Refreshing Our Spirits With Scripture

 12,29- We spend our lives trying to impress God and people that we are better than we are. We fake a life that is not messy. That is "phony, dishonest religion. Trying clean ourselves so God would come into us. All eternity planned for God to be born not in rich hospital but in a barn and laid in a messy smelly manger. If your life is a mess then the baby in the manger is the glory of God inside of you if you open your mind and heart to him. Merry Christmas 2024 plus one. Romans 5 6  For while we were still helpless, at  the  right time Christ died for the ungodly.   7  For one will hardly die for a righteous person;  [ d ] though perhaps for the good person someone would even dare to die.   8  But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.   9  Much more then, having now been justified  [ e ] by His blood, we shall be saved from the wr...

 12.28- His name is Immanuel, God is with us in our messy situations between the manger and the cross. God can say, "I understand."\ Hebrews 4 14  Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let’s hold firmly to our confession.   15  For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things just as  we are, yet  without sin.   16  Therefore let’s approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace for help at the time of  our  need. All s

 12.27- Christmas Eve 2024 Hark The Herald Angels Sing Verse 2 Christ, by highest heav’n adored, Christ, the everlasting Lord: Late in time behold Him come, Offspring of a virgin’s womb. Veiled in flesh the Godhead see, Hail th’ incarnate Deity! Pleased as man with man to dwell, Jesus our Immanuel. Veiled in flesh the Godhead see Hail th' incarnate Diety At Christmas time God came through the veil and took on flesh. Laid in a messy manger. Dying on a messy cross as the lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. He paid a debt he did not owe I owed a debt I could not pay. He traded places with us. We exchanged our idenity so I could be a child of God. Wow! After his death he ascended back to heaven. He promised to return and take us to be with him when our work is finished. Christmas hope. Veiled in flesh the Godhead see Hail th' incarnate Diety Matthew 1 18  Now the birth of Jesus the  [ p ] Messiah was as follows: when His mother Mary had been  [...

 12..26- Did you get to go home for Christmas this year? In my 78 years I think I have missed only a few but they were different. The first one I went home was the first year I left home for college.  I didn't realize how leaving was a little like flying out of the nest and things would never be the same. Somehow seemed different in that things were rearranged in the house.  Mom and dad had move on in a way and I was the last child at home and mom made a note in her journal that the last child had left and she and dad were going to be okay with the "Good Lord's help." The Christmas story is a story of that little baby being born and coming through a veil of flesh to enter our earthly home so that we could go to our heavenly home someday when our work here is finished.  As the Teacher was about to return home he met with his apprentices and said that as he was about to go home that there would be both anguish and great joy.  He compared it to the birth of a child...

 12.25- What junk can I get rid of this year? What can I cast out? If i had mature love I would cast out fear from my life. 1 John 4 7  Beloved, let’s love one another; for love is from God, and everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God.   8  The one who does not love does not know God, because God is love.   9  By this the love of God was revealed  [ a ] in us, that God has sent His only Son into the world so that we may live through Him.   10  In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son  to be  the  [ b ] propitiation for our sins.   11  Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.   12  No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God remains in us, and His love is perfected in us.   13  By this we know that we remain in Him and He in us, because He has given to us of His Spiri...

 12.24- Christmas. There a deeper longing for spiritual success with our family. An old man and an old woman wanting a child. John the Baptist was given to them. Zechariah and Elizabeth. Immanuel, God is with us. Ask whatever is on your hearts and ask boldly. Is there a disappointment in your family life? Ask Immanuel to give you a new vision in the new year? Nothing is impossible that is God's will for his children. Luke 1 5  In the days of Herod, king of Judea, there was a priest named Zechariah, of the division of  [ h ] Abijah; and he had a wife  [ i ] from the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth.   6  They were both righteous in the sight of God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and requirements of the Lord.   7  And  yet  they had no child, because Elizabeth was infertile, and they were both advanced in  [ j ] years. 8  Now it happened  that  while he was performing his...

 12.23- For some reason I don't cry aloud a lot these days nor do I lol a lot. (Laugh out loud) much either. I live in happiness and joy most of the time. This morning I had something on television which made me cry aloud. The man who owned an expensive Mexican food restaurant in Chicago. He was describing great hospitality he had observed in a poor home in Mexico. His family of three went into the humble home. The gracious host warmly welcomed them. Seated in comfortably as if the were royalty. Then without apology served each of them one scrambled egg. That was all she had and this was the greatest of hospitality. I cried aloud. This was my mom. Cora Sue Wishard. She made everyone feel like royalty. Miss you mom. Luke 10 38  Now as they were traveling along, He entered a village; and a woman named Martha welcomed Him into her home.   39  And she had a sister called Mary, who was also seated at the Lord’s feet, and was listening to His word.   4...