Matthew 20:1-16 ~ So the last will be first, and the first last

Shine - Collective Soul

Matthew 20:1-16

English Standard Version, David Cochran Audio

¹ “For the kingdom of heaven is like a master of a house who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard. ² After agreeing with the laborers for a denarius^{[a day's wages for a laborer}} a day, he sent them into his vineyard. ³ And going out about the third hour he saw others standing idle in the marketplace, ⁴ and to them he said, ‘You go into the vineyard too, and whatever is right I will give you.’ ⁵ So they went.

Going out again about the sixth hour and the ninth hour, he did the same. ⁶ And about the eleventh hour he went out and found others standing. And he said to them, ‘Why do you stand here idle all day?’ ⁷ They said to him, ‘Because no one has hired us.’ He said to them, ‘You go into the vineyard too.’

⁸ And when evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, ‘Call the laborers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last, up to the first.’ ⁹ And when those hired about the eleventh hour came, each of them received a denarius. ¹⁰ Now when those hired first came, they thought they would receive more, but each of them also received a denarius.

¹¹ And on receiving it they grumbled at the master of the house, ¹² saying, ‘These last worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the day and the scorching heat.’ ¹³ But he replied to one of them, ‘Friend, I am doing you no wrong. Did you not agree with me for a denarius? ¹⁴ Take what belongs to you and go. I choose to give to this last worker as I give to you. ¹⁵ Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me? Or do you begrudge my generosity?’ ¹⁶ So the last will be first, and the first last.”



So the last will be first, and the first last.

Jesus told us the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand. He didn't mean just for that moment. Jesus was telling us when we confess with our mouths and believe with our hearts - we have eternal life. Beginning ..... stop watch click...... at believing. All of God's promises are for us - now.

I had the pleasure and sadness to spend time with family I dearly love this weekend - someone when the joy of Jesus Christ and His love opened in my soul - he was the first person I thought of. Today he has it all - the wife he loves - the children he adores - the departed architect's own designed home - and the career he has & was never going to have because he has/had a learning disability. The only reason this dear one has this career after 2 major Universities & a very established High School wished him well and not to let the back door knock him down too hard - he has some real skill. With problem solving and humor.

Life is really hard. It is tough to get out there each day and bust a gut. My loved one was saying that he plans to leave this life of old age in his 60s. Not really our genetic pattern, when the ticket-to-ride departure date seems to be age 94. His young eyes looked weary.

Yesterday we looked at Jacob having the full weight of God's blessings behind him - yet a lot of Jacob's life looked pretty similar to Job. It was within Jacob's soul that God's blessings lived, multiplied and were given out. Jacob lived His promises.

Who else would be first and last in God's blessings? Jesus' own brothers. Jesus knew they would shine. Just as God knew Gideon would shine as well. It is fairly, understatement, important to treat people like they have it within them to Shine. Pray hard - with hope. God is still at work today. An uncle of mine found the Lord at age 78. Dancing in Heaven for my grandmother.

John 7:1-5, Jesus' brothers want Him to see some trouble.
After this, Jesus went around in Galilee, purposely staying away from Judea because the Jews there were waiting to take his life. But when the Jewish Feast of Tabernacles was near, Jesus' brothers said to him, "You ought to leave here and go to Judea, so that your disciples may see the miracles you do. No one who wants to become a public figure acts in secret. Since you are doing these things, show yourself to the world." For even his own brothers did not believe in him.

Matthew 12:46-50, after Jesus declared the ruling people of the temple to be vile and evil, His brothers want the trouble to die down.
While Jesus was still talking to the crowd, his mother and brothers stood outside, wanting to speak to him. Someone told him, "Your mother and brothers are standing outside, wanting to speak to you."He replied to him, "Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?" Pointing to his disciples, he said, "Here are my mother and my brothers. For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother."

Mark 6:3, Jesus records how his brothers think of Him; Jesus' family is seen by others as a very loving, all of a kind, family.
"Where did this man get these things?" they asked. "What's this wisdom that has been given him, that he even does miracles! Isn't this the carpenter? Isn't this Mary's son and the brother of James, Joseph, Judas and Simon? Aren't his sisters here with us?" And they took offense at him. Jesus said to them, "Only in his hometown, among his relatives and in his own house is a prophet without honor."

This is Jesus loving His brother in clear light. He understands the situation, not whitewashing it. So 1 Corinthians 13 tells us love conquers all.

1 Corinthians 9:5, Paul tells us of Jesus' brothers.

Don't we have the right to take a believing wife along with us, as do the other apostles and the Lord's brothers and Cephas [Peter]?

The Books of the Bible, James and Jude are Jesus' brothers that their Nazareth home town saw them as a seamless family. In the time of the early Church:

Acts 1:14
They all joined together constantly in prayer, along with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers.

Hebrews 2:10-12, Jesus speaks of us as His brothers, but also His own brothers.
In bringing many sons to glory, it was fitting that God, for whom and through whom everything exists, should make the author of their salvation perfect through suffering. Both the one who makes men holy and those who are made holy are of the same family. So Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers. He says,
"I will declare your name to my brothers;
in the presence of the congregation I will sing your praises."

I pray the Psalms. I'm not spending time fretting. I am placing the one I love in His hands.

Psalm 87

¹ On the holy mount stands the city he founded;

² the LORD loves the gates of Zion
more than all the dwelling places of Jacob.
³ Glorious things of you are spoken,
O city of God.
Selah

⁴ Among those who know me I mention Rahab and Babylon;
behold, Philistia and Tyre, with Cush—
“This one was born there,” they say.
⁵ And of Zion it shall be said,
“This one and that one were born in her”;
for the Most High himself will establish her.
⁶ The LORD records as he registers the peoples,
“This one was born there.”
Selah

⁷ Singers and dancers alike say,
“All my springs are in you.”

1 Corinthians 13:13
And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.



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Hebrews 11:8-16 ~ people who speak thus

Hebrews 11:8-16

English Standard Version, David Cochran Audio

By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that he was to receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going. ⁹ By faith he went to live in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, heirs with him of the same promise. ¹⁰ For he was looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God. ¹¹ By faith Sarah herself received power to conceive, even when she was past the age, since she considered him faithful who had promised. ¹² Therefore from one man, and him as good as dead, were born descendants as many as the stars of heaven and as many as the innumerable grains of sand by the seashore.

¹³ These all died in faith, not having received the things promised, but having seen them and greeted them from afar, and having acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth. ¹⁴ For people who speak thus make it clear that they are seeking a homeland. ¹⁵ If they had been thinking of that land from which they had gone out, they would have had opportunity to return. ¹⁶ But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared for them a city.

Body of Jacob Returning to Israel for Burial. Painted by James Tissot


Jacob left a land in famine. A land where his grandfather, grandmother, mother, father and his beloved wife Rachel were buried. The place where he had long mourned the death of a favorite child. Land purchased for him. For an old man who had once fled his comfortable home after stealing a paternal blessing, how could this have seemed like a blessing?

Yet Jacob did not die in the journey. Did not die rounding up all of his children and grandchildren to leave. Jacob made the journey. One step in front of the next. This incredible man still believed in the blessing of God and made sure all of his children and even 2 grandchildren were all rounded up and blessed. Jacob was not going to leave this life giving only one paternal blessing. Jacob was going to leave his life with more giving than what had been given to him.

Psalm 23:6
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
all the days of my life,
and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD
forever.

Goodness and mercy were the blossoms of Jacob's life.

In plain view, Jacob was not living a blessed life. Rather more like Job. But most importantly Jacob lived with joy in his heart of Faith, Hope and Love. With the greatest of these being Love. Jacob's children hardly deserved a blessing, yet Jacob made sure all of them were blessed. Scriptures never record his children asking for forgiveness for letting Jacob believe for years Joseph had died.

The road was bumpy, sometimes harsh. Famine, theft, blessing and curses. Yet Jacob is Israel and the blessing - is - his.

Father God, help us each day in our comfortable lives to have our gratitude renewed and our cups overflow to bring goodness and mercy. That we may always be people who give You thanks. In the name of Jesus. Amen.


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Ezekiel 26:1-14 ~ your walls will shake

The Bible promised Tyre would not be rebuilt.


Tyre - important Phoenician settlement on the coast of Lebanon. It was an offshore island and had a double harbor linked by a canal which allowed sheltered anchorage and a safe outlet whatever the wind direction. It wasn't until Alexander the Great that Tyre ceased to be an island. In ancient documents it was powerful and important,a famous trading center for purple dye made from murex shells, known as Tyrian Purple. Carthage inherited the leadership of the western Phoenician cities after Tyre fell to Nebuchadnezzar in 572 BC. On this occasion the city withstood a 13 year siege before it fell. The island was heavily fortified with defensive walls 150 feet(46m)high. In 332 BC there was another remarkable siege by Alexander the Great who finally succeeded by building a causeway permanently linking the island to the mainland.

Ezekiel 26 announces the destruction of Tyre (Ezekiel was the prophet who announced a head of time what Nebuchadnezzar would do) , Ezekiel 27 asks for a prayer for the beautiful Tyre. Combine the two chapters, you have a wonderful example of God's mercy.

Ezekiel 27:1-4

1 The word of the LORD came again unto me, saying,
2 Now, thou son of man, take up a lamentation for Tyrus;
3 And say unto Tyrus, O thou that art situate at the entry of the sea, which art a merchant of the people for many isles, Thus saith the Lord GOD; O Tyrus, thou hast said, I am of perfect beauty. 4 Thy borders are in the midst of the seas, thy builders have perfected thy beauty.

Tyre, Lebanon today - the coast and southern half are devoid of population and are in ruins.

Ezekiel 26:1-14 ~ (Revised Standard Version)

In the eleventh year, on the first day of the month, the word of the LORD came to me:

"Son of man, because Tyre said concerning Jerusalem, `Aha, the gate of the peoples is broken, it has swung open to me; I shall be replenished, now that she is laid waste,' therefore thus says the Lord GOD:

Behold, I am against you, O Tyre, and will bring up many nations against you, as the sea brings up its waves. They shall destroy the walls of Tyre, and break down her towers; and I will scrape her soil from her, and make her a bare rock.
She shall be in the midst of the sea a place for the spreading of nets; for I have spoken, says the Lord GOD; and she shall become a spoil to the nations;
and her daughters on the mainland shall be slain by the sword. Then they will know that I am the LORD.

"For thus says the Lord GOD: Behold, I will bring upon Tyre from the north Nebuchadrez'zar king of Babylon, king of kings, with horses and chariots, and with horsemen and a host of many soldiers.

He will slay with the sword your daughters on the mainland; he will set up a siege wall against you, and throw up a mound against you, and raise a roof of shields against you. He will direct the shock of his battering rams against your walls, and with his axes he will break down your towers. His horses will be so many that their dust will cover you; your walls will shake at the noise of the horsemen and wagons and chariots, when he enters your gates as one enters a city which has been breached. With the hoofs of his horses he will trample all your streets; he will slay your people with the sword; and your mighty pillars will fall to the ground.
They will make a spoil of your riches and a prey of your merchandise; they will break down your walls and destroy your pleasant houses; your stones and timber and soil they will cast into the midst of the waters.

And I will stop the music of your songs, and the sound of your lyres shall be heard no more.

I will make you a bare rock; you shall be a place for the spreading of nets; you shall never be rebuilt; for I the LORD have spoken, says the Lord GOD.

There are several cities in the Bible that were never to be rebuilt according to the Lord's Word like Sodom, Gomorrah, Nineveh and Ai. Some have suggested the Hittite Empire, Nineveh, Sodom, Gomorrah never even existed, in my lifetime, until archaeology dug them back up. Portions of Tyre are desolate ruins today. We looked at Ezekiel 20, this week, where the promises of the Lord to protect Israel came to an end because they had been practicing child sacrifice for financial gain to the false god Baal. The Lord swore in Ezekiel 20 He would scatter the children of Israel.

So many claim the "god of the Old Testament" was filled with wrath. This is uninformed. Judgment when God gives it is deserved. Jesus visited Tyre:

Matthew 15:21-28
21 Leaving that place, Jesus withdrew to the region of Tyre and Sidon. 22 A Canaanite woman from that vicinity came to him, crying out, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me! My daughter is demon-possessed and suffering terribly.”

23 Jesus did not answer a word. So his disciples came to him and urged him, “Send her away, for she keeps crying out after us.”

24 He answered, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel.”

25 The woman came and knelt before him. “Lord, help me!” she said.

26 He replied, “It is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to the dogs.”

27 “Yes it is, Lord,” she said. “Even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master’s table.”

28 Then Jesus said to her, “Woman, you have great faith! Your request is granted.” And her daughter was healed at that moment.


Then we read Zechariah 7 telling us the thoughts of our heart matter. Tyre provided David with trade, Solomon built God's Temple with Phoenician wood. They were probably more frenemy than enemy to Israel.

Lamentations 1:21
People have heard my groaning, but there is no one to comfort me. All my enemies have heard of my distress; they rejoice at what you have done. May you bring the day you have announced so they may become like me.

Proverbs 24:17
Do not gloat when your enemy falls; when he stumbles, do not let your heart rejoice

Job 31:29
"If I have rejoiced at my enemy's misfortune or gloated over the trouble that came to him--

Why would the Lord have changed His plans for Tyre?

Isaiah 38:1-6
¹ In those days Hezekiah became ill and was at the point of death. The prophet Isaiah son of Amoz went to him and said, “This is what the LORD says: Put your house in order, because you are going to die; you will not recover.”

² Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the LORD, ³ “Remember, LORD, how I have walked before you faithfully and with wholehearted devotion and have done what is good in your eyes.” And Hezekiah wept bitterly.

⁴ Then the word of the LORD came to Isaiah: ⁵ “Go and tell Hezekiah, ‘This is what the LORD, the God of your father David, says: I have heard your prayer and seen your tears; I will add fifteen years to your life. ⁶ And I will deliver you and this city from the hand of the king of Assyria. I will defend this city.

Jesus had something to say about prayer and hope:

Luke 18:1-8
1 Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up. 2 He said: “In a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared what people thought. 3 And there was a widow in that town who kept coming to him with the plea, ‘Grant me justice against my adversary.’

4 “For some time he refused. But finally he said to himself, ‘Even though I don’t fear God or care what people think, 5 yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice, so that she won’t eventually come and attack me!’”

6 And the Lord said, “Listen to what the unjust judge says. 7 And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? 8 I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly

Jesus was known to be open to appeal:

John 2:3-7
3 When the wine was gone, Jesus’ mother said to him, “They have no more wine.”
4 “Woman, why do you involve me?” Jesus replied. “My hour has not yet come.”

5 His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.”

6 Nearby stood six stone water jars, the kind used by the Jews for ceremonial washing, each holding from twenty to thirty gallons.

7 Jesus said to the servants, “Fill the jars with water”; so they filled them to the brim. 8 Then he told them, “Now draw some out and take it to the master of the banquet.”

God loves us.

Luke 18:1
1 Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up.



Reprint Scripture for Today Blogspot - November 3, 2010

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Psalm 107 ~ The upright see it and are glad

Where The River Flows - Collective Soul


Psalm 107

¹ Oh give thanks to the LORD, for he is good,
for his steadfast love endures forever!
² Let the redeemed of the LORD say so,
whom he has redeemed from trouble ^{[from the hand of the foe]
3} and gathered in from the lands,
from the east and from the west,
from the north and from the south.

⁴ Some wandered in desert wastes,
finding no way to a city to dwell in;
⁵ hungry and thirsty,
their soul fainted within them.
⁶ Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble,
and he delivered them from their distress.
⁷ He led them by a straight way
till they reached a city to dwell in.
⁸ Let them thank the LORD for his steadfast love,
for his wondrous works to the children of man!
⁹ For he satisfies the longing soul,
and the hungry soul he fills with good things.

¹⁰ Some sat in darkness and in the shadow of death,
prisoners in affliction and in irons,
¹¹ for they had rebelled against the words of God,
and spurned the counsel of the Most High.
¹² So he bowed their hearts down with hard labor;
they fell down, with none to help.
¹³ Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble,
and he delivered them from their distress.
¹⁴ He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death,
and burst their bonds apart.
¹⁵ Let them thank the LORD for his steadfast love,
for his wondrous works to the children of man!
¹⁶ For he shatters the doors of bronze
and cuts in two the bars of iron.

¹⁷ Some were fools through their sinful ways,
and because of their iniquities suffered affliction;
¹⁸ they loathed any kind of food,
and they drew near to the gates of death.
¹⁹ Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble,
and he delivered them from their distress.
²⁰ He sent out his word and healed them,
and delivered them from their destruction.
²¹ Let them thank the LORD for his steadfast love,
for his wondrous works to the children of man!
²² And let them offer sacrifices of thanksgiving,
and tell of his deeds in songs of joy!

²³ Some went down to the sea in ships,
doing business on the great waters;
²⁴ they saw the deeds of the LORD,
his wondrous works in the deep.
²⁵ For he commanded and raised the stormy wind,
which lifted up the waves of the sea.
²⁶ They mounted up to heaven; they went down to the depths;
their courage melted away in their evil plight;
²⁷ they reeled and staggered like drunken men
and were at their wits' end.
²⁸ Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble,
and he delivered them from their distress.
²⁹ He made the storm be still,
and the waves of the sea were hushed.
³⁰ Then they were glad that the waters were quiet,
and he brought them to their desired haven.
³¹ Let them thank the LORD for his steadfast love,
for his wondrous works to the children of man!
³² Let them extol him in the congregation of the people,
and praise him in the assembly of the elders.

³³ He turns rivers into a desert,
springs of water into thirsty ground,
³⁴ a fruitful land into a salty waste,
because of the evil of its inhabitants.
³⁵ He turns a desert into pools of water,
a parched land into springs of water.
³⁶ And there he lets the hungry dwell,
and they establish a city to live in;
³⁷ they sow fields and plant vineyards
and get a fruitful yield.
³⁸ By his blessing they multiply greatly,
and he does not let their livestock diminish.

³⁹ When they are diminished and brought low
through oppression, evil, and sorrow,
⁴⁰ he pours contempt on princes
and makes them wander in trackless wastes;
⁴¹ but he raises up the needy out of affliction
and makes their families like flocks.
⁴² The upright see it and are glad,
and all wickedness shuts its mouth.

⁴³ Whoever is wise, let him attend to these things;
let them consider the steadfast love of the LORD.

Past events + life experiences + current day-to-day events = the snap shot of where we exist today.

So what's new? Spotify. Arranging the music we listen and like the most into our own collection. Thinking about being in the world and not of the world.

And. Edward & I started a new 6 Friday nights Bible/Book Study taught by our Pastor Clark Lowenfield on the book "The Meaning of Marriage" written by Timothey Keller with Kathy Keller. Facing the Complexities of Commitment with the Wisdom of God.

John 17:11 In the world, but not of the world
I will remain in the world no longer, but they are still in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name--the name you gave me--so that they may be one as we are one.

The Lord created the world and when we look we see Him in our every day life. The earth is the Lord's and the fulness thereof.

God's world is orderly. Jesus is Prince of Peace.
God designed the world to turn and created ecological systems to renew, nourish and replenish us. Marriage is one of the systems God gave us. God says to seek Him first and His Kingdom.

And God has always told us - there is a profound bond between marriage and the Body of Christ. - His Church and His Bride.

My great-uncle was the Reverend Tate Young. In the early 1970s, Tate told us the Church would begin to see tremendous problems. He wasn't talking about the homosexual agenda. He was talking about the beginning of trouble. He was seeing the Bible being discarded with man's wisdom. Tate said that when the denominations begin to discard the vows, - of say for example -, a marriage that took place in the Methodist Church and now the Episcopal Church doesn't recognize the relevance of the Methodist Church vows because a divorce took place and the Episcopal Church offers a re-marriage without due prayer and contemplation - then the Church would have it's bedrock shaken.

We live in a country where just few years ago, almost 90% of all newborns were born in wedlock. Today 60% are. Without the bedrock commitment - how is the pendulum going to swing in ways the world sees up building, trust and hope? The Church, as the Body of Christ, should provide for marriage and nourishment. Our foundation should be Jesus. The river should flow to the Lord.

We bought our book on Amazon and the 2 day shipping was free. Our Pastor says this book is very worthwhile. Join us if you feel led by the Holy Spirit.


Mark 1:17
"Come, follow me," Jesus said, "and I will make you fishers of men."


Ezekiel 47:9
Swarms of living creatures will live wherever the river flows. There will be large numbers of fish, because this water flows there and makes the salt water fresh; so where the river flows everything will live.


Revelation 22:1
Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb


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John 5:30-47 ~ the love of God within you

John 5:30-47

English Standard Version, David Cochran Audio

³⁰ “I can do nothing on my own. As I hear, I judge, and my judgment is just, because I seek not my own will but the will of him who sent me. ³¹ If I alone bear witness about myself, my testimony is not true.

³² There is another who bears witness about me, and I know that the testimony that he bears about me is true. ³³ You sent to John, and he has borne witness to the truth. ³⁴ Not that the testimony that I receive is from man, but I say these things so that you may be saved. ³⁵ He was a burning and shining lamp, and you were willing to rejoice for a while in his light.

³⁶ But the testimony that I have is greater than that of John. For the works that the Father has given me to accomplish, the very works that I am doing, bear witness about me that the Father has sent me. ³⁷ And the Father who sent me has himself borne witness about me. His voice you have never heard, his form you have never seen, ³⁸ and you do not have his word abiding in you, for you do not believe the one whom he has sent.

³⁹ You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me, ⁴⁰ yet you refuse to come to me that you may have life. ⁴¹ I do not receive glory from people.

⁴² But I know that you do not have the love of God within you. ⁴³ I have come in my Father's name, and you do not receive me. If another comes in his own name, you will receive him. ⁴⁴ How can you believe, when you receive glory from one another and do not seek the glory that comes from the only God? ⁴⁵ Do not think that I will accuse you to the Father. There is one who accuses you: Moses, on whom you have set your hope. ⁴⁶ For if you believed Moses, you would believe me; for he wrote of me. ⁴⁷ But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe my words?”

Jesus Meek and Mild. I once heard a Bishop in full Bishop regalia describe Jesus thusly as he stepped to the altar to say this greeting. I immediately wondered if he was a fop - this when I was an unbelieving, but raised in parochial school, teenager. But he wasn't. This Pennsylvania Bishop went on to say, we love Jesus for loving us. Yet Jesus is a parent. A shining and burning lamp, we may rejoice in His Light.

Worldly glory is fleeting. Everyone loves you one day and ... not so much the next. Jesus love tells us to get over ourselves with a loving caress, a hug and a pat.

All we have is a gift of God. Knowledge is fleeting. Jesus could quote Scripture, He is the Word of God. A favorite saying of Jesus' was, "It is written." Jesus was never so concerned with the immediate details of added chapter and verse. Jesus was interested in His Father's ideals. Much more important than the words themselves - the Light of God and His Love - the Glory of God.

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Acts 9:1-20 ~ And for three days

Acts 9:1-20

English Standard Version, David Cochran Audio


1 But Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest 2 and asked him for letters to the synagogues at Damascus, so that if he found any belonging to the Way, men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem. 3 Now as he went on his way, he approached Damascus, and suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him.


4 And falling to the ground he heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” 5 And he said, “Who are you, Lord?” And he said, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. 6 But rise and enter the city, and you will be told what you are to do.” 7 The men who were traveling with him stood speechless, hearing the voice but seeing no one. 8 Saul rose from the ground, and although his eyes were opened, he saw nothing. So they led him by the hand and brought him into Damascus. 9 And for three days he was without sight, and neither ate nor drank.


10 Now there was a disciple at Damascus named Ananias. The Lord said to him in a vision, “Ananias.” And he said, “Here I am, Lord.” 11 And the Lord said to him, “Rise and go to the street called Straight, and at the house of Judas look for a man of Tarsus named Saul, for behold, he is praying, 12 and he has seen in a vision a man named Ananias come in and lay his hands on him so that he might regain his sight.” 13 But Ananias answered, “Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much evil he has done to your saints at Jerusalem. 14 And here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who call on your name.” 15 But the Lord said to him, “Go, for he is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel. 16 For I will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name.”


17 So Ananias departed and entered the house. And laying his hands on him he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus who appeared to you on the road by which you came has sent me so that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” 18 And immediately something like scales fell from his eyes, and he regained his sight. Then he rose and was baptized; 19 and taking food, he was strengthened.

For some days he was with the disciples at Damascus. 20 And immediately he proclaimed Jesus in the synagogues, saying, “He is the Son of God.”

The passage of Saul/Paul's conversion is of a godly man, upwardly mobile in his top drawer Temple career discovering Jesus. Saul was godly and became a follower of God's Son. But godly and Christ follower are two different situations.

Recently, we looked at John the Baptist – in the 3rd and first chapters of John’s Gospel – it reveals John the Baptist did not know Jesus as Lord for years. John the Baptist spent considerable time looking, observing the workings of God and the lack of response from man.

Yet the Spirit of God, breathing out truth, has the same salvation, miracle of God component:

John 3:34-35
34 For he whom God has sent utters the words of God, for he gives the Spirit without measure. 35 The Father loves the Son and has given all things into his hand.

With both men, their lives were transformed. The disciples were amazed, astonished, afraid, watchful, bickering over their places, but still able to run away and hide. God wasn't brain washing them. After Thomas had declared he would go with Jesus to see what He would do for Lazarus, Thomas said he would die with Jesus - yet push comes to shove and fear did reign.

Did Jesus condemn the disciples. No.

I recently saw a Facebook photo someone published - it was of a mournful woman looking over a beautiful pink sunset. The quote said, "Every day I disappoint Him. Yet I know His overwhelming love forgives and carries me. I will focus on His mercy." Come on. That sounds like an abusive relationship. Sorrow is not about Christianity. Jesus Christ is a Gift. He gives the Spirit without measure.

These Scripture passages are about SEEKING Him. Not perfect people - how many times have you been in such spiritual distress you fasted for 3 days. Not me. I've fasted, certainly. But thank God Almighty, my spiritual dilemmas come away much better. I know I am not worthy, but I know - I AM God's child.

To me to be God's child means - I am covered. Not the most deserving person in this life, but by the grace of God - I can strive for the compassion God gives to me to give to others. I know God loves me and I know everyone to whom much was given, of him much will be required. I am bought with a price. I will honor God. When I fail, and I will, I know I am saved and loved and go forward to try again. The steadfast love of God, higher than the clouds, the overwhelming love of God is for me.

Being God's child is comfort. Being God's child is resting after giving Him my concerns.

Jesus didn't leave people in fear. Jesus doesn't let them stay in fasting. Jesus asks for us to seek Him first, pray continually. And be grateful. Love your neighbor.

Jesus gave them more of what they needed for Salvation. The gift of the Holy Spirit. After Jesus was gone, they were marched through the Temple, right up to the people who they had been raised to respect as the God authority on earth, the people who had condemned Jesus and still preach and praise for Jesus.

Salvation comes at all different times for people. Salvation is a gift of God and occurs in God’s time. Consider the 10 lepers Jesus healed. Only one returned to give thanks and praise.


Father God, when You healed, You told mankind to get up and get going. Help the people who are already called as Children of God to be empowered to be Your Light, each day. Help the people like Peter, who are falling down and feeling fearful, to remember You lifted Peter and did not let Peter go. When we feel uncertain or afraid, help us to remember You are the Son of God. And we will cast our cares, upon You. You Love us. In Jesus Christ’s name. Amen.


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Exodus 11 ~ I will

The Moses carved by Michelangelo Buonarroti in 1513-1515, was to be part of the tomb of Pope Julius II. Michelangelo wants to convey the posture is of a prophet, posed on a marble chair, between two decorated marble columns. His long beard descends to his lap and is set aside by his right hand, which also leans on the plates of the 10 Commandments. This posture of the seated prophet also appears in Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel frescoes from a year earlier. It is a rare example of Michelangelo as the painter of the Sistine Chapel.

Exodus 11

David Cochran, English Standard

¹ The LORD said to Moses, “Yet one plague more I will bring upon Pharaoh and upon Egypt. Afterward he will let you go from here. When he lets you go, he will drive you away completely. ² Speak now in the hearing of the people, that they ask, every man of his neighbor and every woman of her neighbor, for silver and gold jewelry.” ³ And the LORD gave the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians. Moreover, the man Moses was very great in the land of Egypt, in the sight of Pharaoh's servants and in the sight of the people.

⁴ So Moses said, “Thus says the LORD: ‘About midnight I will go out in the midst of Egypt, ⁵ and every firstborn in the land of Egypt shall die, from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sits on his throne, even to the firstborn of the slave girl who is behind the handmill, and all the firstborn of the cattle. ⁶ There shall be a great cry throughout all the land of Egypt, such as there has never been, nor ever will be again.

⁷ But not a dog shall growl against any of the people of Israel, either man or beast, that you may know that the LORD makes a distinction between Egypt and Israel.’ ⁸ And all these your servants shall come down to me and bow down to me, saying, ‘Get out, you and all the people who follow you.’ And after that I will go out.” And he went out from Pharaoh in hot anger. ⁹ Then the LORD said to Moses, “Pharaoh will not listen to you, that my wonders may be multiplied in the land of Egypt.”

¹⁰ Moses and Aaron did all these wonders before Pharaoh, and the LORD hardened Pharaoh's heart, and he did not let the people of Israel go out of his land.

Moses was different than your average Child of Israel. He had not suffered slavery. Moses had not even momentarily sought to disregard the tremendous acts of God. He was a murderer. An old man who knew Pharaoh. And lived the power surrounding Pharaoh.

If you've lived long enough, you will experience the death of one you'd just rather not experience. Knowing what is about to occur isn't wanting the next step. This would be a passage causing people to really feel strongly and negatively about the Old Testament. Even arguing the God of the Old Testament cannot be the God of the New Covenant.

God tells us about Himself.

Mark 12:26-27
Now about the dead rising--have you not read in the book of Moses, in the account of the bush, how God said to him, 'I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob'? He is not God of the dead, but of the living."

David was quite angry with the LORD about Uzzah, 2 Samuel 6, reaching out to steady the Ark. Uzzah died instantly for touching the Ark. Yet... Uzzah surely met the LORD and I doubt God, known for His steadfast love and mercy, would remain angry with Uzzah, trying to do a service for Him. God does not see the issues of life and death as death.

Jesus was never a King who stayed within the boundaries of Judaism. Jesus provided for all of God's children. Wouldn't Moses want provision made even for the Egyptians?

Exodus 12:43-49
And the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, “This is the statute of the Passover: no foreigner shall eat of it, ⁴⁴ but every slave that is bought for money may eat of it after you have circumcised him. ⁴⁵ No foreigner or hired worker may eat of it. ⁴⁶ It shall be eaten in one house; you shall not take any of the flesh outside the house, and you shall not break any of its bones. ⁴⁷ All the congregation of Israel shall keep it. ⁴⁸ If a stranger shall sojourn with you and would keep the Passover to the LORD, let all his males be circumcised. Then he may come near and keep it; he shall be as a native of the land. But no uncircumcised person shall eat of it. ⁴⁹ There shall be one law for the native and for the stranger who sojourns among you.”

1 Chronicles 4:17,18 What happened to Moses' adopted Mother, daughter of Pharoah? She is listed in the descendants of Jesus' tribe, Judah.

The sons of Ezrah: Jether, Mered, Epher, and Jalon. These are the sons of Bithiah, the daughter of Pharaoh, whom Mered married; and she conceived and bore Miriam, Shammai, and Ishbah, the father of Eshtemoa.

The real conflict isn't if God is cruel, it is God being God. God who does make provision for all of us. It is repeat and repeat of the human condition, today, since Adam and Eve. We want to eat of the tree of knowledge of good and evil - and be God . Do away with His holiness.

God's provisions, plan and way forward is always within the boundaries of His holiness. God making a way forward for all who call upon His name.

Romans 10:9
if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved

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Archaeology and Articles from Scripture for Today Blogspot on the Exodus:

Psalm 105:23-45 ~ Egypt was glad when they departed, for dread of them had fallen upon it.

Psalm 78: 1- 39 ~ Things from of old

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Psalm 90 ~ teach us to number our days

Psalm 90 ~ A Prayer of Moses

David Cochran, English Standard Version

¹ Lord, you have been our dwelling place ^{[our refuge]}
in all generations.
² Before the mountains were brought forth,
or ever you had formed the earth and the world,
from everlasting to everlasting you are God.

³ You return man to dust
and say, “Return, O children of man!”
⁴ For a thousand years in your sight
are but as yesterday when it is past,
or as a watch in the night.

⁵ You sweep them away as with a flood; they are like a dream,
like grass that is renewed in the morning:
⁶ in the morning it flourishes and is renewed;
in the evening it fades and withers.

⁷ For we are brought to an end by your anger;
by your wrath we are dismayed.
⁸ You have set our iniquities before you,
our secret sins in the light of your presence.

⁹ For all our days pass away under your wrath;
we bring our years to an end like a sigh.
¹⁰ The years of our life are seventy,
or even by reason of strength eighty;
yet their span ^[pride] is but toil and trouble;
they are soon gone, and we fly away.
¹¹ Who considers the power of your anger,
and your wrath according to the fear of you?

¹² So teach us to number our days
that we may get a heart of wisdom.

¹³ Return, O LORD! How long?
Have pity on your servants!
¹⁴ Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love,
that we may rejoice and be glad all our days.
¹⁵ Make us glad for as many days as you have afflicted us,
and for as many years as we have seen evil.
¹⁶ Let your work be shown to your servants,
and your glorious power to their children.
¹⁷ Let the favor ^[beauty] of the Lord our God be upon us,
and establish the work of our hands upon us;
yes, establish the work of our hands!

Psalm 90 - failure and success, work with, without blessing and the passage of time. - Sometimes success can be empty. When we sit down to do a job, a career, do we picture ourselves leaving decades later - wondering if this is all there is.

Ebenezer Scrooge is an unusual name. Ebenezer is a Hebrew male given name meaning "Stone of the Help." Meaning Helper, another name of the Holy Spirit.

The tone of Psalm 90 would fit "A Christmas Carol" very well. Yet it is a prayer of Moses. Moses who saw Great Worldly Success and had it swept away in spiritual questioning of his own identity. Moses saw World Class Miracles and saw the entire nation of Israel witness all of these amazing acts of God - and saw them disregarded in the day-to-day ingratitude and selfish concerns.

The highs of life - don't remain good without gratitude. The Midas touch, where all turned to gold, was actually a burden - a curse. The people surrounding Midas were all about the gold.

If Charles Dickens had written "Christmas Carol" from the Bob Cratchit viewpoint, it might make another movie. Mrs. Cratchit would have angst for giving up her career to look after a special needs child. Bob Cratchit would have angst being the TV dad of his family - like Homer Simpson. Tiny Tim would have bullying. The Siblings - the angst of not being at the top of the heap financially. The answer is the same.

Lows of life overpower us without the gratitude for the promises of God. Without the faith to believe our lives have meaning. The hope God's promises are for this life. The Love we have to draw from ourselves instead of sinking into the "winning' mentality of taking, taking, taking.

Father God, renew us each day - let us, in hope, see the blessings you give us each day. Let us be mindful of the blessings you provide. Like My Aunt Eloise's Old English Prayer - Lord - I will be veree busy this day. Do not forget me. As I am likely to forget thee.

Psalm 68:19
Blessed be the Lord, who daily loadeth us with benefits, even the God of our salvation. Selah.

Help us not to be the Children of Israel - disregarding the blessings of our lives for profit, for idle boredom, with small results instead of the glories You've given us each day. In the Highest Name of all. Jesus. Amen.

"Many laughed to see this alteration in him, but he let them laugh and little heeded them, for he knew that no good thing in this world ever happened, at which some did not have their fill of laughter. His own heart laughed and that was quite enough for him. And it was always said of him that he knew how to keep Christmas well if any man alive possessed the knowledge."

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Mark 1:14-20 ~ the Kingdom of God is at hand

Mark 1:14-20

David Cochran, English Standard Version

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

¹⁶ Passing alongside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and Andrew the brother of Simon casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. ¹⁷ And Jesus said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you become fishers of men.” ¹⁸ And immediately they left their nets and followed him. ¹⁹ And going on a little farther, he saw James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, who were in their boat mending the nets. ²⁰ And immediately he called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired servants and followed him.

Circa 1960 photos of Peter's House in Capernaum, then the Synagogue and Sea of Galilee

Peter, Andrew, James and John did not have lives of poverty and misery. They had reasons to stay where they were. Peter's house is the largest by far in Capernaum. He was well provided for. James and John, Sons of Zebedee are shown in archaeology to have given a pillar in the Synagogue. It is recorded in 1 Samuel, the followers of David, during his pre-kingdom years were the malcontents. Jesus did Not draw the malcontents.


1 Samuel 22:1-2
David departed from there and escaped to the cave of Adullam. And when his brothers and all his father's house heard it, they went down there to him. 2 And everyone who was in distress, and everyone who was in debt, and everyone who was bitter in soul, gathered to him. And he became commander over them. And there were with him about four hundred men.

Capernaum was so prosperous, so removed from Jerusalem - it was to remain intact for another 13 centuries. An amazing blessing for the town Jesus chose as an adult hometown. The Three Jewish Revolts and the destruction of Jerusalem did not touch Capernaum.

Matthew 4:19
19 And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.”

Jesus wasn't promising them something like exotic travel or better ... anything. Jesus was acknowledging they Liked their lives, it would be rewarding work, for eternal rewards. Rewards the disciples were already understanding - soul deep.

Peter, Andrew, James and John left a virtual paradise for Jesus. Without much or any... persuasion. Why? They felt something more important in Jesus.


Matthew 13
"The kingdom of heaven is like a grain of mustard seed that a man took and sowed in his field. ³² It is the smallest of all seeds, but when it has grown it is larger than all the garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches.”

Peter, Andrew, James, John and the 72 disciples wanted to rest in the shade of Jesus and nestle in His branches.

33 He told them another parable. “The kingdom of heaven is like leaven that a woman took and hid in three measures of flour, till it was all leavened.”

Peter, Andrew, James, John, the 72 disciples, and the thousands who followed Jesus, even unto the cross (not the disciples) saw and experienced Jesus' ministry of healing, love grow and become leavened. They recognized the Bread of Heaven.

44 The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.

45 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls, ⁴⁶ who, on finding one pearl of great value, went and sold all that he had and bought it."

We see in these photos, these men already had worldly treasure of temperate climate, beautiful blue skies, soft breezes and prosperous life style, yet they saw in Jesus as an abiding treasure and went with Jesus the LORD.

Isaiah 32:18
My people will abide in a peaceful habitation, in secure dwellings, and in quiet resting places.

John 15:7-8
If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. ⁸ By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples.

John 15:10
If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commandments and abide in his love.

1 John 2:17
And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.


Each day, we invite the LORD to live in our hearts, souls, lives - for reasons of peace and reasons of trouble. In times of peace, give thanks. The disciples lived peaceful lives and still chose, upon meeting Jesus that He is above all else.

John 1:4-5
In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.




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Isaiah 46 ~ I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me

Isaiah 46

David Cochran, English Standard Version

¹ Bel bows down; Nebo stoops;
their idols are on beasts and livestock;
these things you carry are borne
as burdens on weary beasts.
² They stoop; they bow down together;
they cannot save the burden,
but themselves go into captivity.

³ “Listen to me, O house of Jacob,
all the remnant of the house of Israel,
who have been borne by me from before your birth,
carried from the womb;
⁴ even to your old age I am he,
and to gray hairs I will carry you.
I have made, and I will bear;
I will carry and will save.

⁵ “To whom will you liken me and make me equal,
and compare me, that we may be alike?
⁶ Those who lavish gold from the purse,
and weigh out silver in the scales,
hire a goldsmith, and he makes it into a god;
then they fall down and worship!
⁷ They lift it to their shoulders, they carry it,
they set it in its place, and it stands there;
it cannot move from its place.
If one cries to it, it does not answer
or save him from his trouble.

⁸ “Remember this and stand firm,
recall it to mind, you transgressors,
⁹ remember the former things of old;
for I am God, and there is no other;
I am God, and there is none like me,
¹⁰ declaring the end from the beginning
and from ancient times things not yet done,
saying, ‘My counsel shall stand,
and I will accomplish all my purpose,’
¹¹ calling a bird of prey from the east,
the man of my counsel from a far country.
I have spoken, and I will bring it to pass;
I have purposed, and I will do it.

¹² “Listen to me, you stubborn of heart,
you who are far from righteousness:
¹³ I bring near my righteousness; it is not far off,
and my salvation will not delay;
I will put salvation in Zion,
for Israel my glory.”

An amazing Scripture passage. In Jesus Christ, this is your passage.

You were borne by Me from before your birth,
carried from the womb;
⁴ even to your old age I am He,
and to gray hairs I will carry you.
I have made, and I will bear;
I will carry and will save.

Call it to mind
⁹ remember the former things of old;
for I am God, and there is no other;
I am God, and there is none like Me,
¹⁰ declaring the end from the beginning
and from ancient times things not yet done,
saying, ‘My counsel shall stand,
and I will accomplish all My purpose,’
¹¹ calling a bird of prey from the east,
the man of my counsel from a far country.
I have spoken, and I will bring it to pass;
I have purposed, and I will do it.


Of course, now would be an obvious time to talk about idols we make of things we own and how they come to own us. And it is true. But more important are the depths of those burdens. My dad was born in Greenville, Mississippi. In the early 1930s, he was in a parade because on his father's side - he was 6th generation Mississippian.

He often told in incident happening to him as a child - a 40 something African American man plowing a field when the voodoo priest came along, took the plow from him and placed the man in a 12 foot diameter circle. The voodoo priest told the man, he had a choice - he could stay in the circle and die at sundown, or he could cross the circle line and die immediately. Apparently there was an unpaid debt. My dad, a boy at the time, saw many people visiting the man during that day, lots of loud and whaling voices were heard - but he never knew if it was vendetta or a money debt. The man was very vocal during the day, but as the sun set, the man grew quiet and died. True story. It was said the attending doctor, there that day, said his heart had failed.

Bird Type Idols from the Israel Museum. These date back to 1000 B.C. - the time of King David.

If you aren't from the Southern United States, you might not know voodoo believes God is God Almighty. But He gets busy and ignores our prayers. A Deist Theory. Then voodoo acknowledges lesser gods and goddesses and they somehow are more interested and intervene in prayer. Whereas God is not interested in our negative prayers to get someone in evil intention prayer, the lesser gods help out in that area. Unfortunately, there is payback. And sadly, people resort to voodoo because they feel like sinners or second rate. Things like astrology and psychic readings, go along with this.

So the man in the story was killed by his burdens. It is Interesting ... all the idols are usually ugly. Bone deep ugly. And yes, the Israel Museum is filled with ugly idols archaeology has found in Israel. Lessing Photo Archives. There is still a higher point to this story.

This man died in the ugliness of idol worship. Yet, that day, so many years ago, God is still God of that day. And His purposes prevail. The man was a child of God and falls into God's hand.

Three things to keep in mind. 1. Idol worship is ugly and it goes deeper than we are aware on a daily basis. 2. Negative thought can kill you. 3. God is God. No point in fear over the spiritual battle - it is already won.

There is a spiritual battle. However the Good News in Jesus Christ is better still. We have a God who is never too busy. God's purposes will prevail. Jesus Christ did not remain in the grave after an entire government and the Temple government sought to kill Him. The disciples did not stay, locked in fear, and in doubt. These men were in the Temple, itself, within a very small amount of time, proclaiming Jesus as God, with the government and Temple unable to get them to stop. God was willing to meet them in their sins, in their doubt, in their fear. They knew it and they ran to the Possibility of their Jesus. The Goodness of the Lord is beyond compare. It is still up to us to know all prayer Is answered, in our faith. We just don't always get the yes answer. God is Love.

The Disciples Peter and John Running to the Sepulcher on the Morning of the Resurrection, painted by Eugene Burnand in 1898

You were borne by Me from before your birth,
carried from the womb;
⁴ even to your old age I am He,
and to gray hairs I will carry you.
I have made, and I will bear;
I will carry and will save.




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