Refreshing Our Spirits With Scripture

7.30- When someone says they don't need any forgiveness, it shows that they don't know God and they don't have any realistic connection with their own life. If there is a problem with carrying too much guilt and shame around there are several solutions. God and He has His ways. We choose our own ways. We get guilt which is meant to help us to move toward confession, forgiveness and a fresh start.. In the world since Adam and Eve, the evil one either tries to get rid of guilt by getting rid of a rules which doesn't work. or Slandering God as a God who doesn't want the best for us which isn't true. or training students to believe that there is no design to the universe and no designer and hence no accountability to any one or any thing. This gets rid of human beings as being any different from the slime in the ocean. These things don't work. What does work is compassion, forgiveness, mercy and a fresh start with honesty and tru...

7.29- Pray.  Pray.  Pray. James 4  [ a ] What is the source of quarrels and conflicts among you? [ b ] Is not the source your pleasures that wage war in your members? 2  You lust and do not have; so you commit murder. You are envious and cannot obtain; so you fight and quarrel. You do not have because you do not ask. 3  You ask and do not receive, because you ask [ c ] with wrong motives, so that you may spend it [ d ] on your pleasures. 4  You adulteresses, do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. 5  Or do you think that the Scripture speaks to no purpose: “ [ e ] He [ f ] jealously desires the Spirit which He has made to dwell in us”? 6  But He gives a greater grace. Therefore it says, “ God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble .” 7  Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee fr...

7.28- Life with God is  celebration.  Even in the shadow of the cross Jesus celebrated the Passover. Matthew 26. 20  Now when evening came, Jesus was reclining at the table with the twelve disciples. 21  As they were eating, He said, “Truly I say to you that one of you will betray Me.” 22  Being deeply grieved, they [ f ] each one began to say to Him, “Surely not I, Lord?” 23  And He answered, “He who dipped his hand with Me in the bowl is the one who will betray Me. 24  The Son of Man is to go, just as it is written of Him; but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been good [ g ] for that man if he had not been born.” 25  And Judas, who was betraying Him, said, “Surely it is not I, Rabbi?” Jesus *said to him, “You have said it yourself.” The Lord’s Supper Instituted 26  While they were eating, Jesus took some bread, and [ h ] after a blessing, He broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said...

7.27- "We don't necessarily doubt that God will do the best for us. We are wondering how painful the best will turn out to be." C. S. Lewis Romans 8. 28  And we know that [ k ] God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. Jeremiah 29. 11  For I know the plans that I [ h ] have for you,’ declares the Lord , ‘plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope  

7.26- There were three times that I remember my father in law, Ralph Self, had an outstanding amount of self-control over his tongue. There was that time when I left my house late in the evening because I was upset and didn’t tell Sheila where I was going or when I would be back.   I drove over to a friend’s house for some counsel.   Sheila got worried and called her dad.   When I did get home Sheila told me she had called her dad because she was very concerned.   I felt I deserved to be yelled at by him.   I called him.   He said,   “Larry, this is a problem between you and Sheila and you guys must solve it.”   I never heard him mention it again. Ralph did a good job keeping his cars looking nice inside and out.   He parked his new Blue Buick next to my car in my garage.   I opened my door too widely.   When he found out that I had put the first dent in it he said nothing to me about it.   Nothing. He had lo...

7.25- There is a tendency in us as humans to compare ourselves with others who are worse people than we are and we congratulate ourselves that we are okay without any need for growth and change for the better.  It seems to me that God is trying to get His servants to be honest and humble about who they really are.  Their power comes from God.  There are several ways that great teachers would teach to stop the problem of arrogance and conceit.  We thank God for being His children by grace, but look for opportunities to improve our lives with God's help. 2 Chronicles 6. 36  “ When they sin against You (for there is no man who does not sin) and You are angry with them and deliver them to an enemy, so that [ s ] they take them away captive to a land far off or near, 37  if they [ t ] take thought in the land where they are taken captive, and repent and make supplication to You in the land of their captivity, saying, ‘ We have sinned, we have committed...

7.24- What kind of lovingkindness does your God have? Everlasting. 2 Chronicles 7.3 3  All the sons of Israel, seeing the fire come down and the glory of the Lord upon the house, bowed down on the pavement with their faces to the ground, and they worshiped and gave praise to the Lord , saying , “Truly He is good, truly His lovingkindness is everlasting.”

7.23- Work at times is symbolized by a yoke.  A heavy yoke represents an oppressive, abusive leader but an easy yoke represents a leadership that fits your work to you so that it is good for the workplace and good for you. 2 Chronicles 11. 10  The young men who grew up with him spoke to him, saying, “Thus you shall say to the people who spoke to you, saying, ‘Your father made our yoke heavy, but you make it lighter for us.’ Thus you shall say to them, ‘My little finger is thicker than my father’s loins! 11  Whereas my father loaded you with a heavy yoke, I will add to your yoke; my father disciplined you with whips, but I will discipline you with scorpions.’” Matthew 11. 28  “Come to Me, all [ z ] who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. 29  Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls . 30  For My yoke is [ aa ] easy and My burden is light.”

7.22- Good leaders are servants. 2 Chronicles 10. 6  Then King Rehoboam consulted with the elders who had [ a ] served his father Solomon while he was still alive, saying, “How do you counsel me to answer this people?” 7  They spoke to him, saying, “If you will be kind to this people and please them and speak good words to them, then they will be your servants forever.” Matthew 20. 25  But Jesus called them to Himself and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great men exercise authority over them. 26  It is not this way among you, but whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant, 27  and whoever wishes to be first among you shall be your slave; 28  just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His [ n ] life a ransom for many.”

7.21- According to one source online it was stated that the observable universe is 93 billion light years in diameter. There is a secret verse that is hidden in the Bible that most people never read and I rarely read it. 2 Chronicles 2.5,6  Solomon prayed a prayer of praise to God who had helped Him to build this magnificent temple. 5  The house which I am about to build will be great, for greater is our God than all the gods. 6  But who is able to build a house for Him, for the heavens and the highest heavens cannot contain Him? So who am I, that I should build a house for Him, John 1. 1  In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2  [ a ] He was in the beginning with God. 3  All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being.    Romans 1. 18  For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteou...

7.20- There can be times of loneliness in for a child of God. Psalm 22. My God, my God, why have You forsaken me? [ b ] Far from my deliverance are the words of my [ c ] groaning. 2  O my God, I cry by day, but You do not answer; And by night, but [ d ] I have no rest. 3  Yet You are holy, O You who [ e ] are enthroned upon the praises of Israel. 4  In You our fathers trusted; They trusted and You delivered them. 5  To You they cried out and were delivered; In You they trusted and were not [ f ] disappointed. Matthew 26. 36  Then Jesus *came with them to a place called Gethsemane, and *said to His disciples, “Sit here while I go over there and pray.” 37  And He took with Him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be grieved and distressed. 38  Then He *said to them, “My soul is deeply grieved, to the point of death; remain here and keep watch with Me.” 39  And He went a little beyond them , and fell on His face and pra...

7.20- I need my legs to gain strength.  It is better to move than not move.  It is better to move with the current of the river at my pool than to not move at all.  It is better to move against the current as long as you can to gain the most strength in the shortest time.  Moving against the tide of the majority has been a way of life I was taught by my parents.  They taught us that we were to work to be strong and as wise as possible.  They taught us to get a good job and get a good education and strive to be as strong as possible, mentally, physically, emotionally and especially spiritually.  This involve choosing every day to be a humble person, but an exceptional person.  Be assured your best dreams from God will come true.  A strong person who stands for the truth even when everyone else will not stand for the truth.  Stand against the tide and you get stronger and the truth has support in your own heart if no where else. M...

7.19- There is a test for being a disciple of Jesus that is an amazing set of words.  If you follow these words and your family are not Christians, it was be expensive.  I have known of people who were thrown out of their family for following Jesus. Luke 14. 25  Now [ m ] large crowds were going along with Him; and He turned and said to them, 26  “If anyone comes to Me, and does not [ n ] hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be My disciple. 27  Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple. 28  For which one of you, when he wants to build a tower, does not first sit down and calculate the cost to see if he has enough to complete it? 29  Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who observe it begin to ridicule him, 30  saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish.’ 31  Or wh...

7.18 It is possible. John 10. 27  My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; 28  and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand. 29  [ d ] My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. 30  I and the Father are [ e ] one.” 1 John 2. 2  My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an [ a ] Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous;   1 John 4. 4  You are from God, little children, and have overcome them; because greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world. 5  They are from the world; therefore they speak as from the world, and the world listens to them. 6  We are from God; he who knows God listens to us; he who is not from God does not listen to us. By this we know the spirit of truth and the spiri...

7.16- Today is the 5 th anniversary of my move to worship with the congregation where I worship, The Hills church in North Richland Hills, Texas. It is a messy church like the one I grew up in.    Lessons from the Bible are taught that remind us to imitate Jesus, but we don’t measure up to His perfect standard.   We need forgiveness, mercy and grace. We have been given a radical freedom of choice by our maker.   We humans are rebels.   We sin in prodigal son ways and elder brother ways.  The church of my growing up childhood and youth days was a church of about 50. The church where we attend here in is a church of about 5,000. The churches have this in common.   They are messy.      Thankfully, we have God’s unfailing love available to us during the hard times of our family life and church life. If you are lost and confused.   If you are in trouble and being rejected by others these kind of churches mig...