Author: Bill Hall

Matthew 21:14
   Those who want to look for reasons to ridicule God’s Word will find opportunities if they look hard enough. Blind and lame people, walking to Christ, how could that be? Obviously, the blind and the lame mentioned in this verse were assisted by others. However, what Matthew is trying to highlight here is the desire of the blind and the lame. They had heard about Christ, and they compelled others to bring them to him. Even if their friends did not believe in Christ, the blind and the lame wanted to come just the same, knowing that he could help them.

Bible Reading: Genesis 10:1-12:2

Scripture Memory: James 1:9 “Let the brother of low degree rejoice in that he is exalted:”

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You for reminding us that Your truth is universal. Nobody is left out. Your Word is true no matter what. You are not limited by anything. Our very existence is a part of Your knowledge. If You chose to forget us, how could we be? You are the Great Creator of all. Only You understand the truth, and can tell it to us. Thank You for Your amazing grace and love! In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Prayer Requests: Pray for a woman who is having trouble with her heart. Pray for a woman who has not been feeling well. Pray for a man who needs to get back into church.

Journal Entry #14100

Matthew 21:13
    This is quite interesting in that Jesus is quoting a prophecy. Isaiah 56:7 is the verse he is referring to. Although prophecy is true, and will be fulfilled, Jesus faults them for not being consistent with the Scriptures. In other words, for the Jewish leadership to think that God’s house would be a house of prayer whether they tried to make it such or not would be bogus and disobedient. Therefore, to fail to obey on the basis of prophecy is not a good idea. For instance, failing to take the gospel to the lost because God says he wants everybody to get saved would be foolish. Some people will be saved. And some people will go and tell them. Disobedience automatically disqualifies you from being the tool for God’s purposes.

Bible Reading: Genesis 7:1-9:29

Scripture Memory: James 1:8 “A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.”

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You for teaching us in Your Word. It is good to have this book that is so important for daily lives. Our faith is based on Who You are, so it has a strong foundation. Oh Father, may we trust You as we say we do! You are faithful! Thank You for Your faithfulness! You are amazing in Your patience with us and Your love towards us. You are holy and just, and You make us holy and just through Jesus Christ. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Prayer Requests: Pray for three families that just lost loved ones. Pray for a man who is undergoing treatment for a serious disease.

Journal Entry #14099

Matthew 21:12
   Jesus comes to the temple to, for the second time, clean it up. The Jewish leaders were so interested in materialistic things that allowing the temple to be filled with merchandising was no issue for them. When considering the profit to themselves, they were very loose in their understanding of what was allowable in God’s house. This is what Jesus finds all the time in the hearts of those who have a pretense of religion. There is no room for true worship.

Bible Reading: Genesis 4:1-6:22

Scripture Memory: James 1:8 “A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.”

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You for Your love and goodness to us. You take such good care of us, it is a wonder that we ever worry or are anxious over anything. But, the trials and problems of life get to us so easily. You are gracious nonetheless and You reassure us in Your wonderful Word. Thank You! In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Prayer Requests: Pray for several people who are under the weather. Pray for a man who has a short time to live. Pray for a woman who has been given three months to live.

Journal Entry #14098

Matthew 21:11
   This is a faithless answer. Though it recognizes Jesus as a prophet, it does not contain any affirmation of his being the Messiah. It is a sad reminder that his own received him not. Many have said that this was actually an affirmation because they were saying he was ‘The Prophet’ which Moses had said would come. However, if they did, they didn’t mean it. If most people in Jerusalem had really believed Jesus was The Prophet and had taken that to heart, the city would have accepted him with open arms. But, as it stands, though many of the people did accept him, they held no sway over the nation as a whole. They could not prevent the result, Jesus’ death before the end of the week.

Bible Reading: Genesis 1:1-3:24

Scripture Memory: James 1:8 “A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.”

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You for Christ! May we never today miss an opportunity to praise Him! He has taken sin for us. He has come to us in love. He has chosen us for a bride to Himself. He is our Precious Lord and Savior. Father, serving You is such a joy! We can remember every day the One we are serving and Your thoughts toward us. You love us so much! How could we ever stop loving You? May we never fail to give You all of the glory in our lives. You are so holy and just and pure and wise! I love You! In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Prayer Requests: Pray for a woman having issues with her heart. Pray for a man that has a serious medical condition. Pray for a man who is traveling.

Journal Entry #14097

Matthew 21:10
   It is important to understand exactly what happened here. The word translated ‘moved’ here means just what it says. It literally means that all of the city was agitated, set in motion, shook up, etc. by his arrival. Why was there such a response? For at least a couple of reasons. First, many of them did know Christ already (such as the Jewish leaders) and were surprised by what was uncharacteristic for Christ. He had not made himself available for such public shows before. Indeed, a contingent of them set off to tell him to make it stop. Second, there were some who were not very familiar, or not at all, with Christ. So, they thought that the Messiah might indeed be arriving, and how right they were! Thus, because of Jesus’ past ways of handling himself and the public, this event took upon a genuineness that shook up the holy city.

Bible Reading: Revelation 19:1-22:21

Scripture Memory: James 1:7 “For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord.”

Prayer: Heavenly Father, I want to be shaken up, agitated, moved by Christ. I want him to always challenge me. I never want to be guilty of forgetting him. Christ is the single most important person in my life. He is the most important person in history. He is the center of it all, and he must have the preeminence. In my life may he be the most prominent person. May we all submit to his Lordship, his position as the Master of our lives. Christ is Your Perfect Son, Father. Thank You for giving Him to us. Thank You for ministering to us, Lord Jesus. You are so Wonderful! May we serve You forever, dear Lord! In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Prayer Requests: Pray for our nation. Pray for Christian men to choose to be spiritually mature. Pray for the lost.

Journal Entry #14096

Matthew 21:9
   The Triumphal Entry, as we call this event, has led to some confusion I think because we fail to understand what was missing. This verse shows that the crowd of persons following Jesus understood he was the Messiah. They asked him to ‘Hosanna’ or ‘Save now!’ and this desire was surely genuine. Why then did Jesus not immediately respond to his people, save them from the Roman authorities, deliver them from all of their problems, and set up his kingdom among them? First of all, please understand that this is exactly what the crowd with the palm branches was asking for. Thus, a deeper understanding of their sin, and their need for a Savior from that was not necessarily in their minds, though some of them may have understood that. as a result, the crowd that was proclaiming him as the Messiah had not completely understood all of his teaching up to that point.
   Secondly, the crowd was isolated. In other words, most people in Jerusalem at the time did not share their sentiment. to be sure, the leaders of the nation, by and large, were totally against all that Jesus stood for. The idea of him being the Messiah was not, in their minds, even worth consideration.
   Finally, Jesus knew, as we know from Jewish history, that the Jews, just like all other people groups in this old world, are rebellious. No matter if some in the nation might turn to him, the whole nation would not accept him and remain faithful to him. Though that will happen one day, it is only because he has now, by his death and resurrection, made a way for us to have the law written upon our hearts. The Holy Spirit of God works within us to make us holy and just and pure. We can, Jew and Gentile alike, now fully embrace Christ as the Lord of our hearts. And he will, one day, be Lord of our earth.

Bible Reading: Revelation 15:1-18:24

Scripture Memory: James 1:7 “For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord.”

Prayer: Heavenly Father, may we never fail You, for You never fail us! There has not been one day that You have not had our best interests at heart. There has not been one second that You have failed to understand our deepest needs and cared for our wants. You are not our nursemaid, catering to our whims, but You are our Father, facilitating our growth. You love us with a love that calls us to maturity. You stretch us. You push us to be what only You may make us to be. You call us out of ourselves to let Your Spirit work through us, and flow like a mighty river. Father, may we never forget that we are to serve You, and yet You have served us. We only love You because You first loved us. You deserve our love, and we must never forget that You have done more for us than we could ever deserve. That the Eternal Son of God came to this planet to minister to our needs is an overwhelming thought! May we never forget that Jesus is Lord of all. He has the rights to our heart. He has the keys to the front door of our soul. He owns us. If we forget how small we are, we will never be so big as Christ may make us. Oh Father, You are glorious! In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Prayer Requests: Pray for a man as he witnesses to his coworkers. Pray for a woman with shoulder pain. Pray for a woman with heart trouble.

Journal Entry #14095

Matthew 21:8
   Being the time of the passover there were, of course, thousands of people in Jerusalem and the surrounding area. Thus, this ‘very large crowd’ would be expected. Their use of the branches of the trees in this way is no surprise either, being a way that the Jews showed their joy at various times. So this was a grand public show for Christ.
   What we must not miss here is how uncommon this was for Jesus. He had intentionally avoided this kind of thing. He had kept himself from being promoted by public sentiment as much as possible. So, this was out of keeping with the norm for him. Why then did he do this? The answer tells us both why he did this, and why he kept hidden on other occasions. And that answer is prophecy. He did everything he did to keep prophecy. So what he did this day was exactly what he needed to do prophetically.

Bible Reading: Revelation 10:1-14:20

Scripture Memory: James 1:7 “For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord.”

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You for Your grace. It is by Your grace in our lives that we can make it through the day. When we don’t know how to face the next hurdle in our lives, You are there to help. You don’t make the hills and valleys disappear. You give us strength in Christ to go through and over. Father, thank You for Your wisdom. When we are facing problems we don’t understand we can turn to You for the answers. Thank You! In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Prayer Requests: Pray for a woman who needs salvation. Pray for two families that just lost loved ones.

Journal Entry #14094

Matthew 21:7
   This verse has not been confusing to most. However, to careful scholars, the Greek employed here has led to some question as to what it means to say that the people set Jesus on both the colt and the donkey. Some say that he set himself upon the animals. Others say he was set by the crowd upon both. Still others say that he sat, or was set, upon the clothes on one of the animals, namely the colt. Such are the many interpretations that may arise when there is confusion in our understanding of the original language.
   The best way to handle this issue is to use the resources that God has given us in his Word. Both Mark (11:4-8) and Luke (19:32-35) tell us clearly that Jesus rode the colt. So, when Matthew seems to tell us that Jesus rode, or was at least set upon, both animals, we can rely on Scripture to solve the issue. Obviously, Jesus rode the colt, and if to any extent he rode upon both, he may have been set upon one and moved himself to the other right away, or he rode the colt and leaned upon the donkey some.
   Try never to get bogged down with seeming difficulties in the Bible. Any place where such issues come up we can look to other places in the Bible to explain the problem.

Bible Reading: Revelation 5:1-9:21

Scripture Memory: James 1:6 “But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.”

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You for Your speaking to our hearts. You talk to us as we look into Your Word. You minister to our souls. Oh Father, may we always hear You! To be without You is to be without life. We must be taking in Your knowledge and wisdom. We must have Your love and grace. You are the Majesty of All! You are the Great and Mighty Creator! Oh Lord! You may alone demand our all. You can have it for You know what to do with it. We can give You all that we can be and You can make it more than we ever thought it would be. Our lives are worth so much, and it is because of You! You made us, and You can make us so much more. You are the one who is worthy to own our souls. You know our value, because it is the value You gave us. Without You, we are valueless. Through You we are priceless to You. You are worthy of all the praise, for You have done all of this for Your glory. Thank You for Christ! In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Prayer Requests: Pray for a man with a serious medical condition. Pray for a woman being tested for heart issues. Pray for a man who is traveling.

Journal Entry #14093

Matthew 21:6
   It has occurred to me on a few occasions that the disciples learned a couple of important lessons during Christ’s ministry without him saying a word. First of all, they learned much about the power of Christ through his miracles. Imagine, as on this day, going to find the animals that Jesus already knew were there. Acting upon his foreknowledge, they found what he had just said they would find. Added to this, they witnessed countless miracles performed by him, and themselves by his power, all throughout his ministry. Jesus did not have to tell them he was powerful. But yet, keep in mind, they still failed to understand him fully, in spite of all these miracles.
   The other lesson they learned without much said by Christ, though he did teach some about both of these subjects, was obedience to the Lord. As in this verse, they were often given tasks to perform. They were told what they should do. They had to yield themselves as servants to him. Ah, and what a delightful Master he is! It is a great joy to serve him. Therefore, throughout his ministry here, they learned to obey his voice and do his will.
   It seems to me that, of these two (though both are important), the lesson on obedience was the more effective. They obeyed Christ unquestioningly while he was with them. Though their obedience to him was severely challenged, and failed much during his trial and death, they stayed true to a certain degree because of their obedience. It was not the miracles that caused them to be at least faithful enough to begin understanding the truth of the resurrection. It was instead their obedience to be where he had told them to be. He said to the women at the tomb that he went before them to Galilee (Matthew 28:10). It was their learned obedience that brought them there. So, in the end, witnessing miracles did not have the depth of influence upon their souls as did serving Christ at his command and experiencing the results. The miracle of a changed life through devotion to Christ outweighed the miracles of the blind being able to see, or the lame being able to walk.

Bible Reading: Revelation 1:1-4:11

Scripture Memory: James 1:6 “But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.”

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You for the lesson on obedience to Christ! A spirit submitted to Christ is a spirit energized by the Holy Spirit of Almighty God. We can be something wonderful, something that You would call ‘good’ with Your Holy Spirit pouring His fruit into our lives. I can be good! Through Christ, in obedience to Him, I can live as You would have me to live. Thank You for life in Christ! May we always submit our will to His, that we may be supernaturally empowered for our life. May we be enabled to live holy and just and pure through service to our gentle Master. He is the best person to serve. His servants are happy to be His. They are overfull with joy at being part of His glorious kingdom. May the kingdom of Christ grow today! Give us souls dear Lord, help us to bring them to Christ that they might be freed from the slavery of the old devil. May many be rescued today from the kingdom of darkness and translated into the kingdom of Your dear Son! May the Light shine! In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Prayer Requests: Pray for a man with back pain. Pray for an elderly woman with many health issues. Pray for a man with a large growth around his heart.

Journal Entry #14092

Matthew 21:5
   It was not strange for an Israelite king to ride on a donkey. Throughout Scripture we see the Jews riding on donkeys. Horses were a sign of Gentile power, rather than reliance upon the Lord. Jesus rides in on this animal because he is coming in peace, and with meekness, as is stated. If he were coming for a different purpose, as he will later, he would ride on a horse. So, he is not diminishing his regal authority by riding a donkey, as some might assume.
   For those who do not feel a grown man would ride upon the foal of a donkey, the sons of Abdon, one of the judges, rode about upon ass colts assisting their father (Judges 12:13-14). Indeed, Jesus likely rode the foal and leaned on the mother which would have walked along beside the little one. This is the most likely way to interpret this verse saying that he rode on both.

Bible Reading: 1 John 4:1-Jude 25

Scripture Memory: James 1:6 “But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave if the sea driven with the wind and tossed.”

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You so much for this day! You give us so much! Father, may we always give back to You with our lives. We belong to You anyway. You know what is best for us. You can tell us what is next, and lead us in the right way. May we always trust Your good judgment. You are always right. Your plan for our lives is perfect. May all praise be Yours! You are worthy! In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Prayer Requests: Pray for a woman with several health issues. Pray for a woman who just had a stroke. Pray for a woman who is near death.

Journal Entry #14091