Psalm 3 ~ You, O Lord, are a shield about me, my Glory, and the lifter of my head.

Psalm 3

O Lord, how many are my foes!
Many are rising against me;
2 many are saying of my soul,
there is no salvation for him in God. Selah

3 But you, O Lord, are a shield about me,
my glory, and the lifter of my head.
4 I cried aloud to the Lord,
and he answered me from his holy hill. Selah

5 I lay down and slept;
I woke again, for the Lord sustained me.
6 I will not be afraid of many thousands of people
who have set themselves against me all around.

7 Arise, O Lord!
Save me, O my God!
For you strike all my enemies on the cheek;
you break the teeth of the wicked.

8 Salvation belongs to the Lord;
your blessing be on your people! Selah

Several months ago I went with a friend into their forest at night in a golf cart. We saw eyes. Lots of eyes. What IS THAT???

Multitudes of two to four inch baby bunnies.
Hardly vicious.
 And then they started hopping, we woke them.

When we read about foes, uprisings, enemies, teeth, wicked....

We picture our worst fears and the battles of the Old Testament.

And then on a more serious note, a friend decided to train a beautiful small horse - the horse had tried to impale himself and spent weeks in recovery running in circles, later was constantly tearing at his fence. His owner had trained horses before but this five year old gelding had been deemed untrainable and was now simply miserable in the pasture. A good effort was made and several knowledgeable people worked up a plan for round paddock training and saddle breaking. The horse wouldn't have it and was found mortally wounded. A very sad thing.

For the horse, he had turned his environment to verse 7

Save me, O my God!
For you strike all my enemies on the cheek;
you break the teeth of the wicked.

The small horse failed to see past his own ideas and see verse 8

Salvation belongs to the Lord;
your blessing be on your people! Selah


What of the good deed?

Hebrews 11:1
Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.

2 Corinthians 5:7
For we walk by faith, not by sight.

What about God and His reaction to a horse too intent on self to see the good around him?

Colossians 1:16
For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him.

Jesus, we are told in Revelation - rides a Horse

Revelation 6:2
I looked, and there before me was a white horse! Its rider held a bow, and he was given a crown, and he rode out as a conqueror bent on conquest.

Isaiah, Genesis and Revelation speak through the Holy Spirit telling us, Heaven as a place the lion rests with the lamb. Elijah and Elisha were given glimpses of this.

Genesis 2:19
Now out of the ground the Lord God had formed every beast of the field and every bird of the heavens and brought them to the man to see what he would call them. And whatever the man called every living creature, that was its name.

God is - just - and- that generous. His mission statement is - To Save the World. His plan...

Ephesians 1
that he lavished on us. With all wisdom and understanding, 9 he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, 10 to be put into effect when the times reach their fulfillment—to bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ.

Some blessings must be seen with faith. God moving and interweaving the harsher realities of life to His Glory.

Praise God for His mercy, His blessings and His Promises. He daily renews mercies and daily lifts us up. In Jesus, Our Savior. We pray for the comfort of those working towards Good. In Jesus. Amen. 

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Mark 1 ~ The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

Mark 1

The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

2 As it is written in Isaiah the prophet,

“Behold, I send my messenger before your face,
who will prepare your way,
3 the voice of one crying in the wilderness:
‘Prepare the way of the Lord,
make his paths straight,’”

9 In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. 10 And when he came up out of the water, immediately he saw the heavens being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. 11 And a voice came from heaven, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.”

14 Now after John was arrested, Jesus came into Galilee, proclaiming the gospel of God, 15 and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.”

Scripture for Today Blogspot has been publishing since 2007. This is the first post where a friend has died.

Mary made these scarves for us and that was a beautiful day. Mary told me that day I had enormous changes coming my way and she could see that. Tricia has always had a special place in her heart for Mary. Saying being a widow, or single, is a challenge.

We help each other, listen to one another and I expect, part of my life's greatest joy has come from this group. We discovered the ability to hush each other up and listen to the harder parts of life. Several of us have had a lot of healing from being able to express ourselves.

There is a Word in Scriptures saying - Be still and know I am God.

We did that. We pressed down polite 'don't tell me' and listened. One of us recovered so much from maternal abuse that she went on from a medical condition pressing on her - to find a man who wants to marry her and she is raising a teenager again. Not just existence but Joy.

We did that. We inverted a pecking order and asked all of us to express who we are -

Today, Mary has gone on to be with Jesus.

We did that. We Prepared a way of the Lord. We encouraged, prayed, communicated and even held Mary's comatose hand to pray with her. Later we reasoned, the body may sleep, but the soul is awake. And we would have done more if asked.

What would Jesus say to our group?

“You are my beloved Children; with you I am well pleased.”

For Mary - her time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. He helped her eighty years end rather quickly. We all agreed that suffering is awful. Mary said she was ready - she just wanted to go quickly. Mary knew about repentance and believed in the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

Mary will see the 12 pearl gates. She will know the hills and highways of Heaven Isaiah told her about. But mostly Mary will see what she longed to see - Jesus.

How do we know this - our discussions sometimes ran His Course -

1 Thessalonians 4:13-18
But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. 14 

For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep. 15 For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16 

For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 

Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. 18 

Therefore encourage one another with these words.


And this -

1 Thessalonians 4:13
But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope.

I know Mary because we have worshiped Jesus together.

1 Peter 1:3
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ!

In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable
and undefiled
and will not fade away,
reserved in heaven for you, 5
who are protected by the power of God
through faith for salvation

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ!

Colossians 1:24-2:7 ~ rooted and built up in Him

Colossians 1:24-2:7

24 Now I rejoice in what was suffered for you, and I fill up in my flesh what is still lacking in regard to Christ's afflictions, for the sake of his body, which is the church. 25 I have become its servant by the commission God gave me to present to you the word of God in its fullness— 26 the mystery that has been kept hidden for ages and generations, but is now disclosed to the saints. 27 To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. 

28 We proclaim him, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone perfect in Christ. 29 To this end I labor, struggling with all his energy, which so powerfully works in me.

Colossians 2
1 I want you to know how much I am struggling for you and for those at Laodicea, and for all who have not met me personally. 2 My purpose is that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love, so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ, 3 in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. 4 I tell you this so that no one may deceive you by fine-sounding arguments. 5 For though I am absent from you in body, I am present with you in spirit and delight to see how orderly you are and how firm your faith in Christ is.

6 So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him, 7 rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.


Matthew 17:20
20 “You don’t have enough faith,” Jesus told them. “I tell you the truth, if you had faith even as small as a mustard seed, you could say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it would move. Nothing would be impossible.




Mustard seed and growing Mustard trees in Napa Valley
 

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Matthew 9:18-26 ~ And when Jesus came to the ruler's house and saw the flute players and the crowd making a commotion

Matthew 9:18-26
While he was saying these things to them, behold, a ruler came in and knelt before him, saying, “My daughter has just died, but come and lay your hand on her, and she will live.”

19 And Jesus rose and followed him, with his disciples. 20 And behold, a woman who had suffered from a discharge of blood for twelve years came up behind him and touched the fringe of his garment, 21 for she said to herself, “If I only touch his garment, I will be made well.” 22 Jesus turned, and seeing her he said, “Take heart, daughter; your faith has made you well.” And instantly the woman was made well.

23 And when Jesus came to the ruler's house and saw the flute players and the crowd making a commotion, 24 he said, “Go away, for the girl is not dead but sleeping.” And they laughed at him. 25 But when the crowd had been put outside, he went in and took her by the hand, and the girl arose. 26 And the report of this went through all that district.

Raising Jairus daughter by Polenov,adjusted

Romans 4:20-25
No unbelief made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, 21 fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised. 22 That is why his faith was “counted to him as righteousness.” 23 But the words “it was counted to him” were not written for his sake alone, 24 but for ours also. It will be counted to us who believe in him who raised from the dead Jesus our Lord, 25 who was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification.

Jesus was having a day. His 5th recent miracle. And God framed this beautiful day like this:

Except - Jesus' day was difficult. Imagine the Son of God setting forth to save a child's life - and this was a Hard day! Suspicion surrounded Him. Jesus just kept going forth. Jesus could tell who framed His day and what was at hand.


Philippians 2
Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus,a 6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant,b being born in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself

If you are arguing Jesus ordered them to go away - this is still humility - God not feeling the need to perform to the crowd. Not taking intricate time to explain. Instead fobbing them off with authority.  This is God raising up the child and not demanding Honor for this. The ruler was the man who was running the synagogue - not a likely follower of Jesus - yet, still. a child of God in need; Jairus knew Jesus' healing ministry.

Matthew 6:36
He had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.

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Exodus 15:22-16:10 ~ behold, the glory of the Lord

Exodus 15:22-16:10

Bitter Water Made Sweet

22 Then Moses made Israel set out from the Red Sea, and they went into the wilderness of Shur. They went three days in the wilderness and found no water. 23 When they came to Marah, they could not drink the water of Marah because it was bitter; therefore it was named Marah.^[bitter] 24 And the people grumbled against Moses, saying, “What shall we drink?” 25 And he cried to the Lord, and the Lord showed him a log, and he threw it into the water, and the water became sweet.

There the Lord made for them a statute and a rule, and there he tested them, 26 saying,
“If you will diligently listen to the voice of the Lord your God, and do that which is right in his eyes, and give ear to his commandments and keep all his statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you that I put on the Egyptians, for I am the Lord, your healer.”

27 Then they came to Elim, where there were twelve springs of water and seventy palm trees, and they encamped there by the water.

Bread from Heaven

16 They set out from Elim, and all the congregation of the people of Israel came to the wilderness of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after they had departed from the land of Egypt. 2 And the whole congregation of the people of Israel grumbled against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness, 3 and the people of Israel said to them, “Would that we had died by the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the meat pots and ate bread to the full, for you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger.”

4 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Behold, I am about to rain bread from heaven for you, and the people shall go out and gather a day's portion every day, that I may test them, whether they will walk in my law or not. 5 On the sixth day, when they prepare what they bring in, it will be twice as much as they gather daily.” 6 So Moses and Aaron said to all the people of Israel, “At evening you shall know that it was the Lord who brought you out of the land of Egypt, 7 and in the morning you shall see the glory of the Lord, because he has heard your grumbling against the Lord. For what are we, that you grumble against us?” 8 And Moses said, “When the Lord gives you in the evening meat to eat and in the morning bread to the full, because the Lord has heard your grumbling that you grumble against him—what are we? Your grumbling is not against us but against the Lord.”

9 Then Moses said to Aaron, “Say to the whole congregation of the people of Israel, ‘Come near before the Lord, for he has heard your grumbling.’” 10 And as soon as Aaron spoke to the whole congregation of the people of Israel, they looked toward the wilderness,
and behold,
the glory of the Lord
appeared in the cloud.

Isn't God interesting? We heard the Universe began with a Big Bang. And later science said Big Bangs. If you look at Genesis 1, we read Big Bangs.

Father God sees His Creation as good.

God tells us about His Creation:

Isaiah 6
In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the traina of his robe filled the temple. 2 Above him stood the seraphim. Each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. 3 And one called to another and said:

“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts;
the whole earth is full of his glory!”

So, the earth has glimpses of Heaven!!! Jesus is Living Water and He is Bread of Heaven. Look at the landscape pictures with me - God uses the palette of beach and of wheat fields and the colors match!!!

What did our Hero Savior Jesus say to the people witnessing His grace upon grace?

Matthew 13:16
Blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear.

In the Glory of Jesus, Son of God Most High - we see glimpses of Heaven.


Father God, Bless us each day with Your Grace. Let us live to You. And surround us each day with renewed mercies. Open our eyes to see Your abundant daily benefits. We ask for blessings in Jesus Christ. Amen.

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Prior Scripture Today Post Exodus 15

Exodus 15:1-21 ~ You stretched out your right hand; the earth swallowed them

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1,500 Tulsa DGers. Mike Treat - TD - put on an Excellent Tournament! Thank you Mike Treat!. The first night was award winning bbq - Rib Crib. Filled with Great DG photography rolling amazing pictures on four huge screens. The Tulsa Event Center was spectacular with colored lights beaming. The speeches were brisk and to the point!!! Got a wood carved mini with Edward Gardere carved in. The Players Party was Tulsa Historical Society - Woo Hoo! Towering Trees. Lake holes - four disk donation - ouch.

This was a lot of hard work! Thank you Mike Treat and his team!!!

Congratulations to Barryjoe Rogers on his win at US Masters! Great shooting and a good Victory! We needed a new (used) car for the trip - it was about time! And Barryjoe bought my Cadillac last time - so goes to show you - coincidences abound for those who love Him!!!

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Matthew 10:24-33 ~ Do not be afraid

Matthew 10:24-33

24 "A student is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master. 25 It is enough for the student to be like his teacher, and the servant like his master. If the head of the house has been called Beelzebub, how much more the members of his household!

26 "So do not be afraid of them. There is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, or hidden that will not be made known. 27 What I tell you in the dark, speak in the daylight; what is whispered in your ear, proclaim from the roofs. 28 Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell. 29 Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father. 30 And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. 31 So don't be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.

32 "Whoever acknowledges me before men, I will also acknowledge him before my Father in heaven. 33 But whoever disowns me before men, I will disown him before my Father in heaven.



We want to protect our little flock. Give them every advantage.

We don't want dark or scary things to happen.

Jesus gave us the seed parable. He expected talents, seeds to germinate and bear fruit. He expected life to test us.

Job 23:8-10
If I go east, He is not there, and if I go west, I cannot perceive Him. 9 When He is at work to the north, I cannot see Him; when He turns south, I cannot find Him. 10 Yet He knows the way I have taken; when He has tested me, I will emerge as pure gold.

James 1
“My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trial, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.”

1 Thessalonians 2:4
Just as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, so we speak, not to please man, but to please God who tests our hearts.


Therefore - Life is a test of our basic - soul.


And...
The next part is up to us. What do we expect of God? What we would rely upon Him for.

Jesus tells us God is our Father. He adopts John on the way to the cross and His first conversation upon Victory over Death is the adoption of Mary Magdalene.

What do we expect from our Father?

Do we truly believe ~ 'He has so many children. He can't notice me.' How is the Universe you "Created"? Does God have limits? God - your Father - called you by name - He planned your days.

Where are you headed?

Jeremiah 1:5a
“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you...

Romans 12
be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect

Acts 2
you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself.







Mark 16:15
And he said to them, “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation."

This is daunting. God told us more about that.

1. Baker (Genesis 40:5)
2. Cupbearer - Pharmacist, Maid, Butler, Waiter(Nehemiah 1:11; compare Genesis 40:21)
3. Cooks, moms, food workers (1 Samuel 9:23-24)
4. Fishermen (Isaiah 19:8; Matthew 4:18)
5. Hunters (Jeremiah 16:16)
6. Shepherds (Luke 2:8)
7. Farmer (Genesis 4:2)
8. Harvester (Isaiah 17:5)
9. Plower -Equipment (Psalm 129:3)
10. Judge (Luke 18:2)
11. Doctor - Health Care Luke 1
12. King (1 Samuel 8:5)
13. Governor (Genesis 42:6)
14. Government worker - Matthew
15. Deputy (Acts 13:7)
16. Centurion (Judges 9:54)
17. Scribe (Matthew 5:2)
18. Carpenter (2 Samuel 5:11)
19. Smiths (1 Samuel 13:19)
20. Merchant (Genesis 23:16)
21. Potter ( Jeremiah 18:2; Romans 9:21)

God is using people in their lives. The lives He gave us. Using conversations. God is having us develop relationships.

Surely God gives us lives, talents, people. God changes people, events, timing - for His Plan.


Develop your talent. Your voice. Your way to be in hearts for His Good. God helps us be doing His Plan, He is not the abandoning God.


Hebrews 13:
Now the God of peace, who brought up from the dead the great Shepherd of the sheep through the blood of the eternal covenant, even Jesus our Lord, 21 equip you in every good thing to do His will, working in us that which is pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen.

God will do His promises.

Luke 12:32
“Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom."

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