Refreshing Our Spirits With Scripture

4.27- Fourteen years ago today I had the experience of the 10th break of my ankle. I was on a weekend retreat with some guys from my church family just above Golden, CO. Gorgeous place in God’s nature. We had taken a walking devotional up a mountain trail stopping at times to read scripture of Jesus walk with the cross on His back. Along the way there was some spots of ice. I thought I “turned” or “sprained” my ankle. Walked on it home and walked on it to a youth trip to Ukra ine and finally in early fall ended up at the doctor’s office.  After Xrays he said, "This has been broken about nine other times and this 10th break and the arthritis has set up in these spots and there is no good surgery for this right now. I can give you a brace and boot and a handicap parking sticker and that is what we can do for you right now." It changed me to move from a most important part of my life, very active movements and teaching while active "doing" to...

4.26- Don't worry if your family does not respect you as you might wish.  Don't worry if your hometown friends don't think you are capable of doing anything of substance.   Jesus family thought he was insane.  Jesus hometown folks discounted him.  Get your self image from God and He will lift you you.  You can do whatever you need to do if you remember where you came from and where you are going.  Matthew 13. 53  When Jesus had finished these parables, he moved on from there. 54  Coming to his hometown, he began teaching the people in their synagogue, and they were amazed. “Where did this man get this wisdom and these miraculous powers?” they asked. 55  “Isn’t this the carpenter’s son? Isn’t his mother’s name Mary, and aren’t his brothers James, Joseph, Simon and Judas? 56  Aren’t all his sisters with us? Where then did this man get all these things?” 57  And they took offense at him. But Jesus said to them, “A prophet is...

4.25-  The true church has unity, but not uniformity.  There are men and women.  There are people from every country in the world.  There are introverts and extroverts.  There are those who are quiet and those who are loud.  There are the country people and the city people.  There are the fishermen, tentmakers, carpenters, doctors, lawyers, teachers and many other occupations.  These are all the possible good fish. But in their midst there can be people who are dishonest, wicked and evil and those who take advantage of people.  There are people there who are within the physical context of the church, but in reality they are wicked, hypocrites there for their own selfish gain.  In the end God will judge the hearts of men by Jesus Christ and those who have lived under God's grace and mercy will be saved. Those who have lived lives of violence and hate and lies will be separated from the ones saved by grace. Matthew 13. 47  “On...

4.24- What is worth more than the price of the greatest pearl in the world? One pearl weighs 15 lbs. and is said to be worth 35 million dollars. What is worth more than 35 million to me? My wife. My children. My grandchildren. I believe that if it were not for Jesus and His grace and guidance I would not have these blessings in my life.  I believe that I should be willing to surrender my whole life to the guidance of Jesus to be the best husband, father and grandfather I can be.  I need to "sell out". Matthew 13. 44  “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field. 45  “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. 46  When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it.

4.23- It was the prayer of Jesus that the will of heaven be done on earth.  Jesus teachings have influenced the writing of the constitution and the laws of many countries around the world for over 2,000 years. Christianity is an influence in homes, schools, businesses and it has spread around the world.  Persecution has had the effect of spreading Christianity further and faster than when nothing is being done against it. Matthew 13. 33  He told them still another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into about sixty pounds [ b ] of flour until it worked all through the dough.”

4.22- These are difficult days. A man takes a child and throws him over a railing three floors down. Ministers, priests and teachers abusing those they are supposed to protect. A youth invited into a small group midweek Bible study tries to kill all of those who welcomed him. National leaders using hateful words toward each other. What to do? Reflect on the love that lays down one's life for others. Reflect on the people who taught you this love. Remember where they got their guidance. Focus on overcoming evil with good. 2 Timothy 3. 3  But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. 2  People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3  without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, 4  treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God— 5  having a form of godliness but den...

4.22- I know of lady who has produced 21 children, grandchildren and great great grandchildren. She and her husband have have 21 blood related offspring. Small grows to large. Jesus started teaching. One teacher. Today, 2 Billion people claim to be His students. Matthew 13. 31  He told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field. 32  Though it is the smallest of all seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds come and perch in its branches.”

4.21- Matthew 13. 24  Jesus told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. 25  But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away. 26  When the wheat sprouted and formed heads, then the weeds also appeared. 27  “The owner’s servants came to him and said, ‘Sir, didn’t you sow good seed in your field? Where then did the weeds come from?’ 28  “‘An enemy did this,’ he replied. “The servants asked him, ‘Do you want us to go and pull them up?’ 29  “‘No,’ he answered, ‘because while you are pulling the weeds, you may uproot the wheat with them. 30  Let both grow together until the harvest. At that time I will tell the harvesters: First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat and bring it into my barn.’” The Parable of the Weeds Explained 36  Then he left the crowd and went into the house. His disciple...

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.