Matthew 13:1-23 ~ root in Himself

Housing in Israel during the days Jesus lived, moved on earth, giving us grace and truth. Rooms were small, house centered around a courtyard, windows were shuttered and the roof would have a tent and be used for outdoor living.


Archaeological Capernaum

Matthew 13:1-23

English Standard Version, David Cochran Audio

That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat beside the sea. 2 And great crowds gathered about him, so that he got into a boat and sat down. And the whole crowd stood on the beach. 3 And he told them many things in parables, saying: “A sower went out to sow. 4 And as he sowed, some seeds fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured them. 5 Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and immediately they sprang up, since they had no depth of soil, 6 but when the sun rose they were scorched. And since they had no root, they withered away. 7 Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. 8 Other seeds fell on good soil and produced grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. 9 He who has ears, let him hear.”

10 Then the disciples came and said to him, “Why do you speak to them in parables?” 11 And he answered them, “To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given. 12 For to the one who has, more will be given, and he will have an abundance, but from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. 13 This is why I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand. 14 Indeed, in their case the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled that says:

“‘You will indeed hear but never understand,
and you will indeed see but never perceive.
15 For this people's heart has grown dull,
and with their ears they can barely hear,
and their eyes they have closed,
lest they should see with their eyes
and hear with their ears
and understand with their heart
and turn, and I would heal them.’

16 But blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear. 17 For truly, I say to you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.

18 “Hear then the parable of the sower: 19 When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what has been sown in his heart. This is what was sown along the path. 20 As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy, 21 yet he has no root in himself, but endures for a while, and when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately he falls away. 22 As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and it proves unfruitful. 23 As for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it. He indeed bears fruit and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty.”

Look at the good archaeological bones the digs have brought unearthing Capernaum. (Luke 10:15 And you, Capernaum, will you be lifted up to the skies? No, you will go down to the depths.)

Such a pretty town, located in the most fertile Sea of Galilee coast, with views of the Sea. No wonder Jesus chose Capernaum as his adult hometown. (Matthew 4:13 And leaving Nazareth he went and lived in Capernaum by the sea, in the territory of Zebulun and Naphtali.) Remember what causes a ruin. A ruin is caused by devastation, abandonment or prosperity. In devastation, only small parts will be discovered. Abandonment makes the best ruins for archaeology. Prosperity is iffy for posterity, sometimes covered over and preserved, sometimes ripped to fragments.

What do we know of Capernaum architecturally and historically. This is where the Jesus Boat was found in 1986 during drought. An intact ship, the kind dated to the day of grace and truth when Jesus prayed, walked, listened, asked and healed. Where the wealthy, largest home of Peter was used as a Church, as Peter went out to spread the Good News. The graffiti types and messaged date to about identical as the tomb of Peter found 80 feet below the Vatican Altar today (a complete village similar to the photo except underground).

So, what did Jesus' hometown do with the verbal seeds planted by the ministry Jesus based in Capernaum? Capernaum is a suburb of Kinneret, listed by Joshua as one of the fortified cities in the Naftali tribe. Capernaum grows up just before Jesus and is a Roman city made in logical grids. When we remember Jerusalem was utterly destroyed by the soon to be Roman Emperor Titus, in 70 A.D., we remember Jesus forgave everyone on the cross. It wouldn't have made Jesus sacrifice and forgiveness for us so majestic, if God had allowed the destruction to occur during Jesus' natural lifetime. The people of Jesus' day lived in mostly orderly rule.

Other seeds fell on good soil and produced grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. Capernaum - where Luke 4:23 records Jesus did so many miracles and signs, where people knew to look for Him - fared much better than Jerusalem in 70 A.D. Peter's house was overflowing with people coming to worship Jesus after He ascended into Heaven. They even added onto the house to accommodate larger numbers of worshipers and pilgrims.

During the three Jewish Revolts against Rome - still good soil. Capernaum is recorded as being a "fertile spring" by Josephus. Many mills for grain and fisheries are in continuous operation and the town expands.

What would Jesus have said to the new 4th century Synagogue on top of the one where He taught and the new Byzantine Church built over (literally, they did not destroy) Peter's house? He probably would have been pleased they were much more interested in peace. And mixed emotions over a prosperity peace seeking than true peace. Perhaps, perhaps He would have called this a seed being choked by weeds. Maybe.

Capernaum isn't intact, as we see in the photo. In the 6th century, Persia invaded, the Church and Synagogue were destroyed. Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and immediately they sprang up, since they had no depth of soil, 6 but when the sun rose they were scorched.

The Persian invasion left Capernaum unmolested, until the 11th century, to continue to provide fish and grain. Until later the town of Capernaum was destroyed, as the Persians continued to be a governing force. And since they had no root, they withered away. 7 Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them.

What will we do with this Capernaum analogy with seeds and the words of our Messiah? Capernaum is like Gideon; we are like Gideon. God didn't see Gideon as weak. God saw Gideon, outside of time, as a great child of His. We can call Gideon as a work in progress.

Judges 6:11-22

11 Now the angel of the Lord came and sat under the terebinth at Ophrah, which belonged to Joash the Abiezrite, while his son Gideon was beating out wheat in the winepress to hide it from the Midianites. 12 And the angel of the Lord appeared to him and said to him, “The Lord is with you, O mighty man of valor.” 13 And Gideon said to him, “Please, sir, if the Lord is with us, why then has all this happened to us? And where are all his wonderful deeds that our fathers recounted to us, saying, ‘Did not the Lord bring us up from Egypt?’ But now the Lord has forsaken us and given us into the hand of Midian.” 14 And the Lord turned to him and said, “Go in this might of yours and save Israel from the hand of Midian; do not I send you?” 15 And he said to him, “Please, Lord, how can I save Israel? Behold, my clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father's house.” 16 And the Lord said to him, “But I will be with you, and you shall strike the Midianites as one man.” 17 And he said to him, “If now I have found favor in your eyes, then show me a sign that it is you who speak with me. 18 Please do not depart from here until I come to you and bring out my present and set it before you.” And he said, “I will stay till you return.”

19 So Gideon went into his house and prepared a young goat and unleavened cakes from an ephah of flour. The meat he put in a basket, and the broth he put in a pot, and brought them to him under the terebinth and presented them. 20 And the angel of God said to him, “Take the meat and the unleavened cakes, and put them on this rock, and pour the broth over them.” And he did so. 21 Then the angel of the Lord reached out the tip of the staff that was in his hand and touched the meat and the unleavened cakes. And fire sprang up from the rock and consumed the meat and the unleavened cakes. And the angel of the Lord vanished from his sight. 22 Then Gideon perceived that he was the angel of the Lord. And Gideon said, “Alas, O Lord God! For now I have seen the angel of the Lord face to face.”

Father God, with Your willing blessing, we will seek and work for Peace. In the name of our brother, Jesus Christ, Savior of the World. Amen.


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Other Scripture for Today Blogspot readings on Matthew 13 or Jesus' Parable on Seeds:
August 23, 2009
August 9, 2008
July 24, 2008
March 4, 2010
July 23, 2007
June 2, 2010
February 1, 2008
February 8, 2008
May 10, 2010
October 30, 2007
July 24, 2007

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Prayer Requests ~ abide in me

Matthew 6:7
And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words.

John 15:7
If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you



For Patricia, who is having knee surgery. Her last foot surgery lead to liver failure from the pain meds. The alternative is pain and a wheelchair, doctors have said they will be more careful with meds this time. For healing. For an increase in willingness to get along better with her grown children. For her children.

For the lady who came to our Baylor Parent's League 1st call to prayer group and was appointed to be the new Chairman of the State Board of Texas Education. To do well in her new job in a time of budget crisis. For our new prayer group. A thank you to the Lord for the placement of a praying Christian. For the Governor of Texas trying to get people out to pray knowing God hears and answers our prayers. For the event August the 6th.

For Brooke, getting married on a Naval base to the love of her life. That wedding deliveries will go well in the increased security and a beautiful wedding day.

For Wayne, for his health concerns before his surgery.

For Merit, our Springer Spaniel, for his allergies to diminish and heal.

For all Christ honoring Churches, their leadership and their pastors. To help the Churches correctly address the trepidation people feel in these times in hope. For the Holy Spirit to awaken people in the response to their prayers. For the generation starting out, so many pressures - for the Light of Jesus to shine as a beacon.

For the economy and the world to be refocused on Christ-given opportunities ahead, in hope, instead of worry. In the name of Jesus, I open my hands in prayer, looking for the willingness of the Father to bless. Amen.


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1 John 3:11-21 ~ God is greater

1 John 3:11-21 ~ God is greater

I Believe in Love - BarlowGirl
The chorus of this song was written on the wall of a concentration camp and was found after it was over... to think someone going through so much as the holocaust could have so much faith...
-


1 John 3:11-21 (Today's New International Version)

11 For this is the message you heard from the beginning: We should love one another. 12 Do not be like Cain, who belonged to the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his own actions were evil and his brother's were righteous. 13 Do not be surprised, my brothers and sisters, if the world hates you. 14 We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love each other. Anyone who does not love remains in death. 15 Anyone who hates a fellow believer is a murderer, and you know that no murderers have eternal life in them.

16 This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for one another. 17 If any one of you has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in you? 18 Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth.

19 This is how we know that we belong to the truth and how we set our hearts at rest in his presence: 20 If our hearts condemn us, we know that God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything. 21 Dear friends, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God.

Written by Rev. Ken Kingston, Methodist Church U.K.

John has themes that he returns to again and again as he writes. In the first part of the letter he talks about God as being light, without any darkness at all. He then goes on to speak about God as love – "this is the message you have heard from the beginning" – we should love another (verse 11), as Jesus loves us.

In this passage there is an allusion back to Jesus' teaching of the 'Sermon on the Mount' in Matthew's Gospel (chapters 5-7). Jesus not only says that those who commit murder will be open to judgement, but anyone who is angry or insults their brother or sister will be similarly liable (Matthew 5:21-22). Not to love then, is to be in God's judgement as sin.

Love, as John rightly suggests, should consume our whole being, and be evident from every pore of our body. What we do, what we say and what we think will reveal us to be people of love and people of God.

~ My additional comment would be, this is the love John saw modeled by Jesus. This would be John's eyewitness account of what drew the disciples of Jesus and the crowds Jesus had such compassion upon. We, of course, pale in comparison.

Come, Lord Jesus, dwell in me.

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Isaiah 62 ~ And they shall be called The Holy People, The Redeemed of the Lord; and you shall be called Sought Out, A City Not Forsaken.

Isaiah 62

English Standard Version, David Cochran Audio

For Zion's sake I will not keep silent,
and for Jerusalem's sake I will not be quiet,
until her righteousness goes forth as brightness,
and her salvation as a burning torch.
2 The nations shall see your righteousness,
and all the kings your glory,
and you shall be called by a new name
that the mouth of the Lord will give.
3 You shall be a crown of beauty in the hand of the Lord,
and a royal diadem in the hand of your God.
4 You shall no more be termed Forsaken,
and your land shall no more be termed Desolate,
but you shall be called My Delight Is in Her,
and your land Married;
for the Lord delights in you,
and your land shall be married.
5 For as a young man marries a young woman,
so shall your sons marry you,
and as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride,
so shall your God rejoice over you.

6 On your walls, O Jerusalem,
I have set watchmen;
all the day and all the night
they shall never be silent.
You who put the Lord in remembrance,
take no rest,
7 and give him no rest
until he establishes Jerusalem
and makes it a praise in the earth.
8 The Lord has sworn by his right hand
and by his mighty arm:
“I will not again give your grain
to be food for your enemies,
and foreigners shall not drink your wine
for which you have labored;
9 but those who garner it shall eat it
and praise the Lord,
and those who gather it shall drink it
in the courts of my sanctuary.”

10 Go through, go through the gates;
prepare the way for the people;
build up, build up the highway;
clear it of stones;
lift up a signal over the peoples.
11 Behold, the Lord has proclaimed
to the end of the earth:
Say to the daughter of Zion,
“Behold, your salvation comes;
behold, his reward is with him,
and his recompense before him.”
12 And they shall be called The Holy People,
The Redeemed of the Lord;
and you shall be called Sought Out,
A City Not Forsaken.

The Holy People. High Church. Low Church (not liturgical, more contemporary music). Any which way in between. People seeking the Lord. Isaiah 62 reminds me of Joel Olsteen saying "One touch, one touch, just a glimmer of God's favor is a blessing indeed."

http://theresponseusa.com/downloads/the_response_promo_480p.mov

I am tired of the news. I am tired of hearing of riots, needs unmet. I've read the news with trepidation, lately. At Church on Sunday I was surprised to hear that Texas Governor Rick Perry woke up in the middle of the night, from a sleep last November, believing God had spoken to him.

Rick Perry says, "We believe that America is in a state of crisis. Not just politically, financially or morally, but because we are a nation that has not honored God in our successes or humbly called on Him in our struggles. According to the Bible, the answer to a nation in such crisis is to gather in humility and repentance and ask God to intervene. The Response will be a historic gathering of people from across the nation to pray and fast for America."

The media has lined up. Governors all over the USA have been invited. So, now people are offended. Who is excluded? Oh. So. What.

I'm ready for this to happen. Our Church gathered with 30 Churches from different denominations and it was TERRIFIC!! What an atmosphere of expectation for the LORD to hear us! I'm ready not to hear about war. I am ready for people to look to God for favor. I plan on being in attendance. This isn't just for America, this for the redeemed of the Lord. I hope you will join this event - in prayer - wherever you are - geographically or spiritually. Let's all Look Up to the Lord.

Historic Crisis
Historic Response
Historic Breakthrough.

http://theresponseusa.com/


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Matthew 6 ~ practicing your righteousness

This band Only Gets Better - the More it Rolls!

Matthew 6

English Standard Version, David Cochran Audio

1 “Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven.

2 “Thus, when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. 3 But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4 so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

5 “And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. 6 But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

7 “And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words. 8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. 9 Pray then like this:

“Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name [Let your name be kept holy, or Let your name be treated with reverence ]
10 Your kingdom come,
your will be done
on earth as it is in heaven.
11 Give us this day our daily bread [our bread for tomorrow],
12 and forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
13 And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.

14 For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, 15 but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

16 “And when you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. 17 But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, 18 that your fasting may not be seen by others but by your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

19 “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, 20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

22 “The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light, 23 but if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!

24 “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.

25 “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? 26 Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? 27 And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life [single cubit to his stature; a cubit was about 18 inches] ? 28 And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, 29 yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30 But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? 31 Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

34 “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

Shofar Trumpet -God calls us to Him with a Trumpet


Josephus records the Temple Treasury being thirteen trumpet-like receptacles of brass. ("Ant." xix. 61, "B. J." v. 2, Jewish Encyclopedia) Shaped to prevent dishonest people from taking out coins while pretending to cast them in. The description of the trumpets being brass also means the correct Temple coinage - (available for exchange on the Temple grounds in Royal Stoa, or Portico, built by Herod) the coins made a noise going down the trumpet, perfect for showing off.



When Jesus told of going into the vast, wonderful Temple and seeing all the people - He saw the widow putting her coins into the Temple treasury. All she had. (Mark 12:35-44) Jesus saw the Religious Elite sitting in the best places, but He still saw and understood the widow's generosity.

When we combine the Mark 12 Gospel and the Matthew 6 chapter, we see again Jesus' eye saw further than we can hope to see. Jesus tells us of generosity in this passage, and in our priorities, but Jesus goes further than any observation, telling us more about God's willingness to bless.

God's righteousness doesn't dwell on shortcomings, but is upbeat. Not gloomy. God's eye blesses us with Light!

Psalm 139:17
How precious to me are your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them!

Psalm 33:11
But the plans of the LORD stand firm forever, the purposes of his heart through all generations.

Psalm 40:5
Many, O LORD my God, are the wonders you have done. The things you planned for us no one can recount to you; were I to speak and tell of them, they would be too many to declare.



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Other Scripture for Today Blogspot readings on Matthew 6 or the Lord's Prayer:
April 12, 2011
October 13, 2010
September 28, 2007


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Psalm 145:2-9 ~ One generation shall commend Your works to another, and shall declare Your mighty acts.

Psalm 145:2-9

2 Every day I will bless you
and praise your name forever and ever.
3 Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised,
and his greatness is unsearchable.

4 One generation shall commend your works to another,
and shall declare your mighty acts.
5 On the glorious splendor of your majesty,
and on your wondrous works, I will meditate.
6 They shall speak of the might of your awesome deeds,
and I will declare your greatness.
7 They shall pour forth the fame of your abundant goodness
and shall sing aloud of your righteousness.

8 The Lord is gracious and merciful,
slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.
9 The Lord is good to all,
and his mercy is over all that he has made.

"It cannot be emphasized too strongly or too often that this great nation was founded not by religionists, but by Christians; not on religions, but on the gospel of Jesus Christ. For that reason alone, people of other faiths have been afforded freedom of worship here."
- Patrick Henry

"This is all the inheritance I can give my dear family. The religion of Christ can give them one which will make them rich indeed."
- Patrick Henry

"It is necessary for the welfare of the nation that men's lives be based on the principles of the Bible. No man, educated or uneducated, can afford to be ignorant of the Bible."
- Theodore Roosevelt

"We Recognize No Sovereign but God, and no King but Jesus!
- John Adams and John Hancock, Founding Fathers (April 18, 1775)

"Without God there is no virtue because there is no prompting of the conscience...without God there is a coarsening of the society; without God democracy will not and cannot long endure...If we ever forget that we are One Nation Under God, then we will be a Nation gone under."
- Ronald Reagan

I do not believe that the Constitution was the offspring of inspiration, but I am as satisfied that it is as much the work of a Divine Providence as any of the miracles recorded in the Old and New Testament.
- Benjamin Rush


We overlook men trying to do the will of God. We try to judge their hearts in an attempt to understand what really made them tick. Why this debate, do we believe - If we do not pass the test of perfection, we cannot be a Christ follower. Surely we must join in men rejoicing in God's blessings.

Thank You, Father God, for Your Greatness. The Mighty Acts You've given to enjoy freedom. To bask in the efforts of people willing to do acts of greatness greater than their capabilities or giving us acts of sacrifice. Mankind blessing us with Your abundant goodness. You are good to all, and Your mercy is over all You have made. In the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.


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(Blessed and glad to be back after a Rainstorm, in Texas, knocked out the internet!!!)


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Other Scripture for Today Blogspot readings on Psalm 145:
December 10, 2009
July 26, 2010

Matthew 9:14-17 ~ the Bridegroom is with them

Jesus teaches by the sea, painted by James Tissot. 3D.

Matthew 9:14-17

English Standard Version, David Cochran Audio

14 Then the disciples of John came to him (Jesus) , saying, “Why do we and the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast?” 15 And Jesus said to them, “Can the wedding guests mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them? The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast. 16 No one puts a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment, for the patch tears away from the garment, and a worse tear is made. 17 Neither is new wine put into old wineskins. If it is, the skins burst and the wine is spilled and the skins are destroyed. But new wine is put into fresh wineskins, and so both are preserved.”

Oblation - an offering. In Communion, it is when the bread and wine become an offertory. We always have Jesus, the Bridegroom, with us. Especially when we earnestly put out our hearts and ask Him to direct us, or be with us.

Matthew 18:20
For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.


Matthew 28:20
behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age


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Other Scripture for Today Blogspot readings on Matthew 9:14-17 and new wine:
January 18, 2010
July 5, 2008
January 19, 2011


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Psalm 147 ~ those who hope in his steadfast love

Psalm 147

English Standard Version, David Cochran Audio


Praise the Lord!
For it is good to sing praises to our God;
for it is pleasant, [for he is beautiful] and a song of praise is fitting.
2 The Lord builds up Jerusalem;
he gathers the outcasts of Israel.
3 He heals the brokenhearted
and binds up their wounds.
4 He determines the number of the stars;
he gives to all of them their names.

5 Great is our Lord, and abundant in power;
his understanding is beyond measure.
6 The Lord lifts up the humble [afflicted];
he casts the wicked to the ground.

7 Sing to the Lord with thanksgiving;
make melody to our God on the lyre!
8 He covers the heavens with clouds;
he prepares rain for the earth;
he makes grass grow on the hills.
9 He gives to the beasts their food,
and to the young ravens that cry.
10 His delight is not in the strength of the horse,
nor his pleasure in the legs of a man,
11 but the Lord takes pleasure in those who fear him,
in those who hope in his steadfast love.

12 Praise the Lord, O Jerusalem!
Praise your God, O Zion!
13 For he strengthens the bars of your gates;
he blesses your children within you.

14 He makes peace in your borders;
he fills you with the finest of the wheat.
15 He sends out his command to the earth;
his word runs swiftly.
16 He gives snow like wool;
he scatters hoarfrost like ashes.
17 He hurls down his crystals of ice like crumbs;
who can stand before his cold?
18 He sends out his word, and melts them;
he makes his wind blow and the waters flow.

19 He declares his word to Jacob,
his statutes and rules [just decrees] to Israel.
20 He has not dealt thus with any other nation;
they do not know his rules [just decrees].
Praise the Lord!

On a summer night around a fire, when it is still, it's so pleasing to hear the summer night noises. God draws us to Him in the still, quiet.

The Lord determines. He is good. He gathers, He heals, He binds up, He gives. He covers. He prepares. He makes. He delights. His pleasure. His Word.

In Him, we live, we move and have our dwelling. In Christ Jesus our Lord.


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Other Scripture for Today Blogspot readings on Psalm 147:
December 31, 2010
February 12, 2010
November 21, 2010

Hebrews 11:1-3, 32-40 ~ by faith we understand

Hebrews 11:1-3, 32-40

English Standard Version, David Cochran Audio

Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. 2 For by it the people of old received their commendation. 3 By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible.

English Standard Version, David Cochran Audio

32 And what more shall I say? For time would fail me to tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets— 33 who through faith conquered kingdoms, enforced justice, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, 34 quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, were made strong out of weakness, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight. 35 Women received back their dead by resurrection. Some were tortured, refusing to accept release, so that they might rise again to a better life. 36 Others suffered mocking and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. 37 They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were killed with the sword. They went about in skins of sheep and goats, destitute, afflicted, mistreated— 38 of whom the world was not worthy—wandering about in deserts and mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth.

39 And all these, though commended through their faith, did not receive what was promised, 40 since God had provided something better for us, that apart from us they should not be made perfect.

If you happened to see bing's video "10 Highly Disputed Religious Artifacts" you are going to experience more of what you already know. People Cannot Agree What These Objects Are. And as a result we see them with faith or we don't. No artifact in the world is going to give faith.


Christianity makes an astonishing claim. Jesus Christ is God's only Son. Jesus Christ fulfills the many, many requirements of the Old Testament, even into the hundreds. The Gospel went forth in an age without multi-media capabilities and, in 16 years, the Roman Emperors were putting people to death, for almost 300 years, over belief that Jesus Christ is who He says He is and does what He says and returned in triumph over death.

What would be the proof of Jesus returning from the dead? It isn't secret. It isn't hidden. It is right there in the open. People risked death for hundreds of years, millenniums, even today, to spread the Good News. Lives are changed. People are strengthened. Everyone in life has a story of someone who died in a remarkable way (my grandmother, as she was dying, saw all the people she knew and was shaking hands and oh-my-ing). We all have a story of knowledge of used electric heart paddles and they've come back with something to say. Someone who had a miracle. An Act of God. Something they think of and... there it is.... faith. God loves you and cares.

There are real artifacts of the Bible without doubt. http://www.bible-history.com There are hundreds of history books to support the Scriptures. More and more archeology to prove the Scriptures all the time. Are some hoaxes perpetrated to enrich the individual selling it? Sure. The verdict is still out on the James Ossuary. The FBI says the parts they can determine are real. The head of antiquities for the Louvre says it is real. The government’s star witness, Yuval Goren, former chairman of Tel Aviv University’s institute of archaeology, was forced to admit on cross-examination that there is original ancient patina in the word “Jesus,” the last word in the inscription that reads “James, son of Joseph, brother of Jesus.”

Judge Aharon Farkash has wondered, out loud, how to judge when even the experts don't agree - has told the prosecution to consider dropping the case.

Or consider the evidence of the Exodus in this Netherlands museum called the Ipuwer Papyrus where most of the plagues are listed in this ancient complainer's letter wondering why the government doesn't have better control over complete and utter disaster. (!)

What would God have to say about all this search for proof and continued doubt?

Luke 16:
24 And he (the rich man) called out, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the end of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am in anguish in this flame.’

25 But Abraham said, ‘Child, remember that you in your lifetime received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner bad things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in anguish. 26 And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, in order that those who would pass from here to you may not be able, and none may cross from there to us.’

27 And he said, ‘Then I beg you, father, to send him to my father's house— 28 for I have five brothers —so that he may warn them, lest they also come into this place of torment.’

29 But Abraham said, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them.’ 30 And he said, ‘No, father Abraham, but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent.’ 31 He said to him, ‘If they do not hear Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead.’”



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Romans 7:1-12 ~ the law is sin? By no means!

Romans 7:1-12

English Standard Version, David Cochran Audio

1 Or do you not know, brothers [brothers and sisters] —for I am speaking to those who know the law—that the law is binding on a person only as long as he lives? 2 For a married woman is bound by law to her husband while he lives, but if her husband dies she is released from the law of marriage [law concerning the husband]. 3 Accordingly, she will be called an adulteress if she lives with another man while her husband is alive. But if her husband dies, she is free from that law, and if she marries another man she is not an adulteress.

4 Likewise, my brothers, you also have died to the law through the body of Christ, so that you may belong to another, to him who has been raised from the dead, in order that we may bear fruit for God. 5 For while we were living in the flesh, our sinful passions, aroused by the law, were at work in our members to bear fruit for death. 6 But now we are released from the law, having died to that which held us captive, so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit and not in the old way of the written code [of the letter] .

7 What then shall we say? That the law is sin? By no means! Yet if it had not been for the law, I would not have known sin. For I would not have known what it is to covet if the law had not said, “You shall not covet.” 8 But sin, seizing an opportunity through the commandment, produced in me all kinds of covetousness. For apart from the law, sin lies dead. 9 I was once alive apart from the law, but when the commandment came, sin came alive and I died. 10 The very commandment that promised life proved to be death to me. 11 For sin, seizing an opportunity through the commandment, deceived me and through it killed me. 12 So the law is holy, and the commandment is holy and righteous and good.

This week I am reading a book that came very highly recommended, so highly recommended, I had to read it. Coping with Your Difficult Older Parents, A Guide for Stressed-Out Children, by Grace LeBow, Barbara Kane and Irwin LeBow. Because I am thrifty, I bought it on the internet through Abe Books. This book is golden. Literally. And it is yellow.

What's fascinated me about this book - the personalities & stories, divided into 9 types. A brief summation, almost exactly what you'd want to know and move on, what makes them tick and why. Without the 'balance' people swing into very destructive communication habits and thoughts. And how to listen and deal with them. It explains the behavior we run into - why people go into blind rages for very little reason. Why people push each other away. I particularly enjoyed the chapters having phone calls that were successful and not. A new way at communicating.

How effective is the new way to communicate - limited - it explains not trying to change the individual and not really conveying thoughts leading to conflict. But it isn't the learning and up-building in knowing one another. Successful because there simply are people you cannot please. This explains why. Often it is because the person has deep emotional scars demanding their way or the highway.

How complex we have made life. So many of these scars go back to life pressing in on people and their children. When Paul was writing to the Romans, he was living in Corinth. Both cities had many types of marriage (just live together marriage) and divorce was very high, with few being the Roman type of marriage Confarreatio - marriage until death. For a lot of the world this was a new concept. Why would a marriage-less man like Paul, press for marriage like this? It wouldn't add to his popularity. (Can't you see this live and let live generation, 1st century, being told for the first time that Jesus Christ wants them to stay married for life? "What? What did you say?")

Jesus Christ himself upset the rule makers. He didn't ask for rules to clean up, He asks for understanding. He doesn't tell us if people are hard to get along with, cut and run - like a spouse. He asks for peace in a world not really wanting the calm of peace or the work to get there. People were and are offended by Him. How brave to tell this eat, drink and be merry crowd to do the hard work. How Amazing the World Believed Him. The world works better when we commit to love our spouse and to love our children.



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Other Scripture for Today Blogspot readings on Romans 7:
Friday, April 29, 2011, July 10, 2008 , April 5, 2011

Isaiah 61 ~ Beauty instead of Ashes

Isaiah 61

English Standard Version, David Cochran Audio



The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me,
because the Lord has anointed me
to bring good news to the poor;
he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim liberty to the captives,
and the opening of the prison to those who are bound;

2 to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor,
and the day of vengeance of our God;
to comfort all who mourn;
3 to grant to those who mourn in Zion—
to give them a beautiful headdress instead of ashes,
the oil of gladness instead of mourning,
the garment of praise instead of a faint spirit;
that they may be called oaks of righteousness,
the planting of the Lord, that he may be glorified.

4 They shall build up the ancient ruins;
they shall raise up the former devastations;
they shall repair the ruined cities,
the devastations of many generations.

5 Strangers shall stand and tend your flocks;
foreigners shall be your plowmen and vinedressers;
6 but you shall be called the priests of the Lord;
they shall speak of you as the ministers of our God;
you shall eat the wealth of the nations,
and in their glory you shall boast.

7 Instead of your shame there shall be a double portion;
instead of dishonor they shall rejoice in their lot;
therefore in their land they shall possess a double portion;
they shall have everlasting joy.

8 For I the Lord love justice;
I hate robbery and wrong;
I will faithfully give them their recompense,
and I will make an everlasting covenant with them.
9 Their offspring shall be known among the nations,
and their descendants in the midst of the peoples;
all who see them shall acknowledge them,
that they are an offspring the Lord has blessed.

10 I will greatly rejoice in the Lord;
my soul shall exult in my God,
for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation;
he has covered me with the robe of righteousness,
as a bridegroom decks himself like a priest with a beautiful headdress,
and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.

11 For as the earth brings forth its sprouts,
and as a garden causes what is sown in it to sprout up,
so the Lord God will cause righteousness and praise
to sprout up before all the nations.

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Halleluia!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

http://downloads.cbn.com/cbnplayer/cbnPlayer.swf?s=/vod/MW131v2_WS

**** For this video, the link above is much, much better quality.****



Hi all,

I rarely forward emails (never). This Museum of Biblical Art in Dallas is across the street from NorthPark Mall in Dallas. (Where I grew up.) Several years ago, it sat in ruins and years past. This isn't a Podunk museum, it is a very fine museum and they had a bad fire leaving huge doubt the insurance could cover the loss. It was still in utter ruin, gutted and charred, at Christmas of 2009, for more than 2 years.

They received funding for re-opening! And now have Ron DiCianni's Resurrection of Jesus. The video says it is the largest Resurrection painting of Jesus ever done. In the video, Ron describes his God inspiration for the painting. It was tremendously interesting and touching.

To a native Dallas girl, it was so inspiring!! What God can do is amazing!!


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Psalm 93 ~ The Lord reigns; he is robed in majesty; the Lord is robed; he has put on strength as his belt.

Psalm 93

English Standard Version, David Cochran Audio


1 The Lord reigns; he is robed in majesty;
the Lord is robed; he has put on strength as his belt.
Yes, the world is established; it shall never be moved.
2 Your throne is established from of old;
you are from everlasting.

3 The floods have lifted up, O Lord,
the floods have lifted up their voice;
the floods lift up their roaring.
4 Mightier than the thunders of many waters,
mightier than the waves of the sea,
the Lord on high is mighty!

5 Your decrees are very trustworthy;
holiness befits your house,
O Lord, forevermore.


We were talking about Niagara Falls this weekend at a family gathering. Every one was talking about what they'd seen and we were all excited about Having Seen It.

Like God putting on His strength.


2 Timothy 1:7
For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline

Paul wrote this to Timothy, yet Paul believed this of himself. 2 Corinthian 11, 12, 13 describes Paul as he was exchanging violence for empathy. A man who wove worldly strength for Christ. Weakness for Jesus Christ. Strength for Jesus.

2 Corinthians 10:10
For they say, “His letters are weighty and strong, but his bodily presence is weak, and his speech of no account.”


Paul stood before many powerful, historical figures. Before the established men. The men he stood before knew of their own importance: Felix and then Festus, two Roman Procurators of Judaea. Paul stood before King Agrippa and Queen Bernice. Paul was on trial before the Roman Emperor Claudius, who released Paul. And Paul stood before Nero, who sentenced Paul to death.

God was reigning even then.

The Lord reigns; he is robed in majesty.
They don't name hospitals after Nero. There are not Churches where Agrippa and Bernice stood. We have no message of enduring hope and salvation brought forth from Claudius.


Yes, the world is established; it shall never be moved.

How is this helpful to us today?

Galatians 5:22
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.

We all desire growth in some areas. Paul grew his self-control. He grew it in faithfulness.

Romans 8:15
For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, "Abba, Father."

Philippians 4:13
I can do all things through him who strengthens me.

Paul never claimed to be utterly weak, or utterly strong; staying in one place. He did claim he had knowledge of Jesus Christ. He saw God using times of worldly importance to boost faith. He saw times people thought him foolish, to endure. He saw God able to use all circumstance. In faith, he shared in God's glory.

2 Corinthians 11:
Five times I received at the hands of the Jews the forty lashes less one. 25 Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I was adrift at sea; 26 on frequent journeys, in danger from rivers, danger from robbers, danger from my own people, danger from Gentiles, danger in the city, danger in the wilderness, danger at sea, danger from false brothers; 27 in toil and hardship, through many a sleepless night, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure. 28 And, apart from other things, there is the daily pressure on me of my anxiety for all the churches. 29 Who is weak, and I am not weak? Who is made to fall, and I am not indignant?

30 If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness. 31 The God and Father of the Lord Jesus, he who is blessed forever, knows that I am not lying. 32 At Damascus, the governor under King Aretas was guarding the city of Damascus in order to seize me, 33 but I was let down in a basket through a window in the wall and escaped his hands.

Father God, so many dangers Paul faced, we will not face. We would not want to have this happen to us in life. Father God, Paul could do this only because Paul had Your strength.

Sometimes in life, floods will lift up. We will remember the roar of Niagara Falls, the roaring noise and the power surge as the Voice of Our Father. Let us fasten on Your belt of strength. The belt of truth. Let us take up the breastplate of righteousness, having the gospel of peace to carry our feet in Your Ways. We will need Your shield - Faith. Salvation to cover and lift our head. You give us Your Word as our sword. We will pray to You at all times and in Your Spirit in supplication. Let us go forward in the Plans You have for us knowing that in Jesus Christ I can do all things. Amen.

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Other Scripture for Today Blogspot readings on Psalm 93: May 3, 2008

Psalm 73 ~ All day long I have been stricken and rebuked every morning

Psalm 73

Psalm of Asaph.

English Standard Version, David Cochran Audio

1 Truly God is good to Israel,
to those who are pure in heart.
2 But as for me, my feet had almost stumbled,
my steps had nearly slipped.
3 For I was envious of the arrogant
when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.

4 For they have no pangs until death;
their bodies are fat and sleek.
5 They are not in trouble as others are;
they are not stricken like the rest of mankind.
6 Therefore pride is their necklace;
violence covers them as a garment.
7 Their eyes swell out through fatness;
their hearts overflow with follies.
8 They scoff and speak with malice;
loftily they threaten oppression.
9 They set their mouths against the heavens,
and their tongue struts through the earth.
10 Therefore his people turn back to them,
and find no fault in them. [the waters of a full cup are drained by them]

11 And they say, “How can God know?
Is there knowledge in the Most High?”
12 Behold, these are the wicked;
always at ease, they increase in riches.
13 All in vain have I kept my heart clean
and washed my hands in innocence.
14 For all the day long I have been stricken
and rebuked every morning.
15 If I had said, “I will speak thus,”
I would have betrayed the generation of your children.

16 But when I thought how to understand this,
it seemed to me a wearisome task,
17 until I went into the sanctuary of God;
then I discerned their end.

18 Truly you set them in slippery places;
you make them fall to ruin.
19 How they are destroyed in a moment,
swept away utterly by terrors!
20 Like a dream when one awakes,
O Lord, when you rouse yourself, you despise them as phantoms.
21 When my soul was embittered,
when I was pricked in heart,
22 I was brutish and ignorant;
I was like a beast toward you.

23 Nevertheless, I am continually with you;
you hold my right hand.
24 You guide me with your counsel,
and afterward you will receive me to glory.
25 Whom have I in heaven but you?
And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you.
26 My flesh and my heart may fail,
but God is the strength [rock] of my heart and my portion forever.

27 For behold, those who are far from you shall perish;
you put an end to everyone who is unfaithful to you.
28 But for me it is good to be near God;
I have made the Lord God my refuge,
that I may tell of all your works.

It's good to be King. One wouldn't be weary with jealousy. No, this Psalm isn't written by David or Solomon. This is Asaph, a friend of David's appointed to many tasks within his government.

Chronicles 16:7
Then on that day David first appointed that thanksgiving be sung to the LORD by Asaph and his brothers.

Chronicles 16:37
So David left Asaph and his brothers there before the ark of the covenant of the LORD to minister regularly before the ark as each day required

1 Chronicles 26:1
As for the divisions of the gatekeepers: of the Korahites, Meshelemiah the son of Kore, of the sons of Asaph.


Asaph knows envy gives strife daylong and it is wearisome. Bitterness is hard work. A bitter heart causes people to be brutal and unkind. He's honest - admitting these things.

The media reports we are increasingly becoming a two class economy. Bill Gates writes the largest problem this country faces, (not unemployment) our college costs will cause us to become an indentured society to debt - he suggests if we are Republican or Democrat we find a solution to our country's need for education without financial ruin. Why aren't we addressing it - embarrassment to admit need at a personal level. Unless in a crowded auditorium of parents and students seeking financial aid. In my area - we are called a bubble for being a place for safety and prosperity - our High School college placement Counselor said in our affluent area, children will take upon themselves an average debt of $110,000 in 2007 ($600 per month for 30 years) for their own education. It makes sense - very few people have a small house just given to them. (I wonder about households with two people getting married with this type of debt - all of this before a mortgage.)

I graduated from Texas A&M University in 4.5 years. The total cost to my family was $12,500. That doesn't quite pay for a semester 25 years later. Why the increase? We were told college costs would rise like this 20 years ago - the government quit subsidizing college costs. Not quit subsidizing anything else, just college costs. We subsidize so many things all over the world. Not our children and their future. Who benefits from the debt now being racked up for college costs? This is the first year college debt is greater than all the credit card debt. Where are we headed?

The United States now ranks 12th among the 36 developed countries in comparing college completion rates, according to a recent New York Times article, “Once a Leader, U.S. Lags in College Degrees,” which reports on the College Board's current findings. Gaston Caperton, president of the College Board stated, “The growing education deficit is no less a threat to our nation's long-term well-being than the current fiscal crisis.”

According to the Times: “While almost 70 percent of high school graduates in the United States enroll in college within two years of graduating, only about 57 percent of students who enroll in a bachelor's degree program graduate within six years, and fewer than 25 percent of students who begin at a community college graduate with an associate's degree within three years.”

Society, movies, our parents teach us to live as if the glass is Fullllll.

How does Asaph deal with these feelings? Gratitude. He will not allow himself to stay in bitterness. He will be near God. What are things God requires of us? Honesty. Asaph is honest in this Psalm. He will not pretend to be what he is not. In Christ Jesus, we have the honesty and integrity to step out behind our masks and give our troubles to the Lord. In His time, in His wisdom, God helps us in this life and the next.

Bitterness and fake full glass mentality are the alternative, leading to the loss of our joy and the fulfilling worship of God. If we are centered on self, we cannot experience the joy in the Lord.

Asaph instead chooses to be near to the Lord.

Father God, You are the rock higher than we are. Help us draw near to You when we feel bitterness or envy. Let us remember again, the joy of knowing how well You understand and know us as we really are. Help us feel safe in the shelter of Your arms knowing You are the God Almighty. Let us rejoice in Your plans for our lives and hope in You. We ask You for a solution, in Your wisdom, to the ever increasing cost of education and ask a blessing upon the leaders of government. In the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.


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Other Scripture for Today Blogspot readings on Psalm 73:
March 18, 2011