Refreshing Our Spirits With Scripture

 4.18- Whatever you need is what you should give to others.  I heard this from my friend, Tim Rush, tonight on a devo and he is so right. What you need is what others need and you can give it to them.  Thinking of what you are missing is a good time to think of others who might be missing this and give it to them. Galations 5. 22  But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,   23  gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.   24  Now those who  [ k ] belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25  If we live by the Spirit, let us also  [ l ] walk by the Spirit.   26  Let us not become boastful, challenging one another, envying one another.

 4.17- Why should children of God be fearless?  Because Jesus tells them to be. Matthew 14. 22  Immediately He  [ l ] made the disciples get into the boat and go ahead of Him to the other side, while He sent the crowds away.   23  After He had sent the crowds away, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray; and when it was evening, He was there alone.   24  But the boat was already  [ m ] a long distance from the land,  [ n ] battered by the waves; for the wind was  [ o ] contrary.   25  And in the  [ p ] fourth watch of the night He came to them, walking on the sea.   26  When the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were terrified, and said, “It is a ghost!” And they cried out  [ q ] in fear.   27  But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying,  “Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid.”

 4.16- The value of understanding that the kingdom of God is inside your own heart and soul cannot be overestimated. In God you have a gentle, humble and restgiving work partner. Matthew 11. 25  At that  [ y ] time Jesus said,  “I praise You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from  the  wise and intelligent and have revealed them to infants.   26  Yes, Father, for this way was well-pleasing in Your sight.   27  All things have been handed over to Me by My Father; and no one knows the Son except the Father; nor does anyone know the Father except the Son, and anyone to whom the Son wills to reveal  Him . 28  “Come to Me, all  [ z ] who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest.   29  Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and  you will find rest for your souls .   30  For My yoke is  ...

 4.15- What is the chief duty of man? Some of the older Christian writings say, "To glorify God and enjoy Him forever." I like that saying. A friend in the water exercise channel reminded me it was also a line in the movie A River Runs Through It. Phillippians 4. 4  Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice!   5  Let your gentle  spirit  be known to all men. The Lord is  [ c ] near.   6  Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.   7  And the peace of God, which surpasses all  [ d ] comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

 4.14- When we have overestimated our strength and fallen on our faces there is recovery possible. God provides a hand to pick us up. We are then given a new work based on His unlimited strength. John 21. 15  So when they had finished breakfast, Jesus *said to Simon Peter,  “Simon,  son  of John, do you  [ f ] love Me more than these?”  He *said to Him, “Yes, Lord; You know that I  [ g ] love You.” He *said to him,  “Tend My lambs.”   16  He *said to him again a second time,  “Simon,  son  of John, do you  [ h ] love Me?”  He *said to Him, “Yes, Lord; You know that I  [ i ] love You.” He *said to him,  “Shepherd My sheep.”   17  He *said to him the third time,  “Simon,  son  of John, do you  [ j ] love Me?”  Peter was grieved because He said to him the third time,  “Do you  [ k ] love Me?”  And he said to Him, “Lord, You know a...

 4.13- Crying Out to God Psalm 142 David Roper After all these years, I still don’t fully understand prayer. It’s something of a mystery to me. But one thing I know: When we’re in desperate need, prayer springs naturally from our lips and from the deepest level of our hearts. When we’re frightened out of our wits, when we’re pushed out of our comfort zones, when our well-being is challenged and endangered, we reflexively and involuntarily resort to prayer. “Help, Lord!” is our natural cry. Author Eugene Peterson wrote: “The language of prayer is forged in the crucible of trouble. When we can’t help ourselves and call for help, when we don’t like where we are and want out, when we don’t like who we are and want a change, we use primal language, and this language becomes the root language of prayer.” Prayer begins in trouble, and it continues because we’re always in trouble at some level. It requires no special preparation, no precise vocabulary, no appropriate posture. It springs fr...

 4.12- Simply Trusting Psalm 56 Joe Stowell When our children were young, taking them to the doctor’s office was an interesting experience. The waiting room was filled with toys they could play with and children’s magazines I would read to them . So getting that far with them was no problem. But as soon as I picked them up to carry them into the appointment, everything changed. Suddenly the fun turned into fear as the nurse approached with the needle for the needed shot. The closer she got, the tighter they hugged my neck. They would cling to me for comfort, probably hoping for rescue, not knowing that it was for their own good. Sometimes in this fallen world we move from times of peace and tranquility into the painful realm of trouble. At that point, the question is, “How will I respond?” We can be fearful and wonder why God allowed this to happen to us, or we can trust that in the midst of this trouble He is doing something that in the end is for our best, even if it hurts. We wo...

 4.11- A Father Who Runs Luke 15:11-24 Poh Fang Chia Every day a father craned his neck to look toward the distant road, waiting for his son’s return. And every night he went to bed disappointed. But one day, a speck appeared. A lonesome silhouette stood against the crimson sky. Could that be my son? the fathered wondered. Then he caught sight of the familiar saunter. Yes, that has to be my son! And so while the son was “still a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him” (Luke 15:20). It is remarkable that the family patriarch did something that was considered undignified in Middle Eastern culture – he ran to meet his son. The father was full of unbridled joy at his son’s return. The son didn’t deserve such a reception. When he asked his father for his share of the inheritance and left home, it was if he had wished his father dead. But despite all that the son had done to his father, he was still his son (verse 24). This parab...