Refreshing Our Spirits With Scripture

 6.26- I believe three of these people have been moved to Paradise by Jesus. My Papa Woods, Mama Woods and Reed Wishard. (Bottom left.) They all let me know they had no regrets about trusting in Jesus' wisdom over their own. This faith carried them to death and through death. Dad would tell me they were in a better place. Thank God for hope. John 14. 14  “Do not let your heart be troubled;  [ a ] believe in God, believe also in Me.   2  In My Father’s house are many  [ b ] rooms; if  that  were not  so ,  [ c ] I would have told you, because I am going  there  to prepare a place for you.   3  And if I go and prepare a place for you, I am coming again and will take you to Myself, so that where I am,  there  you also will be.   4  And you know the way where I am going.”   5  Thomas *said to Him, “Lord, we do not know where You are going; how do we know the way?”   6...

 6.25- Flowers. They communicate without words. Columbine. Uvalde. Flowers and more flowers. My mother taught me about life with a show and tell approach. She hoed the weeds away from her iris flowers. In the springtime she made sure that hollyhocks were growing near the west side of our garage/smokehouse. Iris bulbs became congratulation cards to our high school graduates in our back yard in the home we enjoyed in Colorado for thirty years. When we had to say goodbye to our parents and other loved ones, flowers said to us, “This cut to your soul will lead to beauty and glory on the other side.” This morning I looked out my back windows and saw those roses it lifted my spirit. Sheila had asked me to text Jose and ask him to prune the roses. I did so, but I also hated to have them cut back. I wondered if they would produce beauty after the cutting. He did cut them back and now, after a few days of sunshine and rain, here they are again. Thank you God. Mother took me to sta...

 6.24- What is your view of human beings? Do you have the view that they are created in the image of God and therefore life is valuable? Do you have the view that people are a pain and therefore the sooner life is over the less pain there is? Human beings have the capacity for joy which comes from a relationship with God and the beautiful world He created. Humans are resilient, but they can become discouraged if beaten down long enough. In all our educational venues we must teach that all human life has value. The nation which does not teach this basic truth is headed for trouble. Psalm 8. 8  Lord , our Lord, How majestic is Your name in all the earth, You who have  [ a ] displayed Your splendor above the heavens! 2  From the mouths of infants and nursing babies You have established  [ b ] strength Because of Your enemies, To do away with the enemy and the revengeful. 3  When I  [ c ] consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, The...

 6.23- Gratefulness. When our minds are working well we remember all the great blessings we enjoy. What causes us to forget? Our temptation is to focus on what we don't have that we want. We see that others have things and we don't. We assume that they have things without any burdens. We see their blessings, but we don't know their burdens. Without reflection we feel our burdens and overlook our blessings. If you have a life with good food and clean water you are highly blessed. If you have a spouse and children and grandchildren who love you then you are fortunate indeed. If you have a house that is cool in the summer and warm in the winter then you are ahead of many in the world. If you are free to move about and walk or ride or drive to go where you want to go then you are advantaged. What if you are a citizen of a nation that honors human rights and the rule of law then you are privileged beyond many around the world. God has favored and blessed many of us. ...

 6.22- I know the outcome of some lives. Their lives on earth are finished. I was with them closely to and through the end. Grace and truth dominated all the way. They were not perfect. They had messes, but they made messages out of them. There was a "long obedience in the same direction" as the writer, Eugene Peterson, called it..I will imitate the faith of those who had an outcome that is spiritually attractive. Hebrews 13. 13  Let love of the brothers  and  sisters continue.   2  Do not neglect hospitality to strangers, for by this some have entertained angels without knowing it.   3  Remember the prisoners, as though in prison with them,  and  those who are badly treated, since you yourselves also are in the body.   4  Marriage  is to be held  in honor among all, and the  marriage  bed  is to be  undefiled; for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterers.   ...

 6.21- On prayer. When we pray together, we don’t feel completely alone. We then remember to worship God as the one who works together for the good of His children. We can talk to God about what we want Him to do for us and what we think we need Him to give us. In prayer we become humble to confess our own sins and the need to forgive everyone who has hurt us. In stillness we remember the lesson from Jesus on the cross -- those who hurt us, do not know what they are doing. For our part, we can turn over the people and the situation for Him to work out His justice and righteousness. We can move forward. God reminds us of things that the evil one wants us to forget. Our Father in heaven has blessed us greatly and will do so again and again. Prayer and worship reminds us that the universe has a marvelous design and designer. He is an all powerful, all wise and all present maker who has called us to be His children and taught us to talk to Him about what we want Him to do f...