Reading Scripture helps us know God's Love. Every Bible verse is written for you. Jesus Christ is all mankind's Light. John 1!

Monday, June 25, 2012

1 Corinthians 13 ~

 1 Corinthians 13


If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing.

Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

Love never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, 10 but when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away. 11 When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways. 12 For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known.

13 So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.

Debate was something I grew up with. Not the debate of a high school club, but thought and ideas. My parents never turned on the television. This doesn't mean it was ideal, I was so very surprised when 25 years of conversations ended. It probably had to do with the drinking. 

So. Let's talk about Abraham Lincoln. Which is kind of a family tradition. Any time there was a disagreement in my Uncle Carey's house - he would leave the table and get a cigar. Light it and his next phrase was, "Let's talk about Napoleon."  And he would. (He was the great-uncle who was leader of the Texas Senate and they graciously allowed him to be Governor of Texas for a day. Political favor becomes a party at the Governor's House.)

And of course this is an analogy for..... debate is great, but it really is for conversation. There is a real gap between:   When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways. Hopefully.  I mean when I was a teenager, my parents were absolutely bewildered I enjoyed "The Life of Brian" because I totally bought into the deception they were making fun of people for mistaking Jesus. And later I was horrified I'd enjoyed the movie. It's wrong. It's humorous, but it's wrong.

So today we have Abraham Lincoln - whatever - Vampire Slayer Movie. It takes our over -glamorization of this human man and takes him into dark myth. It de-humanizes the man. It takes away the glory of his real work. 

They say a picture is worth a thousand words.

John 15:13
Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.

I seriously doubt the politician Lincoln was would have raised his hand for martyrdom.

Look at the eye of Mr. Lincoln in this first inaugural photo:  


Allow the president to invade a neighboring nation, whenever he shall deem it necessary to repel an invasion, and you allow him to do so whenever he may choose to say he deems it necessary for such a purpose - and you allow him to make war at pleasure.
Abraham Lincoln

A friend is one who has the same enemies as you have.
Abraham Lincoln

A house divided against itself cannot stand.
Abraham Lincoln

This is a man gearing up for a fight. Not the self satisfied look some of the American Presidents have worn. 


Compare this to the second inaugural photo. Lincoln has spent time fighting the beginning of the fight, power struggles with  generals, perfecting the plan, running over civil liberties: 




Those eyes are cold. It isn't just sitting still.  And yes, the tie looks strange.You really could compare these eyes to those of a Box Turtle. They are almost reptilian.

Always bear in mind that your own resolution to succeed is more important than any other.
Abraham Lincoln

America will never be destroyed from the outside. If we falter and lose our freedoms, it will be because we destroyed ourselves.
Abraham Lincoln

"I once said, "We will bury you," and I got into trouble with it. Of course we will not bury you with a shovel. Your own working class will bury you."
Nikita Khrushchev - which is exactly what Senator McCarthy thought as well. (And that didn't turn out so well.)

And Lincoln began to win the war. Perhaps with himself as well.

Any people anywhere, being inclined and having the power, have the right to rise up, and shake off the existing government, and form a new one that suits them better. This is a most valuable - a most sacred right - a right, which we hope and believe, is to liberate the world.
Abraham Lincoln


Am I not destroying my enemies when I make friends of them?
Abraham Lincoln


“Recollections of Abraham Lincoln, 1847-1885″ (Ward Hill Lamon, 1911):

About ten days ago, I retired very late. I had been up waiting for important dispatches from the front. I could not have been long in bed when I fell into a slumber, for I was weary. I soon began to dream. There seemed to be a death-like stillness about me. Then I heard subdued sobs, as if a number of people were weeping. I thought I left my bed and wandered downstairs. There the silence was broken by the same pitiful sobbing, but the mourners were invisible. I went from room to room; no living person was in sight, but the same mournful sounds of distress met me as I passed along. It was light in all the rooms; every object was familiar to me; but where were all the people who were grieving as if their hearts would break?

I was puzzled and alarmed. What could be the meaning of all this? Determined to find the cause of a state of things so mysterious and so shocking, I kept on until I arrived at the East Room, which I entered.

There I met with a sickening surprise. Before me was a catafalque, on which rested a corpse wrapped in funeral vestments. Around it were stationed soldiers who were acting as guards; and there was a throng of people, some gazing mournfully upon the corpse, whose face was covered, others weeping pitifully. ‘Who is dead in the White House?’ I demanded of one of the soldiers ‘The President’ was his answer; ‘he was killed by an assassin!’ Then came a loud burst of grief from the crowd, which awoke me from my dream.

After President Lincoln’s assassination his casket was, in fact, put on a platform in the East room where soldiers were stationed to act as guards. Dreams are far from meaningless fantasy or random neurological discharge. They are direct communications from the source of being which guide us, grow us, enrich us, and on sad occasion, forewarn us of events destined to change the world.



John 15:13
Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.

Here is Abraham Lincoln. His eyes are rheumy and he is much more complete. My family is Southern. I had a great-great grandmother who ate her cat in Vicksburg and never said the word Yankee without Damn in front of it. My grandmother seriously downplayed the family avoiding the Confederate side of the Union. Shiloh had family die on both sides, the surviving sides were Unionists.  Yet we all agreed, the worst thing for the South and Reconstruction was the assassination of Lincoln.

Respect. It is what the movie lacks.

"Poor is the nation that has no heroes....Shameful is the one that, having them .... forgets." 


<><

Acts 3:6-9 ~ walking and leaping and praising God




Acts 3:6-9

But Peter said, “I have no silver and gold, but what I do have I give to you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk!” 7 And he took him by the right hand and raised him up, and immediately his feet and ankles were made strong. 8 And leaping up he stood and began to walk, and entered the temple with them, walking and leaping and praising God. 9 And all the people saw him walking and praising God, 10 and recognized him as the one who sat at the Beautiful Gate of the temple, asking for alms. And they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him.

Several decades ago, when my dad left my mom, we used to have a tape called Marinatha with a song called, "Walking and Leaping and Praising God."  My mom, brother and I used to listen to it on summer mornings as we started to work and to pack up our belongings. You know, you'd think we'd have gotten tired of it, but we didn't. It seemed to perk us up and pull us along. Years later I heard it and thought, "Corny." But at the time it was the Word of God to us and the Holy Spirit ministered to us in that song.

I really did not know where it came from in the Bible. 

So many years later, our daughter Isabelle was diagnosed with so many health issues and she would not live. About 10 of the Church Family met us at another Church for their Wednesday night healing and I cried to a friend about Isabelle's left hand not being formed. My reading that night was about Jesus healing a withered hand. I had some hope, but not a lot. Even today, three and a half years later, it causes some pain. 

One of the things about grief, little waves will hit from time to time. And on Saturday, it was beautiful and warm. I stood outside and could see our little lake. The heavens display the glory of God. And I asked, "Why Father God, did You want to give me that reading that causes pain? Why?"  And a Hawk flew by, just as my prayer finished. Our little lake points north and south - the Hawk was beautiful and flew south. We do not often see Hawks.

So I looked up Hawks.

Job 39:26
Is it by your understanding that the hawk soars
and spreads his wings toward the south

And later that day I felt teary eyed as I wondered again. Nothing seemed to change in that remembrance.  But I wondered.

At Needlepoint, last Tuesday, we were talking about Clark bringing things up in Church and people grow from their questions being part of the sermon.

Our Sermon was on Acts 3. 


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

It is a beautiful thing to be heard by Father God. To know Isabelle has been healed. Leaping with Joy. Dancing. Knowing the hills and highways of Heaven. Safe and Loved. Cared for by tender hands. In God's Kingdom.  Knowing if her mother and father should forget her, she is not forgotten by God. In the love of Jesus Christ. Amen.


<><

Sunday, June 24, 2012

Psalm 87 ~ among those who know me


 Art on the ceiling of a 5th Century Church





 Osios David Thesseloniki - 5th Century House Church in Greece
 Frequently Birthdays and picnics are held on the front porch








Church 4th of July in Conroe.


Psalm 87

English Standard Version, David Cochran Audio


On the holy mount stands the city he founded;
2 the Lord loves the gates of Zion
more than all the dwelling places of Jacob.
3 Glorious things of you are spoken,
O city of God. Selah

4 Among those who know me I mention Rahab and Babylon;

behold, Philistia and Tyre, with Cush[a]—
“This one was born there,” they say.
5 And of Zion it shall be said,
“This one and that one were born in her”;
for the Most High himself will establish her.
6 The Lord records as he registers the peoples,
“This one was born there.” Selah

7 Singers and dancers alike say,

“All my springs are in you.”


When you look up Cush, you will find Canaan and Egypt and Ethiopia. It probably is Ethiopia. It was so long ago, scholars debate. And when you look at this generation, they are going to think of hydroponic marijuana. Which will be shocking. But really people, when I think of the Sons of Korah, I think the bureaucracy running the Temple. Yet that is just Wrong. These Sons of Korah did not run out and live with David on the lam. But David acting with more kindness than I have, mostly, loved these Sons of Korah and had them add to the Psalms he probably composed in his mind for decades. David incorporated the old with the incoming Holy Spirit.


Episcopalians have said, since the 1970s, we should interpret the Scriptures for this generation. Sorta. Some truths are eternal. And revolve around, borrowing from my cousin, the Law - which is gravity and Spirit - which is rain, mist, streams, rivers and ocean. Replenishing God's creation.

Generation Y, also known as Generation We, Generation Sell[1], the Millennial Generation (or Millennials),[2][3] Generation Next,[4] the Net Generation[5] the Echo Boomers are the demographic cohort following Generation X.  You have to love this goop. It means like Louis C.K, says, we are self-centered and mostly non-grateful.  This generation has learned from the current generation. We praise ourselves, saying people are better parents. Surely we truly mean look out for number one while trying to look like we blend into either political correctness or pseudo Christian culture.  Very few people are going to give up comfort for suffering. Or go out of their merry way to help one another, it has a cost.



The Church of England was terribly damaged when it read from the liturgy and just kept a stiff upper lip as the bombs of WWII created panic. People kept going to Church during the Blitz, but afterwards, they drifted far, far away.

Why in the world do we sing "Jesus Christ's Triumphant Lay at Easter." That is plain silly. The words need to change. Dust off the old and make the old look beautiful. We dust our homes, why in the world don't we dust our Christian culture.


I love what a really large Methodist Christian Church has done. They have a loft. It used to be a warehouse and they turned it into a Loft. Man, that is GOOD marketing. Loft means hay and barn and baby wrapped in a manger.  And it's a warehouse for urban yuppies, who actually want to live crammed up against one another, without a yard, and just a few blocks from their career. (Not me!)  And it appeals to the teenager, family crowd. Me, I don't want to go where there are trampolines, literally.  But I am funky and with it enough to know - this is where it is happening. And c'mon. I agree with my Priest, who now goes by the Baptist word (now hidden in Churches called Crossing, or Fellowship, or whatever word they are using to hide the fact they belong to 3 Baptist hierarchies of government. Which I happen to think this is a Excellent and Churches require oversight so we all stay on the narrow gate path. And I think it's ridiculous and could be why the Baptist Church is looking down 2% nationally of its membership - How Can we Ask God to bless what is over marketed and psuedo hidden???)(I digress.)

The point is. We all need personal growth. It you are sitting in your pew and you don't go to the youth oriented part of the Church, you just might be in the part we all like to joke about - they will only notice you've died after the congregation clears.  My mother-in-law loves the Theater portion of her large Church. That is called growing in the Spirit. (God loves her!!! I'm pretty sure she is a saint!!!!!!!)


And if you are like Clark used to be - guitars in Church are for when the pipe organs break down - then you are stuck in a rut. And you can't call your minister - Father - then you need to loosen up a bit. 


And if you haven't complained about something at Church - you haven't acted like Zacchaeus, being willing to be noticed. And if you haven't said thank you to the Church Leadership - then you are just plain ungrateful. We tend to vote with our feet and not try to communicate. And after we've communicated, then we can let our feet vote.


How can the Church fix what is broken if you don't complain. Aren't you part of the Holy Spirit - the spring? Living Water? 

 “All my springs are in you.”


And what about a thank you???? 


Glorious things of you are spoken,
O city of God. Selah


Zacchaeus has several messages for us. Not to stay in the trees above one another. Not to stay hidden in the crowd. Not to play it safe. To give God our heart's desire. To do what He says to Honor and LOVE Him.  To prepare our hearts in prayer to receive HIM.  To be grateful. Not to be a grumbler at the blessings of others.

LORD! I want to be Zacchaeus! Luke is the only one to record Zacchaeus, but Luke stayed to the end. What an important and heartfelt statement. Luke acted as the disciple John to Paul. And the LORD honored Luke as well. Telling us of a changed heart, one that prepared a place for JESUS and did want to Honor and LOVE Him.


The heavens declare his righteousness and all the peoples see his glory. 

In all our circumstances, we are always invited to look UP. Jesus Christ our LORD. For us.


<>< 



Thursday, June 21, 2012

2 Chronicles 24:17-25 ~ “May the Lord see and avenge!”

Jehoash Inscription - a list of repairs done to the First Temple. Some experts debunk this find, others find the patina and the spelling similarities to other artifacts to be correct. Just like the James Ossuary, it is a matter of faith.


2 Chronicles 24:17-25

Now after the death of Jehoiada the princes of Judah came and paid homage to the king. Then the king listened to them. 18 And they abandoned the house of the Lord, the God of their fathers, and served the Asherim and the idols. And wrath came upon Judah and Jerusalem for this guilt of theirs. 19 Yet he sent prophets among them to bring them back to the Lord. These testified against them, but they would not pay attention.

20 Then the Spirit of God clothed Zechariah the son of Jehoiada the priest, and he stood above the people, and said to them, “Thus says God, ‘Why do you break the commandments of the Lord, so that you cannot prosper? Because you have forsaken the Lord, he has forsaken you.’” 21 But they conspired against him, and by command of the king they stoned him with stones in the court of the house of the Lord. 22 Thus Joash the king did not remember the kindness that Jehoiada, Zechariah's father, had shown him, but killed his son. And when he was dying, he said, “May the Lord see and avenge!”

23 At the end of the year the army of the Syrians came up against Joash. They came to Judah and Jerusalem and destroyed all the princes of the people from among the people and sent all their spoil to the king of Damascus. 24 Though the army of the Syrians had come with few men, the Lord delivered into their hand a very great army, because Judah had forsaken the Lord, the God of their fathers. Thus they executed judgment on Joash.

25 When they had departed from him, leaving him severely wounded, his servants conspired against him because of the blood of the son of Jehoiada the priest, and killed him on his bed. So he died, and they buried him in the city of David, but they did not bury him in the tombs of the kings.

Like Saul, Joash has killed a Priest. Unlike Jesus, or Stephen, Zechariah has called for the LORD to avenge his murder. We could say this is another example of the cruelties of the Old Testament. Jesus knew HIS sacrifice took away sin, it was the highest purpose. Stephen knew Grace abounded. Why did Zechariah ask for this as his last request? He knew the people would not learn unless the incorrect ways were pointed out to them. Judah would continue in sin. 

We are always faced with injustices in life. Sometimes we are asked to look the other way, to forgive and forgive 77 times. What shall we do when the 77 times are up? And when the hatred becomes intense. It is matter for private prayer.  When turning the other cheek has not worked. When you have tried and tried to overcome evil with good.

James 4:7
Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

Luke 6:28
bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you

Praying for someone blesses them.

1 Peter 3:9
Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult, but with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing.

And the Scriptures don't say to be passive aggressive, but to discuss the situation.

Matthew 18:15-16
“If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother. But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every charge may be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses. 


It has been said that happier people bounce. They just don't let it get to them. Forgiveness brings that joy. Not the joy of burying it, but discussing it and continuing down the journey of life God gives us. Paul has said life is an adventure. And he had people who gave him trouble, we all do.


Psalm 37:8
Refrain from anger and turn from wrath; do not fret--it leads only to evil.

Deuteronomy 28:6
Blessed shall you be when you come in, and blessed shall you be when you go out.

1 Peter 3:9
Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult, but with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing.


 <><

Matthew 18:21-35 ~ forgive your brother from your heart






Matthew 18:21-35

English Standard Version, David Cochran Audio

21 Then Peter came up and said to him, “Lord, how often will my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?” 22 Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you seven times, but seventy-seven times.

23 “Therefore the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his servants.[bondservant] 24 When he began to settle, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents.[talent was monetary unit worth about 20 years wages] 25  And since he could not pay, his master ordered him to be sold, with his wife and children and all that he had, and payment to be made. 26 So the servant[bondservant] fell on his knees, imploring him, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you everything.’ 27 And out of pity for him, the master of that servant released him and forgave him the debt.  

28 But when that same servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii,[day's wages] and seizing him, he began to choke him, saying, ‘Pay what you owe.’ 29 So his fellow servant fell down and pleaded with him, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you.’ 30 He refused and went and put him in prison until he should pay the debt.  

31 When his fellow servants saw what had taken place, they were greatly distressed, and they went and reported to their master all that had taken place. 32 Then his master summoned him and said to him, ‘You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me. 33  And should not you have had mercy on your fellow servant, as I had mercy on you?’ 34  And in anger his master delivered him to the jailers,[torturers] until he should pay all his debt. 35  So also my heavenly Father will do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother from your heart.”

Perhaps we should begin with another Scripture:

Matthew 10:16
“Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves.

This Scripture is a wicked servant, who is as wise as serpent. We all trade places, but it is good to hear a story of the Wise, Mature one being wise and innocent.


I went off at age 16 to part of a Christian renewal weekend movement for teenagers. It was filled with the Holy Spirit and I really was looking forward to being the camp counselor instead of the participant. And we arrived early and the Wise, Mature Priest asked us to gather, the 4 early birds, to read the Word. Now, I knew I was pretty biblically illiterate.So when we got to the word Yahweh, I had No idea what word it was. As a first time participant, I had cringed because every time they said, "Jesus Christ," it was a curse word from my dad.  I'd been to parochial school and had a priest step-grandfather, so I knew that was terrible every single time my dad said it. But parochial school had been over for 5 years and I still was cringing every time. So, I looked at the Wise, Mature Priest when we got to my reading for "Yahweh" and he looked expectantly at me.  And I thought, wing it, 4 people. And I said, "Yahoo."   And everyone fell about the place. And I thought OMG, great beginning.

And the Priest came up afterwards and started asking me about me background. I was embarrassed and explained. Still he was semi-laughing at me and semi-thinking I was a disaster. Until we prayed. My hands grew red hot. And the Priest quit laughing and asked me how often this happened. I said, "Oh from time to time, but mostly when we have quiet time in the meetings and sing."  He didn't say much.  And I looked expectantly at him. His only reply was, "And in one so young." 

So after the kids went to bed, the staff, including 'Yahoo', sat up talking. Trouble began to brew. I was part of the group trouble.  But the story broke when I wasn't there. I was more innocent than not. The end result was one of the male teenage staff was driving away in the next 15 minutes. He'd told lies to the Priest. You know, no one ever asked me my part of the story. The Priest merely told me, he'd taken care of it. A young man in our group found JESUS CHRIST the LORD and his heart was called to the Holy Spirit by the Holy Spirit. The Angels sang.

It is my belief that Priest knew what was what. He acted as a dove who understood the  serpent. He had very little to say. 

When events swirl around us and we cannot understand all that others think and say and do.
We trust the LORD to sort it out. In prayer. In faith. 

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.
But I have calmed and quieted my soul,
    like a weaned child with its mother;
    like a weaned child is my soul within me.
O Israel, hope in the Lord
    from this time forth and forevermore.


<>< 

Psalm 81 ~ Sing aloud to GOD our strength


Cedar Falls, Arkansas


Psalm 81

English Standard Version, David Cochran Audio


Sing aloud to God our strength;
shout for joy to the God of Jacob!
2 Raise a song; sound the tambourine,
the sweet lyre with the harp.
3 Blow the trumpet at the new moon,
at the full moon, on our feast day.

4 For it is a statute for Israel,

a rule of the God of Jacob.
5 He made it a decree in Joseph
when he went out over the land of Egypt.
I hear a language I had not known:
6 “I relieved your shoulder of the burden;
your hands were freed from the basket.
7 In distress you called, and I delivered you;
I answered you in the secret place of thunder;
I tested you at the waters of Meribah. Selah
8 Hear, O my people, while I admonish you!
O Israel, if you would but listen to me!
9 There shall be no strange god among you;
you shall not bow down to a foreign god.
10 I am the Lord your God,
who brought you up out of the land of Egypt.
Open your mouth wide, and I will fill it.

11 “But my people did not listen to my voice;

Israel would not submit to me.
12 So I gave them over to their stubborn hearts,
to follow their own counsels.
13 Oh, that my people would listen to me,
that Israel would walk in my ways!
14 I would soon subdue their enemies
and turn my hand against their foes.
15 Those who hate the Lord would cringe toward him,
and their fate would last forever.
16 But he would feed you with the finest of the wheat,
and with honey from the rock I would satisfy you.”




We speak so many different languages. Some people speak the language of food. Some the language of flowers or gardening. Some the language of praise. Some the language of constant bitter complaint. Sometimes we are tired of hearing. I know I was kidded today for something I once sang.  Our words matter to people. 


We are all complainers, but we truly contemplate change - it is so bewildering.  The language of change.  I saw today a complaint from Woody Allen saying, "Nothing lasts." Yet really, there is a Psalm that says one day follows the next. And it goes along with both thoughts. Life is like the Mississippi River, pushing us along.

It is how we face life. With hope or fear. My house has a college graduate. It is the exact mirror image of a High School recent graduate. Change like water running over waterfalls. The cross roads of life. We have to face it with hope. Even on the days it is overwhelming, boring or just medium.


Today was a day of on going thunder. Not rain, but thunder from clouds.  Even on the days when the heavens speak. We can say it was an ordinary day, or we can rejoice in what was different about the day.

Open your mouth wide, and I will fill it.

Even waterfalls have a destination.

In You, O Lord, we have our being. Help us to abide in You and dwell in hope, faith and Love.
In the name of Jesus Christ Our LORD.   Amen.

Psalm 84:5
Blessed are those whose strength is in you, who have set their hearts on pilgrimage.


Ezekiel 43:2

and I saw the glory of the God of Israel coming from the east. His voice was like the roar of rushing waters, and the land was radiant with his glory.


Psalm 77:18

The crash of your thunder was in the whirlwind; your lightnings lighted up the world; the earth trembled and shook.


Psalm 42:7

Deep calls to deep at the roar of your waterfalls; all your breakers and your waves have gone over me.



Psalm 130:1
 A song of ascents. Out of the depths I cry to you, O LORD

Psalm 24:3
Who may ascend the hill of the LORD? Who may stand in his holy place?


I relieved your shoulder of the burden;
your hands were freed from the basket.
In distress you called, and I delivered you


Revelation 19:6
Then I heard what sounded like a great multitude, like the roar of rushing waters and like loud peals of thunder, shouting: "Hallelujah! For our Lord God Almighty reigns."


Psalm 16
 Preserve me, O God, for in you I take refuge.
I say to the Lord, “You are my Lord;
     I have no good apart from you.”
As for the saints in the land, they are the excellent ones,
    in whom is all my delight.
The sorrows of those who run after another god shall multiply;
    their drink offerings of blood I will not pour out
    or take their names on my lips.
The Lord is my chosen portion and my cup;
    you hold my lot.
The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places;
    indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance.
I bless the Lord who gives me counsel;
    in the night also my heart instructs me.
I have set the Lord always before me;
    because he is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken.
Therefore my heart is glad, and my whole being rejoices;
    my flesh also dwells secure.
10 For you will not abandon my soul to Sheol,
     or let your holy one see corruption.
11 You make known to me the path of life;
    in your presence there is fullness of joy;
    at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.


<><

Tuesday, June 19, 2012

Psalm 33 ~ He loves righteousness and justice; the earth is full of the steadfast Love of the Lord.






Psalm 33
רַנְּנוּ צַדִּיקִים, בַּיהוָה;    לַיְשָׁרִים, נָאוָה תְהִלָּה


English Standard Version, David Cochran Audio

Shout for joy in the Lord, O you righteous!
Praise befits the upright.
2 Give thanks to the Lord with the lyre;
make melody to him with the harp of ten strings!
3 Sing to him a new song;
play skillfully on the strings, with loud shouts.

4 For the word of the Lord is upright,

and all his work is done in faithfulness.
5 He loves righteousness and justice;
the earth is full of the steadfast love of the Lord.

6 By the word of the Lord the heavens were made,

and by the breath of his mouth all their host.
7 He gathers the waters of the sea as a heap;
he puts the deeps in storehouses.

8 Let all the earth fear the Lord;

let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him!
9 For he spoke, and it came to be;
he commanded, and it stood firm.

10 The Lord brings the counsel of the nations to nothing;

he frustrates the plans of the peoples.
11 The counsel of the Lord stands forever,
the plans of his heart to all generations.
12 Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord,
the people whom he has chosen as his heritage!

13 The Lord looks down from heaven;

he sees all the children of man;
14 from where he sits enthroned he looks out
on all the inhabitants of the earth,
15 he who fashions the hearts of them all
and observes all their deeds.
16 The king is not saved by his great army;
a warrior is not delivered by his great strength.
17 The war horse is a false hope for salvation,
and by its great might it cannot rescue.

18 Behold, the eye of the Lord is on those who fear him,

on those who hope in his steadfast love,
19 that he may deliver their soul from death
and keep them alive in famine.

20 Our soul waits for the Lord;

he is our help and our shield.
21 For our heart is glad in him,
because we trust in his holy name.
22 Let your steadfast love, O Lord, be upon us,
even as we hope in you.



Today, listening to the Scriptures is a good thing. Caroline Holland in Notebooks of a Spinster Lady, 1919. Holland attests Queen Victoria said, "We are not amused."  And of course, Queen Victoria was talking to some lout who had offended all the ladies at the Court. She actually was a better sort than we give her credit for being.

Listening to the Scripture today gives us a different feeling. A collective feeling. People joined together to praise Him. 


And of course the LORD is way above us in all respects. So, what would the Big Bang have sounded like. Perhaps it is where the idea of Thor's hammer comes from. Now is it sacrilegious to think of a lesser god? No. The Scripture refers to sons from heaven having children with the sons of men. So many wonders and mysteries. Powers and principalities. Wonder stretches us. As we stay rooted and grounded in God, soaking in the love of Jesus Christ the LORD.

As I listened to the Psalm today, it reminded me of the Big Bang Theory. As a 4-ish year old child, I used to love the cadence of words. And I used to repeat them, savoring the sound. Until. One Day. The word DON"T absolutely exploded within me as violently as an atomic bomb, not even leaving a scorch mark. And it followed with a very gentle. My Child. And boy howdy, never again did I repeat words. 


I believe this is what the Big Bang sounded like. Different from Elijah's still, quiet voice. Yet the same. My Child. Except perhaps, except, for the Author, the words would be in small letters. However. It was. Comfort.  And where was I standing? In our garage and with bare, summer time, gritty feet. My next thought, as I reached for the garage door handle to the house, was we'd have fun tonight; my godparents were coming over, Bill and Jim with them. But over the next few days, I thought of it -like while eating ice cream. Not a care in the world. I never even felt the need to tell anyone. Huh. It was pretty comfortable. And maybe the LORD wanted me to be interested in all His words and not just getting stuck on one. At the time, I didn't even put thought to it being God. We didn't go to Church much.


What would we, together, compare this to? This memory from 4 decades ago. It would be similar to Exodus 19. What would the Children of Israel have that would have been louder than a trumpet? Not even a gun. They make a difference between the noise and lightning. We might compare the noise to something like a terrific explosion. God told Moses not to let the people through and not to go up the mountain. Instead.


Exodus 20:18 
When the people saw the thunder and lightning and heard the trumpet and saw the mountain in smoke, they trembled with fear. They stayed at a distance.

Exodus 20:19 
and said to Moses, "Speak to us yourself and we will listen. But do not have God speak to us or we will die."

Remember, with me. This was before God decided to dwell among us. And we'd say, but God is omnipotent. God longs for us. To Love Him. Yet. He Loves us first. And always best.

1 Kings 19:12
And after the earthquake a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire the sound of a low whisper. And when Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his cloak and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. And behold, there came a voice to him and said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”

Let us stand in the gap with Elijah. The gap that is filled by the prayers, the Love and the mediation in Jesus' sacrifice. And say silently or a loud.


Psalm 95:1-7

English Standard Version, David Cochran Audio

Oh come, let us sing to the Lord;
let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation!
2 Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving;
let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise!
3 For the Lord is a great God,
and a great King above all gods.
4 In his hand are the depths of the earth;
the heights of the mountains are his also.
5 The sea is his, for he made it,
and his hands formed the dry land.

6 Oh come, let us worship and bow down;

let us kneel before the Lord, our Maker!
7 For he is our God,
and we are the people of his pasture,
and the sheep of his hand.



 Give thanks to the Lord, for He is Good,
     for His steadfast Love endures Forever.
 Give thanks to the God of gods,
    for His steadfast Love endures Forever.
 Give Thanks to the Lord of lords,
    for His steadfast Love endures Forever!


Blessed are You, LORD GOD. Father and God Almighty. Sharing Your Love with the Generations. In Jesus Christ, Your Son. Our LORD. Amen.


Forever and ever. Aaaaaaaaaaaameeeeeeeeeeen.


<><

Monday, June 18, 2012

Matthew 12:1-8 ~ what David did



Matthew 12:1-8

At that time Jesus went through the grainfields on the Sabbath. His disciples were hungry, and they began to pluck heads of grain and to eat. But when the Pharisees saw it, they said to him, “Look, your disciples are doing what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath.” He said to them, “Have you not read what David did when he was hungry, and those who were with him: how he entered the house of God and ate the bread of the Presence, which it was not lawful for him to eat nor for those who were with him, but only for the priests? Or have you not read in the Law how on the Sabbath the priests in the temple profane the Sabbath and are guiltless? I tell you, something greater than the temple is here. And if you had known what this means, ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the guiltless. For the Son of Man is lord of the Sabbath.”

(Wonders and symbols. Like the shape of heart. For many years people thought, maybe until Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simon's dissections this was the shape of a human heart. And now we know it is the shape of a pig heart. And we've known it collectively for about 700 years. And yet it has Such Appeal. What if we are responding in wonder to the shape of our souls? We cannot know this. But our soul is all we have that we carry into eternity. And even to believe in eternity we have to Believe in Jesus Christ. )

God tells us something in Matthew 12 about the Grace of God. David built Israel up. Yet God placed David in Bethlehem to grow up quietly. The youngest of 8 sons, not even called when Samuel showed up to and asked to see all of the children. David relied upon the LORD to be merciful to him and he relied upon HIM best in need. 

Ephesians 6:4
“Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.” 


David trusted God when trouble arrived. He trusted the LORD was not merely provoking him.  Aaron's sons died when they did not sacrifice to the Lord correctly. David trusted God. And God gave him leeway.  Why? It was Love. 

Yet when God did punish David, it was for acting without Love. 

Micah 7

Who is a God like you, pardoning iniquity

and passing over transgression
for the remnant of his inheritance?
He does not retain his anger forever,
because he delights in steadfast love.
19 He will again have compassion on us;
he will tread our iniquities underfoot.
You will cast all our sins
into the depths of the sea.
20 You will show faithfulness to Jacob
and steadfast love to Abraham,
as you have sworn to our fathers
from the days of old.


What was David - the builder of his relationship with God.  He built with so much trust. He built himself. His father's family. His city. His nation. And sacrificed his family. Because he was flawed. Yet God redeemed that.

Titus 1:1-15
To the pure, all things are pure, but to the defiled and unbelieving, nothing is pure; but both their minds and their consciences are defiled.

Titus 1:7-9

For an overseer, as God's steward, must be above reproach. He must not be arrogant or quick-tempered or a drunkard or violent or greedy for gain, 8 but hospitable, a lover of good, self-controlled, upright, holy, and disciplined. 9 He must hold firm to the trustworthy word as taught, so that he may be able to give instruction in sound doctrine and also to rebuke those who contradict it.

Romans 3:22-29

The righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, 25 whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God's righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. 26 It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.


And how shall we know.

Micah 6:8
He has shown you, O mortal, what is good.
    And what does the Lord require of you?
To act justly and to love mercy
    and to walk humbly with your God. 

John 15:22
This is my commandment, that you
love one another as I have loved you
 




<><




Subscribe your email for Scripture for Today Blogspot

Subscribe your email for Scripture for Today Blogspot

Our Google Language Translator is located at the bottom of the page.



Nuestro Google Traductor del Idioma es ubicado en el pie de página.

हमारे गूगल भाषा अनुवादक पृष्ठ के तल पर स्थित है.


Наш язык переводчик Google находится в нижней части страницы

は、Googleの言語の翻訳は、ページの下部に位置しています。


Το Google μας Language Translator βρίσκεται στο κάτω μέρος της σελίδας.

我们的谷歌语言翻译是位于页面底部。


우리의 구글 언어 번역기는 페이지의 하단에 위치하고 있습니다.

About scripture-for-today.blogspot.com/

We believe Jesus Christ is the Son of God. He has saved all who call upon His name and rely on Him for His Grace. The Scriptures are living & active and are for understanding the Lord Almighty. Biblical readings are chosen from the Ecumenical Christian Church and the Nicene Council, 325 A.D., approved Apocrypha. People remember not just from reading, but by sight and orally- an image has been added as well as audio readings. God tends to link the passages together with fascinates - this blogger, Anne-Laurel Gardere

A simple blog, scripture-for-today.blogspot

This blog is pretty simple, but for a reason. This blog isn't about agenda or me, it is for the joy and love to found by reading the Scriptures. Ultimately, it is you and the Lord.

The Scriptures are Father God's letter to you. He wanted you to know more, to know He loves you.

Thanks for Joining us today!!!


Google Views are not availabile and stopped about 2015 at 8.4 Million Readers. All counters count differently

http://scripture-for-today.blogspot.com.pagesstudy.com/

2015
Alexa ranks the World ranking

Global Rank:
6,017,777

Reach Rank:
5,197,729



Search This Blog ~ http://scripture-for-today.blogspot.com/ - Results will be at the Top

About Me

My photo
Email registry at bottom.! “All Scripture is inspired by God” (2 Timothy 3:16). Men “moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God” (2 Peter 1:21). The Holy Spirit carried men along, moving and guiding them as they wrote in their own words what God wanted them to say. The Bible is unique; comprised of 80 separate books, & written over a period of thousands of years by more than 40 writers with one Author, spanning the centuries, different states of peace & war & different situations in life. The Bible answers the question: of who is God, who is man & what can their relationship can be. Although the Bible was written on perishable material and copied by hand for many centuries, its accuracy is not in doubt, proven by Dead Sea Scrolls and papyrus from 2,000 years. The Bible has survived persecution & criticism to be read with great interest in each generation. The Bible gives witness to the greatness of the Creator. A loving Father concerned for all of his creation. With each verse of the bible witnessing to God is love and the multitude & vastness of His attributes. The Bible was written for you. <><

Share the artist's name!

Share the artist's name!
Jesus, the Good Shepherd. If you see a painting or photo on this blog, know who the artist is, and I didn't, please email me: holdenll@hotmail.com



New Posts by Subject Matter

Overcoming



The World Changed Rapidly after the first Easter

Our God of All





Posts by Subject Matter





Blessings, Anne-Laurel





Who Jesus Is
1 Timothy 1:1-11 ~ God our Savior, and Lord Jesus Christ, which is our hope
Matthew 16:13-20 ~ who do people say the Son of Man is?

Good News for us to remember and Think Upon
Animals are found in Heaven ~ 6 Prophets See Animals in Heaven

Anger, Jealousy=Trouble




The Bible explains the Bible, Prophetically

Bible - in your hand, today

Bible Accuracy



Blessing







Blessing our Father God

Blessing - unaware

Boundaries

Brothers
Christmas - His Word Upholds the Universe - December 25th


Psalm 135 ~ who is in your midst
John 1:1-14, 16, 29-51 ~ He was in the world

Details - Putting it all together and discovering it is about God

Psalm 108 ~ In triumph I will parcel out Shechem

Determine your own path, just love Him

Judges 16 ~ like any other man
John 4:43-54 ~ Doing what Jesus says


Earthquake

Every Day, Still Today
Today, Yesterday, Tomorrow


Exodus - History












Heavenly Hosts
His Messengers of Light












Elements of Nature Displaying HIS Glory
Exodus 40:16-38 ~ In the first month in the second year, on the first day of the month, the tabernacle was erected.

I Decide What is Right and Wrong - God noticed this in the Garden of Eden from Eve

Individualism and Groups

It's the End of the World as We Know it, And I Feel Fine. (One of our most read posts.)
Grandpa - The Bible is Really the Life Story of People and
their Abba









Gates of Heaven


Gifts of God, all of us


Giving - God certainly is





























Glory


God sees His Creation as Good!!!


Gravity






















Good Friday

Gossip

Gratitude

Greatest

Grief, Forgiveness, Homecoming


Hated Emotion - Fear




































History - Is There History Showing Jesus was Alive - VERY EXTENSIVE HISTORY

Holiness


Holy Spirit ~ Manifestations

Homeward Bound, still a sojourner

Honey, Do this

Invitation
John 3:31-36 ~ that God is true

Israel - Destroyed Completely and Rebuilt. A sign of Jesus. Existing today.

Jesus clearly put a Foundation for His Resurrection to be Believed by the Multitudes of all of Israel and the Nations

Jesus and His Childhood Privacy
Nazareth - What Jesus did See Growing Up

John the Beloved Disciple


The Journey of Joseph


























Live It
Psalm 117 ~ Praise the Lord
Psalm 82 ~ rescue the weak and the needy
2 Samuel 4:1-12 ~ David answered
Hebrews 12 ~ Thankful
Psalm 31:3-8,17-21 ~ Thou hast redeemed me
Isaiah 40:1-11 ~ His reward is with Him
Matthew 13:31-32 ~ the birds of the air come and perch in its branches
Matthew 6:25-34 ~ your heavenly Father knows that you need
Luke 11:29-32 ~ Rise up
Psalm 126 ~ shouts of joy, bringing his sheaves
Luke 14:15-24 ~ there is still room
Joshua 1:1-9 ~ I am giving
Acts 5 ~ speak in the name of Jesus
John 1 ~ the Light shines
John 3:5-8 ~ born again
~ they went on from there and passed through Galilee
Judges 20 ~ Israel

Losing a Loved One - Passing ON

Revelation 21:22-27 ~ those who are written in the Lamb's Book of Life

Not Being Tossed Back and Forth with Emotion
Ephesians 4 ~ speaking the truth in Love

Marriage
Romans 7:1-12 ~ bear fruit for God
1 Corinthians 7 ~ For the unbelieving husband is made holy because of his wife, and the unbelieving wife is made holy because of her husband
Genesis 37:12-24 ~ when Reuben
Psalm 143 ~ Your steadfast love
Psalm 86 ~ For great is your steadfast love

Media... taking it down the path
1 Corinthians 10 ~ Do not cause anyone to stumble, whether Jews, Greeks or the church of God





Mercy, an Inseparable Component of Truth
Matthew 23:23-26 ~ clean
1 Samuel 12 ~ serve the Lord with all your heart
Matthew 22:34-40 ~ The great and first commandment. And a second is like it

Miscellaneous
Job 38 ~ Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Tell me, if you have understanding.
Psalm 19 ~ the heavens declare the glory of God
2 Kings 5:1-15 ~ a mighty man of valor, but he was a leper
1 Chronicles 13 ~ the Lord blessed the household of Obed-edom










Peace




Pharisee ~ Religion
Luke 11:42-46 ~ Woe to you Pharisees!


Pictorial Images of the 12 Tribes of Israel








Picture It


















Overcoming, with God's help!


Positive Attitude in Trouble




Prophets - the Law and the Old Men in Robes or People who Love the Lord. Flaws and Virtues. What They Sought in the Lord and What Drew Them to Him.



Praise



























Prayer

Psalm 91 ~ Prayer is always heard, God has an open door policy



Prayer Needs




Preach the Gospel at all times and when necessary use words

Promises

Prosperity Gospel











Repeat and Repeat







Rest

Restore

Revelation 8:2
Seven Angels who stand before God

Revisionist History - Moses and Jeremiah said
there would be days like this
Deuteronomy 8
Jeremiah 23


Rock


SALVATION! What is needed?

Science - Blinded me - No - He Who Opens the Eyes of the Blind - With Science!!!

Second (3rd or 4th) Rate Seventh Level of Heaven

Seventh Level of Heaven







Shepherd

Smile!



Time Management





Life and Travels of Paul

Shroud

Transfiguration



True
The World Changed Rapidly after the first Easter



Trust Him

Uncomfortable Scripture

Video Game Player

Visual







Who is like our God?

Willingly

Works and Grace
Mark 1:4-11 ~ You are my beloved Son; with You I am well pleased

Worry

Wrathful, Nasty Old God from the Old Testament

Yahweh




Years - Thousands of Them are Yesterday in His Sight


80 Books of the Bible
Holy Spirit Approved by the First Council Nicaea and St. Nicholas
Included by the Essenes in the Dead Sea Scrolls
Today included by the Catholic Church
God wants to save the world.
The Apocrypha has Purpose; other cultures blend here.





Popular Posts

Pages

Web Crawler Reference Words

Reading Scripture helps us know God's Love. Every Bible verse is written for you. Jesus Christ is all mankind's Light. John 1!

Jesus is LORD. Read your Bible Daily. Scripture for Today. Reading the Scriptures helps us know God's love. Every verse of the Bible is written for you.

God's mission is to save the world. He is recognized by His Love. God of Love. God of encouragement. Christianity, Bible, Bible Daily, Scripture, Messiah, Prayer, Faith, Hope, Love, Miracles.Jesus

Blog Archive