Author: Bill Hall

Matthew 18:33
   God expects for his nature to influence our nature. A failure in this is evidence of a lack of regeneration. We may say that Good has changed us, but has he really. Our treatment of others, and our relative selfishness, stands as the proof in the pudding.

Bible Reading: Mark 3:1-4:41

Scripture Memory: 1 John 5:6 “This is he that came by water and blood, even Jesus Christ; not by water only, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit that beareth witness, because the Spirit is truth.”

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You for Your wisdom and truth. It is good to have a foundation for our lives. You give us a starting point for our understanding of the world. You are so smart! Give us truth for our daily lives that will inspire us to live for You. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Prayer Requests: Pray for several people who are sick.

Journal Entry #14021

Matthew 18:32
   This is the point at which man rejects the idea of an Almighty God. As long as any god fails to hold us to account for our actions, we can work with such a god quite easily. As long as these gods are far away and impersonal, judging by impractical or subjective means, we can somehow find room for any number of them in our philosophy of life.
   But, to fit Almighty God, the Judge of All the Universe into our worldview; well, things get a bit tight. He crowds out a good deal of our most natural understandings of the world around us. But, most significantly, he drastically rearranges our view of ourselves. All of a sudden, we cannot judge ourselves by ourselves. We have to submit to his judgment of us. And that, my friends, is really the only reason that a lot of people don’t believe in Almighty God.

Bible Reading: Mark 1:1-2:28

Scripture Memory: 1 John 5:6 “This is he that came by water and blood, even Jesus Christ; not by water only, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit that beareth witness, because the Spirit is truth.”

Prayer: Heavenly Father, Judge of All the Universe, I cannot escape from You. I cannot fathom a world in which we are, each one of us, allowed to judge ourselves by ourselves. To believe this is to invite chaos home. Oh Father, thank You for Jesus, the Perfect Judge. I can find no reason whatsoever not to submit to his judgment completely. Though it is hard for me to accept because of my sin, I must judge my life by his rule. You are worthy of my praise, Father, for giving me the Perfect Judge in my life. Your ways are always best! In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Prayer Requests: Pray for a man who will be having surgery soon. Pray for a man who is not feeling well. Pray for a woman’s unspoken request.

Journal Entry #14020

Matthew 18:31
   In our modern world of technology we perhaps understand a little better what it means to say that Almighty God knows every move you make. We have video cameras, voice recorders, fingerprint machines, etc. We can amass a great amount of data about one person. God knows it all. He knows how we treat each other.

Bible Reading: Matthew 27:1-28:20

Scripture Memory: 1 John 5:6 “This is he that came by water and blood, even Jesus Christ; not by water only, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit that beareth witness, because the Spirit is truth.”

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You for those times when You choose to bless us so much that we are amazed. Your blessings are always a mercy to us, but they can be quite overwhelming. Thank You for willingly giving to us in spite of ourselves. You are very gracious. How can I thank You enough for all that You do? You are the most important person in my life. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Prayer Requests: Pray for a woman who is travelling. Pray for a woman recovering from surgery. Pray for a family that just lost a loved one.

Journal Entry #14019

Matthew 18:30
   It seems incredible to us that this man would not forgive this small debt. However, we must remember that we have, at one time or another, all been guilty of being unforgiving. Jesus teaches us here not to allow our natural sinful tendencies rule in relation to others. We must allow the love of Christ to dwell within us.

Bible Reading: Matthew 25:1-26:75

Scripture Memory: 1 John 5:6 “This is he that came by water and blood, even Jesus Christ; not by water only, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit that beareth witness, because the Spirit is truth.”

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You for Your love. Before we ever knew You, You loved us. You made a way for us to be saved. You are worthy of all the praise. Thank You! In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Prayer Requests: Pray for several persons who are under the weather. Pray for a man considering a complicated surgery.

Journal Entry #14018

Matthew 18:29
   Forgiving others does not mean that we can compromise on consequences. Forgiveness has to do with avoiding things such as bitterness, anger, and grudges. If a consequence can be avoided, that’s great, but that is not always up to us. For example, you may be in a situation where a person has done something against you, and the person you both work for. You can forgive, and may be lenient on the consequences, especially for a first offence. But, your boss may choose to come down very hard on the situation. This is out of your control, but you can, for your part, forgive.

Bible Reading: Matthew 23:1-24:51

Scripture Memory: 1 John 5:5 “Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?“

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You for today. Sunday is always a wonderful day! It is nice to have a day set aside to worship You. though we should do that every day, it is wonderful to have the freedom to do it even more today, Thank You for Your love and mercy and grace. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Prayer Requests: Pray for several people travelling. Pray for several people with cancer.

Journal Entry #14017

Matthew 18:27
   Please note something here. Though the lord of the servant forgave this debt, it would cost him something. It is not as if the debt no longer existed. The lord was legitimately owed this money, and it was quite a sum. Thus, this is just how it is with Almighty God. Though he forgives the sin-debt, he had to pay for it. The debt cost him something. Though we may say, because this lord was so rich, forgiving the debt did not hurt him. The same is true for Almighty God, he is well able to pay the debt for us, but that does not diminish the cost. Though the rich lord was able to pay, he had to pay. Forgiveness is, then, a wonderful, and expensive, gift.

Bible Reading: Matthew 19:1-20:34

Scripture Memory: 1 John 5:5 “Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?”

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You for Your wisdom. You lead us in the good path. We can trust Your judgment and Your knowledge. You always know the best way to lead us. I love You! 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 woman recovering from surgery. Pray for a man recovering from a broken leg.

Journal Entry #14015

Matthew 18:26
   That God will allow us to ask for forgiveness of the debt of sin is evidence of the plan of salvation. If God did not have a plan for our redemption, he would not even listen to such pleas.

Bible Reading: Matthew 16:1-18:35

Scripture Memory: 1 John 5:4 “For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.”

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You for your provision. You know what is best, even when we don’t. Thank You! In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Prayer Requests: Pray for a man looking for a job. Pray for a man with a rare disease.

Journal Entry #14014

Matthew 18:25
   The debt of sin is absolute. It cannot be overlooked. It is not something that can just be brushed under the carpet. Almighty God will not forget it. It must be paid in full. There is no other option. This is why Christ is our only hope.

Bible Reading: Matthew 14:1-15:39

Scripture Memory: 1 John 5:4 “For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.”

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You for this day to serve You. You bless us each day with another opportunity to praise You with our lives. May we give You the highest praise by our actions. Oh Father, 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 family looking for a vehicle. Pray for a man looking for a job. Pray for several people with cancer.

Journal Entry #14013

Matthew 18:24
   If ever we will get a true idea of what we have been saved from, we will be evermore grateful to our loving Lord. The vast sum that we owe due to sin is an infinite amount because it is an affront to the infinite God. Never could we realize the depths that our sin has brought us to. We talk of doing good to outweigh our evil. It would takes a lifetime only to begin to understand how off-base that is. Jesus has brought us up so far beloved, dare look back only to realize how far he has brought you, and never to long for the depths of sin again.

Bible Reading: Matthew 12:1-13:58

Scripture Memory: 1 John 5:4 “For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.”

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You for new life in Christ. We have, through Jesus, the most wonderful, delightful, joyous existence. Life is truly grand because of him. Without him, this life could be nothing but a hallway of horrors. With him, it is the fun experience it was meant to be. Thank You! I praise You! 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 a man who just found out he has cancer. Pray for a woman who needs a job.

Journal Entry #14012