Refreshing Our Spirits With Scripture

Luke 13. 22  Then Jesus went through the towns and villages, teaching as he made his way to Jerusalem. 23  Someone asked him, “Lord, are only a few people going to be saved?” He said to them, 24  “Make every effort to enter through the narrow door, because many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able to. 25  Once the owner of the house gets up and closes the door, you will stand outside knocking and pleading, ‘Sir, open the door for us.’ “But he will answer, ‘I don’t know you or where you come from.’ 26  “Then you will say, ‘We ate and drank with you, and you taught in our streets.’ 27  “But he will reply, ‘I don’t know you or where you come from. Away from me, all you evildoers!’ 28  “There will be weeping there, and gnashing of teeth, when you see Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, but you yourselves thrown out. 29  People will come from east and west and north and south, and will take...

Luke 13. 18-19  Then he said, “How can I picture God’s kingdom for you? What kind of story can I use? It’s like a pine nut that a man plants in his front yard. It grows into a huge pine tree with thick branches, and eagles build nests in it.” 20-21  He tried again. “How can I picture God’s kingdom? It’s like yeast that a woman works into enough dough for three loaves of bread—and waits while the dough rises.” 22  He went on teaching from town to village, village to town, but keeping on a steady course toward Jerusalem.

Luke 13. 0-13  He was teaching in one of the meeting places on the Sabbath. There was a woman present, so twisted and bent over with arthritis that she couldn’t even look up. She had been afflicted with this for eighteen years. When Jesus saw her, he called her over. “Woman, you’re free!” He laid hands on her and suddenly she was standing straight and tall, giving glory to God. 14  The meeting-place president, furious because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath, said to the congregation, “Six days have been defined as work days. Come on one of the six if you want to be healed, but not on the seventh, the Sabbath.” 15-16  But Jesus shot back, “You frauds! Each Sabbath every one of you regularly unties your cow or donkey from its stall, leads it out for water, and thinks nothing of it. So why isn’t it all right for me to untie this daughter of Abraham and lead her from the stall where Satan has had her tied these eighteen years?” 17  When he put it t...

Luke 13. 6-7  Then he told them a story: “A man had an apple tree planted in his front yard. He came to it expecting to find apples, but there weren’t any. He said to his gardener, ‘What’s going on here? For three years now I’ve come to this tree expecting apples and not one apple have I found. Chop it down! Why waste good ground with it any longer?’ 8-9  “The gardener said, ‘Let’s give it another year. I’ll dig around it and fertilize, and maybe it will produce next year; if it doesn’t, then chop it down.’”

Luke 13. 1-5  About that time some people came up and told him about the Galileans Pilate had killed while they were at worship, mixing their blood with the blood of the sacrifices on the altar. Jesus responded, “Do you think those murdered Galileans were worse sinners than all other Galileans? Not at all. Unless you turn to God, you, too, will die. And those eighteen in Jerusalem the other day, the ones crushed and killed when the Tower of Siloam collapsed and fell on them, do you think they were worse citizens than all other Jerusalemites? Not at all. Unless you turn to God, you, too, will die.”

Luke 12. 54  He said to the crowd: “When you see a cloud rising in the west, immediately you say, ‘It’s going to rain,’ and it does. 55  And when the south wind blows, you say, ‘It’s going to be hot,’ and it is. 56  Hypocrites! You know how to interpret the appearance of the earth and the sky. How is it that you don’t know how to interpret this present time? 57  “Why don’t you judge for yourselves what is right? 58  As you are going with your adversary to the magistrate, try hard to be reconciled on the way, or your adversary may drag you off to the judge, and the judge turn you over to the officer, and the officer throw you into prison. 59  I tell you, you will not get out until you have paid the last penny.”

Luke 12. 49  “I have come to bring fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled! 50  But I have a baptism to undergo, and what constraint I am under until it is completed! 51  Do you think I came to bring peace on earth? No, I tell you, but division. 52  From now on there will be five in one family divided against each other, three against two and two against three. 53  They will be divided, father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.”

Luke 12. 47  “The servant who knows the master’s will and does not get ready or does not do what the master wants will be beaten with many blows. 48  But the one who does not know and does things deserving punishment will be beaten with few blows. From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.

Dear Jesus, There are some things that I’m glad are not going to be in my life forever.   When I get to heaven because of your grace and mercy these things will be gone by then and hopefully before then, but at least by then. -My conflations, expansions, deceptions even out and out lies.   Not appropriate for a preacher or any Christian. -My overreactions to criticism of my thoughts and opinions. -The wickedness of this world that makes my love for my family cool or cold rather than hot. -My attention to my smart phone instead of my smart wife.   My Facebook instead of my wife’s face. -My prayers for people’s physical healing while ignoring the need for their spiritual healing. -My foolish attachment to temporary things like my house, car or gadgets especially my recliner. -My energy for feeding myself while saying I’m too tired to help feed the poor and hungry in my town. Thank you Jesus for reminding me and forgiving me and giving me a fresh s...

Luke 12. 35  “Be dressed ready for service and keep your lamps burning, 36  like servants waiting for their master to return from a wedding banquet, so that when he comes and knocks they can immediately open the door for him. 37  It will be good for those servants whose master finds them watching when he comes. Truly I tell you, he will dress himself to serve, will have them recline at the table and will come and wait on them. 38  It will be good for those servants whose master finds them ready, even if he comes in the middle of the night or toward daybreak. 39  But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have let his house be broken into. 40  You also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.” 41  Peter asked, “Lord, are you telling this parable to us, or to everyone?” 42  The Lord answered, “Who then is the faithful and wise ...

Luke 12. 22  Then Jesus said to his disciples: “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. 23  For life is more than food, and the body more than clothes. 24  Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds! 25  Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to your life [ b ] ? 26  Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest? 27  “Consider how the wild flowers grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 28  If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today, and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, how much more will he clothe you—you of little faith! 29  And do not set your heart on what you will eat or drink; do not worry about it. 30  For the paga...

Luke 12. 22-24  He continued this subject with his disciples. “Don’t fuss about what’s on the table at mealtimes or if the clothes in your closet are in fashion. There is far more to your inner life than the food you put in your stomach, more to your outer appearance than the clothes you hang on your body. Look at the ravens, free and unfettered, not tied down to a job description, carefree in the care of God. And you count far more.

Luke 12. 13  Someone out of the crowd said, “Teacher, order my brother to give me a fair share of the family inheritance.” 14  He replied, “Mister, what makes you think it’s any of my business to be a judge or mediator for you?” 15  Speaking to the people, he went on, “Take care! Protect yourself against the least bit of greed. Life is not defined by what you have, even when you have a lot.” 16-19  Then he told them this story: “The farm of a certain rich man produced a terrific crop. He talked to himself: ‘What can I do? My barn isn’t big enough for this harvest.’ Then he said, ‘Here’s what I’ll do: I’ll tear down my barns and build bigger ones. Then I’ll gather in all my grain and goods, and I’ll say to myself, Self, you’ve done well! You’ve got it made and can now retire. Take it easy and have the time of your life!’ 20  “Just then God showed up and said, ‘Fool! Tonight you die. And your barnful of goods—who gets it?’ 21  “That’s what...

Luke 12. 11-12  “When they drag you into their meeting places, or into police courts and before judges, don’t worry about defending yourselves—what you’ll say or how you’ll say it. The right words will be there. The Holy Spirit will give you the right words when the time comes.”

Luke 12. 8  “I tell you, whoever publicly acknowledges me before others, the Son of Man will also acknowledge before the angels of God.   9  But whoever disowns me before others will be disowned  before the angels of God.   10  And everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man  will be forgiven, but anyone who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven.

Luke 12. 5  But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear him who, after your body has been killed, has authority to throw you into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him.   6  Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten by God.   7  Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered.  Don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.

Luke 12. 4-5  “I’m speaking to you as dear friends. Don’t be bluffed into silence or insincerity by the threats of religious bullies. True, they can kill you, but then what can they do? There’s nothing they can do to your soul, your core being. Save your fear for God, who holds your entire life—body and soul—in his hands.

Luke 12. 12  1-3  By this time the crowd, unwieldy and stepping on each other’s toes, numbered into the thousands. But Jesus’ primary concern was his disciples. He said to them, “Watch yourselves carefully so you don’t get contaminated with Pharisee yeast, Pharisee phoniness. You can’t keep your true self hidden forever; before long you’ll be exposed. You can’t hide behind a religious mask forever; sooner or later the mask will slip and your true face will be known. You can’t whisper one thing in private and preach the opposite in public; the day’s coming when those whispers will be repeated all over town.

Matthew 13. 18-19  “Study this story of the farmer planting seed. When anyone hears news of the kingdom and doesn’t take it in, it just remains on the surface, and so the Evil One comes along and plucks it right out of that person’s heart. This is the seed the farmer scatters on the road. 20-21  “The seed cast in the gravel—this is the person who hears and instantly responds with enthusiasm. But there is no soil of character, and so when the emotions wear off and some difficulty arrives, there is nothing to show for it. 22  “The seed cast in the weeds is the person who hears the kingdom news, but weeds of worry and illusions about getting more and wanting everything under the sun strangle what was heard, and nothing comes of it. 23  “The seed cast on good earth is the person who hears and takes in the News, and then produces a harvest beyond his wildest dreams.”