Refreshing Our Spirits With Scripture

 8.21- When religion gets involves in pursuing power, money and excluding "them" versus "us" agendas it is not pure religion. When it is pursuing godliness, love, endurance and gentleness that is pure religion. The gentleness with those who did not a have a loving mother and father around. Gentleness with those who have lost loved ones. Gentleness with prodigals broken down and limping back home. That is the real religion that binds our hearts back to God, our Father in heaven. 1 Timothy 6. 11  But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness.   12  Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses.   13  In the sight of God, who gives life to everything, and of Christ Jesus, who while testifying before Pontius Pilate made the good confession,...

 8.20- "How will we get through this stage of our lives?" I answered, "The Lord will provide." We had thought about this during Sheila's pregnancy with Jeff over 52 years ago. How? The Lord will provide. Hard things our God of mercy and unfailing love works out. This conversation between Abraham and Isaac about on offering. They had the wood for the sacrifice where was the animal. The Lord will provide. Originally the answer was an animal caught in a bush. For flawed, imperfect and rebellious humans to live with a pure and Holy God, how? 1 I will sing of my Redeemer, And His wondrous love to me; On the cruel cross He suffered, From the curse to set me free. Sing, oh, sing of my Redeemer, With His blood He purchased me, On the cross He sealed my pardon, Paid the debt, and made me

 8.19- Suffering (3) Suffering draws us to seek the will of God.   Some of our suffering comes because we are being disciplined away from certain temptations. We are children of God and are not to be involved in being a murderer, thief, criminal or even a meddler in other people’s business.   There is a type of suffering that comes to us because we are children of God.  The world has always been mocking and abusive of those who are committed to live a godly life.  We stand for justice and truth and the world does not like those who stand up for these things. According to the viewpoint of God’s children the suffering is not very long compared to the eternity that we envision with God when our work here is finished.   Troublesome times remind us to love people deeply and overlook their sins and pray for God’s mercy for those who mistreat us.  In times of suffering hospitality is such a great gift to give.  A meal given can transform our hearts and m...

 8.18- Thoughts on Suffering (2) When we go through times of trouble and suffering the most important thing may be to see it as a spiritual battle.  Normal fear is heightened in times suffering.  If someone believes in God it is normal for them to feel some distance from Him as new and deep suffering approaches.  Jesus quoted Psalm 22 to himself in prayer as He approached the cross.  “My God, my God why have you forsaken me?”   Seeing it as a spiritual battle we are moved away from sin. Debauchery, lust, drunkenness and orgies may not be your kind of sins that you can admit are a part of your life, but it could be that you have some reckless habits.  Most of us have pride, selfishness, worry, prayerlessness, fear, conceit and arrogance in our lives even as children of God who have been walking with Him for a long time.   Forgiveness is a phrase in the Lord’s prayer.  We know it has been given to all of us as children of God from the cross unt...

 8.17- Thoughts about Suffering When I started reading Jesus’ life daily I noticed that Jesus used compassion and mercy to help people to move forward.  It seems He put a priority on building up their heart and soul as the basis for their life change that He believed would help them. Jesus gave forgiveness to a man before he healed him from his paralysis.  The spiritual healing has a priority because that is the basis of being truly and eternally healed from inside out.  The lepers who had been cleansed and did not receive the inner spirit of gratefulness to God were not healed on the inside.  Nine lepers were healed, but only one was made well Larry Wishard 7.30.22

 8.16- This year is marked as year 2022 because the tomb of Jesus is empty. Our hope is rooted in the reality that God the Father and the Holy Spirit raised Jesus from the dead. What happens to us as children of God after we die. Jesus teaches that we too will be raised from the dead with our spiritual body. it was buried when it was broken and wouldn’t work, but that after the resurrection our body will be raised to work gloriously. That is some promise. Our bodies break down and don’t work gloriously and beautifully and after Jesus raises our bodies from the grave they will work gloriously and beautifully. Across the street from the church building where I grew up that started a cemetery in 1874. There was a tomb where a body was laid and when some ladies went there they found the tomb of Jesus was empty. That promise has sustained followers of Jesus for 2022 years and it sustains me today. All Jesus’ promises have been fulfilled and He promised that for his brothers and...

 8.15- Freedom. To some people it means freedom to do what they want to do regardless of how it impacts others. To me that is not true freedom. Freedom could also be seen as the ability to serve others before myself. Many teachers, coaches, nurses, doctors, firemen, policemen, EMTs and soldiers have taken an oath to protect and serve even at the cost of their own lives. They have used their freedom to lay their life on the line for a larger cause. One of is bound by their habits to follow their own selfish instincts are not truly free, but in fact enslaved to themselves. This is a temptation in my life to have a joyless life because I have reversed the order of true joy. Being a Christian I have been blessed by little slogan reminders. J. Jesus O. Others. Y. Yourself. F. Fully R. Rely O. On G. God I think it was my English teacher, Mrs. Hembree who had me memorize a poem. "Stone walls do not a prison make nor iron bars a cage." Richard Lovelace, To Althea from Priso...