Psalm 103:1-5, 8-13 ~ bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits

Psalm 103:1-5, 8-13

 Bless the Lord, O my soul,

and all that is within me,

bless his holy name!

2 Bless the Lord, O my soul,

and forget not all his benefits,

3 who forgives all your iniquity,

who heals all your diseases,

4 who redeems your life from the pit,

who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy,

5 who satisfies you with good

so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's.

8 The Lord is merciful and gracious,

slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.

9 He will not always chide,

nor will he keep his anger forever.

10 He does not deal with us according to our sins,

nor repay us according to our iniquities.

11 For as high as the heavens are above the earth,

so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him;

12 as far as the east is from the west,

so far does he remove our transgressions from us.

13 As a father shows compassion to his children,

so the Lord shows compassion to those who fear him.

Let's bless the Lord together. So, today we'll clean the house as much as we can. And we'll make sure the rest of the family does too. And work as hard as we can at our jobs. That blesses the LORD.  When our attitude is our efforts are for the LORD.

Well, it does. But the best way to bless the Lord, God Almighty - is looking at the Scriptures to find out what He loves to be honored with. Believing what He says and waiting upon HIM. Giving Him Thanks. Taking the blessings of the day and resting in them.  Looking at others around us with compassion.

Believing all things are possible with God. Believing the way things are, this is arranged by God.  

God never does expect us to earn His Promises.  He wants us to remember He benefits us. Renews us. Redeems us. We all want people to accept us for who we are. And not be loved for just the good things. In this passage, God reminds us, it is a blessing to remember all of the benefits of God.

2 Peter 1:4
by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire.

Moving to The Woodlands, continuing to rely upon HIM


Jeremiah 29:11
For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.

For me and ours

Matthew 11:28-29
Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.

Resting in HIS promises.

Philippians 4:19
And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.

Even when we mistake situations. Our talents of discernment are not enough. We needn't fault ourselves. God is still the One in Charge.

Romans 8:37-39
No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

We can rest easily, like lambs.

Proverbs 1:33
but whoever listens to me will dwell secure
and will be at ease, without dread of disaster.

Even when we acknowledge, just in a glimmer of temper at life and situational imperfections. We do not baby ourselves by imagined perfection.

John 14:27
Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.

People will always let us down. We must realize it is God who is Good. Saved by God. Not by ourselves.

Romans 10:9
because, 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.

When all is dark and dishonest, times of trouble. Or just not completely honest.

2 Corinthians 12:9
But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me."

Even in times of fellowship, joy, integrity. God is still the LORD.

Ephesians 2:8
For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God

Gifts of God are our reason, our preferences, our determination, our insight, circumstance, accident and illness. Receiving insight from others. Discernment from within and from the Scriptures. Signs and wonders. And sometimes the plain Ewwww factor.


1 Corinthians 10:13
No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.

Freedom from living in fear of offending God.

Jude 1:24
Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy.




1 Corinthians 15:3-10
For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, 5 and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. 6 Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. 7 Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. 8 Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me. 9 For I am the least of the apostles, unworthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. 10 But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace towards me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me.


Paul, a former murderer of Christians, was concerned with works and grace.

Peter, the rock of God's Church spoke of the way people fall, suffering for right causes as a Christian with hope.

2 Peter 1:5-8
5 For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, 6 and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, 7 and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. 8 For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Peter says with the gift of faith we should have brotherly affection with love. And be careful of lawlessness. Grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Believing:

1 Corinthians 15:57 

 But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

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Ephesians 3:8-12, 14-19 ~ for this reason I bow my knees before the Father

Ephesians 3:8-12, 14-19

To me, though I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, 9 and to bring to light for everyone what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God who created all things, 10 so that through the church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places. 11 This was according to the eternal purpose that he has realized in Christ Jesus our Lord, 12 in whom we have boldness and access with confidence through our faith in him.

Ephesians 3:14-19

For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, 15 from whom every family [fatherhood] in heaven and on earth is named, 16 that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, 18 may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, 19 and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

We always think of Joseph when we see images, like the one we are using today. In Genesis, we are told man is the image of God. So today, this image reminds me of God looking upon His Son being born to journey in this life. 

When Jesus chose to live our life, He made it possible for all of us to have access to Him. Like the Holy of Holies we read about in Leviticus. Aaron's sons were killed for not sacrificing correctly. People longed to place God's power behind a veil, in a Temple. 


In Jesus Christ, all we have to do is - ask  - God to hear us. It doesn't say, in this particular chapter, we have to have perfect faith. It says we have boldness and access with confidence in our faith. And we being imperfect, rude and self-centered, the God who created all things will Listen. 


It says the Church will be part of knowing God. So many people would like to skip that step. The Church being imperfect isn't new. Even in the last chapter of John's Gospel, the disciples want to know what blessing Jesus has for John. Before we even get to The Acts of the Apostles. Before Jesus has ascended. Asking how long John will live. We take what we have learned from Church (the unborn Church Jesus told His disciples about in Caesarea) and we will live it in eternity. Eternity, beginning now. We carry those family names into Heaven. It says something about the importance of the people God gives you. It says the Church is important.


Jesus goes so far as to tell us, the Church is His Bride.


And then... it says you will need to be strengthened with Power through His Spirit in your inner being. Why? You'll need it. And God will do more than listen, He will dwell within you.  Only in Father God, in the amazing love of Jesus Christ, will we know how GOD, THE ALMIGHTY, THE MAKER OF THE UNIVERSE loves you. Calls you by the name He has bestowed upon you. 


And believing the name given to you is from Him, you just begin to glimpse something else:

may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

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Psalm 40:3-4, 10-11 ~ a song of praise to our God

Psalm 40:3-4, 10-11

Of David

English Standard Version, David Cochran Audio

He put a new song in my mouth,

    a song of praise to our God.

Many will see and fear,

    and put their trust in the Lord.

⁴ Blessed is the man who makes
    the Lord his trust,
who does not turn to the proud,
    to those who go astray after a lie!

English Standard Version, David Cochran Audio
              

¹⁰ I have not hidden your deliverance within my heart;
    I have spoken of your faithfulness and your salvation;
I have not concealed your steadfast love and your faithfulness
    from the great congregation.

¹¹ As for you, O Lord, you will not restrain
    your mercy from me;
your steadfast love and your faithfulness will
    ever preserve me!


 Let's compare this to Psalm 111, unrecorded as to author, other than the Holy Spirit:

Psalm 111

 Praise the Lord!
I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart,
    in the company of the upright, in the congregation.

 
² Great are the works of the Lord,
     studied by all who delight in them.
³  Full of splendor and majesty is his work,
    and his righteousness endures forever.

 
⁴ He has caused his wondrous works to be remembered;
    the Lord is gracious and merciful.
⁵ He provides food for those who fear him;
    he remembers his covenant forever.
⁶ He has shown his people the power of his works,
    in giving them the inheritance of the nations.
⁷ The works of his hands are faithful and just;
    all his precepts are trustworthy;
⁸ they are established forever and ever,
    to be performed with faithfulness and uprightness.

 
⁹ He sent redemption to his people;
    he has commanded his covenant forever.
     Holy and awesome is his name!
¹⁰  The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom;
    all those who practice it have a good understanding.
    His praise endures forever!

Is it a Psalm of David. God didn't ask him to record this. Instead we find David doing what he did for almost all the days of his life. Remembering God's gracious works. What did David build? He is remembered for building up Israel. David, which surprised me in the last few years, wasn't automatically king upon Saul and Jonathan's death. David had to deal with a time when it looked like the last 22 years hadn't led up to the anointing meaning anything.

I suppose it is like my father-in-law purchasing a failing brokerage firm at a young age and being told by the older chairman of the board, he was too young to run it. Like David, my father-in-law had to seize his blessings, force the older man to accept it and live his blessings. Which he did.

This isn't meant as a brag, it is meant to do with advice a clerk at Sam's told me recently. Each day we are responsible for our own blessings. We have it within us, as a gift of God, to seize the day!  As Jesus told us in the Lord's Prayer. Or we can not. We have to be grateful and do the work to look for the blessings of each day.

We all have around us and within us .... a Lucy in the Charles Schultz Peanuts Comic Strip.

Okay. Hopefully, as a reader, you know this comic strip. If not, Linus (who describes the birth of Jesus with an integrity and sincerity to rival the Gospel of Luke) has an older sister.  Who is a know it all and has advice for everyone.  She frequently leans on pianos.  And of course, Lucy is the villain.  But she isn't.... because we either are Lucy or we have a parent we loved who is like her.

Lucy is, of course, is us. Fixing the world. Well. She is me.

David is more like Charlie Brown. Why do we love Charlie Brown. He is forgiving. And contemplative. And he listens. Yet really Charlie Brown is a talker. As he talks, he is figuring it all out....

And of course this is all just an analogy!  We are all Lucy and Charlie Brown. We just hide the knowledge from ourselves.

One of the most appealing things about David; as he became the anointed one, he knew it. And he welcomed the men at arms, who had done nothing for him. Making them part of the team.  Just like God. And David was like Charlie Brown. Loyal and loving.

Except for the days when David was like Lucy. So smart. Taking a census. Hoping God wouldn't notice him on that day..... and .....

on that day. We will need to remember Linus....



David really did one thing really well. David built up his faith in the LORD. Along the way, he built up men. He built a city. A nation. The apple of God's eye. And was humbled to find God blessed him.  Today, he brings us knowledge there is more to it than us.

He put a new song in my mouth,

    a song of praise to our God

  Praise the Lord!

 His praise endures forever!

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Psalm 4 ~ Be angry, and do not sin; ponder in your own hearts on your beds, and be silent. Selah

Psalm 4

Answer me when I call, O God of my righteousness!
    You have given me relief when I was in distress.
    Be gracious to me and hear my prayer!

² O men, how long shall my honor be turned into shame?
    How long will you love vain words and seek after lies? Selah

 
³ But know that the Lord has set apart the godly for himself;
    the Lord hears when I call to him.

⁴  Be angry, and do not sin;
     ponder in your own hearts on your beds, and be silent. Selah
 

⁵ Offer right sacrifices,
    and put your trust in the Lord.

⁶ There are many who say, “Who will show us some good?
     Lift up the light of your face upon us, O Lord!”
⁷ You have put more joy in my heart
    than they have when their grain and wine abound.

⁸ In peace I will both lie down and sleep;
    for you alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety.

  

How often are we told in Scripture to be angry? Anger issues are talked about 358 times. One of the great things about God's word is the Truth. People get angry. It is our ability, as my grandmother Anita said, "To rise above it."

The day after our last post on climbing trees; we were all home and all four of us opened the windows to enjoy our Tuesday late afternoon, early evening rain. And as my husband sat by the window, he said, "A tree fell over." I said I didn't think so. Our 100 year old plus Sweet Gum had fallen on the neighbor's chimney and roof. And.... after Hurricane Ike, our 130+ year Grand Old Lady Oak had fallen on their home as well.

We had some angry words over the first Grand Old Lady Oak. And to be frank, our minister, our Church family and some of the neighbors were not happy with the significant way our older neighbors had dealt with us over the Grand Old Lady Oak. And from time to time, we have recalled with some anger and, later, some bitter humor over the first event. 

So how did we react. Not great. And the grown/almost sons acted like the parables. One was set to help and one said no.  And he didn't show up. Thanks, there. But we pulled it together. My husband decided the men would lead the way. He called, we went, we called on more of our very kind neighbors to bring outdoor/green leaf trash cans and tarps. So 6 very wet people stood in the house with 3 recent death losses. And we felt awkward.  With a pause. And then we all decided we had other issues to deal with and we had enjoyed one another in the past. And heave to. The men went up into the attic, the women rolled up the rugs. And we sat down to discuss loss. 

I know my neighbors all felt at the end, it wasn't a good situation, but good people help each other.  Act in LOVE.

 You have put more joy in my heart

Faces that were awkward became....

 Lift up the light of your face upon us, O Lord

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James 4 ~ quarrels and fights among you

The James Ossuary. Lots of controversy, the ending basically unpublished. The Louvre expert and CIA expert testimony expressly gave their opinion on the lid being the actual ossuary of James, the brother of Christ for antiquity carbon dating and the location of the find. The Israeli judge listened to testimony for over 2 years and decided to declare it all to be a matter of faith.

James 4

English Standard Version, David Cochran Audio

What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you? 2 You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have, because you do not ask. 3 You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions. 4 You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. 5 Or do you suppose it is to no purpose that the Scripture says, “He yearns jealously over the spirit that he has made to dwell in us”? 6 But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” 7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8 Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. 9 Be wretched and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. 10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.

11 Do not speak evil against one another, brothers ^{[brothers and sister]}. The one who speaks against a brother or judges his brother, speaks evil against the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge. 12 There is only one lawgiver and judge, he who is able to save and to destroy. But who are you to judge your neighbor?

13 Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit”— 14 yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. 15 Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.” 16 As it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil. 17 So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.

For 4 centuries Roman Emperors persecuted Christians and destroyed Scripture. (See the list of Emperors recording their own persecutions of Christians.) The earliest fragments of the Epistle of James are from the 3rd century. However, Saint Hegesippus (Ἅγιος Ἡγήσιππος) (c. 110 — c. April 7, 180 A.D.), was a Christian chronicler of the early Church and records the Epistle of James being written by James the Just, brother of Jesus. Paul records in Galatians 2:9:

Galatians 2:9

and when James and Cephas and John, who seemed to be pillars, perceived the grace that was given to me, they gave the right hand of fellowship to Barnabas and me, that we should go to the Gentiles and they to the circumcised.

Another Biblical correlation would be the Epistle of James records Christians meet in the Temple and in Synagogues, which is confirmed in the Book of Acts as well.  And in Josephus's Jewish Antiquities, (xx.9) "the brother of Jesus, who was called Christ, whose name was James" met his death after the death of the procurator Porcius Festus in 62 A.D.

So, this boils down to this crucial point. Once again the Scriptures are historically accurate proving again, God does not lie.

And moving on to our passage, let's compare it with this:

Luke 12:50-53
  “I came to cast fire on the earth, and would that it were already kindled! ⁵⁰ I have a baptism to be baptized with, and how great is my distress until it is accomplished! ⁵¹ Do you think that I have come to give peace on earth? No, I tell you, but rather division. ⁵² For from now on in one house there will be five divided, three against two and two against three. ⁵³ They will be divided, father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.”

Increasingly, we are a nation with divisions in our families. And in the Christian community,  sometimes it's because we are divided in our beliefs, in our values, in the time we spend together & over Christianity and money issues. I know in our Church community, we were told to tell our small children - when you date, look to see if your love interest respects their parents, likes their siblings and cares for those around them. If they don't be prepared to find, they will leave. 

I was talking this week to our Buddhist friend, who is from Taiwan, and took great care of their parents. We would see the older couple walking our paths; Japanese style with the wife walking behind her husband, head bowed. Our friend said the reason her family honors the older generation is simple - Respect. 

So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.

James lived in a time he knew to be dangerous. John lived expressing the evil he'd been eyewitness of.  James knew what it was to be the brother Jesus said, "Whoever does the will of God, is my brother."  And James is recorded in the Book of Acts as repentant and daily gathering with the disciples and his mother Mary to pray daily. James is recorded as being one of the ones JESUS appeared to after His resurrection. 

To often we throw up our hands and forget to pray for our loved ones. Too much separation. Too little respect. We let Luke 12 be the Word of God we place upon our families. Yet we have forgotten something important. The first century lived this division, we do not need to repeat it and sigh. Rather sigh in the Holy Spirit and pray, pray, pray. I was challenged to pray for a portion of my family in 2009. So I started to every day. Just praying the Lord's Prayer and "Jesus, please" while picturing their faces. And Dear God. It got So much worse. And I told our Pastor Clark. Thanks for that (figuratively speaking!).  And he replied, "Yes, that happens frequently with real prayer. Keep doing it." (okay great....) And I have to tell you,  results have been rather amazing to me.  I pray for my family in its entirety when I take a vitamin. I pray for their whole (holy) health. 

I have a dear friend at Church, I've seen her take her adult child's children each weekend. The adult child was not living a godly life. Using, I suspected, soft drugs, living with a man who wouldn't legally marry her or put his name on their children. Driving a far direction to get the kids. And giving them all their love and support. Taking the kids each week to our Church and Church special events. That blended family has bloomed. A marriage, children who glow, an adult baptism, children baptism, parents who went forward in Church to say "I will love the LORD", grandparents who feel blessed beyond compare. Because they lived LOVE.  Did the adult child honor her and love her for these years? Not really. But they lived the LOVE anyway. The results are only of GOD.

Mark 11:24

Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours

We ask Father God, for Your will to be done in the name of JESUS CHRIST OUR LORD. Thank You the blessings You have provided and the ones still to come. Amen.

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Mark 4:21-25 ~

Reproduction of an Oil Lamp used during the days of Jesus.

Mark 4:21-25

And he said to them, “Is a lamp brought in to be put under a basket, or under a bed, and not on a stand? ²²  For nothing is hidden except to be made manifest; nor is anything secret except to come to light. ²³  If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear.” ²⁴ And he said to them, “Pay attention to what you hear: with the measure you use, it will be measured to you, and still more will be added to you. ²⁵  For to the one who has, more will be given, and from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away.”

There isn't a wasted word in the passage.  It reminds me of the two different occasions I've discussed this passage.  The first time I was a teenager with a small youth group of about 5 people with a lovely priest named Bill Clarkson (who we discovered from a Tommy Lee Jones interview they are very good friends and Bill Clarkson is a Priest, Head Master for a boys school in Atlanta).  And later in a prayer group, it was the same topic.

Why are some miracles secret? 

Matthew 8:4

And Jesus said to him, “See that you say nothing to anyone, but go, show yourself to the priest and offer the gift that Moses commanded, for a proof to them.”

Mark 7:36

And Jesus charged them to tell no one. But the more he charged them, the more zealously they proclaimed it.


John 4:48
So Jesus said to him, “Unless you see signs and wonders you will not believe.”

Daniel 6:27

He delivers and rescues; he works signs and wonders in heaven and on earth, he who has saved Daniel from the power of the lions.

Mark 11:28

and they said to him, “By what authority are you doing these things, or who gave you this authority to do them?

John 6:26

Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you are seeking me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves.

John 6:30

So they asked him, "What miraculous sign then will you give that we may see it and believe you? What will you do?

And consider how Jesus healed. He went into Jairus' daughter room and put people out to heal. The deaf man who was healed privately and in an understandable and personal manner, Jesus reached out to touch, to heal, to love.

It is amazing what God does. We say as Christians - we are the hands and feet of God. We underestimate God.

Ephesians 3:18-19

may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

God loves us individually. Jesus knew people by name. The passage of Ephesians means you. For you to know. 

When Jesus encountered the Pharisees - they were never pleased. Jesus answered, 

Luke 19:39,40

And some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples.”  He answered, “I tell you, if these were silent, the very stones would cry out.”

Matthew 21:16

and they said to him, “Do you hear what these are saying?” And Jesus said to them, “Yes; have you never read, “‘Out of the mouth of infants and nursing babies you have prepared praise’?”


Numbers 22:28
Then the LORD opened the mouth of the donkey, and she said to Balaam, “What have I done to you, that you have struck me these three times?”

Let's add to this with a personal experience. I went up to Father Bill Nelson at Christ Church in Plano, Texas to express awe and wonder at the healing of my mom's thyroid tumor. Father Bill Nelson replied with firmness, "I was there, but the power is always the Holy Spirit of God in Jesus Christ."  My mom was healed in public at the Church altar rail during a Wednesday morning healing and prayer.

Matthew 18:16
But if he will not listen, take one or two others along, so that 'every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.'

How do we know about Jairus' daughter's healing? Secrets were told. Proclaimed. John tells us in the end of his Gospel - Jesus did so many things. Protestant Churches have miracles every day. Why don't they band together to have a Protestant Church reporting miracles division? The Catholic Church does and it is fabulous. Why doesn't the Catholic Church research Protestant Miracles? They should all do this. If it is from God, we can pray about it and it will be established.

For all the things we want to do, to live, to accomplish, for the prayers we give to Father God giving Him our honest thoughts, we rest in HIM. Abiding in Him. Waiting upon HIM. Giving Justice with Mercy, Walking Humbly with JESUS CHRIST OUR LORD. Praying for the way God sends us in Ministry. 

 Luke 10:1
 After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them on ahead of him, two by two, into every town and place where he himself was about to go.



Psalm 17:1-7
 
Hear a just cause, O Lord; attend to my cry!
    Give ear to my prayer from lips free of deceit!
² From your presence let my vindication come!
    Let your eyes behold the right!

³ You have tried my heart, you have visited me by night,
    you have tested me, and you will find nothing;
    I have purposed that my mouth will not transgress.
⁴ With regard to the works of man, by the word of your lips
    I have avoided the ways of the violent.
⁵ My steps have held fast to your paths;
    my feet have not slipped.

⁶ I call upon you, for you will answer me, O God;
     incline your ear to me; hear my words.
⁷  Wondrously show your steadfast love

In the Name of Jesus Christ our LORD. Amen.  

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Psalm 91 ~ He will cover you with His pinions, and under His wings you will find refuge; His faithfulness is a shield and buckler.

Psalm 91

He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High
    will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.
² I will say to the Lord, “My refuge and my fortress,
    my God, in whom I trust.”

³ For he will deliver you from the snare of the fowler
    and from the deadly pestilence.
⁴ He will cover you with his pinions,
    and under his wings you will find refuge;
    his faithfulness is a shield and buckler.
⁵  You will not fear the terror of the night,
    nor the arrow that flies by day,
⁶ nor the pestilence that stalks in darkness,
    nor the destruction that wastes at noonday.

⁷ A thousand may fall at your side,
    ten thousand at your right hand,
    but it will not come near you.
⁸ You will only look with your eyes
    and see the recompense of the wicked.

⁹ Because you have made the Lord your dwelling place—
    the Most High, who is my refuge ^{[For you, O LORD, are my refuge! You have made the Most High your dwelling place]}—
¹⁰  no evil shall be allowed to befall you,
     no plague come near your tent.

¹¹  For he will command his angels concerning you
    to guard you in all your ways.
¹² On their hands they will bear you up,
    lest you strike your foot against a stone.
¹³ You will tread on the lion and the adder;
    the young lion and the serpent you will trample underfoot.

¹⁴ “Because he holds fast to me in love, I will deliver him;
    I will protect him, because he knows my name.
¹⁵ When he calls to me, I will answer him;
    I will be with him in trouble;
    I will rescue him and honor him.
¹⁶ With long life I will satisfy him
    and show him my salvation.”

Exodus 15:13
"In your unfailing love you will lead the people you have redeemed. In your strength you will guide them to your holy dwelling.

Nehemiah 1:10
They are your servants and your people, whom you redeemed by your great strength and your mighty hand.


Job 33:28
He redeemed my soul from going down to the pit, and I will live to enjoy the light.

Luke 1:68
Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, because he has come and has redeemed his people. 

Peter 1:18
For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers



Redemption is different from life. Life has triumphant times & difficulty. Life rarely rests in one angle, but redemption is constant victory. God has paided the price for our redemption. Redemption doesn't guarantee happiness, but redemption requires gratitude. Finding gratitude is one of the best highways to peace, serving others & finding kindness in a tight corner.

Remember 10 lepers were healed, but always pray to be the one who returned to Praise God!

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Mark 12:1-12 ~ Have you not read this Scripture

Mark 12:1-12

English Standard Version, David Cochran Audio

 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 bondservant 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 ^{[Psalm 118:22]};
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.

One Solitary Life, by James A. Francis

Nearly two thousand years ago in an obscure village, a child was born of a peasant woman. He grew up in another village where He worked as a carpenter until He was thirty. Then for three years He became an itinerant preacher. 

This man never went to college or seminary. He never wrote a book. He never held a public office. He never had a family nor owned a home. He never put His foot inside a big city nor traveled even 200 miles from His birthplace. And though He never did any of the things that usually accompany greatness, throngs of people followed Him. He had no credentials but Himself. 


While He was still young, the tide of public opinion turned against Him. His followers ran away. He was turned over to His enemies and sentenced to death on a cross between two thieves. While He was dying, His executioners gambled for the only piece of property He had on earth – the simple coat He had worn. His body was laid in a borrowed grave provided by a compassionate friend. 

But three days later this Man arose from the dead – living proof that He was, as He had claimed, the Savior whom God had sent, the Incarnate Son of God.
Nineteen centuries have come and gone and today the risen Lord Jesus Christ is the central figure of the human race. On our calendars His birth divides history into two eras. One day of every week is set aside in remembrance of Him. And our two most important holidays celebrate His birth and resurrection. On church steeples around the world, His cross has become the symbol of victory over sin and death. 


This one Man’s life has furnished the theme for more songs, books, poems and paintings than any other person or event in history. Thousands of colleges, hospitals, orphanages and other institutions have been founded in honor of this One who gave His life for us.

All the armies that ever marched, all the navies that ever sailed, all the governments that ever sat, all the kings that ever reigned have not changed the course of history as much as this One Solitary Life.


 

John 1

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. 4 In him was life, and the life was the light of men. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

9 The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. 

"One Solitary Life" has beautiful truth in it. And it touches us. While Jesus was a Man, He was God. Let's take a minute & look together at this in Scripture. So many times the written word has a tone, but unless we are clear, it can be misinterpreted. So this is done gently. With love, looking in the Scriptures. We'll add another Scripture to set a tone to adding to "One Solitary Life."

Psalm 131

O Lord, my heart is not lifted up;

my eyes are not raised too high;

I do not occupy myself with things

too great and too marvelous for me.

2 But I have calmed and quieted my soul,

like a weaned child with its mother;

like a weaned child is my soul within me.

3 O Israel, hope in the Lord

from this time forth and forevermore.

Nearly two thousand years ago in an obscure village, a child was born of a peasant woman. He grew up in another village where He worked as a carpenter until He was thirty. Then for three years He became an itinerant preacher.

Mary was recorded by Isaiah ~ 700 years before ~ the birth of Jesus. Just as we really cannot understand the Book of Revelation, people looked for 700 years for Jesus to be born a King. Records today exist of Caesar Augustus' census.

Believers believe Mary stood with Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God.

Jesus, like many today, came from a blended family. His parents did hard work going back to Nazareth and facing down an unusual marriage.  The community saw them as a complete family. Joseph integrated Jesus into his family.

Matthew 13:54-56
and coming to his hometown he taught them in their synagogue, so that they were astonished, and said, “Where did this man get this wisdom and these mighty works? ⁵⁵  Is not this the carpenter's son? Is not his mother called Mary? And are not his brothers James and Joseph and Simon and Judas? ⁵⁶ And are not all his sisters with us? Where then did this man get all these things?”

This man never went to college or seminary. He never wrote a book. He never held a public office. He never had a family nor owned a home. He never put His foot inside a big city nor traveled even 200 miles from His birthplace. And though He never did any of the things that usually accompany greatness, throngs of people followed Him. He had no credentials but Himself.

Jesus did something we rarely think about. Mark 12:10 records Jesus ~ read. He came from David's Line. This young Man was literate.

Isaiah told us about Jesus' public office.

 Isaiah 9:6
and the government shall be upon his shoulder,
    and his name shall be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
     Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Jesus was acknowledged, during Good Friday, as King, in three languages. And by the man placed there by the Roman Government, as their representative.  John 19:22.

Each day Jesus stood facing down the establishment proclaiming mercy over power. At great risk to Himself. Suffocation was really the cause of death in most crucifixions because the way the government has placed their shoulders on the cross. 

Jesus did indeed write a Book.

2 Peter 1:21
For prophecy never had its origin in the human will, but prophets, though human, spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.

Many believers believe in the Big Bang Theory of Creation. Creation is the Word of God spoken. In the Beginning was the Word - with God. John 1.

Proverbs 8:27 and on....


I was there when he set the heavens in place,
    when he marked out the horizon on the face of the deep,
²⁸ when he established the clouds above
    and fixed securely the fountains of the deep,
²⁹ when he gave the sea its boundary
    so the waters would not overstep his command,
and when he marked out the foundations of the earth.
³⁰     Then I was constantly at his side.
I was filled with delight day after day,
    rejoicing always in his presence,
³¹ rejoicing in his whole world
    and delighting in mankind.

John the Baptist bore witness in John's Gospel; known as the eye witness Gospel, the Gospel of John's First Chapter, (Beloved Disciple): among you stands one you do not know.  He is the one who comes after me, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie.

He never had a family nor owned a home.

Yes, Jesus had a family. Not just as Son of God, but a family God provided for Him. Just like us. And Jesus, in well-known Scripture, did not always get along with them. When Jesus adopted John, on Good Friday, Jesus increased His Family. Mary was given to John as John's responsibility, in part, because Jesus knew His Family would be coming to Him.

 
Mark 3:31-35 
And his mother and his brothers came, and standing outside they sent to him and called him. 32 And a crowd was sitting around him, and they said to him, “Your mother and your brothers are outside, seeking you.” 33 And he answered them, “Who are my mother and my brothers?” 34 And looking about at those who sat around him, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers! 35 For whoever does the will of God, he is my brother and sister and mother."

Acts 1:13-14
And when they had entered, they went up to the upper room, where they were staying, Peter and John and James and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot and Judas the son of James. All these with one accord were devoting themselves to prayer, together with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and his brothers. 

1 Corinthians 9:5

Do we not have the right to take along a believing wife, as do the other apostles and the brothers of the Lord and Cephas?

a big city ~ nor traveled even 200 miles from His birthplace

 
Yes and no. Jesus' Israel was called Judea by the Roman government. It was a suburb of the larger county of Syria. Yet Cleopatra and Marc Antony wanted a portion of this country and fought with different Herods. Cleopatra's sister, Arsino's, DNA shows paternity from this area of the world. The Ptolemy family wanted part of this world beginning in 330 B.C.

And Jesus took his disciples to Caesarea, a city made entirely to brown nose the Roman Emperor, to discuss the future of an unborn Church.  Jerusalem, Time magazine reports, had a population of 80,000. The population rose by 250,000 visitors during Holy Days.  The 2nd Temple was a world renown wonder. Rome would have been around 800,000 to 1.2 million  people in population, based upon Caesar Augustus' bread dole census.

While He was still young, the tide of public opinion turned against Him. His followers ran away. He was turned over to His enemies and sentenced to death on a cross between two thieves. While He was dying, His executioners gambled for the only piece of property He had on earth – the simple coat He had worn. His body was laid in a borrowed grave provided by a compassionate friend.

John 19:23
When the soldiers had crucified Jesus, they took his garments and divided them into four parts, one part for each soldier; also his tunic. But the tunic was seamless, woven in one piece from top to bottom

Today, we can still hold Jesus' garment in wonder, in our souls. Not such a simple coat. An article held dear even by his executioners. Perhaps given to Him in love. What do we know in Scripture of this garment?

Matthew 9:20
Just then a woman who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years came up behind him and touched the edge of his cloak. ²¹ She said to herself, “If I only touch his cloak, I will be healed.”

Matthew 14:35-36

And when the men of that place recognized Jesus, they sent word to all the surrounding country. People brought all their sick to him ³⁶ and begged him to let the sick just touch the edge of his cloak, and all who touched it were healed.

And one of His Followers did not run away.


John 21:21-24
When Peter saw him, he asked, “Lord, what about him?”
²² Jesus answered, “If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you? You must follow me.” ²³ Because of this, the rumor spread among the believers that this disciple would not die. But Jesus did not say that he would not die; he only said, “If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you?”

²⁴ This is the disciple who testifies to these things and who wrote them down. We know that his testimony is true. 

There is plenty of amazing Wonder just in these few verses of John 21. Stand in awe.

The Rylands Library Papyrus P52, also known as the St John's fragment. The front is lines from the Gospel of John 18:31–33, and the back contains lines from verses 37–38. The papyrus was found in Egypt. Recently dated again, the oldest date is 125 AD, not the late part of the 2nd century, as previously thought. During the apostle John's lifetime. Housed at John Rylands University Library, Manchester, UK.

But three days later this Man arose from the dead – living proof that He was, as He had claimed, the Savior whom God had sent, the Incarnate Son of God.

Twenty centuries have come and gone and today the risen Lord Jesus Christ is the central figure of the human race.  His cross has become the symbol of victory over sin and death.

1 Timothy 6:16

who alone is immortal and who lives in unapproachable light, whom no one has seen or can see. To him be honor and might forever. Amen.

1 John 4:9

This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him.

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