Refreshing Our Spirits With Scripture

 1.31- The Good Earth Genesis 1:1-10 Philip Yancey While orbiting the moon in 1968, Apollo 8 astronaut, Bill Anders described the crew’s close-up-view of the moonscape. He called it “a foreboding horizon . . . a stark and unappetizing place.” Then the crew took turns reading to a watching world from Genesis 1:1-10. After Commander Frank Borman finished verse 10, “And God saw that it was good,” he signed off with, “God bless all of you, all of you on the good Earth.” The opening chapter of the Bible insists on two facts: Creation is God’s work. The phrase “and God said . . . “ beats in cadence all the way through the chapter. The entire magnificent world we live in is the product of His creative work. All that follows in the Bible reinforces the message of Genesis 1: Behind all of history, there is God. Creation is good. Another sentence toll softly, like a bell, throughout this chapter. “And God saw that it was good.” Much has changed since that first moment of creation. Genesis 1 ...

 1.30- Let Honor Meet Honor Matthew 6:1-6 Randy Kilgore I’ve always been impressed by the solemn, magnificent simplicity of the Changing of the Guard at the Tomb of the Unknowns at Arlington National Cemetery. The carefully choreo- graphed event is a moving tribute to soldiers whose names –and sacrifice- are “known but to God.” Equally moving are the private moments of steady pacing when the crowds are gone: back and forth, hour after hour, day by day, in even the worst weather. In September 2003, Hurricane Isabel was bearing down on Washington, DC, and the guards were told they could seek shelter during the worst of the storm. Surprisingly, none of the guards were interested in doing that. They unselfishly stood their post to honor their fallen comrades even in the face of a hurricane. Underlying Jesus’ teaching in Matthew 6:1-6, I believe, is His desire for us to live with an unrelenting, selfless devotion to Him. The Bible calls us to good deeds and holy living, but these are to...

 1.29- Who is This? Mark 4:35-41 Arthur Jackson “Remove everything from your desks, take out a piece of paper and pencil.” When I was a student these dreaded words announced that “test time” had come. In Mark 4, we read that Jesus’ day, which started with teaching by the seaside (verse 1), ended with a time of testing on the sea (verse 35). The boat that had been used as a teaching platform was used to transport Jesus and a handful of His followers to the other side of the sea. During the journey (while an exhausted Jesus slept in the back of the boat), they encountered a swirling storm (verse 37). Drenched disciples woke Jesus with the words, “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?” (verse 38). Then it happened, The One who had exhorted the crowds to “Listen!” earlier in the day (verse 3), uttered a simple, powerful command to the winds of nature – “Quiet! Be still!” (verse 39). The wind obeyed and the wonder of fear-filled disciples was displayed with the words, “Who is this?” (ver...

 1.28.21- This is not as uncomfortable on this day but imagine back then Martin Luther King was a prophet. He spoke God’s word in a way that at that time made many people or maybe all people a little bit “uncomfortable”. I read someone wrote that we have domesticated King’s word, made them more comfortable. “we are on the side of the wealthy, and the secure, while we create a hell for the poor” (King, “Beyond Vietnam,” 146; 153). To change course, King suggested a five point outline for stopping the war, which included a call for a unilateral ceasefire. To King, however, the Vietnam War was only the most pressing symptom of American colonialism worldwide. King claimed that America made “peaceful revolution impossible by refusing to give up the privileges and the pleasures that come from the immense profits of overseas investments” (King, “Beyond Vietnam,” 157). King urged instead “a radical revolution of values” emphasizing love and justice rather than economic nationalism (King,...

 1.27.21- When people don't believe in truth bad things happen. Left wing false teachers and right wing false teachers. Over 3,000 years ago it was written. "Be strong and courageous and depart not to the right or left." Joshua 1.   6  Be strong and courageous, for you shall give this people possession of the land which I swore to their fathers to give them.   7  Only be strong and very courageous;  [ b ] be careful to do according to all the Law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, so that you may  [ c ] achieve success wherever you go.  

 1.26.21- We enter the life of God when we love Him enough to obey Him. Many people want religion that they can control rather than a relationship which only God can control.  It includes obeying God's command to remember to love and support the poor as representatives of God. Matthew 19. 16  And someone came to Him and said, “Teacher, what good thing shall I do so that I may obtain eternal life?”   17  And He said to him,  “Why are you asking Me about what is good? There is  only  One who is good; but if you want to enter life, keep the commandments.”   18  Then  he *said to Him, “Which ones?” And Jesus said,  “ You shall not commit murder; You shall not commit adultery; You shall not steal; You shall not give false testimony ;   19  Honor your father and mother ; and  You shall love your neighbor as yourself .”   20  The young man *said to Him, “All these I have kept; what am I still lacking...

 1.25.21- Only God is good.  Jesus was called "good" and pointed out that this term is best reserved for God.  Many good deeds are done my men and women.  Teachers and doctors and nurses and first responders and firemen and women and police men and women do many good deed.  They draw their best powers for this from God who alone is good. Matthew 19. 16  And someone came to Him and said, “Teacher, what good thing shall I do so that I may obtain eternal life?”   17  And He said to him,  “Why are you asking Me about what is good? There is  only  One who is good; but if you want to enter life, keep the commandments.”   18  Then  he *said to Him, “Which ones?” And Jesus said,  “ You shall not commit murder; You shall not commit adultery; You shall not steal; You shall not give false testimony ;   19  Honor your father and mother ; and  You shall love your neighbor as yourself .”   20...

 1.24.21- God wants children to be cherished and protected.  He created them to be humble and curious and loving education.  A part of this is where did this earth come from questions.  The teacher who knows God has a blessing from God when he/she helps children to know God to be God of love.  We must never hinder their growth toward God. Matthew 19. 13  Then  some  children were brought to Him so that He would lay His hands on them and pray; and the disciples rebuked them.   14  But Jesus said,  “ [ i ] Leave the children alone, and do not  [ j ] forbid them to come to Me; for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.”   15  After laying His hands on them, He departed from there.

 1.23- Marriage from Jesus' viewpoint is a serious vow. Matthew 19. 19  When Jesus had finished these words, He left Galilee and came into the region of Judea beyond the Jordan;   2  and  [ a ] large crowds followed Him, and He healed them there. 3  Some  Pharisees came to  [ b ] Jesus, testing Him and  [ c ] asking, “Is it lawful  for a man  to  [ d ] divorce his wife for any reason  at all ?”   4  And He answered and said,  “Have you not read that He who created  them  from the beginning  made them male and female ,   5  and said, ‘ For this reason a man shall leave his father and his mother and be joined to his wife, and   the two shall become one flesh ’?   6  So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore, what God has joined together, no person is to separate.”

 1.22.21- What did religious leaders of His day do to Him?  They tested Him. Matthew 19. 19  When Jesus had finished these words, He left Galilee and came into the region of Judea beyond the Jordan;   2  and  [ a ] large crowds followed Him, and He healed them there. 3  Some  Pharisees came to  [ b ] Jesus, testing Him and  [ c ] asking, “Is it lawful  for a man  to  [ d ] divorce his wife for any reason  at all ?”   4  And He answered and said,  “Have you not read that He who created  them  from the beginning  made them male and female ,   5  and said, ‘ For this reason a man shall leave his father and his mother and be joined to his wife, and   the two shall become one flesh ’?   6  So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore, what God has joined together, no person is to separate.”   7  They *said to Him, “Why, then, did Moses c...

 1.21- Defending God Luke 9:51-56 Tim Gustafson The anti-God bumper stickers covering the car seized the attention of a university professor. As a former atheist himself, the professor thought perhaps the owner wanted to make believers angry. “The anger helps the atheist to justify his atheism,” he explained. Then he warned, “All too often, the atheist gets exactly what he is looking for.” In recalling his own journey to faith, this professor noted the concern of a Christian friend who invited him to consider the truth of Christ. His friend’s “sense of urgency was conveyed without a trace of anger.” He never forgot the genuine respect and grace he received that day. Believers in Jesus often take offense when others reject Him. But how does He feel about that rejection? Jesus constantly faced threats and hatred. Once, when a village refused Him hospitality, James and John wanted instant retaliation. “Lord,” they asked, “do you want us to call fire down from heaven to destroy them” (...

  1.20.21- If I counted correctly tomorrow will be the 14th President inaugurated since I was born. I will pray for the safety and peaceful transition of administrations as I have done for many years. God bless America. 2 Chronicles 7. 14  and My people  [ c ] who are called by My name humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.  

 1.20- Blink and Think of God Deuteronomy 32:1-2 Amy Peterson “God is like an eyelid,” my friend Ryley said, and I blinked in surprise. What could she mean by that? “Tell me more,” I replied. Together, we had been studying surprising pictures of God in the Bible, things like God as a laboring mother (Isaiah 42:14) or as a beekeeper (7:18), but this one was new to me. Ryley pointed me to Deuteronomy 32, where Moses praises the way God takes care of His people. Verse 10 says that God shields and protects His people, guarding them “as the apple of his eye.” But the word we translate apple, Ryley told me, literally means pupil. And what encircles and guards the pupil? The eyelid of course! God is like the eyelid, which instinctively protects the tender eye. The eyelid guards the eye from danger and by blinking helps remove dirt or dust. It keeps sweat out of the eye. It lubricates the eyeball, keeping it healthy. It closes, allowing rest. As I considered the picture of God as an eyelid...

 1.19- The Ministry of Memory Jeremiah 29:4-14 David McCasland Our experiences of loss and disappointment may leave us feeling angry, guilty, and confused. Whether our choices have closed some doors that will never reopen or, through no fault of our own, tragedy has invaded our lives, the result is often what Oswald Chambers called “the unfathomable sadness of ‘the might have been.’” We may try to suppress the painful memory, but discover we can’t. Chambers reminds us that the Lord is still active in our lives. “Never be afraid when God brings back the past,” he said. “Let memory have its way. It is a minister of God with its rebuke and chastisement and sorrow. God will turn the ‘might have been’ into a wonderful [place of growth] for the future.” In Old Testament days when God sent the people of Israel into exile in Babylon, He told them to serve Him in that foreign land and grow in faith until He brought them back to their home. “’For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares th...

 1.18.21- In the afternoon of 9.8.03 Sheila and I went to the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C. After the events of the last six days I remember the words we saw there from the heart of A. Lincoln. I have appreciated the humility he brought to his job in trying to heal the wounds of a divided nation. I come from a family who has needed a lot of mercy as we walked through this life. Were it not for the mercy of God and His kindness expressed through his people after I had messed things up I do not know where I would be right now. I suspect I would be dead. I have gotten myself out on many limbs and then sawed them off and have fallen to the ground. Someone in my family and spiritual family have picked me up and helped me dust myself off and move forward. This has happened over and over for me. Back to the Lincoln Memorial "With malice toward none with charity for all with firmness in the right as God gives us to see the right let us strive on to finish the work we are in to...

 1.17.21- I give my taxes to Caesar, but my soul goes to God. In the ways that my God directs I will give proper honor to a my government unless it asks me to do something different from my calling from God. I will pray for those in authority that we may live a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity. That is all. Matthew 22:21 The Message 21  They said, “Caesar.” “Then give Caesar what is his, and give God what is his.”

 1.16.21- Pursue things that make for peace. As competition for higher audience numbers increases radio and television programs push controversial topics. This is supposed to get them more money but it divides our community and nation. Christians are taught to help the weak and this is work that is always available and makes for peace. I am sad that this year we have had a virtual Civil War and cannot any longer speak of the "peaceful transfer of power". I am praying for more careful listening standards for myself this year and forever in my life. "Oh be careful little ears what you hear." Was a great children's song many of us learned. Romans 14. 19-21  So let’s agree to use all our energy in getting along with each other. Help others with encouraging words; don’t drag them down by finding fault. You’re certainly not going to permit an argument over what is served or not served at supper to wreck God’s work among you, are you? I said it before and I’ll say i...

 1.15.21- What were the people discussing today among your family and friends? How our bodies break down and don't work well sometimes. A man has a locked trigger finger.  Painful to straighten. Covid. 1.13.21, 4,000 deaths per day. Luke 24. 17-18  He asked, “What’s this you’re discussing so intently as you walk along?” They just stood there, long-faced, like they had lost their best friend. Then one of them, his name was Cleopas, said, “Are you the only one in Jerusalem who hasn’t heard what’s happened during the last few days?” The Message. Job 14. 14  1-17  “We’re all adrift in the same boat:      too few days, too many troubles. The Message

 1.14- Crying to God is prayer. Listening to God cry is prayer. Crying with God is prayer. O America. America. God help us draw near to you and each other.   Matthew 23. 37  “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those who have been sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, the way a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were unwilling. 38  Behold, your house is being left to you desolate! 39  For I say to you, from now on you will not see Me until you say, ‘ Blessed is the One who comes in the name of the Lord !’”  

 1.13- We as followers of Jesus are called to be subject to our government.   It comes to us from God. It exists to bless us as Christians who want to do good things.   For those in our society who want to do bad things our government puts the fear of God into them.   Lawlessness and violence will be dealt with in a way that puts an end to insurrection.   We give to our government as Christians the respect of our input through prayers and voting with a good conscience.   We give our taxes to build up a good nation.   This requires a renewed focus this morning.   I remind us of this verse today.   “   Be a good citizen. All governments are under God. Insofar as there is peace and order, it’s God’s order. So live responsibly as a citizen. If you’re irresponsible to the state, then you’re irresponsible with God, and God will hold you responsible. Duly constituted authorities are only a threat if you’re trying to get by with somethin...