Refreshing Our Spirits With Scripture

 11.5- What to watch for when the winds of life seem to be blowing against you. Increasing courage when you thought you were out of courage. All you thought was lost was not. Things that seemed necessary become unnecessary. God can work after you have given up hope. Wrecks can be an end but also a beginning. More gratefulness for a day of life. Acts 27. 7  We made slow headway for many days and had difficulty arriving off Cnidus. When the wind did not allow us to hold our course, we sailed to the lee of Crete, opposite Salmone.   8  We moved along the coast with difficulty and came to a place called Fair Havens, near the town of Lasea. 9  Much time had been lost, and sailing had already become dangerous because by now it was after the Day of Atonement. [ a ]  So Paul warned them,   10  “Men, I can see that our voyage is going to be disastrous and bring great loss to ship and cargo, and to our own lives also.”   11  But the cent...

 11.4- When you live in this world and have a caring and compassionate heart there will be great joys and some heavy sorrows. Some people decide they don’t want to hurt so they shut their hearts. They become hard and calloused and unmoved by anything. That is to miss out on the very best things in life. Compassion allows a person to connect with people experiencing deep hurt and relieve a little of their misery. When we hear that someone is going through something difficult there is something we can always do. We can pray. This changes our own heart and mind to at least appreciate our blessings and may open a door for us to help them with a phone call or a well thought out text or email or letter or card. All of these help the situation on some level. Today I experienced this myself in a couple of my friends from different states called me and we were able to renew and deepen our friendship and refresh each other’s spirit. There is no one who ever walked on this planet who...

 11.3- Breadcrums. These can be a form of communication. Saying here is where I went. Follow if you would like. They also can be a way to find your way home. Sheila was a subtle communicator. Such a contrast to my way. Loquacious, loud Larry. She marked some verses in her Bible she read every year of our retirement and underlined some phrases in The Message. God sends resources to those who are willing to risk it all. He takes resources from those who refuse to go out on a limb. He rewards those who care for those in prison. He rewards those who serve those who are normally overlooked and ignored. Thanks Sheila for today's breadcrums. Matthew 25 14  “Again, it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his wealth to them.   15  To one he gave five bags of gold, to another two bags, and to another one bag, [ a ]  each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey.   16  The man who had received five b...

 11.2- What we learn in an unplanned negative crisis. 1.Trust our maker to keep making a way. 2. Pray for a blessing on any who may have mistreated us before or during the crisis. 3. Admit our own weakness and need for an infusion of amazing grace. 4.Allow these situations to reframe our mindset about how things have to be. 5. Enjoy the confidence of endurance. Romans 5. 5  Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we [ a ]  have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,   2  through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we [ b ]  boast in the hope of the glory of God.   3  Not only so, but we [ c ]  also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance;   4  perseverance, character; and character, hope.   5  And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our he...

 11.1- Who are we working for? What if we worked like the boss who could give us a promotion was watching? Do we work better to impress our peers? What if we put a different angle on our work and we are in the easy yoke with our God guiding and pulling the load. He is humble and gentle with us. We work with him 24/7/365. He knows what we are cut out to do. He helps us to be the best we can be to accomplish what we were put on earth to do. We don't perform for bosses, peers, clients, We create beautiful things working with our beautiful creator. Ephesians 6 5  Slaves, obey your earthly masters with respect and fear, and with sincerity of heart, just as you would obey Christ.   6  Obey them not only to win their favor when their eye is on you, but as slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from your heart.   7  Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not people,   8  because you know that the Lord will reward each one f...

 10.31- My friend had been through all kinds of pain. Early father abandonment. Divorce. Job failures. Then a bike accident that almost killed him. I saw him in the E.R. and I could hardly recognize him. Blood all over his face. He called his bike helmet a brain bucket. After surgery they said he would live. A couple of weeks later I went to take him to the doctor wondering what his attitude would be. He was happy and full of joy. He explained his favorite verse: "I know the plans I have for you Your welfare Not calamity To give you future and a hope Then you will call upon me Come to me And pray I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you search for me with all your heart. Declares the Lord." He explained to me, "This verse describes how my life is better after the bike accident. Now I'm wholehearted." Jeremiah 29. 10  This is what the  Lord  says: “When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will come to you and fulfill my good promis...

 10.30- Can you imagine all the requests you would get in a day if you were God? My good friend, Jim Chilton, wrote a sermon with the title "It's a good thing I'm not God." How could you be patient with people who would pray to you one moment and curse you the nexto? How could you have compassion on people who refused to forgive others, but expected to be forgiven. We are not God, we are all in need of His compassion, patience and forgiveness, We are asked to follow Jesus strive to imitate Him. Then we would look at the poor and hungry and homeless and violent abusers of others in a new way. The ultimate example of the forgiving nature of God is that on the cross Jesus said, "Father forgive them for they don't know what they are doing." Here's a link to Jim's lesson. Ephesians 4.   30  And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.   31  Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and sla...