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

Psalm 118 ~ This is the gate of the Lord; the righteous shall enter through it

East Gate or called Beautiful Gate, today called Gate of Mercy

Psalm 118

English Standard Version, David Cochran Audio

Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;
for his steadfast love endures forever!

2 Let Israel say,
“His steadfast love endures forever.”
3 Let the house of Aaron say,
“His steadfast love endures forever.”
4 Let those who fear the Lord say,
“His steadfast love endures forever.”

5 Out of my distress I called on the Lord;
the Lord answered me and set me free.
6 The Lord is on my side; I will not fear.
What can man do to me?
7 The Lord is on my side as my helper;
I shall look in triumph on those who hate me.

8 It is better to take refuge in the Lord
than to trust in man.
9 It is better to take refuge in the Lord
than to trust in princes.

10 All nations surrounded me;
in the name of the Lord I cut them off!
11 They surrounded me, surrounded me on every side;
in the name of the Lord I cut them off!
12 They surrounded me like bees;
they went out like a fire among thorns;
in the name of the Lord I cut them off!
13 I was pushed hard, so that I was falling,
but the Lord helped me.

14 The Lord is my strength and my song;
he has become my salvation.
15 Glad songs of salvation
are in the tents of the righteous:
“The right hand of the Lord does valiantly,
16 the right hand of the Lord exalts,
the right hand of the Lord does valiantly!”

17 I shall not die, but I shall live,
and recount the deeds of the Lord.
18 The Lord has disciplined me severely,
but he has not given me over to death.

19 Open to me the gates of righteousness,
that I may enter through them
and give thanks to the Lord.
20 This is the gate of the Lord;
the righteous shall enter through it.
21 I thank you that you have answered me
and have become my salvation.
22 The stone that the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone.
23 This is the Lord's doing;
it is marvelous in our eyes.
24 This is the day that the Lord has made;
let us rejoice and be glad in it.

25 Save us, we pray, O Lord!
O Lord, we pray, give us success!

26 Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!
We bless you from the house of the Lord.
27 The Lord is God,
and he has made his light to shine upon us.
Bind the festal sacrifice with cords,
up to the horns of the altar!

28 You are my God, and I will give thanks to you;
you are my God; I will extol you.
29 Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;
for his steadfast love endures forever!

Where will we begin today.... Gates... Jesus' Gate in the Temple.... the pearly heavenly gate.... the 12 gates of the new Jerusalem.... the archeological discovery of the 2nd Temple Gates... this year's archeological dig; The Israel Antiquities Authority recently completed an archaeological dig of a tunnel enabling visitors under the walls of Jerusalem's Old City, not far from the Temple Mount. The tunnel, uncovered during excavations over the past months, formerly used for drainage - dates back to the Second Temple.

Why were gates important? 182 times the Bible speaks of gates. A city gatekeeper was a prominent citizen. Someone you wanted to judge the trustworthiness of the traveler and someone to speak wisely. In both the Old and New Testament a lot of towns were built to keep out invaders - the unrighteous. So many gates because the people were unsure. Only in the days of St. Paul's Basilica were they beginning to come out of the fortified cities. The Church open for evening prayer led to a greater trust. The full name of St. Paul's Basilica is St. Paul's Basilica Outside the Walls.

Photo of the Western Tunnel towards the Temple Mount

We could consider all the exciting discoveries in 1867-70 by Sir Charles Warren who dug all around the Temple Mount. But no one has found the original East Gate, the Gate called Beautiful Gate. Today, built in 6th century A.D, is called Gate of Mercy. Why is the original gate missing or not found? A really good reason would be:

Ezekiel 44:1-3
Then he brought me back to the outer gate of the sanctuary, which faces east. And it was shut. 2 And the Lord said to me, “This gate shall remain shut; it shall not be opened, and no one shall enter by it, for the Lord, the God of Israel, has entered by it. Therefore it shall remain shut. 3 Only the prince may sit in it to eat bread before the Lord. He shall enter by way of the vestibule of the gate, and shall go out by the same way.”

Herod killed infant sons in Bethlehem, but he rebuild the Eastern Golden Gate and opened it. For the King of the Jews, the true King of the Davidic line. Luke 19 tells us Jesus entered from the East, from the Mount of Olives.

So what shall we say of St. Peter by the pearly gate? Not much. Because the Scriptures don't tell of one pearly gate. Revelation 21 tells us Heaven has 12 gates named after the Tribes of Israel. And each gate is one large pearl.

If we dwell on the knowledge, the "proof", we miss the greater point. Jesus entered into the Beautiful Gate. It was open for Him. How does God keep His gates for us?

Revelation 21:25-27
On no day will its gates ever be shut

For there will be no night there. The glory and honor of the nations will be brought into it. Nothing impure will ever enter it, nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life.

Father God, when we ask Jesus the Christ, Your only Son, to live in us and be part of us. When we believe in our heart and confess with our mouth You are Lord; You stretch out Your arms again for us. Amen.


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Galatians 5:2-6 ~ every man

Galatians 5:2-6

English Standard Version, David Cochran Audio

2 Look: I, Paul, say to you that if you accept circumcision, Christ will be of no advantage to you. 3 I testify again to every man who accepts circumcision that he is obligated to keep the whole law. 4 You are severed from Christ, you who would be justified [counted righteous] by the law; you have fallen away from grace. 5 For through the Spirit, by faith, we ourselves eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness. 6 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything, but only faith working through love.

Today it would seem we are talking about penis circumcision. Or men. This passage is sometimes used to prevent the circumcision of young male babies. No. Literally, it is writing of men undergoing circumcision to be accepted into a Church.

Extreme behavior modification called for to blend in.

Isn't it great we aren't in the 1950's and this doesn't happen any more. No. It does still happen today. It leans to the right and it leans to the left.

I know of a very well received youth ministry, with a good amount of followers. This youth minister was doing his very best to combat what teenagers get into the most - alcohol, sex and drugs. He taught over and over and over - no alcohol, ever. No sex - before marriage. We don't even need to discuss drugs. And the kids loved each other. Loved youth group. Agreed at every meeting - the youth minister had it right. The parents were thrilled. Everyone loved it. Lots of mission work, some of it dangerous.

The results. Pregnancy. Drunken accident. 2 car accidents due to some parental oversight. The return rate on the teens going to Church - these kids are still in their 20s. Of the boys - 1 out of 12. One of the ministry trips scared a teenager so much, he doesn't want to feel guilty about not wanting to help others and he wants out of Church.

So what is the problem? The Bible was discarded in some aspects. The Bible teaches moderation in alcohol. Maybe if we taught no to over indulgence, those kids would have felt the teachings prepared them for life. Then the no to sex seemed more like a real no. No, no, no, no - just doesn't cut it.

What if you don't want to go to Africa to do ministry? What if the homeless scare you to death? What if you can't afford the mission trip and don't want a scholarship? What if the woman in bible study has let you know she's gay and she wants to be your next best buddy? What if teenage pregnancy is so forgiven, you wonder how your teenager will benefit from youth group? What if you are sitting in Church addicted to porn or adultery? What if people tell you modern worship music is the only 'real' Christian experience? What if you know you are bully? What if you are uncomfortable in a suit on Sunday mornings. What if you loathe teenagers in wrinkled shorts and torn clothes in the service. ??

This passage is your sign. We are not built to be Unit No. We are not built to be Unit Conform. We are not built to be Unit Only My Opinion Counts. We are not built to be Unit One Opinion.

We are built, called, chosen, created, planned to be - loved as a believer - a child of God. Chosen and Special to your Father God. We are to realize there are not two camps in the real body of Christ. Not everyone is an eye. Not everyone is an elbow. But we all have one thing in common in the unified body of Jesus Christ - we are undeserving. And gloriously forgiven. And we are, every part of the body, a bridge to the other believers. A beacon of forgiveness to all. Not weak-kneed, not Politically Correct no need for morality, forgiveness, but Faith. Working. (not hiding, not resting, not smoozing, not conforming).In. Love.

Father God, we walk in hope the path You've given us. Not perfectly. Not shining. Sometimes sinning, sometimes sinned against and angry. In Your greater Love, we walk in Your sight, in Glory. Help us in Your power, glory and might to be faith working in love. It is a calling we cannot accomplish without Your Help. And You will. In the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.



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