Refreshing Our Spirits With Scripture

8.8- "Do not judge me by my successes. Judge me by how many times I fell down and got up." Nelson Mandela Proverbs 24.16 For a righteous man falls seven times, and rises again, But the wicked stumble in time of calamity.

8.7- Vision improvement is sometimes a gradual thing. Mark 8. 22  And they *came to Bethsaida. And they *brought a blind man to Jesus and *implored Him to touch him. 23  Taking the blind man by the hand, He brought him out of the village; and after spitting on his eyes and laying His hands on him, He asked him, “Do you see anything?” 24  And he [ o ] looked up and said, “I see men, for [ p ] I see them like trees, walking around.” 25  Then again He laid His hands on his eyes; and he looked intently and was restored, and began to see everything clearly. 26  And He sent him to his home, saying, “Do not even enter the village.” 2 Kings 6. 11  Now the heart of the king of Aram was enraged over this thing; and he called his servants and said to them, “Will you tell me which of us is for the king of Israel?” 12  One of his servants said, “No, my lord, O king; but Elisha, the prophet who is in Israel, tells the king of Israel the words th...

8.6- How to get along every day with different kind of people. 1. Respect them. 2.  Live in peach with them. 3. Challenge yourself first and then others to be the best they can be. 4. Warn those who are unruly to not mistreat others or yourself. 5. Watch for those who might be low in spirit and try to encourage and lift them up. 6. Have compassion to help those who are going through a time of weakness. 7. Be patient people are going through hard times. 8. Never repay evil for evil, but rather seek after the good. 9. Never let anyone steal your joy. 10. Pray. Pray. Pray. 12. Be grateful for everyone and everything that is good. 13. Keep your passion for life. 14. Do not speak against God, His Spirit or His people. 15.Do not be naive. Examine the fruit of people's lives with being judgmental. 1 Thessalonians 5. 12  But we request of you, brethren, that you [ i ] appreciate those who diligently labor among you, and have charge over you in the Lord and give you ...

8.5- Lately I have had more than one person around me saying that they are holding on too tight. They are so focused on their accomplishing something that they are actually shooting themselves in the foot. They are obsessing so much that their goals become their delight. It is good to delight in your wife or the God who gave her to you. To delight in a specific goal is to turn it into an idol and cause tension and defeat. The writer of Psalm 37 knew this. He lived in the context of evildoers and wrongdoers.   He did not focus on them, he focused on His God. He trusted in the Lord and doing good. He cultivated faithfulness. But especially he delighted in the Lord. Isaiah 40. Yet those who [ aa ] wait for the Lord Will gain new strength; They will [ ab ] mount up with [ ac ] wings like eagles, They will run and not get tired, They will walk and not become weary. Matthew 11.28-30 28  “Come to Me, all [ z ] who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will g...

8.4- Gaslighting by religious bigots. How many people have religious bigots made to feel guilty about their lives in their sermons while doing the same things themselves?   How many religious leaders have they supervised and shamed because they weren’t doing their job right while they were doing deep harm themselves.  God only knows.   But of course the law didn’t apply to these hypocrites. I am aware of a family that has three generations of people who have been devastated by toxic religion.   Their hearts have been hardened against true Jesus by false presentations of Jesus.  I believe I know why Jesus hated this behavior so much. Mark 3. 22  The scribes who came down from Jerusalem were saying, “He is possessed by [ k ] Beelzebul,” and “He casts out the demons by the ruler of the demons.” 23  And He called them to Himself and began speaking to them in parables, “How can Satan cast out Satan? 24  If a kingdom is divided aga...

8.3- If you want to be fruitful then meeting pressing needs. Titus 3. 12  When I send Artemas or Tychicus to you, make every effort to come to me at Nicopolis, for I have decided to spend the winter there. 13  Diligently help Zenas the lawyer and Apollos on their way so that nothing is lacking for them. 14  Our people must also learn to engage in good [ b ] deeds to meet pressing needs, so that they will not be unfruitful. 15  All who are with me greet you. Greet those who love us in the faith. Grace be with you all.

8.2- It is another election season and only 100 days until America will pick all of the national representatives and 33 or so Senators. Christians are called to be a salt and a light.  Our ultimate citizenship is in heaven but all us of also live in nations. John the Baptist was a man of God and was willing to tell the king that he was doing something unlawful. I believe that if Christians have a salt and light influence in our community we must stand up and make clear the kind of leaders God teaches would be good leaders. What kind of leaders do we support and what kind do we oppose?   Jesus said to His followers to look at the fruit of their lives.   Look at how they live, not just their words.   The believers are taught to examine things carefully when choosing leaders. They must not be leaders for the purpose of enriching themselves. They must be eager as volunteer workers. They must have a life that is a good example for others ...