Author: Bill Hall

Mark 1:12
   As we read this verse it is important to understand what is not being said. The Spirit leads, or sends, Jesus into the wilderness. The idea expressed in the Greek here does not require that we interpret this to say that Jesus was forced in to the wilderness. Christ was not pushed or pulled by the hands of the Spirit. The Holy Spirit of God worked in the Son of God to bring Him to the place that was will of God the Father.

Bible Reading: Ezekiel 32:1-34:31

Scripture Memory: James 4:17 “Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.”

Prayer: Heavenly Father, Thank You for Your leading in our lives. You have a plan for each of us. Thank You for just telling us the truth. In spite of our shortcomings, You have given us the chance to do what is right through Christ. Thank You for Him! In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Prayer Requests: Pray for a man who is in and out of the hospital. Pray for a man in rehab, and for his family.

Journal Entry #14339

Mark 1:11
   One of the things that we seem to forget to emphasize is the design God has for everything. The Father glorifies the Son, and the Son glorifies the Father. The Spirit works in us to bring honor to the Son, and the Father, and glory to the Godhead. So, it’s really not about us. It’s about Him!

Bible Reading: Ezekiel 28:1-31:18

Scripture Memory: James 4:16 “But now ye rejoice in your boastings: all such rejoicing is evil.”

Prayer: Heavenly Father, only you know what a day will bring forth. Thank You for the blessings that even now You have planned. You know what You will do in our lives before we could ever conceive of what will happen next. Thank You for Your great plan! You are worthy of all honor and glory. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Prayer Requests: Pray for several people who have the flu.

Journal Entry #14338

Mark 1:10
   Starting with verse nine, Mark’s focus is on Jesus. Thus, in this verse both of the personal pronouns refer to Christ. Though we know that John observed the same thing, it is Jesus’ perspective that is being reported here. The real movement of this gospel, which is noticeable throughout, begins in this verse. Straightway, or immediately, is one of Mark’s favorite movement ideas. He gives the sense that Jesus is in constant motion. He moves the reader from one event to the next. Thus, this baptism is the starting point for a whole plethora of events that make up the earthly ministry of the Christ.

Bible Reading: Ezekiel 24:1-27:36

Scripture Memory: James 4:16 “But now ye rejoice in your boastings: all such rejoicing is evil.”

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You for Your daily faithfulness. You are always there, loving us. May we never lose sight of Your holiness, and Your great power. You are so wonderful, it is easy to take for granted, and we must not do that. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Prayer Requests: Pray for a man in critical condition. Pray for a man in rehab.

Journal Entry #14337

Mark 1:9
   I like to ask strange questions. A question that I had early on was why Christ waited so long to start his public ministry? There are surely several good answers, but here we have the clearest, most straightforward reason. Jesus was waiting on John. John’s ministry was vital to the timing of Christ’s ministry. John’s ministry began later in his life for good reasons as well. A man of less than thirty would likely not be heard or trusted like John and Jesus both were. It’s kind of like our age requirement for the President of the USA. We expect a certain level of maturity and experience. John could establish himself as a prophet successfully at an older age, rather than in his late teens or early twenties. The same was true for Jesus. Thus, their ministries began as quickly as they could be expected to begin.

Bible Reading: Ezekiel 22:1-23:49

Scripture Memory: James 4:16 “But now ye rejoice in your boastings: all such rejoicing is evil.”

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You for Your amazing, faithful, mercy, grace, and truth. You continue to work in our lives each and every day. You never stop. May we never stop serving You as we should. If we had months of Thanksgiving Day, and Christmas, we could not even begin to thank You enough. And get there is so much that You do in the lives of people all over this globe that we know nothing about. That is an overwhelming thought. I could spend years praising You for blessings that I don’t even know about. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Prayer Requests: Pray for a family that just lost a loved one. Pray for a man who may have MERSA. Pray fro a woman who is unsaved. Pray for a man who is trying to lead others to Christ.

Journal Entry #14336

Mark 1:8
   This a very important verse for understanding biblical baptism. Though when we think of baptism today, we think primarily of water, John did not see it that way at all. Though he may have anticipated water baptism continuing, he understood that the baptism of the Holy Spirit was the thing to focus on. His words here cannot be made to mean other than what they do very plainly mean. Jesus would have the power to baptize with the Holy Spirit of God. Though water baptism continues as a sign of the change that has occurred, the baptism of the Spirit is the transforming agent. This of great importance in the ministry of Christ. Indeed, it is a great contrast with all that had gone before in the Jewish experience. No matter who God had used to bring His people closer to Him, nobody had the power to do this. Christ alone brings the very Spirit of God into the heart and life of an individual. Without Christ, the Spirit remains veiled, removed from the people because of the defilement of sin. This was a teaching so great, and so significant, and yet many of the followers of John probably did not understand it. Even today it is hard for us to fathom. That God would see fit to allow us to be his temple is beyond amazing. Only He could make that possible. Only by Christ has it been made possible.

Bible Reading: Ezekiel 20:1-21:32

Scripture Memory: James 4:15 “For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that.”

Prayer: Heavenly Father, I could spend a lifetime enumerating the blessings that we have through Christ. May I at this time of year be extremely grateful for Your love for us. You have done all to bring great glory to Yourself. You deserve all of it. You are the Great and Mighty God of All. Christ is Your beautiful plan. He is Your most wondrous gift. All that is good we have in Him. May we praise You for all of eternity for the simple blessings of Christmas, hearth and home, and Your love as we have it from so many directions. You surround us with Your goodness, even when our lives are filled with difficulty and pain. No matter what happens, we seem to find no way to be discontent, for Your eternal promises come streaming into our hearts once and again, reminding us that You are the Source of all good things. Thank You for it all, Father! In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Prayer Requests: Pray for a man in critical condition. Pray for a woman having trouble with her hip. Pray for a man with colon cancer. Pray for several people with the flu.

Journal Entry #14335

Mark 1:7
   Has the unique nature of the message of John the Baptist ever struck you? If not, you have not understood the nature of gospel preaching. As John, gospel preachers even today are still holding high the Name of Christ and pointing to Him as the Savior and Lord. This is not a common message. Adherents are not kept this way if you are following man’s methods. This way of humility about your message is not the way to garner personal followers. Indeed, John was intentionally pointing his listeners elsewhere. He was admitting openly that he was nothing great, but that he was only the servant of that Great and Mighty One. Even today the true teachers of the gospel will not hold men to their teachings with anything more that the preeminence of the Sovereign Christ. There is no force to coerce men to their faithfulness to Him except for His character. The true ministers of the cross ask for a voluntary and heart-felt allegiance that is neither bought nor paid for. No organization holds it, nor does any government contain it. The church of the Lord Jesus Christ is an organic entity held together by our allegiance to one overarching idea — Jesus is Lord! Where you find not this humble finger pointing the way to the Man on the Cross, you have not a true message from Almighty God. Where Christ is not the central focus, there is nothing but the ministry of demonic pretenders. If our allegiance be not held by the Person of Christ and that alone, we are a league of mind-washed idiots. We must all, in submitted humility, fall down to worship at His feet.

Bible Reading: Ezekiel 17:1-19:14

Scripture Memory: James 4:15 “For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that.”

Prayer: Pray for a man waiting for test results. Pray for a man in ICU who is trying to recover from a serious injury. Pray for a man who just had a stroke.

Prayer Requests: Heavenly Father, we live in awe of Christ! He is the subject of our thoughts, the focus of our art, the theme of our song. I may not escape His wonderful goodness. The hope He gives to me by His work on Calvary is the driving force in my life. I cannot understand this world without Him. It is nonsensical outside of His Sovereign Power. Father, Your Will and Work in this world is what shows me why and how it all works. Without Your truth I would try to make my own destiny and end with no hope but pure survival, and that only temporary. You drive me on. You show me that there is One greater than myself, and thus, something better than this present mankind. You hold before me the way of humility in contrast to the deception of pride. You call us to do all for the sake of Christ. That is the goal of our lives. To serve Him is to embrace a greater motive. To live for Him is to live for eternity. Because of Jesus we may have a perpetual existence with a limitless horizon, and the wisdom to know how to use it. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Journal Entry #14334

Mark 1:6
   John was very similar to an earlier prophet, Elijah the Tishbite. As we see in 2 Kings 1:8, Elijah was a person that was easily recognized and remembered. John was intended to be the same way. He was a person who was meant to stick in one’s mind. It was part of his message as a prophet. For those who might think that a diet of locusts is an unrealistic exaggeration, insects of various kinds have been a part of man’s diet for hundreds of years. Though not used regularly in richer nations, things such as locusts are eaten with pleasure. Indeed, locusts would be a fairly nutritious diet when compared to other things that some have tried to live on down through history. Though we have the idea today that a varied diet is required for life, this is not necessarily the case. And, although variety may promote health, it is not necessary for survival.

Bible Reading: Ezekiel 14:1-16:63

Scripture Memory: James 4:15 “For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that.”

Prayer: Heavenly Father, no matter how obvious You make Your truth, there will be those who fail to see it. Often we believe what we want to believe. Thank You for being merciful to us! You give us the opportunity to accept Your truth. Help us to faithfully proclaim Your truth to others. We realize that Your message is so important. Jesus is the One everyone needs. He is our Hope. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Prayer Requests: Pray for a man who had a car accident. Pray for a woman who is in the hospital.

Journal Entry #14333

Mark 1:5
   The confession of sin was an activity for which John was a stickler. This was his whole purpose and mission. He had come to turn the hearts of men back from their evil ways, lest the Lord Jesus judge the world then and there (see Malachi 4:6). The success of John’s ministry is intimated here by the number of people that came out to be baptized by him. That genuine repentance was involved is evidenced by the fact that John would not baptize everyone who came to him (see Matthew 3:7). Another obvious point here is that John baptized in the river. He did not come to the brink, dip a vessel of water, and pour it on the supplicants. No, he was right down their in the water, and so were they.

Bible Reading: Ezekiel 11:1-13:23

Scripture Memory: James 4:14 “Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.”

Prayer: Heavenly Father, your glorious goodness to us is the most wonderful grace we could ever ask for. To know that we may be saved, that is overwhelming! Your profound wisdom, and your excellent holiness, never cease to amaze us. Through all that we see around us we realize that Your power is so far beyond all that we can comprehend. You are higher than we could ever know! In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Prayer Requests: Pray for a family that just lost a loved one. Pray for a man who just had a stroke.

Journal Entry #14332

Mark 1:4
   Baptism is always an outward sign of an inward reality. This is very important to understand. If the baptizing, the actual act of dunking persons in the water, was what forgave sins, we would have different words here. The verse would say that John preached baptism that forgives. But, that isn’t at all what we find here. He preached a baptism of repentance. What does this mean? Baptism is an outward show of the inward reality. How can one be sure that any person has repented? Thus, the baptism was a way to signify, before God and everyone, that one had indeed repented. This is why it is referred to as the baptism of repentance. It is this, then, that is said to lead to forgiveness. In other words, this is the basis of forgiveness, the repentance, and the fact that the person is so genuine in their repentance as to submit to baptism. The actual act of dunking, then, does nothing. But, the choice to repent, and to testify that fact to all by one’s baptism, that is what is in view here. It was that admission of guilt, and obedience before all, that is the foundation for salvation. Though Jesus had not yet died on Calvary, which is the actual means of salvation, John is preparing the people to receive that forgiveness. Repentance and faith are the requirements, and John’s baptism was meant to signify both.

Bible Reading: Ezekiel 7:1-10:22

Scripture Memory: James 4:14 “Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.”

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You for making your truth plain! You give us so much to think about and act upon. We cannot ever say that we have not been given all that we need for our lives. May our repentance be always genuine! Soften our hearts and mold them after Your perfect will. Make us righteous by the blood of Christ, and renew our minds. You have the power to do it by Christ. You can remake us in His image. You can make us Christians in ever sense of the word. Lord, Your patience with us is astounding and inspiring! You always give us the best examples to follow. You guide us in the right way and show us what to avoid. Thank You for Your almighty power, and that You make it available even for the mundane routine of our lives. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Prayer Requests: Pray for a young man who is travelling. Pray for a man’s unspoken requests.

Journal Entry #14331

Mark 1:3
   This is Isaiah 40:3. Though Mark seems to be written more with a Gentile audience in mind, using the prophets is impossible to avoid. They are the proof of the truth of the gospels. They verify everything. The close connection between the Old and New Testaments must not be ignored. Those who fail to understand these prophecies fail to understand the importance of what Christ has done.

Bible Reading: Ezekiel 3:1-6:14

Scripture Memory: James 4:14 “Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.”

Prayer: Heavenly Father, You have given us so much in Your Word! Thank You for that! We cannot say we have been left without a Guide for our lives, for the Holy Spirit uses Your Word in our hearts to bring us along our way. Thank You for that Comforting Guide for our souls, the very Spirit of Truth. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Prayer Requests: Pray for a man with cancer in his kidneys. Pray for a woman’s unspoken requests.

Journal Entry #14330