Author: Bill Hall

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

Mark 3:29
   This is that spirit of antichrist that even now works in this world. These men were rejecting the evidence supplied by the Holy spirit that Jesus is indeed the Son of God. It is this great sin that Jesus speaks of here.
   Repentance brings about forgiveness for all of the sins one might imagine, except one. Rejecting the message of the Holy Spirit shall not be forgiven. This is why, though God has made forgiveness available, many will die and go to hell. This is why false teaching is treated so extremely. This is why, no matter how bad a person’s sins may be, we may be forgiven, and yet those who have worked against Christ are rarely saved.
   Keep in mind, however, even in this case, Jesus is the judge. The Apostle Paul himself would have been written off by many. His work against Christ surely disqualified him. And yet, Christ brought forgiveness to his heart and life. Thus, we see that it is the rejection of the person of Christ that the Holy Spirit preaches to us us that is really in view here. To reject the gospel is, then, truly the unpardonable sin.

Bible Reading: 2 Timothy 3:1-Titus 3:15

Scripture Memory: 1 John 1:1 “That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life;”

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank you for the gospel! You have given so much to us in Christ. We will live to bring praise to you as we think of your goodness. Your love and mercy inspire us to serve and attempt more in the power of Christ. In Christ alone will we find our joy and rejoicing. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise you, Amen.

Prayer Requests: 

Journal Entry #15086

Mark 3:28
   Jesus here enters upon a very important teaching of Scripture. Though we might think that this great expression of available forgiveness is a departure from Old Testament teaching, this is not the case.
   Actually, the Old Testament allows for a great measure of forgiveness for the repentant, as does the entire Word of God. Ezekiel 33 gives us this idea quite clearly. Though one of the most austere of the prophets, and filled with revelation from Almighty God, Ezekiel tells us that God has no pleasure in the death of the wicked. As the Creator, God’s judgement of his creatures is not pleasurable to him. Though the vast storehouse of his wrath shall turn to great vengeance upon his enemies, it is not his preference. There is no relish for it in the heart of our God.
   Thus, if repentant, we may be forgiven for much. But, Jesus will continue on to let us know what shall not be forgiven. But, even this is not what you think.

Bible Reading: 1 Timothy 5:1-2 Timothy 2:26

Scripture Memory: Jude 1:25 “To the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen.”

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank you so much for revival this week! It has been a great blessing to my soul. Your Word always brings blessing to our hearts. Only by what it reveals about the blood of Jesus Christ can our hearts be cleansed. Only in Christ can we find the forgiveness that we need. It is so wondrous to see the forgiveness that you make available to us if we will repent and turn to Christ. Thank you for that day in which I was saved! Use us father as witnesses for you of the forgiveness that is found in Christ Jesus. Let us not use our lives for our own glory. May we live at all times for your honor, and your glory, and your majesty. You are worthy of all of our praise. Thank you dear Father! 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 young lady making many decisions in her life now.

Journal Entry #15085

Mark 3:27
   Jesus could, and does, bind the strong man. He has no trouble with that.

Bible Reading: 2 Thessalonians 3:1-1 Timothy 4:16

Scripture Memory: Jude 1:24 “Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy,”

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank you. Every good gift comes from you. You have brought about the good things. Thank you for revival! It has been a blessing! Thank you for Jesus! In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Prayer Requests: Pray for revival.

Journal Entry #15084

Mark 3:26
   Of course, Satan does have an end. But, he will not go willingly. He will fight tooth and nail against it.

Bible Reading: 1 Thessalonians 4:1-2 Thessalonians 2:17

Scripture Memory: Jude 1:23 “And others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire; hating even the garment spotted by the flesh.”

Prayer: Heavenly Father, you are so kind. You give us what we need for our lives and guide us in the right way. Your blessings are so wonderful. May we live in service to you. Our obedience is what you deserve. You are so worthy of all of our praise! In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise you, Amen.

Prayer Requests: Pray for a man in the hospital. Pray for revival.

Journal Entry #15083