Refreshing Our Spirits With Scripture

 6.30- It's not over until God says it's over. Once there was a guy determined to kill Stephen and others to stop his influence. Stephen was being killed and nearby was a named Saul. Stephen could have hated those killing him. Instead he asked God to not hold his murder against them. The influence of Stephen was not over at his last breath. Saul was on the way to kill others. He encountered the leader of Stephen. He called him to a new life leaving malice and murder behind and moving him to use kindness to influence others. In the last week two sweet people I had known breathed there last breath on earth but it was not the last of their influnence. If you decide to believe in the God of second, third and fourth chances it is good to remember it's not over. Acts 7 54  Now when they heard this, they were infuriated, and they  began  gnashing their teeth at him.   55  But he, being full of the Holy Spirit, looked intently into heaven and saw the...

6.29- Heard about a guy upset because a wrecking ball was working on an elaborate facility where he went to church with his grandparents. Building includes using a wrecking ball to take out what doesn't belong there. Sometimes there is an elaborate and ornate structure that housed a religious spot where no one attends anymore. That golden chandlier was not necessary. That must come down before a childcare center or food bank can be built. My life is like that. There is a spirit of judgementalism, arrogance, conceit and pride that must be torn down in order for kindness, grace, mercy to be built in. Real religion is purity of heart and service to the poor and needy. Col. 3 5  Therefore,  [ b ] treat the parts of your earthly body as dead  to  sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed, which  [ c ] amounts to idolatry.   6  For it is  because of these things  that  the wrath of God is coming  [ d ] upon the...

 6.28- Try to imagine that your skills and training allowed you to translate Hebrew and Greek into English and you knew the Bible in the language of the common people would transform society for the good. Attitudes toward slavery, women, children and the poor would never be the same. You would want to open the eyes of all who could read English. The people in power threatened to kill you if you did. Tyndale did it. Before he was strangled and burned at the stake he did not recant. He prayed to God, "Open the eyes of the king." The world has never been the same. Thank God for William Tyndale. Psalm 19\ 19  The heavens tell of the glory of God; And their expanse declares the work of His hands. 2  Day to day pours forth speech, And night to night reveals knowledge. 3  There is no speech, nor are there words; Their voice is not heard. 4  Their  [ a ] line has gone out into all the earth, And their words to the end of the world. In them He h...

 6.27- The human eye allows us to see such fun things. Two squirrels playing chase each other. God creates eyes to see. Dr. Ming Mang was a scientist who did not believe in God but as an eye Doctor he came to know there are more cells in the eye than stars in the universe. He came to understand that these cells could not align by random chance but must have had a designer and that faith in the designer is a natural outcome of seeing the design. He moved from being an atheist scientist to being a godly scientist. Glad my morning vision included watch the tree gym set in my back yarvd. Romans 1 18  For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of people who suppress the truth  [ m ] in unrighteousness,   19  because that which is known about God is evident  [ n ] within them; for God made it evident to them.   20  For since the creation of the world His invisible  attributes, that i...

 6.26- When leaders fail and fall. Let us pray for wisdom and courage for the healing of those they have been hurt. For the restoration of the best relationship they can have with their family when the breaking and healing is finished. Matthew 18 18  At that  [ a ] time the disciples came to Jesus and said, “Who then is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?”   2  And He called a child to Himself and set him among them,   3  and said,  “Truly I say to you, unless you  [ b ] change and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.   4  So whoever will humble himself like this child, he is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.   5  And whoever receives one such child in My name, receives Me;   6  but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to  [ c ] sin, it is better for him that a  [ d ] heavy millstone be hung around his neck, and that he be drowned in th...

 6.25- Love. During the revolutionary War a British soldier was so wounded that his leg was gone and had to be amputated. He wrote in a letter to her, "I am now disfigured and you are out of your obligation to marry me." She wrote him back, "I would marry you if there was enough of your body left to hold your soul." "As the father has loved me, so I love you." 1 Corinthians 13 4  Love is patient, love is kind, it is not jealous; love does not brag, it is not arrogant.   5  It does not act disgracefully, it does not seek its own  benefit ; it is not provoked, does not keep an account of a wrong  suffered ,   6  it does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth;   7  it  [ b ] keeps every confidence, it believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. 8  Love never fails; but if  there are gifts of   [ c ] prophecy, they will be done away with; if  there are...