Refreshing Our Spirits With Scripture

7.19- God’s Enduring Word Psalm 119:89-96 Dennis Fisher At the beginning of World War II, aerial bombings flattened much of Warsaw, Poland. Cement blocks, ruptured plumbing, and shards of glass lay strewn across the great city. In the downtown area, however, most of one damaged building still stubbornly stood. It was the Polish headquarters for the British and Foreign Bible Society. Still legible on a surviving wall were these words: “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away” (Matthew 24:35). Jesus made that statement to encourage His disciples when they asked Him about the “end of the age” (Matthew 24:3). But His words also give us courage in the midst of our embattled situation today. Standing in the rubble of our shattered dreams, we can still find confidence in God’s indestructible character, sovereignty, and promises. The psalmist wrote: “Your word, Lord, is eternal; it stands firm in the heavens” (Ps...

7.18- He Walked in Our Shoes Hebrews 2:10-18 David McCasland To help his staff of young architects understand the needs of those for whom they design housing, David Dillard sends them on “sleepovers.” They put on pajamas and spend 24 hours in a senior living center in the same conditions as people in their 80s and 90s. They wear earplugs to simulate hearing loss, tape their fingers together to limit manual dexterity, and exchange eyeglasses to replicate vision problems. Dillard says, “The biggest benefit is that when I send 27-year-olds out, they come back with a heart 10 times as big. They meet people and understand their plights” (Rodney Brooks) USA Today Jesus lived on this earth for 33 years and shared in our humanity. He was made like us, fully human in every way” (Hebrews 2:17), so He knows what it’s like to live in a human body on this earth. He understands the struggles we face and comes alongside with understanding and encouragement. “Because [Jes...

7.17- Surprise Interview Acts 26:9-15 Mart Dehaan On a crowded London commuter train, an early morning rider shoved and insulted a fellow passenger who got in his way. It was the kind of unfortunate and mindless moment that usually remains unresolved. But later that day, the unexpected happened. A business manager sent a quick message to his social media friends, “Guess who just showed up for a job interview.” When his explanation appeared on the Internet, people all over the world winced and smiled. Imagine walking into a job interview only to discover that the person who greets you is the one you had shoved and sworn at earlier that day. Saul also ran into someone he never expected to see. While raging against a group called the Way (Acts 9:1-2), he was stopped in his tracks by a blinding light. Then a voice said, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?” (verse 4). Saul asked, “Who are you, Lord?” The One speaking to him replied, “I am Jesus, whom yo...

7.16- What do you believe happens when you leave this life?   I believe that we go to be with Jesus at that point.   There are several levels of belief in God and in the life beyond the grave.   Level One: Believe without seeing.   Level Two: You have seen evidence in life that makes you believe that there is life after this life.   Level Three: You have heard people you believe to be honest sincere people who told you about the evidence that there is life after death.   These three levels believe without seeing.   Level Four: Believe with seeing. (You have seen angels.)   Level Five: You have had a personal, spiritual encounter with Jesus Christ that is undeniable to your heart, soul and mind.   Level Six: You have had doubts about Jesus Christ being one who survived His death on the cross and then because of a personal encounter with Him you have had your doubts dispelled.   You have seen...

7.15- During the last 121 days of the quarantine there have been very creative ways for people to share their love for God and people. One advantage of a separation due to incarceration, college, military deployment or vocational necessity is that the written words are able to penetrate the heart at a different level than the casual words might. I was remembering today that times when we can’t communicate with people personally, we can communicate with them in other ways. There are several things Jesus has done to keep our hearts from being troubled as His followers when He left earth and could not be with His disciples personally and physically. He uses troublesome and fearful times to give us a peace that passes understanding. He tells us that when we leave earth as children of God it means He has come to take us home. He teaches us that though the world cannot see Him, His brothers and sisters can see Him spiritually. He has sent us the Holy Spirit as the inside our...

7.14 I have had many fun, learning experiences with my kids and grandkids. Sheila and I often took them to Estes Park, Colorado. They have to move me into a fun place for me to learn with them. As long as I am in a redundant and boring environment, we don’t have new learning experiences, just rest. Work is good and rest is good, but the very best is a fun and exciting learning atmosphere. Seven years ago today my grandson, Jared, moved me to go to Dallas Cowboy stadium to t ake pictures and look over the territory in Arlington. There were lovely clouds in the background on this hot day and our car a/c was not working so we had to move along quickly, but we did enjoy the ride and the learning atmosphere. Because of the Covid 19 situation by March 11, 2020, the atmosphere for learning moved from an exciting social environment of school to a very restrained, limited learning location. No school friends, no athletics, no fun with friends and a focus on learning alone...

7.14- When I got up early this morning I wondered what I was supposed to read and reflect upon. Prayer requests we had heard lately had been a bit overwhelming. A good friend is a worker in a senior apartment complex that has had its first Covid 19 case which frightens all of us. I decided to meditate over some words given about 2020 years ago. Just keep on loving God and people. "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you al so love one another. By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” Jesus "Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations [n]forever and ever. Amen. For this reason I also suffer these things, but I am not ashamed; for I know whom I have believed and I am convinced that He is able to guard wh...

7.13- When you see that someone is living a life of putting others down instead of building them up you you can be sure that this person is having a sad instead of a joyful life. Let no one steal your joy. Period. Ephesians 4. 25  Therefore, laying aside falsehood, speak truth each one of you with his neighbor , for we are members of one another. 26  Be angry, and yet do not sin ; do not let the sun go down on your anger, 27  and do not give the devil [ s ] an opportunity. 28  He who steals must steal no longer; but rather he must labor, performing with his own hands what is good, so that he will have something to share with [ t ] one who has need. 29  Let no [ u ] unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification [ v ] according to the need of the moment , so that it will give grace to those who hear. 30  Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, [ w ] by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 31...

7.12- Worth Dying For Max Lucado Has someone called you a lost cause? A failure? Has someone dismissed you as insignificant? Don’t listen to them. They don’t know what they’re talking about. You were conceived by God before you were conceived by your parents. You were loved in heaven before you were known on earth. You aren’t an accident. When you say yes to God you are being made into God’s image. Print that on your resume! In the eyes of God you are worth dying for. Would you let this truth define the way you see yourself? Would you let this truth define the way you see other people? Every person you see was created by God to bear his image and deserves to be treated with dignity and respect. This is God’s plan. This is God’s promise. And he will fulfill it! Because God’s promises are unbreakable our hope is unshakable!

7.11- Of Love and Old Shoes Psalm 139:1-12 James Banks Sometimes my wife and I finish each other’s sentences. In over thirty years of marriage we’ve become increasingly familiar with the way the other thinks and speaks. We may not even have to finish a sentence at all; just a word or a glance is enough to express a thought. There’s comfort in that like an old pair of shoes you continue to wear because they fit so well. Sometimes we even refer to each other affectionately as “my old shoe: - a compliment that might be difficult to understand if you didn’t know us well! Through the years our relationship has developed a language of its own, with expressions that are the result of decades of love and trust. It’s comforting to know that God loves us with a deep familiarity. David wrote, “Before a word is on my tongue, you, Lord, know it completely” (Ps. 139:4). Imagine having a quiet conversation with Jesus where you’re telling Him the deepest matters of your ...

7.10- To be a leader means to protect others from mistreatment by taking on those who mistreat others whether from ignorance or malice. Leaders stand for righteousness. Those who who are God's sons and daughters stand because of Him. The territory has already been won by a righteous God and now the need is to stand strong and give no ground to the unrighteous forces of hate and evil. The cross and the empty tomb have stood as markers for 2020 years. Our hope will not be taken down by weak, flighty, unstable and change with the winds ideas. Love wins over hate. Mercy triumphs over judgment. John 15. 18  “If the world hates you, [ e ] you know that it has hated Me before it hated you. 19  If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, because of this the world hates you. 20  Remember the word that I said to you, ‘A slave is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, t...

7.10- First Moving day, 10.1.77. From the DFW area to Denver. and Second Moving day, 7.10.13. I had a mind, heart and soul move that happened at the same time as this first external move. The reasons for the change were several. I had gone through about 20 years of formal education. Now I was launched out to be a life-long learner led by the situations of need that were presented to me. Another part of the change was for the first time a move away from all of my family support systems. Then there was the culture change from Texas to Colorado. Finally, I was so broken in my heart and spirit that the normal encouragement that I had received from my family and good Christian friends was not enough to move me out of times of feeling what I had learned to call being “blue”. It was not anything close to “depression” but it was a flat feeling, a dull, joyless attitude about life. This after six years of formal Christian education. Wow! Some of it had been good, but some had b...