Author: Bill Hall

Mark 4:4
   This parable is about how the Word of God is responded to. In this verse we see that, whenever the gospel is preached, there will be those who simply do not hear at all. They are the way side. The gospel is lost on them. It has no effect, takes no root, and is of no interest to their hearts. Sadly, this is often the largest group among those who hear the truth.
   And why is this? Why would the truth not penetrate more easily? Well, their lives have been filled with desensitizing agents. Lies and deceit have so clouded their judgement, it is difficult for the truth to take hold. God is not the author of confusion, but Satan is, and he confuses mankind  as much as possible.

Bible Reading: Revelation 1:1-4:11

Scripture Memory: 1 John 2:1 “My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous:”

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank you for working in our lives. Even thought he enemy is constantly trying to deceive, seduce, and confuse us, you are at work as well. You are there, and you are not silent. You love us and you guide us in our lives. You have given us your truth and you show us the way in which we should go. Thank you for taking an active role in our lives. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise you, Amen.

Prayer Requests: Pray for a woman with muscular problems. Pray for a couple going out of the country in a couple of weeks.

Journal Entry #15096

Mark 4:3
   Notice how Jesus always gets people’s attention at the beginning of his discourses. He makes it clear that what he is about to say is important. As ministers of the gospel, we should be ever so humble, but our message is of great significance. Though the minister be humble, the message is to be no less bold.

Bible Reading: 1 John 4:1-Jude 25

Scripture Memory: 1 John 1:10 “If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.”

Prayer: Heavenly Father, I never want to miss out on something great in my life because I failed to obey you. For, submission to you is very important in our lives. It is good for me to hear you, to submit to your will. I know that you have planned what is best for me. How can I ever thank you enough for your work in my life? You care about me, and you have planned out my service. You guide me in it. Your name always be praised! You deserve all of the glory! Thank you for your love for us. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Prayer Requests: Pray for a woman recovering from pneumonia. Pray for a woman with diabetes.

Journal Entry #15095

Mark 4:2
   We are reminded here once again that Jesus used parables. A parable is of course a story that illustrates a doctrinal truth. Jesus was teaching in his doctrine is it says here. This means not only that he was teaching the doctrine that he was getting across to the people, that is, of the gospel age. But, also it refers to his method and means of doing so. His style and way of teaching was somewhat different from the Jewish teachers because his doctrine and goals were different.

Bible Reading: 2 Peter 3:1-1 John 3:24

Scripture Memory: 1 John 1:9 “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank you for your truth. It is so wonderful to be able to each day to open a book that contains absolute truth. I would not be able to believe someone who lies to me sometimes. But you tell the truth always. We can depend upon you completely. There is no shadow of doubt when we are dealing with your truth. Your doctrine is secure and sound. Your truth is dependable and faithful. Thank you for your Holy Word which tells us of your dear Son! Thank you for salvation in him, and for a book that guides us each day of our lives. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise you, Amen.

Prayer Requests: Pray for a woman recovering from brain surgery. Pray for a man having facial surgery soon.

Journal Entry #15094

Mark 4:1
   Only in recent years has our public speaking changed quite a bit because of the use of sound amplification equipment. Traditionally, ancient and even more modern public speaking was done in such a way as to help the listening audience follow what was being said. In many cases, it might be difficult for those toward the back of the crowd to follow the message. Thus, many times, the successful sharing of a message with a large crowd would depend upon word of mouth afterward, or even during the exchange.
   Obviously, when a crowd was listening in a closed place, such as a synagogue or other public venue, the exchanging of the information would not occur right then. However, in cases such as this, people could pass along the message in real time. Thus, speakers would share a line at the time so to speak, and then that would be shared throughout the crowd.
   Though it is difficult now to know exactly what Jesus style was when it comes to sharing this message, it seems likely that he was slower and more articulate, allowing the people to absorb what he was saying a bit at a time, rather than being a fast talker. At that time, those who talked very quickly and did not properly explain themselves, would never be heard well in a large crowd such as this. Especially, as in this case, if you are teaching from a boat that had to be at least a little ways from the shore, you had to do things a little bit different.

Bible Reading: 1 Peter 4:1-2 Peter 2:22

Scripture Memory: 1 John 1:8 “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.”

Prayer: Heavenly Father, how can we ever praise you enough for what we celebrate on this glorious day? You have given us what we will spend all of eternity thanking you for. Life in Christ, that is the most wonderful gift we could ever hope to have. It is not even possible for us to fully understand the magnitude of this gift. But, what we do understand is that you love us very much. And that is more than enough for us. We will praise you. We will praise you for our entire lives. We will praise you for all of eternity. Your graciousness and love and mercy is beyond all that we could ever imagine. Thank you For Your goodness. You are good in your very nature, you can be nothing but good. You are the Lord God Almighty, the Holy One, the just one. You always do what is best. You know what is best. We will live our lives in praise and honor to you, oh Lord. You deserve all of the glory! In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Prayer Requests: Pray for pastors and preachers and teachers of the gospel all over the world today as they share the truth.

Journal Entry #15093

Mark 3:35
   Again, Jesus is not undermining the family. Instead, he is simply establishing the fact that everything must be built upon our relationship with Almighty God. No matter whether it be our flesh and blood family, our relationship to other believers, our relationship to the world around us, our relationship to creation, or any other thing, it must be based upon our relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ and God the Father. Our position in the family of God is the foundation stone, and everything in our life must be built from that. Our relationship to our physical brothers, sisters, mothers, fathers, must all be based upon our relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ and His Church.
   Why is this important, we might ask? Well, there are many who try to compartmentalize their relationship with God. They try to say ‘Well here’s my church life, here’s my secular life, here’s my family life’. They try to put God in a certain section of their lives, and leave him there. You simply cannot do that. God comes first! If your choice is between your relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ, and your physical brother or sister, Jesus comes first. It doesn’t matter what the circumstances may be, your relationship with the Lord, your salvation, your obedience to the will of God the Father, is the foundation of what your life is all about as a Christian.

Bible Reading: James 5:1-1 Peter 3:22

Scripture Memory: 1 John 1:7 “But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.”

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank you for yet another day to bring all the blessing and honor and glory to You. Lord, you give us the ability to do so much when we realize that it is in you that we can do it. Through Christ, nothing is impossible for us who love God. We are nothing. We are less than nothing. And yet, in Christ we can be all that you would ever want us to be. You work in us! That is the most amazing thought! Thank you for your love for us, that you are interested in using our lives, and giving us the ability to do things for your cause. To be involved in spreading the gospel to this world is a great privilege and joy! May our daily lives sing praises to your wisdom and majesty. May our actions and thoughts bring glory to our Lord Jesus Christ. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, amen.

Prayer Requests: Pray for Easter Sunday! Pray for our missionaries.

Journal Entry #15092

Mark 3:34
   It is important for us to remember that Jesus is the one who created the family to begin with. And, here, he is not undermining the existence of the family. However, he is explaining to the people for the first time the reality of the family of God. Though the Jews did understand this to a certain extent, it had not been explained in this way before. Indeed, it would be some time before they would realize that this idea applied not only to the Jewish people but also to the Gentiles.
   So, Jesus is beginning to try to help his disciples understand that he had come to unify all things in himself. The same one who has created everything, including the family, was starting a spiritual family, called the church. It is for this reason that, today, many Christians are closer to their Christian brothers and sisters then they are to their own family. This is not to say that our families are not important, or that we must love them less. But, the fellowship in Christ that is shared between those who are believers can never be understood by those who are not.
   There is something important to note here as well. Jesus says that those who do the will of the Lord, which he mentions in the next verse, are his brother and sister and mother. Though we do use the terms brother and sister in Christian circles, we don’t generally think of anyone as our spiritual mother. In fact, the devil has taken advantage of this. He has put forth the idea of the universal brotherhood of mankind. Though, to be sure, all of mankind is connected by the fact that we are creations of Almighty God, we are not all brothers and sisters in the sense that Jesus is here for forwarding. There is not a common connection. Instead because of sin, there is nothing but disjointed chaos. This is why we see wars and fighting and so forth. What Jesus is saying is that those who are in Christ are part of God’s family.
    Instead, the devil has tried to create this idea that all of humanity should get together in one big happy family regardless of our relations to each other today. So, instead of allowing the traditional family to exist, the devil is actually trying to undermine the family. Jesus, on the other hand, was not undermining the traditional family, but was simply explaining that the spiritual family unified in him is a far greater reality for eternity.

Bible Reading: James 1:1-4:17

Scripture Memory: 1 John 1:6 “If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth:”

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank you for this wonderful day that you have given us to worship you. Although we can worship you on any day at any time, it is nice to have this Good Friday set aside, Lord, to think thoughts about Christ. We are so glad that you sent your dear beloved Son to die on a cruel cross for us. We would never think it had you not revealed the fact that you did it because you love us. Though we know ultimately all is done for your honor and glory, that does not minimize the fact in any way that your love is amazing. In fact, it is because of your love and goodness and grace that we will spend all of eternity ascribing to you all honor, glory, majesty, and praise. You are worthy, oh Lord, to receive every one of them. Lord Jesus Christ we thank you for coming here to lay down your life for our sinful hearts. Without you we have no hope, and there is no sadder thing than that. In you, we have hope of a home in heaven, of a perfect and beautiful life that you have prepared for us. We began to live when we began to live in you. Thank you for saving us from internal and eternal death. Father, thank you for revealing your truth to us in your Holy Word! May we this Easter remember all that you have done for us through the resurrection of your dear Son. May we be reminded that it is finished. The war is won. The victory is secure! Though there are still battles, though we are still dealing with the evil one, the time of the end is near. And the victory, is ours in Christ. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, amen.

Prayer Requests: Pray for a woman trying to get a job. Pray for a man in very poor health in the hospital.

Journal Entry #15091

Mark 3:33
   As always, Jesus was looking to teach a very important lesson here.

Bible Reading: Hebrews 11:1-13:25

Scripture Memory: 1 John 1:5 “This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.”

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank you for taking care of us! You are worthy of all glory! May we always sing your praises and give you the glory for all that you do in our lives. You have given us your dear Son. Jesus is the reason for all that we do. We can only live this life through him. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise you, Amen.

Prayer Requests: Pray for a young boy who broke a bone.

Journal Entry #15090

Mark 3:32
   Although it is hard to be certain, it seems that Jesus’ relationship with his immediate family may have been somewhat strained during his ministry. To be sure this was not do to any failure on his part. But, it seems that, at this time, his family (or at least his brothers) did not believe in him.

Bible Reading: Hebrews 8:1-10:39

Scripture Memory: 1 John 1:4 ” And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full.”

Prayer: Heavenly Father, you are always there for us. When we have no friends, you are still there. When we feel alone, we are not alone. You are faithful! You never let us down. You don’t always do things the way we want, but we always find that you do what is best. If it wasn’t for you, that word ‘always’ wouldn’t mean much. You are always Almighty God, and you always love your children. We praise you! In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise you, Amen.

Prayer Requests: Pray for a man in very poor health. Pray for a woman’s multiple prayer requests.

Journal Entry #15089

Mark 3:31
   Jesus’ earthly family was slow to understand his ministry. This was probably due to his humility. They would have expected the Messiah to manifest himself differently. But, as we know, God’s ways are not our ways.

Bible Reading: Hebrews 4:1-7:28

Scripture Memory: 1 John 1:3 “That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ.”

Prayer: Heavenly Father, you are so high above us that we cannot hope to understand you. And yet, you have given us your Word so that we might know and understand you. You want us to know your glory and you want to have fellowship with us. Thank you for that great mercy! You are truly good to us in all things, though we often fail to understand because our thoughts are not your thoughts. Help us to trust you in every situation, no matter how difficult. Thank you for your love! In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise you, Amen.

Prayer Requests: Pray for a man preparing to go to heaven.

Journal Entry #15088

Mark 3:30
   To say that Jesus is animated by a demon is the plainest rejection of him I can think of. They would not accept his truth under any circumstances, and thus invented this outlandish conclusion. This is the message of the devil, calling evil good, and good evil.

Bible Reading: Philemon 1-Hebrews 3:19

Scripture Memory: 1 John 1:2 “(For the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and shew unto you that eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us;)”

Prayer: Heavenly Father, you know this world. You understand the evil that is here, and yet it does not touch you. You are altogether holy, just, and pure. Thank you for how you deal with us, and give us hope. You are great, and greatly to be praised. May we sing your praise every day of our lives! In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise you, Amen.

Prayer Requests: Pray for a man preparing for surgery on his face.

Journal Entry #15087