Refreshing Our Spirits With Scripture

6.17- Happy Father's Day 2018 A good Christian father… -Takes care to accept his children’s mother as she is without trying to “fix” or change her personality or style of interaction with others. -Invests massive amounts of time with his children at work and play. -Listens more than speaks. -Loves to worship God with others and his children. -Is a servant willing to do whatever needs to be done. -Is with his wife in sickness and health, good times and bad. -Takes pains at his job that critical to support his family and make a positive difference in this world -Keeps the confidences of his children and grandchildren. -Speaks the truth or nothing at all. -Speaks words that build people up. -Has a heart and home that is open to his family to come by and visit at any time. -Is full of joy and humor. He takes life seriously without taking himself too seriously. -Is ...

6.17-Who set up humans to die? Choices have consequences. The first big choice is to decide if you believe that this amazing universe was designed. If you believe that it was, then it followers there was a designer. Who is that designer? For the answer to that we can turn to several sources. If you were blessed by grow up in a loving home, you have at least somewhere to begin to ask.  You can ask your loving family members their answer to that question and hear what they say. Then your loving family pointed you toward some education and training and this will have people who have healthy lives.  Watch the people you work with and reflect on what they do that might point you toward who was the designer of the universe. Your family or your co-workers or those who were your beloved teachers will have given you some leads about an answer.  Probably they will have pointed you to some experiences and some reading materials that were wise and loving. For me all t...

6.16- There are people claiming to be religious and even religious leaders that don't even know the very basics of the purposes of God in the world today. 1 Timothy 1. 3  As I urged you [ a ] upon my departure for Macedonia, [ b ] remain on at Ephesus so that you may instruct certain men not to teach strange doctrines, 4  nor to [ c ] pay attention to myths and endless genealogies, which give rise to mere speculation rather than furthering [ d ] the administration of God which is by faith. 5  But the goal of our [ e ] instruction is love from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith. 6  For some men, straying from these things, have turned aside to fruitless discussion, 7  wanting to be teachers of the Law, even though they do not understand either what they are saying or the matters about which they make confident assertions.

6.15- The more you read and meditate about Jesus the more you are transformed. 2 Corinthians 3. 7  But if the ministry of death, in letters engraved on stones, came [ c ] with glory, so that the sons of Israel could not look intently at the face of Moses because of the glory of his face, fading as it was, 8  how will the ministry of the Spirit fail to be even more with glory? 9  For if the ministry of condemnation has glory, much more does the ministry of righteousness abound in glory. 10  For indeed what had glory, in this case has no glory because of the glory that surpasses it . 11  For if that which fades away was [ d ] with glory, much more that which remains is in glory. 12  Therefore having such a hope, we use great boldness in our speech, 13  and are not like Moses, who used to put a veil over his face so that the sons of Israel would not look intently at the end of what was fading away. 14  But their minds were hardened;...

6.14. Acts 4. 13  Now as they observed the confidence of Peter and John and understood that they were uneducated and untrained men, they were amazed, and began to recognize them [ k ] as having been with Jesus. 2 Corinthians 3. 4  Such confidence we have through Christ toward God. 5  Not that we are adequate in ourselves to consider anything as coming from ourselves, but our adequacy is from God, 6  who also made us adequate as servants of a new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.

6.13- If you want to know what kind of person someone is look at the fruit of their life.  Look at their record within their family and within their vocation.  There you will see that their letter of recommendation is the people they have influenced. Matthew 7. 15  “Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves. 16  You will [ k ] know them by their fruits. [ l ] Grapes are not gathered from thorn bushes nor figs from thistles, are they? 17  So every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit. 18  A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, nor can a bad tree produce good fruit. 19  Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20  So then, you will [ m ] know them by their fruits. 21  “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter . 2...

6.12- There is a new kind of life waiting for people who turn their life over to Jesus.  He gives freedom from sin, guilt and shame.  He causes people to overcome their fear of God whom they don't know as Love.  He teaches them that God is love.  This leads to a fear of God being changed into love and respect for Him.  It changes things so that the new person is free of the wrong kind of fear of God and are given a new life of being joyous in your own skin.  Happy to have the gifts and talents that you have.  Joy among the people who love God and each other is the gift that comes to a person who comes home to God. Acts 2. 37  Now when they heard this , they were [ aj ] pierced to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “ [ ak ] Brethren, [ al ] what shall we do?” 38  Peter said to them, “Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of...

6.11.18 Pre-father’s day thoughts My children bless me every day because they have chosen to seek, daily seek the meaning of Jesus as the King of their lives.   I love them and am very thankful for them. I wonder if we have explained to our families the meaning of baptism as a death and a burial of an old man and the birth of a new creature. John 3. 3  Jesus answered and said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born [ b ] again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” Romans 6. 3  Or do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death? 4  Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life. 2 Corinthians 5. 17  Therefore if anyone is in Christ, [ h ] he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come. I wou...

6.11- There are places of prayer that are too often seen as a place to rob others.  Jesus drove out those who the money driven who robbed others instead of blessed them. Luke 19. 45  Jesus entered the temple and began to drive out those who were selling, 46  saying to them, “It is written, ‘ And My house shall be a house of prayer ,’ but you have made it a robbers ’ [ u ] den .” 47  And He was teaching daily in the temple; but the chief priests and the scribes and the leading men among the people were trying to destroy Him, 48  and they could not find [ v ] anything that they might do, for all the people were hanging on to [ w ] every word He said.

6.10- Human beings are created to use their breath to praise God.  Our rebellion from this causes many problems including not being able to praise God with our whole heart. Luke 19. 28  After He had said these things, He was going on ahead, going up to Jerusalem. 29  When He approached Bethphage and Bethany, near the [ n ] mount that is called Olivet, He sent two of the disciples, 30  saying, “Go into the village ahead of you ; there, as you enter, you will find a colt tied on which no one yet has ever sat; untie it and bring it here . 31  If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you untying it?’ you shall say, ‘The Lord has need of it.’” 32  So those who were sent went away and found it just as He had told them. 33  As they were untying the colt, its [ o ] owners said to them, “Why are you untying the colt?” 34  They said, “The Lord has need of it.” 35  They brought it to Jesus, and they threw their coats on the colt and put Jesus on it . ...

6.9- God is generous.  He sends His rain on the wicked and the good.  He provides daily bread and more.  He is love.  Some people have the wrong idea of who God is.  They see Him as one who reaps where He has not sown.  This causes them to live in fear instead of living in love.  They become unwilling to take any risk and in doing so their lives are not fruitful.  This mistake is rooted in not knowing God for who He. Luke 19. 11  While they were listening to these things, Jesus went on to tell a parable, because He was near Jerusalem, and they supposed that the kingdom of God was going to appear immediately. 12  So He said, “A nobleman went to a distant country to receive a kingdom for himself, and then return. 13  And he called ten of his slaves, and gave them ten [ f ] minas and said to them, ‘Do business with this [ g ] until I come back .’ 14  But his citizens hated him and sent [ h ] a delegation after him, sayin...

6.8- I have large trees in my back yard that are moving and swaying right now.   I don’t see the wind, but I see the effects of the wind. John 3. 8  The wind blows where it wishes and you hear the sound of it, but do not know where it comes from and where it is going; so is everyone who is born of the Spirit.” I can’t see the Holy Spirit, but I see the effects of the Holy Spirit. Galations 5. 22  But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23  gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.