Refreshing Our Spirits With Scripture

2.4- I have read that when Mary had Jesus she was about 14 years old.  I'm not sure.  But I am sure that they didn't think that Jesus had any special training or wisdom and shouldn't be thought of as a teacher. Mark 6. 6  Jesus left there and went to his hometown, accompanied by his disciples. 2  When the Sabbath came, he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were amazed. “Where did this man get these things?” they asked. “ What’s this wisdom that has been given him? What are these remarkable miracles he is performing? 3  Isn’t this the carpenter? Isn’t this Mary’s son and the brother of James, Joseph, [ a ] Judas and Simon? Aren’t his sisters here with us? ” And they took offense at him. 4  Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his own town, among his relatives and in his own home.” 5  He could not do any miracles there, except lay his hands on a few sick people and heal them. 6  He was ama...

2.3- Have you had times when the people in your family or home town didn't trust you and therefore you felt limited to what you could do to help them? You are not the first. Mark 6. 6  Jesus left there and went to his hometown, accompanied by his disciples. 2  When the Sabbath came, he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were amazed. “Where did this man get these things?” they asked. “What’s this wisdom that has been given him? What are these remarkable miracles he is performing? 3  Isn’t this the carpenter? Isn’t this Mary’s son and the brother of James, Joseph, [ a ] Judas and Simon? Aren’t his sisters here with us?” And they took offense at him. 4  Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his own town, among his relatives and in his own home.” 5  He could not do any miracles there, except lay his hands on a few sick people and heal them. 6  He was amazed at their lack of faith.

2.2-   If you are a person who believes in God and America is at her best as one nation under God then I suggest you go to CSPAN.org and watch all of the National Prayer Breakfast today that is available there. Barry Black the Senate Chaplain said that Isaiah 55 is right that God's ways are higher than man's ways. He said that the three who faced the fire for remaining loyal to God were sustained in the fire by Jesus Christ. Mark Burnett is a television producer introduced President Trump and said that he had known him as a man of his word. President Trump said the five words he heard most often as he campaigned for office "We are praying for you." He said the Bible he placed his hand on was given by his mother and she and his father taught him, "To whom much is given much shall be required." He said that he believed that all men are endowed by their creator with "certain unalienable rights" he said that the...

2.1- Obey God and let Him take care of the consequences. Mark 3. 31  Then Jesus’ mother and brothers arrived. Standing outside, they sent someone in to call him. 32  A crowd was sitting around him, and they told him, “Your mother and brothers are outside looking for you.” 33  “Who are my mother and my brothers?” he asked. 34  Then he looked at those seated in a circle around him and said, “Here are my mother and my brothers! 35  Whoever does God’s will is my brother and sister and mother.”

1.31- You don't need to ask permission or forgiveness for doing the right thing. Mark 3. 3  Another time Jesus went into the synagogue, and a man with a shriveled hand was there. 2  Some of them were looking for a reason to accuse Jesus, so they watched him closely to see if he would heal him on the Sabbath. 3  Jesus said to the man with the shriveled hand, “Stand up in front of everyone.” 4  Then Jesus asked them, “Which is lawful on the Sabbath: to do good or to do evil, to save life or to kill?” But they remained silent. 5  He looked around at them in anger and, deeply distressed at their stubborn hearts, said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He stretched it out, and his hand was completely restored. 6  Then the Pharisees went out and began to plot with the Herodians how they might kill Jesus.

 1.30- Mark 2. 2  A few days later, when Jesus again entered Capernaum, the people heard that he had come home. 2  They gathered in such large numbers that there was no room left, not even outside the door, and he preached the word to them. 3  Some men came, bringing to him a paralyzed man, carried by four of them. 4  Since they could not get him to Jesus because of the crowd, they made an opening in the roof above Jesus by digging through it and then lowered the mat the man was lying on. 5  When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralyzed man, “Son, your sins are forgiven.” So often our forward movement in our lives is stopped because of sin, guilt and shame we are carrying.  When Jesus has forgiven us we have power to change and be different. 6  Now some teachers of the law were sitting there, thinking to themselves, 7  “Why does this fellow talk like that? He’s blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?” 8  I...

1.29- Russia, Ukraine, Czech Republic, Austria, Germany, UK, Mexico, These are the places I have been blessed to travel since I became an minister for Jesus Christ. Everywhere I have gone they have admired my country for being a country open to people to come and visit as well as free to bring their ideas of God and hear our ideas of God and His Son Jesus. I have stood to read Scripture and tell them that God loves them and He sent Jesus to show us how to love all people. Jesus even taught us to love our enemies and to pray for them. I hope this country is always lead by people in the government, Executive Branch, Judicial Branch and Legislative Branch, who want America to be what the Statue of Liberty stands for. The Pilgrims came here as refugees. They looked for a place of religious freedom and the free exchange of ideas. Freedom of the press, freedom of religion and love for all people is built into the very fabric of what t...

1.28- How set up your children to fail in the competitive world of good jobs. 1. Don't correct them when they fail to clean up their room and their play areas. 2. Do their clean up of their play areas and their room for them or have no expectation of them keeping things orderly and clean. 3. Be their servant instead of teaching them to serve others. 4. Have low expectations for their physical and mental abilities. 5. Prepare meals for them or give them fast food. 6. Do simple work tasks for them while they play video games. 7. When they do nothing and bring home grades from school that are far less than their ability thank them for going to school. 8. Say nothing when they treat you like a "doormat". 9. Teach them that most teachers, coaches, bosses and the police are stupid, lazy, foolish and abusive. Do these things and you will train someone to be rebellious, lazy, immature, unemployed, drugged and perhaps homeless, in your home forever or i...

1.27- The greatest founders of this country realized that their was something more important than the founding of this country. On July 4, 1774, John Adams wrote to his wife Abigail, "We went to a Meeting and had the pleasure of hearing my friend upon, "Be not partakers of other men's sins.  Keep yourselves pure" ...We...took our horses to the meeting in the afternoon and heard the minister again upon "Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added unto you."  There is great pleasure in hearing sermons so serious, so clear, so sensible and instructive as these..." Matthew 6.33 34  “Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don’t get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes.

1.26- The problem with people into politics is that this is more important to them than the love of people. Matthew 6. 24  “You can’t worship two gods at once. Loving one god, you’ll end up hating the other. Adoration of one feeds contempt for the other. You can’t worship God and Money both.

1.25 Things that matter and things that greatly matter and things that don't matter at all. It greatly matters that you know that God loves you. It greatly matters that you love other people. It does not matter that someone who doesn't know you well doesn't like you. John 3. 16-18  “This is how much God loved the world: He gave his Son, his one and only Son. And this is why: so that no one need be destroyed; by believing in him, anyone can have a whole and lasting life. God didn’t go to all the trouble of sending his Son merely to point an accusing finger, telling the world how bad it was. He came to help, to put the world right again. Anyone who trusts in him is acquitted; anyone who refuses to trust him has long since been under the death sentence without knowing it. And why? Because of that person’s failure to believe in the one-of-a-kind Son of God when introduced to him. 19-21  “This is the crisis we’re in: God-light streamed into the world, but me...

1.24- What happens to you when you are a child of God and you die? Jesus taught that when we die we are still who we were on earth.  The consequences of our choices follow us to the other side.  All people live less than a perfect life.  All people have regrets for things not done or things done.  What happens to them when they die? Jesus taught that there is life on the other side.  When Jesus died on the cross He was referred to as the sacrifice offering so that the sins of everyone in the world could be forgiven by a Holy God.  He said it is finished.  The debt of all of humanity's sins was paid.  Those who have received the forgiveness of God will enjoy heaven forever.  Those who reject God and His grace and mercy face the judgment of a Holy God.  The good news is that forgiveness is available to all.  Jesus on the cross told a thief who was dying with Him that after they died He would see Him in Paradise. John 5. 28-29...

1.23- Today the birds were chirping as I walked to my meeting.  I thought of them reminding me to not worry,  "This is a day the Lord has made let us be glad and rejoice in it." Psalm 119.24 Matthew 6. 25-26  “If you decide for God, living a life of God-worship, it follows that you don’t fuss about what’s on the table at mealtimes or whether the clothes in your closet are in fashion. There is far more to your 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 birds, free and unfettered, not tied down to a job description, careless in the care of God. And you count far more to him than birds.

 1.22- Matthew 24. 4-8  Jesus said, “Watch out for doomsday deceivers. Many leaders are going to show up with forged identities, claiming, ‘I am Christ, the Messiah.’ They will deceive a lot of people. When reports come in of wars and rumored wars, keep your head and don’t panic. This is routine history; this is no sign of the end. Nation will fight nation and ruler fight ruler, over and over. Famines and earthquakes will occur in various places. This is nothing compared to what is coming. 9-10  “They are going to throw you to the wolves and kill you, everyone hating you because you carry my name. And then, going from bad to worse, it will be dog-eat-dog, everyone at each other’s throat, everyone hating each other. 11-12  “In the confusion, lying preachers will come forward and deceive a lot of people. For many others, the overwhelming spread of evil will do them in—nothing left of their love but a mound of ashes.

1..21- Jesus was as strong as a Lion.  In Scripture He is called the Lion of Judah. Matthew 21. 12-14  Jesus went straight to the Temple and threw out everyone who had set up shop, buying and selling. He kicked over the tables of loan sharks and the stalls of dove merchants. He quoted this text: My house was designated a house of prayer; You have made it a hangout for thieves.

1.20- Make these four commitments to yourself this year and you will be transformed. Be honest.  Speak the truth or nothing at all. Do not judge and condemn.  Not others.  Not yourself. Don't make assumptions about the motives of others.  Ask questions of a person to get at their own view of things and forget making assumptions about their hearts and their intentions. Do you best. Always give your personal best.  Be your best self. Matthew 5. 33-37  “And don’t say anything you don’t mean. This counsel is embedded deep in our traditions. You only make things worse when you lay down a smoke screen of pious talk, saying, ‘I’ll pray for you,’ and never doing it, or saying, ‘God be with you,’ and not meaning it. You don’t make your words true by embellishing them with religious lace. In making your speech sound more religious, it becomes less true. Just say ‘yes’ and ‘no.’ When you manipulate words to get your own way, you go wrong. Larry W...

1.19- Look at what you did yesterday and today and reflect upon what you did that made you really happy.  Those behaviors moved you into the "makeyourselfhappyzone" When you see love opportunities in your life it is also a joy opportunity or an occasion for connection with God and others. We want our children to be successful and to be surrounded by successful people.  This is normal for parents. Help them to move to be with servants and you will move them into a zone of joy.  Nurses, teachers, day care workers are some of the most underpaid workers in our society, but some of them are the most joyous people I have ever met.  Why? They work with God.  They help people.  They fulfill the purpose for which they were created.  Matthew 20.17. Jesus, now well on the way up to Jerusalem, took the Twelve off to the side of the road and said, “Listen to me carefully. We are on our way up to Jerusalem. When we get there, the Son of Man w...

 What do you do in the first thirty minutes in the morning and why? What do you want? What do you desire?  What is the center of your joy? Is it money? Celebrity? Security? Fame? Or better is it family? Jesus asked often, "What do you want?"   He was seeking for them to be bold and honest about the center of what they were after day after day.  For the blind man it was his sight.  He didn't pretend it was something else.  This was what he sought and he was bold and honest with himself and Jesus and received it. Many who follow Jesus do so thinking He will cause them to be healthy and spiritually and emotional whole.  That is not bad, but it has its limits.  It is limited to our lifespan for one and our own limited imagination, but God has in mind for us things that are beyond what we can ask or think. The world then teaches habits to reach the outer limits of our thoughts and imaginations.  These habits may be e...

I am starting to see some connection our pledge of allegiance and our success as a country. It says one nation "under God'. God is love and His desire is for unity and not quarreling.  Even over land there are some good examples of men of faith working for peace regarding land.  Abraham and Jacob and Esau come to mind. Abraham's big household and his nephew Lot got to quarreling and Abraham just gave Lot his pick of the different areas and he took what was left. When Jacob and Esau came back together after having been separated Jacob brought gifts of peace and Esau also offered to be  as helpful as he could be to Esau.   Wouldn't you like the land wars in the middle east to end with a spirit of love and peace? In the days of the revolutionary war there was a problem with the rebels feeling that there was "taxation without representation."  They had a war.  It formed the USA. In the days of the "Civil War".  Or the "War...

Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that. The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy. Faith is taking the first step even when you don't see the whole staircase. Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter. Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. I look to a day when people will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character. I have decided to stick with love. Hate is too great a burden to bear. Life's most persistent and urgent question is, 'What are you doing for others? The time is always right to do what is right. We must learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools.   Martin Luther King   WHEN, in the Course of huma...