by charlatans and profiteers. Though they had nothing to offer, they asked for everything: a new birth, a second chance, a fresh start, a clean conscience. And without exception their requests were honored