Psalm 138 ~ I give you thanks, O Lord, with my whole heart

Heavens Declare by maryeandersen.com


Psalm 138

English Standard Version, David Cochran Audio Bible

I give you thanks, O Lord, with my whole heart;
before the gods I sing your praise;
2 I bow down toward your holy temple
and give thanks to your name for your steadfast love and your faithfulness,
for you have exalted above all things
your name and your word.
3 On the day I called, you answered me;
my strength of soul you increased.

4 All the kings of the earth shall give you thanks, O Lord,
for they have heard the words of your mouth,
5 and they shall sing of the ways of the Lord,
for great is the glory of the Lord.
6 For though the Lord is high, he regards the lowly,
but the haughty he knows from afar.

7 Though I walk in the midst of trouble,
you preserve my life;
you stretch out your hand against the wrath of my enemies,
and your right hand delivers me.
8 The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me;
your steadfast love, O Lord, endures forever.
Do not forsake the work of your hands.

Feel free to pray your prayer along with me:

Father God, I am grateful. I am grateful for my marriage and my husband, for the way we work things out together. I am thankful - thankful for the health of my two sons. I am so appreciative for their education. I am grateful for my garden. And my health.

My thanksgivings feel much more cheerful knowing summer temperatures will cool down. I am so appreciative of the coming October. Thank You for the rain for New Mexico and East Texas. Please be with the people struggling with drought and heat. The animals as well.

I am grateful this year to have left my sons at college, and not felt a terrible ache. I look forward to the future You will bring us.

Thank You, Father, for the comforts of home. Bless the men and women fighting for this country, away from their homes. We pray for peace. We pray You will guide our nation.

Thank You, Father, for the gifts You've given in my life. I thank You for the circumstances I am not really grateful for, but look forward to seeing what You will do with them. Help me always to be forgiving and to rejoice in the gift of Your forgiveness.

Father, thank You for the times I felt You lean into my prayers. For that gift, knowing You are there if I feel You or not. Thank You, Father, for the many blessings You willingly give. In the name of Jesus Christ, Your Son. Amen.


<><

Ruth 1 ~ Naomi

View of Al Kerak, Jordan. Fields of Moab

Ruth 1

English Standard Version, David Cochran Audio Bible

In the days when the judges ruled there was a famine in the land, and a man of Bethlehem in Judah went to sojourn in the country of Moab, he and his wife and his two sons. 2 The name of the man was and the name of his wife Naomi, and the names of his two sons were Mahlon and Chilion. They were Ephrathites from Bethlehem in Judah. They went into the country of Moab and remained there. 3 But Elimelech, the husband of Naomi, died, and she was left with her two sons. 4 These took Moabite wives; the name of the one was Orpah and the name of the other Ruth. They lived there about ten years, 5 and both Mahlon and Chilion died, so that the woman was left without her two sons and her husband.

6 Then she arose with her daughters-in-law to return from the country of Moab, for she had heard in the fields of Moab that the Lord had visited his people and given them food. 7 So she set out from the place where she was with her two daughters-in-law, and they went on the way to return to the land of Judah.

8 But Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law, “Go, return each of you to her mother's house. May the Lord deal kindly with you, as you have dealt with the dead and with me. 9 The Lord grant that you may find rest, each of you in the house of her husband!” Then she kissed them, and they lifted up their voices and wept. 10 And they said to her, “No, we will return with you to your people.” 11 But Naomi said, “Turn back, my daughters; why will you go with me? Have I yet sons in my womb that they may become your husbands? 12 Turn back, my daughters; go your way, for I am too old to have a husband. If I should say I have hope, even if I should have a husband this night and should bear sons, 13 would you therefore wait till they were grown? Would you therefore refrain from marrying? No, my daughters, for it is exceedingly bitter to me for your sake that the hand of the Lord has gone out against me.”

14 Then they lifted up their voices and wept again. And Orpah kissed her mother-in-law, but Ruth clung to her.

15 And she said, “See, your sister-in-law has gone back to her people and to her gods; return after your sister-in-law.” 16 But Ruth said, “Do not urge me to leave you or to return from following you. For where you go I will go, and where you lodge I will lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your God my God. 17 Where you die I will die, and there will I be buried. May the Lord do so to me and more also if anything but death parts me from you.” 18 And when Naomi saw that she was determined to go with her, she said no more.

19 So the two of them went on until they came to Bethlehem. And when they came to Bethlehem, the whole town was stirred because of them. And the women said, “Is this Naomi?” 20 She said to them, “Do not call me Naomi [pleasant] ; call me Mara [bitter], for the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me. 21 I went away full, and the Lord has brought me back empty. Why call me Naomi, when the Lord has testified against me and the Almighty has brought calamity upon me?”

22 So Naomi returned, and Ruth the Moabite her daughter-in-law with her, who returned from the country of Moab. And they came to Bethlehem at the beginning of barley harvest.

Pleasant. We all want pleasant: Nation, lives, income, housing, neighborhoods, schools, work, friends and family.

Part of me always wonders if Ruth was from an abusive or needy family. So, would you go off to Israel - the Jews had dispelled the goys. Ruth was moving in as a goy. Hungry, poor, woman foreigner and with another woman. Today, we move for better jobs and a chance at improvement.

Judges (v.1) was time political scientists and Anarchy enthusiasts should love. Live, let live and self-govern. A product of the Exodus and the Covenant of God. This is a time when God was trying to let each person self-govern. Most of Judges is tragic.

But perhaps I am cynical. Maybe Naomi had demonstrated such love Ruth couldn't bear to see this woman trudge, by herself, through some very rough terrain to go back to Bethlehem where a lot of people had small farms with homes and stables carved into the hills of Bethlehem. Boaz had purchased Elimelech's land.

100 years ago, in this photo, this was how Bethlehem looked for millenniums. Naomi's choices were rather limited to being on the east or west side of the Dead Sea.

Naomi was in the same situation, roughly, as Job.

Job 2:9
Then his wife said to him, “Do you still hold fast your integrity? Curse God and die.”

Naomi thought she would walk alone. And in higher regard for her daughter-in-laws' future lives, she was sending them on to a better life. I love the Scriptures for Naomi's honesty - this set of situations causes her to call herself bitter. Bethlehem, the town, greets her! She doesn't say with enthusiasm that she is back for more opportunities to help raise someone else's sheep. Or to help milk or sheer the animals. She says, I am bitter and God has laid this circumstance on me.

John 1:47
Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him and said of him, “Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no deceit!”

I'm sure at Naomi's announcement of being bitter and forlorn, everyone wanted to have her as their house guest or house help. Remember, this is the (generations forward) crowd where they had no room in their homes or inn for a pregnant woman with her husband.

Naomi is worn out physically and emotionally. She is old. Is there hope?

God doesn't blast Naomi for her bitterness. He helps & sent someone to help them, with food, work and lodgings. Naomi is an adopted Grandmother. Boaz does such a Messiah type job of providing for this family, Solomon would name one of the two pillars in the front of the Temple - Boaz.

Naomi's family becomes the pillar of God's demonstration there is hope for us ahead in this life. Naomi's grandson was Obed, great-grandson is Jesse, and great-great-grandson is David.

David in the Holy Spirit would write:

Psalm 9:10
And those who know your name put their trust in you, for you, O LORD, have not forsaken those who seek you.

And Jesus would say about Solomon & trusting the Lord:

Matthew 6:
“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?

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.


<><

Psalm 134 ~ Thank you Father God

Psalm 134

English Standard Version, David Cochran Audio Bible

Come, bless the Lord, all you servants of the Lord,
who stand by night in the house of the Lord!
2 Lift up your hands to the holy place
and bless the Lord!

3 May the Lord bless you from Zion,
he who made heaven and earth!

We can make all the plans we want, but the plans of the Lord unfurl better than our concepts. Wednesday morning I woke up knowing we were returning my youngest son to Baylor to begin his sophomore year. What began as an early morning day trip became a lovely time to gather with our two sons for two days.

Although something did happen I will mention to you.

Shakespeare said, "Not all who wander are lost." And I love that, but really my son and I were having such a good time that I lost the highway and we were dead lost. And we wandered all over central Texas as the electronic map couldn't pick up a signal. What I saw was something I haven't seen in my four decades of being alive. In Texas, we call the man-made watering ponds tanks. I saw tanks and tanks and tanks were utterly barren and cracked earth. Brown fields like toast going very, very brown. The fields of cows looked plump enough, but they were standing in the 106' heat looking at the car going past.

That night, as we unloaded boxes at close to midnight - it was 98'. We have a very bona fide opportunity for prayer. My heart went out to the fields of cows trying to stand under drought stricken trees. But even more to the farmers/ranchers, who must feel more miserable than the placid cows. I pray for neighbors with some grazing land available to feel compelled to share and the man-power to keep the cows in the fields. And for the people and animals in the counties were everything looks so burned up. The dry, dry creek and river beds.

Father God, I've experienced hurricanes where neighbors have bbq's sharing all the food in the defrosting freezers. I've experienced seeing our neighbors and family out in those hurricane storms freeing homes up and down the street, for each other, of branches & trees. Father God, help the counties who can help each other do so - help one another. Father God, give aid to the farmers, crops and animals who need help soon. Father God, please speak the word to make this High pressure depart and send us some rain. Your will be done, we seek Your mercy and steadfast love.

Thank you for the opportunities You have given my sons for education. Bless them with the guidance of Your Holy Spirit as these young men become men. And for all the families to give assistance to each other as schools open all over the country. Let us be Your Light in the schools. Amen.

<><

Mark 12 ~ to God the things that are God's

Belgium Church Treasury Art and Lock(et)



Mark 12

English Standard Version, David Cochran Audio Bible

And he began to speak to them in parables. “A man planted a vineyard and put a fence around it and dug a pit for the winepress and built a tower, and leased it to tenants and went into another country. 2 When the season came, he sent a servant to the tenants to get from them some of the fruit of the vineyard. 3 And they took him and beat him and sent him away empty-handed. 4 Again he sent to them another servant, and they struck him on the head and treated him shamefully. 5 And he sent another, and him they killed. And so with many others: some they beat, and some they killed. 6 He had still one other, a beloved son. Finally he sent him to them, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’ 7 But those tenants said to one another, ‘This is the heir. Come, let us kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.’ 8 And they took him and killed him and threw him out of the vineyard. 9 What will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come and destroy the tenants and give the vineyard to others. 10 Have you not read this Scripture:

“‘The stone that the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone;
11 this was the Lord's doing,
and it is marvelous in our eyes’?”

12 And they were seeking to arrest him but feared the people, for they perceived that he had told the parable against them. So they left him and went away.


13 And they sent to him some of the Pharisees and some of the Herodians, to trap him in his talk. 14 And they came and said to him, “Teacher, we know that you are true and do not care about anyone's opinion. For you are not swayed by appearances, but truly teach the way of God. Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not? Should we pay them, or should we not?” 15 But, knowing their hypocrisy, he said to them, “Why put me to the test? Bring me a denarius and let me look at it.” 16 And they brought one. And he said to them, “Whose likeness and inscription is this?” They said to him, “Caesar's.” 17 Jesus said to them, “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's.” And they marveled at him.

18 And Sadducees came to him, who say that there is no resurrection. And they asked him a question, saying, 19 “Teacher, Moses wrote for us that if a man's brother dies and leaves a wife, but leaves no child, the man must take the widow and raise up offspring for his brother. 20 There were seven brothers; the first took a wife, and when he died left no offspring. 21 And the second took her, and died, leaving no offspring. And the third likewise. 22 And the seven left no offspring. Last of all the woman also died. 23 In the resurrection, when they rise again, whose wife will she be? For the seven had her as wife.”

24 Jesus said to them, “Is this not the reason you are wrong, because you know neither the Scriptures nor the power of God? 25 For when they rise from the dead, they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven. 26 And as for the dead being raised, have you not read in the book of Moses, in the passage about the bush, how God spoke to him, saying, ‘I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? 27 He is not God of the dead, but of the living. You are quite wrong.”


28 And one of the scribes came up and heard them disputing with one another, and seeing that he answered them well, asked him, “Which commandment is the most important of all?” 29 Jesus answered, “The most important is, ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. 30 And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ 31 The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” 32 And the scribe said to him, “You are right, Teacher. You have truly said that he is one, and there is no other besides him. 33 And to love him with all the heart and with all the understanding and with all the strength, and to love one's neighbor as oneself, is much more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.” 34 And when Jesus saw that he answered wisely, he said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” And after that no one dared to ask him any more questions.

35 And as Jesus taught in the temple, he said, “How can the scribes say that the Christ is the son of David? 36 David himself, in the Holy Spirit, declared,

“‘The Lord said to my Lord,
Sit at my right hand,
until I put your enemies under your feet.’

37 David himself calls him Lord. So how is he his son?” And the great throng heard him gladly.


38 And in his teaching he said, “Beware of the scribes, who like to walk around in long robes and like greetings in the marketplaces 39 and have the best seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at feasts, 40 who devour widows' houses and for a pretense make long prayers. They will receive the greater condemnation.”


41 And he sat down opposite the treasury and watched the people putting money into the offering box. Many rich people put in large sums. 42 And a poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which make a penny. 43 And he called his disciples to him and said to them, “Truly, I say to you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the offering box. 44 For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on.”

If you sat down and picked up a business journal - you would find an article on taxes and tax savings, the importance of various tax codes & the interpretation advice, maybe an RIT investment property rental opinion, what the future of the market looks like, maybe an article on prenuptial agreements and corporate philanthropy.

Which would, also, sum up the 12th Chapter of the Gospel of Mark. We've been looking at reading Scriptures- finding what resonates with you as you read it or listen- what the Holy Spirit is using Scriptures to convey to you: a meaning in life, a new direction, a new gratefulness, a new direction for problem solving or learning to be grateful with a specific situation.

The Parable of the Tenants
Paying Taxes to Caesar
The Sadducees Ask About the Resurrection
The Great Commandment
Whose Son Is the Christ?
Beware of the Scribes
The Widow's Offering

These are the descriptive titles given to the paragraphs. They have a purpose, to remember the moral of Jesus' subjects. As a tool for understanding, the titles make the answer so simple - we are never exploring for ourselves, why did Jesus put these subjects together.

And why did He put these seemingly different subjects together? It is about deciding what you want to do with your time. Looking at your temporal choices and making eternal choices out of them. It's about visiting the widows and orphans you know. Your livelihood & the people you will call friends.

Just as we will all have a different statement, verse or sentence stick with us today - the subjects blend together to become a certain type of salad, or landscape or interior design or building. The choices you make in life - to give your life a plan. The large and small decisions we make to create our own lives.

Each day we build our dreams, our plans, our actions and reactions. We have choice in everything. Sometimes small choices - like our reaction.

When God decided how to arrange Jesus' life, wouldn't it have been interesting if Jesus had been the returning king, heir of the Davidic line of Judah - like Prince Zerubbabel , a governor of the Persian Province of Judah (Haggai 1:1) and great-grandson of King Jeconiah of Judah. Zerubbabel led the first group of Jews, numbering 42,360, who returned from the Babylonian Captivity in the first year of Cyrus, King of Persia (Book of Ezra).

It would have been a time when the Empire of Babylon/Persian would have been vastly impressed with Jesus to sit on the throne, surrounded by a sympathetic Emperor, leaving Jesus to heal and love people. It would be the equivalent of us planning for our children, giving them the perfect zip code, perfect house and household and perfect private school education. Jesus could have been the King of Persia's perfect client/puppet state philanthropy.

God, of course, would have all the ability to do this for His Son. He could have been a perfect Santa Claus for Jesus' every whim.

Instead God chose Jesus would, live and, understand what it was like to have Scribes in charge of His Vineyard. He would show Jesus all the beautiful things the temporal joys of the world and He would say - is this it? To be the top of the heap? Moving this person around to achieve more fame, power or influence. Making the rules for personal glamor and admiration. What would God have Jesus rely upon Him for?

We are told, in faith, God gives us challenges or trouble in life. I think we all tend to think - right, right, right - God is designing the universe to teach me something. Sure. Chaos and circumstance with a purpose. Uh-huh.

Why not? If we believe God died for us, specifically, why wouldn't we see Jesus modelling struggling with some pretty tough, elbows out, religious and political leaders - as another way of saying - if you are going to plan your life - do it for meaningfulness and purpose and not because Armani has a nice ring to it.

Our triumphs can be called gifts. Our difficulties called things of God's. Our plans could be called contributions to God's glory. Every single day. Jesus reminds us in this passage to plan for the things that truly have meaning behind the image. In Mark 12, Jesus says we plan and our choices matter.

Jesus is saying you matter to Him. As if you were the only one.

<><

Proverbs 17:17-18:5 ~ a discerning man

Proverbs 17:17-18:5

English Standard Version, David Cochran Audio Bible

17 A friend loves at all times,
and a brother is born for adversity.
18 One who lacks sense gives a pledge
and puts up security in the presence of his neighbor.
19 Whoever loves transgression loves strife;
he who makes his door high seeks destruction.
20 A man of crooked heart does not discover good,
and one with a dishonest tongue falls into calamity.

21 He who sires a fool gets himself sorrow,
and the father of a fool has no joy.

22 A joyful heart is good medicine,
but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.
23 The wicked accepts a bribe in secret
to pervert the ways of justice.
24 The discerning sets his face toward wisdom,
but the eyes of a fool are on the ends of the earth.

25 A foolish son is a grief to his father
and bitterness to her who bore him.

26 To impose a fine on a righteous man is not good,
nor to strike the noble for their uprightness.

27 Whoever restrains his words has knowledge,
and he who has a cool spirit is a man of understanding.
28 Even a fool who keeps silent is considered wise;
when he closes his lips, he is deemed intelligent.

Proverbs 18

Whoever isolates himself seeks his own desire;
he breaks out against all sound judgment.

2 A fool takes no pleasure in understanding,
but only in expressing his opinion.
3 When wickedness comes, contempt comes also,
and with dishonor comes disgrace.

4 The words of a man's mouth are deep waters;
the fountain of wisdom is a bubbling brook.
5 It is not good to be partial to the wicked
or to deprive the righteous of justice.

Did any of the verses resonate in you?

We are blessed ... when Scripture speaks to our lives, even when it is uncomfortable.

My husband & I did a Biblical word study on success being a gift of God, about 5 years ago. It annoyed a few people, because sometimes success is aloof from effort. Other times we like to feel as if we've done it by ourselves. Sometimes we have contempt for people who aren't trying hard enough, resting on faith alone.

Then there are the times we want to justify our indifference to suffering. We have all stood on different squares of life's checker board.

We went around the room and read out loud several verses. Sometimes the verses we read aloud were irritating to the person reading it. When we read Scripture that annoys us, it is the opportunity to see if there isn't higher wisdom we should put our hands out and ask for mercy, for wisdom. Sometimes we are stung because we feel it is unjust. Still time to ask for help and mercy.

A discerning man keeps wisdom in view,
but a fool's eyes wander to the ends of the earth.

We are blessed when Scripture speaks to our lives, even when it is uncomfortable. The Scriptures don't just point out the ways others should be behave, but speak to us individually.

Hebrews 12:6
For the LORD disciplines those he loves, and he punishes each one he accepts as his child. As you endure this divine discipline, remember that God is treating you as his own children. Who ever heard of a child who is never disciplined by its father?


<><

Romans 8:1-14 ~ set their minds on the things of the Spirit

Romans 8:1-14

English Standard Version, David Cochran Audio Bible

There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. 2 For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. 3 For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, 4 in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. 5 For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. 6 For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. 7 For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God's law; indeed, it cannot. 8 Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.

9 You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. 10 But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. 11 If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.

12 So then, brothers, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. 13 For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. 14 For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.


My mother is about to be 78 years old; she works for a well-known, Horatio Alger Award Winner, lady in Real Estate who is 100 years old. In 1981, my parents divorced and my mother re-entered the work force as her boss' assistant. There is a cartoon Cathy put out years ago that my mom probably still has in her office - it is Cathy carrying two purses and she says, " I have a work out program, a social calendar, a low-fat diet program, a make-up program, a skin program, a business calendar, business ledger, a vitamin program, a budget system, a reimbursement program and tv program. And I carry it with me." Cathy is shown with 2 purses.

I have a mom who does carry two purses. This can be one of the Bible passages we wonder how we ever fit into the Bible passage. It is not easy, we become overwhelmed in life at times.

We can relate to it like this:

Mark 4:37-41
And a great windstorm arose, and the waves were breaking into the boat, so that the boat was already filling. 38 But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion. And they woke him and said to him, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” 39 And he awoke and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Peace! Be still!” And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. 40 He said to them, “Why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith?”

When we feel swept along in life - we all do - even the disciples felt confused walking beside the Lord - we have an Advocate.

1 Timothy 2:5
For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus

James 1:27
Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world

Jesus took time for others. Jesus visited the lepers. They were not going to be the people who increased His salary, His social standing, His reputation. He didn't visit them for the pat on the back.

Luke 17:11-19
On the way to Jerusalem he was passing along between Samaria and Galilee. 12 And as he entered a village, he was met by ten lepers, who stood at a distance 13 and lifted up their voices, saying, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.” 14 When he saw them he said to them, “Go and show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went they were cleansed. 15 Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice; 16 and he fell on his face at Jesus’ feet, giving him thanks. Now he was a Samaritan. 17 Then Jesus answered, “Were not ten cleansed? Where are the nine? 18 Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?” 19 And he said to him, “Rise and go your way; your faith has made you well.”

When we are confronted with a spiritual issue larger than we are. When we have a situation, we cannot fix. We have someone to rely upon - Jesus. He is our advocate, we cannot attain salvation in our own efforts. We remember He is in charge. We remember to appreciate and help others. We strive to think of what is good and be grateful.

My cousin Maxine and Aunt Elois had this framed by their front door: "Dear Lord, I shall be very busy this day. Do not forget me. As I am apt to forget You. " I read it as a young person and was shocked, but it is a humble admission of what we are.

Father God, when we ask, not because we are deserving. You create in us, your children, the ability to take up our mats and walk. In full view of all. You forgive our sins and we are grateful. In the name of Jesus. Amen.





<><

Psalm 116 ~ I believe

Psalm 116

English Standard Version, David Cochran Audio Bible

I love the Lord, because he has heard
my voice and my pleas for mercy.
2 Because he inclined his ear to me,
therefore I will call on him as long as I live.
3 The snares of death encompassed me;
the pangs of Sheol laid hold on me;
I suffered distress and anguish.
4 Then I called on the name of the Lord:
“O Lord, I pray, deliver my soul!”

5 Gracious is the Lord, and righteous;
our God is merciful.
6 The Lord preserves the simple;
when I was brought low, he saved me.
7 Return, O my soul, to your rest;
for the Lord has dealt bountifully with you.

8 For you have delivered my soul from death,
my eyes from tears,
my feet from stumbling;
9 I will walk before the Lord
in the land of the living.

10 I believed, even when I spoke,
“I am greatly afflicted”;
11 I said in my alarm,
“All mankind are liars.”

12 What shall I render to the Lord
for all his benefits to me?
13 I will lift up the cup of salvation
and call on the name of the Lord,
14 I will pay my vows to the Lord
in the presence of all his people.

15 Precious in the sight of the Lord
is the death of his saints.
16 O Lord, I am your servant;
I am your servant, the son of your maidservant.
You have loosed my bonds.
17 I will offer to you the sacrifice of thanksgiving
and call on the name of the Lord.
18 I will pay my vows to the Lord
in the presence of all his people,
19 in the courts of the house of the Lord,
in your midst, O Jerusalem.
Praise the Lord!

Only 73 of the Psalms we know have flown through David's Spirit. The Psalms, like all of the Scriptures, are for us. They explain many situations, many lives and they continue to do this good work for millenniums. Just as these situations fit others - they fit you.

~ I love the Lord, because he has heard
my voice and my pleas for mercy.
2 Because he inclined his ear to me,
therefore I will call on him as long as I live.
3 The snares of death encompassed me;
the pangs of Sheol laid hold on me;
I suffered distress and anguish.
4 Then I called on the name of the Lord:
“O Lord, I pray, deliver my soul!”

Think of Hezekiah. Hezekiah wanted mercy from God hearing his illness would be fatal.


Isaiah 38:2-6 2
Then Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the Lord, 3 and said, “Please, O Lord, remember how I have walked before you in faithfulness and with a whole heart, and have done what is good in your sight.” And Hezekiah wept bitterly.

4 Then the word of the Lord came to Isaiah: 5 “Go and say to Hezekiah, Thus says the Lord, the God of David your father: I have heard your prayer; I have seen your tears. Behold, I will add fifteen years to your life. 6 I will deliver you and this city out of the hand of the king of Assyria, and will defend this city.

Can you see Hezekiah and God's mercy in your life?





God's mercy touched Hezekiah's life and we have, amazingly, so many archaeological finds of Hezekiah's life, above. This is a miracle by itself, Judah was destroyed not many years after Hezekiah died. Just as God was merciful to Hezekiah, His mercies exist today for you.




~ Gracious is the Lord, and righteous; our God is merciful. 6 The Lord preserves the simple; when I was brought low, he saved me. 7 Return, O my soul, to your rest; for the Lord has dealt bountifully with you.

What kind of person would the Lord choose to raise His Son. Someone who would hear of God's plans and be humble and ask for the Lord's will.

Luke 2:38, 46-50
And Mary said, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.

46 And Mary said,

“My soul magnifies the Lord, 47 and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, 48 for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant. For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed; 49 for he who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name. 50 And his mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation.

Yes, we see with the eyes of faith - Mary is the Mother of God. Mothering Jesus and walking the way of the Cross with Him.

Where would we find records of this young woman from Nazareth? The Sanhedrin Counsel, Talmud, records still exist of Jesus and His Mother. Mary and her role in Jesus' life are debated by puzzled, angry, powerful men. Leaving official, judicial, biased documents.

We remember Mary better as meeting the angel Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God.



Lazarus. The friend of Jesus. A man who fed Jesus in his home and was raised from death by Jesus.

~ For you have delivered my soul from death, my eyes from tears, my feet from stumbling; 9 I will walk before the Lord in the land of the living.

Lazarus is another person the Scriptures are not specific about later. We could visit this empty tomb in Israel.

Or we could visit the tombs of Mary Magdalene and Martha in France. And there is another empty tomb for Lazarus with his sisters' tombs. With Church records saying Lazarus' remains went to an altar in a Cathedral in Spain. When they opened the altar in the last few years, they discovered dust, but a sign reading "Lazarus, friend of Jesus."

John 11:43
When he had said these things, he cried out with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come forth.”

Lazarus' sign is ours. An empty tomb because we are friends of Jesus.



12 What shall I render to the Lord for all his benefits to me? 13 I will lift up the cup of salvation and call on the name of the Lord, 14 I will pay my vows to the Lord in the presence of all his people.

Jesus was known to run with sinners. We learned this in Sunday School, before we had the honest appreciation - we are sinners. How did Jesus change one thug's Whole Life? Matthew, formerly Levi, upwardly mobile Jew, working to collect honest and dishonest taxes away from the Children of Israel. Matthew was so profoundly touched by the benefit of Jesus' overwhelming love and forgiveness - he gave Jesus a feast - inviting all the people who really, really needed a savior. And writing for them a Gospel!



Luke 5:27-32
After this he went out and saw a tax collector named Levi, sitting at the tax booth. And he said to him, “Follow me.” 28 And leaving everything, he rose and followed him.

29 And Levi made him a great feast in his house, and there was a large company of tax collectors and others reclining at table with them. 30 And the Pharisees and their scribes grumbled at his disciples, saying, “Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?” 31 And Jesus answered them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. 32 I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance.”




Who else was so changed by meeting, face to face, God's overwhelming Love?

15 Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints. 16 O Lord, I am your servant; I am your servant, the son of your maidservant. You have loosed my bonds. 17 I will offer to you the sacrifice of thanksgiving and call on the name of the Lord. 18 I will pay my vows to the Lord in the presence of all his people, 19 in the courts of the house of the Lord, in your midst, O Jerusalem. Praise the Lord!

Jericho


Luke 19:1-10 (The Message)
Then Jesus entered and walked through Jericho. There was a man there, his name Zacchaeus, the head tax man and quite rich. He wanted desperately to see Jesus, but the crowd was in his way—he was a short man and couldn't see over the crowd. So he ran on ahead and climbed up in a sycamore tree so he could see Jesus when he came by.

^5-7When Jesus got to the tree, he looked up and said, "Zacchaeus, hurry down. Today is my day to be a guest in your home." Zacchaeus scrambled out of the tree, hardly believing his good luck, delighted to take Jesus home with him. Everyone who saw the incident was indignant and grumped, "“He has gone to be the guest of a man who is a sinner.”?"

⁸Zacchaeus just stood there, a little stunned. He stammered apologetically, "Master, I give away half my income to the poor—and if I'm caught cheating, I pay four times the damages."

^9-10Jesus said, "Today is salvation day in this home! Here he is: Zacchaeus, son of Abraham! For the Son of Man came to find and restore the lost."

I love the Lord, because he has heard
my voice and my pleas for mercy.


<><

Isaiah 63:15-19 ~ Your lofty throne, holy and glorious

The bones of Uzziah, King of Judah, rest here ... Do not open!" Found in 1931, Mount of Olives.


Isaiah 63:15-19

English Standard Version, David Cochran Audio Bible

Look down from heaven and see,
from your holy and beautiful [holy and glorious] habitation.
Where are your zeal and your might?
The stirring of your inner parts and your compassion
are held back from me.
16 For you are our Father,
though Abraham does not know us,
and Israel does not acknowledge us;
you, O Lord, are our Father,
our Redeemer from of old is your name.
17 O Lord, why do you make us wander from your ways
and harden our heart, so that we fear you not?
Return for the sake of your servants,
the tribes of your heritage.
18 Your holy people held possession for a little while;
our adversaries have trampled down your sanctuary.
19 We have become like those over whom you have never ruled,
like those who are not called by your name.



Uzziah of Judah (עוזיהו) - a king in ancient Judah (2 Kings 14:21; 2 Chronicles 26:1). He is one of the kings mentioned in the genealogy of Jesus in the Gospel of Matthew.

For 52 years, Uzziah was one of the most prosperous kings excluding David and Solomon and perhaps Jehoshaphat. Uzziah was graced with Isaiah to guide him spiritually. He had great successes in rebuilding taken/captured cities and being a builder all over Judah. "his name spread abroad, even to the entering in of Egypt" (2 Chronicles 26:8). In the earlier part of his reign, under the influence of Zechariah, he was faithful to Yahweh, and "did that which was right in the sight of the Lord" (2 Kings 15:3; 2 Chronicles 26:4, 5); but toward the close of his long life "his heart was lifted up to his destruction," and he wantonly invaded the priest's office (2 Chronicles 26:16), and entering the sanctuary proceeded to offer incense on the golden altar. Scholars have said Uzziah was copying the Egyptian Pharaoh's example to become a high priest. A power grab, probably, more than the desire to serve the Lord more fully.

Azariah the High Priest saw the tendency of such a daring act on the part of the king, and with a band of eighty priests he withstood him (2 Chronicles 26:17-19), saying, 17 But Azariah the priest went in after him, with eighty priests of the Lord who were men of valor, 18 and they withstood King Uzziah and said to him, “It is not for you, Uzziah, to burn incense to the Lord, but for the priests, the sons of Aaron, who are consecrated to burn incense. Go out of the sanctuary, for you have done wrong, and it will bring you no honor from the Lord God.” 19 Then Uzziah was angry. Now he had a censer in his hand to burn incense, and when he became angry with the priests, leprosy broke out on his forehead in the presence of the priests in the house of the Lord, by the altar of incense.

He was buried in a separate grave "23 And Uzziah slept with his fathers, and they buried him with his fathers in the burial field that belonged to the kings, for they said, “He is a leper.” And Jotham his son reigned in his place." (2 Kings 15:7; 2 Chronicles 26:23).

"That lonely grave in the royal necropolis would eloquently testify to coming generations that all earthly monarchy must bow before the inviolable order of the divine will, and that no interference could be tolerated with that unfolding of the purposes of God... (Dr. Green's Kingdom of Israel).

Father God, so many times we blame you for our troubles. If only we would move Your hand to glorify us further. Forgive us Father for our weaknesses, our vanities and our deliberate flaws and sins. Thank You for Your great wisdom. Let Your glory and Love warm our world and our lives. Let Your Word go forth to provide meaning for us in our days. In the name of Jesus. Amen.


<><

Ezekiel 45:21-25 ~ you shall celebrate the Feast of the Passover

Flight of the Prisoners, by James Tissot.


Ezekiel 45:21-25

English Standard Version, David Cochran Audio Bible

21 “In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month, you shall celebrate the Feast of the Passover, and for seven days unleavened bread shall be eaten. 22 On that day the prince shall provide for himself and all the people of the land a young bull for a sin offering. 23 And on the seven days of the festival he shall provide as a burnt offering to the Lord seven young bulls and seven rams without blemish, on each of the seven days; and a male goat daily for a sin offering. 24 And he shall provide as a grain offering an ephah for each bull, an ephah for each ram, and a hin [hin was about 4 quarts or 3.5 liters] of oil to each ephah. 25 In the seventh month, on the fifteenth day of the month and for the seven days of the feast, he shall make the same provision for sin offerings, burnt offerings, and grain offerings, and for the oil.


Winston Churchill famously said, " History will be kind to me because I intend to write it." So, the ruins, the total ruins of Judah being reclaimed by the ruined, enslaved Babylonian slave/prisoners. Okay. Why, why, why, and more why, aren't we impressed with this???

What songs do you know of the 2nd Exodus? Poetry? Only reliable, impressive and dusty/forgotten archaeology. Forgotten - unknown, left out of discussion. Name for me, please, the Charlton Heston movie of the 2nd Exodus. Or how about the Disney cartoon?

Exodus - the faithful believe it. Passover - the gift of God to enable the Children of Israel to have freedom. Celebrated today by Jews and Christians in the Christian Easter.

Second Exodus - we even know the date of the Siege of Jerusalem. 2 Adar (March 16) 597 B.C. From the Babylonian Chronicles photographed below.

This is wondrous. An absolute, verifiable miraculous act of the LORD. What else in archeology?


Michael Jursa, associate professor at the University of Vienna, made the discovery in 1991. Nebo-Sarsekim is found in a perfectly preserved Babylonian Tablet. The tablet reads "the property of Nabu-sharrussu-ukin, the chief eunuch - Discussed in the 40th Chapter of Jeremiah.

Where is the epic movie for this????

We have prophets (convenient with name recognition to Books of the Bible = 3), princes, Emperors -3, Empires -2, the rise of the God's amazing Temple and the Temple Tools returned by said Emperor, made by (name recognition again) .... Moses.

And.... last but not least.... we have a curse in the middle of all this drama..... picked up in this seemingly dry passage of today.... which is actually anything but dry....

On that day the prince shall provide for himself and all the people of the land

Jeremiah 22:28-30 Jeconiah is one of the kings mentioned in the genealogy of Jesus in the Gospel of Matthew. However, because of a curse upon Jeconiah, Joseph would never be able to sit upon the throne of David, nor have any of his blood-descendants sit upon the throne of David.

To whom does this prince passage refer? Zerubbabel , a governor of the Persian Province of Judah (Haggai 1:1) and great-grandson of King Jeconiah of Judah. Zerubbabel led the first group of Jews, numbering 42,360, who returned from the Babylonian Captivity in the first year of Cyrus, King of Persia (Book of Ezra).

In the Second Temple of the Lord, the Davidic line does stop. Zechariah and Haggai both give unclear statements regarding Zerubbabel’s authority.

When we think about Churchill declaring the victor - in this case the Children of Israel - we see they loose the king.

So - in faith - would you prefer to be without shelter -in the desert. Without a reliable source of food and water. Without a trained army or writ of a king. Relying upon a pillar of fire by night and cloud by day?

Or would you prefer to have a king's note, riches and provisions as you come into God's kingdom?

Passover. God's blessing upon us, in the midst of life.



<><