Refreshing Our Spirits With Scripture

4.20-  1600 Some of us get frustrated because perfect is an enemy of good.  We have good things we are doing and yet someone notices it is perfect and we quit our good work.  We need to stay busy doing what we can do for God the best we can.  God's powerful love will produce fruit.  We need to be assured of this in all our lives since we are children of God. Some may produce more than others.  What matters is fruitfulness and not comparing ourselves with others. Matthew 13. 23  But the seed falling on good soil refers to someone who hears the word and understands it. This is the one who produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.” 1 Corinthians 12. 12  Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. 13  For we were all baptized by [ l ] one Spirit so as to form one body—whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free—and we were all given the one ...

4.19- We tend to worry about riches too much.  Americans are very wealthy compared to most countries in the world, yet we worry.  Why?  Some of us have been deceived to believe that if we had higher wages we wouldn't worry.  No.  Probably we still would because we are not trusting God.  Jesus taught His disciples to be content with their wages.  The lack of fruitfulness and spiritual effectiveness for many of us is that we are distracted and our spiritual connection to God has been severed due to the love of money. Matthew 13. 22  The seed falling among the thorns refers to someone who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, making it unfruitful.

4.18- To choose to follow Jesus is to choose a path that includes some trouble and persecution.  This is normal.  All lives will have trouble of some kind.  To choose to take the yoke of Jesus is to have the easy yoke.  He is humble and gentle with us. Matthew 13. 20  The seed falling on rocky ground refers to someone who hears the word and at once receives it with joy. 21  But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away.  

4.17 It is bad to refuse to understand because it sets the mind for the word of God to be stolen from you by the evil one.  It is good to hunger for the word of God so that you learn to understand more and more of it even though no one can completely understand everything in the mind of God. Matthew 4. 18  “Listen then to what the parable of the sower means: 19  When anyone hears the message about the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in their heart. This is the seed sown along the path.

4.16- You get the choice to grow in your understanding or not.  Important choice.  Some people have a calloused heart because they resist rather than grow and change to walk with God. This causes a spiritual blindness to spiritual things. This causes a failure to turn when things need change.  Dug yourself into a hole.  Dig faster and deeper.  No.  To turn and move from darkness to light. Matthew 13. 14  In them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah: “‘You will be ever hearing but never understanding;      you will be ever seeing but never perceiving. 15  For this people’s heart has become calloused;      they hardly hear with their ears,      and they have closed their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes,      hear with their ears,      understand with their hearts and turn, and I would heal them.’ [ a ] 16  But bless...

4.15- Tax day. How can a follower of Jesus pay his/her taxes? Trust God. Matthew 17.27 “But so that we may not cause offense, go to the lake and throw out your line. Take the first fish you catch; open its mouth and you will find a four-drachma coin . Take it and give it to them for my tax and yours.” Matthew 6. 25  “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? 26  Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27  Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life [ n ] ? 28  “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29  Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30  If t...

4.14- According to Jesus the best prayers are secret. Prayers are listening to what God speaks to our own heart, mind, soul and body. There are moments we need people to pray with us and for us. This can open doors to gifted helpers. Last Thursday I asked prayer for Donna Wishard, our daughter in love, who is in a job search. This opened the door for her to one of the most effective networking groups in our area. Thank you God for prayer and friends who pray for us. Matthew 6. Prayer 5  “And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. 6  But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. 7  And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because o...

4.13- If you see compassion given to the Blind, lame, deaf or poor you probably are seeing God at work. Matthew 11. 11  After Jesus had finished instructing his twelve disciples, he went on from there to teach and preach in the towns of Galilee. [ a ] 2  When John, who was in prison, heard about the deeds of the Messiah, he sent his disciples 3  to ask him, “Are you the one who is to come, or should we expect someone else?” 4  Jesus replied, “Go back and report to John what you hear and see: 5  The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy [ b ] are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is proclaimed to the poor. 6  Blessed is anyone who does not stumble on account of me.” 1 John 4. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them.  

4.12- Today I choose cast all my worries on God knowing that He cares for me. He has promised to make all things work for my good because I love Him and I have been called to Him. 1 Peter 5. 7  Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. Romans 8. 28  And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who [ i ] have been called according to his purpose.  

4.11- Life in this world is hard if you have high standards for yourself.  You will start out with the best of dreams and then things don't go like you planned. Think of the hopes you had for you first job.  How did that work out? Think of the plans you had for your marriage and family life to be different from what you saw around you in the world.   Did you have a struggle with your family being everything you hoped it would be. How can you keep going when things get tough. Jesus showed up in the storms of His disciples and said, "Do not be afraid." He had learned this in Scripture. Dt. 31,32 6  Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.”  

4.10- What kind of God created this world?  What He want? The answer is that He is a God that wants everyone to be saved and have he best life possible.  He gave His one and only Son as a ransom to free all who believe in Him to be free from their bondage, to guilt shame and sin. 1 Timothy 2.1-7 2  I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people— 2  for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. 3  This is good, and pleases God our Savior, 4  who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. 5  For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus, 6  who gave himself as a ransom for all people.

4.9- For about 2,000 years the Jews had learned that they were God's special people.  The Messiah was to be born through their family. At times they had been willing to be different from the world around them, but often they would break down and become like the world.  They went through times when they took on the low morals of the surrounding culture.  When they did this they experienced death instead of life.  The way to have success in life is to put faith in God first and allow Him to lead and guide instead of the world.  This is why John reminded the people about 2,000 years ago. 1 John 2. 15  Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father [ d ] is not in them. 16  For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world. 17  The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God liv...