Soul Retreats: A Spot of Tea

God is aware of the complexities and stress-filled circumstances that you face in your life. God cares. He cares so much that he has provided many natural foods that will strengthen and renew body and mind and help you relax and recoup your energy. 

When you find yourself feeling the stress, boil the water, steep the tea and sit for a moment, allowing yourself to enjoy the incredible benefits of a simple cup of tea. These benefits shouldn't be seen as substitutes for more sophisticated remedies our doctors prescribe for us. But they do represent a wonderful provision for helping us cope successfully in our world. 

Relax, and know that God created tea for your benefit.

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God causeth the grass to grow for the cattle, 

and herb for the service of man,

PSALM 104:14

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God blesses the soil which drinks in the rain that often falls on it and which grows plants that are useful to those for whom it is cultivated.

HEBREWS 6:7

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God said, "Behold I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the surface of all the earth, and in every tree which was fruit yielding seed; it shall be food for you.

GENESIS 1:29

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Whatever you do, whether you eat or drink, do it all for God's glory. 

1 CORINTHIANS 10:31

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Your heart shall rejoice, and your bones shall flourish like an herb; and the hand of the Lord shall be known towards his servants. 

ISAIAH 66:14

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O Lord, you preserve both man and beast.. They feast on the abundance of your house; you give them drink from your river of delights. 

PSALM 36:6,8

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I know that there is nothing better for men than to be happy and do good while they live. That everyone may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all his toil - this is the gift of God. 

ECCLESIASTES 3:12-13 

Soul Retreats: Wonder and Awe

God, who is responsible for vastness and complexities of the universe, can certainly strengthen and renew your soul. He called into being the wonders of the sun, the moon, and the stars placed them in their orbits. He can help you rearrange and realign your values and priorities. 

He created the heavens simply by speaking a word. He can speak words deep inside your soul that can set you free from burdens and cares. You already know that he cares - after all, he's written it in the sky.

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When I consider your heavens, 

the work of your fingers,

the moon and the stars, 

which you have set in place,

what is man that you are mindful of him, 

the son of man that you care for him? 

PSALM 8:3-4

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The heavens tell about the glory of God.
The skies announce what his hands have made.

PSALM 19:1

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This is what the Lord says - 

your Redeemer, who formed you in the womb;

I am the Lord, who has made all things, 

who alone stretched out the heavens,

who spread out the earth by myself.

ISAIAH 44:24

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The heavens shall praise thy wonders, O Lord; 

thy faithfulness also in the congregation of the saints. 

PSALM 89:5 

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Ever since God created the world, his invisible qualities, both his eternal power and his divine nature, have been clearly seen; they are perceived in the things that God has made. 

ROMANS 1:20 

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He who created the heavens, 

he is God; he who fashioned and made the earth, he founded it;

he did not create it to be empty,

but formed it to be inhabited - 

he says: "I am the Lord, and there is no other." 

ISAIAH 45:18

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This is what the Lord says...

It is I who made the earth

and created mankind upon it.

My own hands stretched out the heavens;

I marshaled their starry hosts.

ISAIAH 45:11-12

God's Generous Provision

“No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and be enslaved to money.

“That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life—whether you have enough food and drink, or enough clothes to wear. Isn’t life more than food, and your body more than clothing? Look at the birds. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren’t you far more valuable to him than they are? Can all your worries add a single moment to your life?

“And why worry about your clothing? Look at the lilies of the field and how they grow. They don’t work or make their clothing, yet Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are. And if God cares so wonderfully for wildflowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, he will certainly care for you. Why do you have so little faith?

“So don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?’ These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.

“So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today.

MATTHEW 6:24-34

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The Lord always keeps his promises;
he is gracious in all he does.

The Lord helps the fallen
and lifts those bent beneath their loads.
The eyes of all look to you in hope;
you give them their food as they need it.
When you open your hand,
you satisfy the hunger and thirst of every living thing.
The Lord is righteous in everything he does;
he is filled with kindness.
The Lord is close to all who call on him,
yes, to all who call on him in truth.
He grants the desires of those who fear him;
he hears their cries for help and rescues them.

The Lord protects all those who love him,
but he destroys the wicked.

I will praise the Lord,
and may everyone on earth bless his holy name
forever and ever.

PSALM 145:13b-21