Refreshing Our Spirits With Scripture

 3.19- 3.11.20 will stay on my calendar as a marker of how God can turn a bad problem into an advantage. This the day our country was shut down in the covid panmemic. Thousands of churches never were motivated to put their worship services online though the technology was available. A Ukraine church in Denver has 30 in person and 100 online. Memorial services can be shared around the world. There has been so much loss that makes me sad but I want to see how God rescues His children. Jesus at a wedding. They ran out of wine. Bad situation. Jesus turned water into the choicest of wine. Can you think of times God rescued you and provided something even better? John 2. 2  On the third day there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there;   2  and both Jesus and His disciples were invited to the wedding.   3  When the wine ran out, the mother of Jesus *said to Him, “They have no wine.”   4  And Jesus *said t...

 3.18- Longterm friends who have supported you and gone the second mile for you at great cost to themselves are priceless. They give with no strings attached for the purpose of expressing pure love. These are rare. Gifts from God. John 1. 35  Again the next day John was standing  [ ah ] with two of his disciples,   36  and he looked at Jesus as He walked, and *said, “Behold, the Lamb of God!”   37  And the two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus.   38  And Jesus turned and saw them following, and *said to them,  “What are you seeking?”  They said to Him, “Rabbi (which translated means Teacher), where are You staying?”   39  He *said to them,  “Come, and you will see.”  So they came and saw where He was staying, and they stayed with Him that day; it was about the  [ ai ] tenth hour.   40  One of the two who heard John  speak , and followed Him, was Andrew, Simon Peter’...

 3.17- Things that were not so Jesus said they were not so. Religious people he grew up with said it was so that you couldn't heal on the Sabbath. Jesus corrected that. If you get you ox out of the ditch on Sabbath it's okay to heal on Sabbath. Jewish people believed that humans after they died were "gathered to their people." This was so. After Jesus died and was resurrected had the scars from his body. He ate food and taught scripture in a heartwarming way. No more pain, mourning and death. This is so and if it weren't a loving Jesus would not have called us to stake our lives on it. "Let not your heart be troubled. If it were not so I would have told you. If I go and prepare a place for you I will come back and take you home with Me forever." 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, ...

 3.16- Phases 1. I can't do anything right it seems. 2. I can do some things with God's help. 3. I can do things better than others. 4. I can't do anything. I'm a failure. 5. God, help me. 6. Thank you God for helping me. 7. Is there some way we could partner and be helped together by God? 8. We can do some things with God's help. Luke 22. 14  When the hour came, He reclined  at the table , and the apostles with Him.   15  And He said to them,  “I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer;   16  for I say to you, I shall not eat it  again  until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.”   17  And when He had taken a cup  and  given thanks, He said,  “Take this and share it among yourselves;   18  for I say to you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine from now on until the kingdom of God comes.”   19  And when He had taken  some  bread  and ...

 3.15- It is not how many times you fall down that matters. It is how many times you get up with the help of God's Amazing Grace. That getting up must be one more time than the falling down. Luke 22. 54  Now they arrested Him and led  Him away , and brought  Him  to the house of the high priest; but Peter was following at a distance.   55  After they kindled a fire in the middle of the courtyard and sat down together, Peter was sitting among them.   56  And a slave woman, seeing him as he sat in the firelight, and staring at him, said, “This man was with Him as well.”   57  But he denied  it , saying, “I do not know Him, woman!”   58  And a little later, another person saw him and said, “You are  one  of them too!” But Peter said, “Man, I am not!”   59  And after about an hour had passed, some other man  began  to insist, saying, “Certainly this man also was with Him,...

 3.14- Here is how to have a good day. Encourage someone. Help a weak person. Be patient with everyone. Never pay back wrong for wrong. Do what is good for everyone. Look forward to God and good people helping. 1 Thessalonians 5. 12  But we ask you, brothers  and sisters , to recognize those who diligently labor among you and  [ h ] are in leadership over you in the Lord, and give you  [ i ] instruction,   13  and that you regard them very highly in love because of their work. Live in peace with one another.   14  We urge you, brothers  and sisters , admonish the  [ j ] unruly, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with everyone.   15  See that no one repays another with evil for evil, but always seek what is good for one another and for all people.   16  Rejoice always,   17  pray without ceasing,   18  in everything give thank...