Author: Bill Hall

Matthew 25:38
   Christians should always seek to do good to all people. However, it is important to point out that the Bible generally talks about doing good proactively. As in these verses, good deeds are not done in reaction to begging. Instead, these good works are done for those who are in need without them having to ask. This does not mean that we cannot give to those who ask for their needs to be met. But, it seems that proactive work is what the Lord has in mind. Thus, true Christian giving is more about preventing people from ever having to beg than it is about giving to those who do. Making real help available to those with legitimate needs is the heart of what it means to do good works as a Christian. We must not give to every beggar, regardless of whether their need is legitimate or not, only to make ourselves look good. Instead we are to make it possible for honest people to find real help that will make a difference in their lives.

Bible Reading: Isaiah 58:1-62:12

Scripture Memory: James 4:8 “Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.”

Prayer: Heavenly Father, Your unexpected blessings are so wonderful! Even though all of Your blessings are great, as Your creatures we especially like those little surprises that You give us. It doesn’t take much to make us happy. What is truly wonderful is knowing that You actually care about how we feel. When we are sad or in pain You know and You care and You see. When we are resting in Your joy, You are glad to see it. When we lean upon You, and find our strength in You, You know it and You approve. How can we ever thank You enough? In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Prayer Requests: Pray for a woman who just had hip replacement surgery. Pray for a man who is recovering from a serious condition. Pray for a woman on life support.

Journal Entry #14311

Matthew 25:37
   I like to bring up tricky questions. They bring realism to our Bible study. Rather than running from thorny issues, it’s good to plow head-on into them. So, if the righteous are God’s people, why would they not already be aware of this passage of Scripture, and already understand and realize why the Lord would judge in this way? There are several good answers to this question. First, the availability of the Word of God will be much more limited during the Tribulation Period. Second, these persons who have come out of Great Tribulation as righteous ones will have had survival on their mind, not reward. Third, good Christian humility would keep these persons from assuming reward. We somehow have in our mind that we will stand before Christ one day and demand our rewards, or crowns, or whatever. That’s just not the biblical picture. Fourth, during the Great Tribulation people who actually do what’s right will be treated as a irreligious and heathen. In other words, during that time, those who do the right thing will find it quite difficult , whereas those who are wrong will feel very confident in their error. The difference between right and wrong will be even more obscured than it is today. The moral landscape will be quite horrible. Thus, it will be tricky to discern what is right as opposed to what is wrong. As a result, the reward of these dear people will come unexpectedly to them. Fifth, and finally, this is prophecy. Bible prophecy is true in a very real sense. It is so sure that it is just like reporting what has already happened. Thus, the fact that these words are recorded could never change what these people will say. It is no more or less likely to happen just that way regardless of how aware we may be of the prophecy. It’s not a prediction, it’s a record.

Bible Reading: Isaiah 52:1-57:21

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

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You for the blessing of a warm heart! You do not expect us to live without Your joy, or love without Your strength. Even when we are faced with difficulties that try to steal our very life from us, You give us the blessings and encouragement we need to get through. You are truly our strength when we are weak, and all the blessing we need ever to seek. When we need purpose and meaning in this crazy life, we can look to You every single time. In a world of empty promises, it is great to know that we can turn to a sure thing. You are the sure foundation for all of our life. We will build upon Christ, and serve and love You all of our days. Obedient service to You is a sheer delight! In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Prayer Requests: Pray for a man who wants to get back to church. Pray for a man with heart problems. Pray for a woman who is having difficulty getting around.

Journal Entry #14310

Matthew 25:36
   Doing these things for the Jews during the Tribulation Period will require a great deal of risk. The question is how much risk are we willing to take for others? This gives us a general principle that can be applied even today. Often, love for others will require a risk, a danger. More often than not, it simply requires more effort than we’re willing to give.

Bible Reading: Isaiah 48:1-51:23

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

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You for this wonderful day that You have given us. Your grace, mercy and love are always amazing to us. As we consider Your truth and Your justice, we are overwhelmed by Your faithfulness. May we never forget that we owe You all, our very lives. Never could we ever thank You enough for all that You have done. May we serve You forever! In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Prayer Requests: Pray for a woman’s unspoken request. Pray for two families that just lost loved ones.

Journal Entry #14309

Matthew 25:35
   Keep in mind here again the context of this lesson. Jesus is describing actions carried out by those who will be living during the Tribulation Period. These good works, done on behalf of Jewish people in need during this time, will be meritorious toward these persons’ judgment. It is important to understand why this is. For one thing, this in no way minimizes good deeds during this present era. Christians in this time should feed the hungry, shelter the homeless, and give drink to the thirsty. However, these things should be only be done as we are sharing the gospel with these people. The other thing we must see to understand this is that good works done for the Jews during this time will require a great amount of faith. So, during the Tribulation, works such as this will require great trust in Christ.

Bible Reading: Isaiah 44:1-47:15

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

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You for another glorious day. Thank You for the Bible, it is so good to have truth available to us! Without Your Word we would be at a loss as to how to live in this present world. Having the truth right at our fingertips is a blessing we so often take for granted. We must never underestimate the influence of Your truth in our lives. Because you have given us so much, we are able to live for you. What a miracle that is! Salvation through Christ gives us a life that we could never hope for otherwise. We are looking forward to the day that He will come for us. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Prayer Requests: Pray for a man who is in a rehab facility. Pray for a man with liver problems. Pray for a woman with cancer.

Journal Entry #14308

Matthew 25:34
   Not only does King Jesus have no trouble recognizing the righteous, but He tells them that this reward has been prepared for them from the foundation of the world. How can this be? The answer is the simple foreknowledge of God. Jesus knows who are His, because He has always known who are His. This does not change our choices, but it does let us know He always knows everything, and has always known everything. Notice also, if you will, that Jesus says these are blessed of the Father. This is truly a wonderful blessing! This shows not only the mercy of God, but his abundant grace. These are not just counted righteous, but are recipients of the Divine beneficence.

Bible Reading: Isaiah 41:1-43:28

Scripture Memory: James 4:6 “But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.”

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You for this wonderful day that You have given us to serve You. May we not forget that everything we have comes from Your hand. Any good we might have in this life is of You. It is not of ourselves that we can do anything, but Your gifts are perfect. You have enabled us to live a life we could never have dreamed of otherwise. Your grace, mercy, and love, as well as Your justice, flow through us as we seek to minister to others in this lost and dying world. You are worthy of our service, and all of our praise! In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Prayer Requests: Pray for churches all over the world this morning. Pray for the lost.

Journal Entry #14307

Matthew 25:33
   In ancient times, as well as some in the Middle East today, the right hand is a place of honor, whereas the left a place of dishonor. Thus, it would have been immediately obvious to the disciples what Jesus meant by mentioning these two sides. Furthermore, though a shepherd might allow his sheep to become intermingled with other cattle, he would at some point or another want to separate them so that the sheep might enter his fold. One of the things I believe Jesus is emphasizing here because of how He tells the story is the ease with which He will perform this judgment. We often get the idea that judgment will be a long and drawn out process in which people’s actions will be weighed very specifically. Though the Lord has a record of every action, it will not be difficult for Him to identify the righteous. Just as the shepherd, He will have little trouble discerning his own sheep, mingled among a group of goats.

Bible Reading: Isaiah 37:1-40:31

Scripture Memory: James 4:6 “But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.”

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You for this glorious and wonderful day! As fall begins to roll into winter we see the beauty of Your grand creation as it proceeds into yet another year. The glory of Your works is only overshadowed by the grandeur of Your great grace. We find ourselves, every time we turn around, singing praises to You for Your wondrous works. We can never praise You enough! As we meditate upon Your great love for us, may we never forget to share love with our fellow men. And, in all of this, we look so much forward to the soon return of that great Author and Finisher of our faith, the Lord Jesus Christ, Your darling Son. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Prayer Requests: Pray for a woman with cancer having chemo treatments. Pray for a couple travelling.

Journal Entry #14306

Matthew 25:32
   This is the judgment of the nations. In other words, this is the answer to the question, “When is the end of the world?” This is the judgment that brings the world as we know it to an end, and ushers in the millennial reign of Christ here on earth. The nation’s existing on this planet at that time will be brought before the holy Son of God. He will judge each individual person, and decide what nations will proceed into the millennial reign. As it is explained in this verse, the righteous and the wicked will be separated first, and then the reasons for this judgment will be explained by King Jesus.

Bible Reading: Isaiah 33:1-36:22

Scripture Memory: James 4:6 “But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.”

Prayer: Heavenly Father, Your gracious loving kindness never ceases to amaze us! That You have given Your own Holy Son for sinners such as we is truly beyond our understanding. We know that Your love, faithfulness and compassion will never cease; and we are so thankful! May we live our lives in such a way that our devotion to You will be obvious to all around us. May our praise for You and Your great goodness never end. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Prayer Requests: Pray for a man needing to make an important financial decision. Pray fro a woman’s unspoken request. Pray for a man in the hospital that may be placed in a long-term care facility.

Journal Entry #14305

Matthew 25:31
   The coming referred to here is the second coming of Christ. Not only the holy angels but also saints shall be returning with Him at this time. The throne of his glory is describing His actual physical throne which He will sit on during His millennial reign on this earth. This judgment immediately follows the Great Tribulation period.

Bible Reading: Isaiah 29:1-32:20

Scripture Memory: James 4:5 “Do ye think that the scripture saith in vain, The spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy?”

Prayer: Heavenly Father, Your amazing love for us never ceases to awe us and excite us as we go through this earthly life. Considering Your great mercy and grace is the greatest use we can find for our time. Knowing that You are always there, and that You always care, is a comfort indescribable. We cannot even fully comprehend how much You care for us. Contemplating the sacrifice of Christ is a great blessing to our hearts. We’re so thankful that You sent Your very own Son to die for each and every one of us. May we never cease to share the glorious gospel with others around us. All praise be to You! In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Prayer Requests: Pray for a woman who had a bad fall. Pray for a man with knee pain. Pray for a man who just got out of the hospital.

Journal Entry #14304

Matthew 25:30
   There can be no doubt that Jesus means to say this man is cast into hell. Because of this, it is important to understand that the talents referred to parallel with anything that any person is given from God. In other words, they represent knowledge, gifts, abilities, opportunities, and so forth that the Lord might give to a person in their lifetime. This servant, being one who squandered that which the Lord had given him, never actually partook of the wonderful gift of salvation. Instead, because of his disobedience he lost whatever he had ever received from God.
   As on other occasions, let me emphasize the importance of what Jesus says about those who will be in hell. He tells us that there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. This is not simply a record of the reaction to pain because of the fires of hell. Though there will be pain and torment in hell, this is a record of the reaction of people in hell to their condition. Those who weep will weep because they are sad that they failed to accept Christ while they had the opportunity. The gnashing of teeth is done by those who are mad about their condition, because they did not at all want to accept Christ, or His gospel, or His ministers while they were alive. So, hell will be a place of eternal morning and eternal resentment.

Bible Reading: Isaiah 24:1-28:29

Scripture Memory: James 4:5 “Do ye think that the scripture saith in vain, The spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy?”

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You for this glorious day that You created. Your amazing power never ceases to amaze me! As we consider the works of your hands, may we never forget that you care for us so very much. To obey You with all of our hearts must be the primary goal of our lives. Could we ever thank you enough for all that you have done? No, could we spend our entire lives praising You and thanking You for what you have done, we would still not comprehend the blessings you pour upon us in just one day. You are altogether worthy of our complete allegiance, our unending devotion, and our eternal service. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Prayer Requests: Pray for a man in serious condition who is showing improvement. Pray for the upholding of Yes on One and the protection of voter’s rights in Tennessee.

Journal Entry #14303

Matthew 25:29
   Notice that of the one who had little it is said that he had not. What does this mean? Because he did not obey, it is altogether as if he had not anything to begin with. Thus, again, the point here is obedience. Jesus is looking for those who truly love Him.

Bible Reading: Isaiah 19:1-23:18

Scripture Memory: James 4:5 “Do ye think that the scripture saith in vain, The spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy?”

Prayer: Heavenly Father, may we never forget the cross. You have done so much for us by sending Your Son to this earth to die for us. You have made a way for sinful people to be righteous by His blood. How can we fail to praise You every day? You are worthy of all of our love and devotion. You alone have our best interests at heart. You alone can help us live abundant lives. Thank You for Your love. May we live to love You! In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Prayer Requests: Pray for a woman’s unspoken request. Pray for a man with emotional issues.

Journal Entry #14302