Refreshing Our Spirits With Scripture

 5.25- Those that are with us. Those that not with us, but not against us. Those that are against us. Those that have done harm to us. Ask God to bless all of them and entrust all justice and vengeance to God and his appointed authorities. Move on. Matthew 5 43  “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor [ i ]  and hate your enemy.’   44  But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,   45  that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.   46  If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that?   47  And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that?   48  Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

 5.24- Entertainment versus Hospitality I heard a lady comparing these two and it resonated with me. Entertainment says, "Here I am." Hospitality says, "There you are." We can be so distracted by things being perfect that we rarely share our home. We can have people leave our home feeling more thankful for their home or totally dissatisfied with where they live. All important is the atmosphere of our hopitality. Mother's journal says she hosted Woods school reunion. She set up card tables under shade trees in our yard. The crowd might be small but this school friendship was maintained. She was a part of the birthday club and hosted the group several times each year.. She hosted showers. Halloween kids were welcomed. People were made to feel relaxed and welcome in our home. Thanks God for mom's open home. Luke 10 38  As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him.   39  She had a sister ca...

 5.23- A man was being interviewed about how facing death had changed him. He said my wife and I pray two prayers. 1. God please heal this cancer. 2. God never let us go back to how we were before I got cancer. 3000 years ago a wise man wrote. "It was good for me that I was afflicted that I would learn your ways, my God." 2 Corinthians 12 12  I must go on boasting. Although there is nothing to be gained, I will go on to visions and revelations from the Lord.   2  I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven. Whether it was in the body or out of the body I do not know—God knows.   3  And I know that this man—whether in the body or apart from the body I do not know, but God knows—   4  was caught up to paradise and heard inexpressible things, things that no one is permitted to tell.   5  I will boast about a man like that, but I will not boast about myself, except about...

 5.22- Work hard. Play hard. Worship hard. Rest hard. I have observed how some people are so fruitful. They aren't pushed by fear but drawn by love. They succed at jobs where others fail. They don't fear failure. They learn from failure and move forward. They are not slothful or sleepy headed. They are generous and God provides for them to be more generous. Luke 6   38  Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”

 5.21- Strong leaders have learned not to allow the strong criticism to stop them from their good work. They allow God to be their judge and do not live to please people. The people never recieve any negative words from anyone are not blessed because they waver in the winds and blown about by any and all kinds of terrible beliefs. Do the good work you are meant to do and don't obsess over what people think. 1 Corinthians 4 4  This, then, is how you ought to regard us: as servants of Christ and as those entrusted with the mysteries God has revealed.   2  Now it is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful.   3  I care very little if I am judged by you or by any human court; indeed, I do not even judge myself.   4  My conscience is clear, but that does not make me innocent. It is the Lord who judges me.   5  Therefore judge nothing before the appointed time; wait until the Lord com...

 5.20- The main things are the plain things. The plain things are the main things. There is a designer of the universe. There are consequences of violating the designer's plan. The universe is not random chance but God is in charge of everything. God is love. 1John 4 7  Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God.   8  Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.   9  This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him.   10  This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.   11  Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.   12  No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.

 5.19- Pretending. Jesus hates the behavior of pretenders, but he loves pretenders. When we pretend we are spiritually strong when in reality we are weak. When we are pretending to be healthy, we don't really open ourselves to Dr. Jesus for deep, soul level surgery. When we are the strongest is when know we are weak in ourselves and must rely on God. That's one of the reasons God doesn't like faking, pretension and hypocrisy. It delays our deep heart level healing. 2 Corinthians 12 Therefore, in order to keep me from becoming conceited, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me.   8  Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me.   9  But he said to me,  “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”  Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.   10  That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight...