Author: Bill Hall

Matthew 13:14
   This is a quote from Isaiah 6:9-10. Isaiah was told to tell his hearers that they would not hear him. This was not only true for his day, but is a recurring theme for the Jews. Though they have been given much truth, many have rejected that truth. Paul also quoted this passage when he was witnessing to the Jews at Rome. Like so many others, there were those among the Jews in Paul’s day who refused to accept the truth of the gospel.
   One very important thing to remember here is that this is a voluntary blinding. Some have come to the conclusion that Almighty God simply decided not to allow these people to believe. That is only true in a sense. He has prevented them from hearing the truth that has been given them, but only because they had already rejected the truth before. This is one of the dangers of not listening to Almighty God. Sometimes he will continue to give you the truth even though he knows you will reject it. It just makes the rejection that much worse. He will get the glory,and it will be apparent that you are missing a blessing.

Bible Reading: Deuteronomy 28:1-29:29

Scripture Memory: 1 John 2:29 “If ye know that he is righteous, ye know that every one that doeth righteousness is born of him.”

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You for reaching out to us with Your Truth. Though You know that many of us will reject it, You still make it available anyhow. It is so good to know that You actually want us to know You. You want us to have a desire for You. You want us to hunger and thirst for a deeper relationship with You. Thank You for that comfort. It is amazing how much that helps. Just knowing that You actually care about what we do with Your Truth shows us how important it is to our lives. Every word that You say is precious. It all means so much because it come to us from Your heart. You love us, and that is why You have given us the Truth. Though it may difficult for us to accept, it is better than being told a lie. Thank you for not just giving us what we want. So often we get what we want only to find it cannot satisfy. You can satisfy, and we love You for it. Thank You for Your Son, and salvation through him! In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Prayer Requests: Pray for a man trying to get a lot done at work. Pray for a woman recovering from surgery on her vocal cords. Pray for a man trying to get a second opinion on a medical condition. Pray for the family of a man that just died. Pray for a national missionary facing many challenges.

Journal Entry #13171

Matthew 13:13
   This is a sad commentary, but it is so true of so many people. It is amazing to think that people would neglect the Truth of Almighty God only to accept the the teaching of man as gospel. People in our modern era disdain belief in God, and yet cling to theories of our existence that are based on the wildest of chances. Science, so called, calls us to consider time travel, or theoretical physics. The certainties of the created world have been exchanged for the all-powerful ‘facts’ that we think we observe. Man has truly become the measure of all things.
   And thus, many walk about with their eyes wide open, seeing nothing. Some of the most ‘advanced’ sections of our society are so riddled by suicide and deviant behavior it is not even funny. Young people are indoctrinated at an early age with the idea that belief in Almighty God is the same as believing a fairy-tale. Where has it brought our society? We are full of individuals who see and hear, but neither listen nor perceive.

Bible Reading: Deuteronomy 25:1-27:26

Scripture Memory: 1 John 2:29 “If ye know that he is righteous, ye know that every one that doeth righteousness is born of him.”

Prayer: Heavenly Father, You are worth knowing. You are far from a fairy-tale. You give our existence a meaning that this empty world can never understand. You bring us out of ourselves and into an eternity of light and Truth. Your Word is not a book of bedtime stories, but a record of life on planet earth, and an instruction manual for daily living. So many consider the possibility of the existence of extra-terrestrials and miss the Extra-Terrestrial Creator of the universe. They listen for signs of life from the spacial silence, and miss the shout of joy from the direct communication of Your Holy Word. Can I afford to miss Your Truth? You have made my life more than a catalog of loosely related events. My existence means something in the overall scheme of things. I am a part of eternity thanks to Your Precious Son. Instead of missing life, I am living it more and more fully every day. You are so gracious, loving, holy and kind! You give us a future worth living for, a past that is not scary, and a present that is always fresh and exiting. Father, You understand and meet the vital needs of our hearts. Thank You! In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Prayer Requests: Pray for a man having back pain. Pray for a woman on a long trip. Pray for a woman who just lost her job. Pray for a woman having trouble walking. Pray for a little girl having surgery today.

Journal Entry #13170

Matthew 13:12
   This comment of Christ actually helps us to understand the parable itself better. Those who have the Truth, but have not truly accepted it, will lose it. They know who Christ is, and they believe what they have heard about him. They may even try to live for him and do what is right. But, the seed of the Word is taken from them because they are distracted by something else. They have not allowed the Word to ‘take root,’ so to speak.
   This principle found in this verse is one of Jesus’ most powerful points. Almighty God will level things out spiritually. Those who have much of the Truth, and truly accept Christ, will move on and on in this realization. The saints shall be given more and more Truth. Those who do not really accept him, who use poorly the Truth that they have, will lose what they have. God’s Truth is not something to be taken lightly.

Bible Reading: Deuteronomy 22:1-24:22

Scripture Memory: 1 John 2:28 “And now, little children, abide in him; that, when he shall appear, we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before him at his coming.“

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You for another day to worship You. It is so good to know You, and Your mighty power. I am thankful for Your power not just because You do so much for me, but because it lets me know that You can handle everybody else too. Nobody can slip by. You are able to make Your grace available to every single person. You understand every situation. I never have to worry that I will find some place where Your light cannot shine. Help me to be a beacon in the night by Your power. Thank You for loving us, all of us. Give us the grace to love others like You love us. We need to be reflections of You, because You are worth reflecting. To be like You and make You known to others brings Your glory to our lives and makes us valuable. I cannot get over how Your work for us makes us so much better and fulfills our existence so much. Thank You! Thank You for Jesus, Father! 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 with liver cancer.

Journal Entry #13169

Matthew 13:11
   It has been difficult for us to accept, but the truth is that most people will not believe Christ. Though Almighty God wants people to believe, and the saints pray for people to believe, many people will not believe. This is what Jesus was explaining to the disciples. They accepted Christ, as did others from the multitudes. But, many of the people would hear, not understand, and move on to something else. Many would not believe, many would not try to understand, and some were not really even listening.

Bible Reading: Deuteronomy 18:1-21:23

Scripture Memory: 1 John 2:28 “And now, little children, abide in him; that, when he shall appear, we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before him at his coming.”

Prayer: Heavenly Father, You are so wise and understanding. We often wonder why You allow people to not believe Your Truth, and yet we want to make our own choices too. We think You should make everybody saved, and yet we still disobey You sometimes. Oh Father, You understand us humans very well! Thank You for allowing us to have a choice, and knowing who belongs to You. We are so dependent upon You, and yet You give us so much freedom. When I submit myself to Your will, I feel so free and peaceful, and joyful. When I don’t I feel grumpy and afraid, and bothered by everything. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Prayer Requests: Pray for a man who is recovering from cancer. Pray for a man is preparing to have a biopsy performed.

Journal Entry #13168

Matthew 13:10
   The disciples did not understand why Jesus was using parabolic teaching. Remember, for the most part, the disciples were unlearned men. They knew that many of the common people would have a difficult time understanding why Jesus used parables as well. However, over the years I have found that Almighty God keeps his Word at a certain level. He makes it available to us, but we have to work at it. Jesus’ parables would have made more sense to those who had already tried to understand and know God. Those who had already payed attention to the Old Testament, and valued what it had to say, would more easily grasp what he was conveying. This is always true. We cannot expect to be spoon-fed the Truth. It takes some hard work to get to the Truth, and it is that way by design.

Bible Reading: Deuteronomy 14:1-17:20

Scripture Memory: 1 John 2:28 “And now, little children, abide in him; that, when he shall appear, we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before him at his coming.”

Prayer: Heavenly Father, it is so great to know You on Father’s Day! It is a blessing to have a good Dad here on earth. It is a blessing to have You, Father, in heaven. You know just what we need. You have given us our earthly fathers to remind us how we should live. You are so very wise! You know not only what we need, but who we need, in our lives. You are worthy of our praise, but also of our efforts. Just as we would like to make our earthly father proud, we should work to make You proud of us. We love You! In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Prayer Requests: Pray for missionaries all over the world.

Journal Entry #13167

Matthew 13:9
   This is one of Jesus’ favorite sayings. It’s like saying, ‘Ya got ears don’t ya, why don’t ya use ’em?’ That’s the southern version, anyway. Literally, Jesus is saying that his words are so important that anyone who has ears should listen to him. They will find that his words are the most important thing they will ever hear. Almighty God gave people ears so we could use them, and there is no better use of them than to hear the words of Christ.

Bible Reading: Deuteronomy 11:1-13:18

Scripture Memory: 1 John 2:28 “And now, little children, abide in him; that, when he shall appear, we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before him at his coming.”

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You for doing so much for us! Your plan for us inspires us to keep marching on. We must keep serving One who has done so much for us. We are so glad to be Your servants. Your service is a joy, not a pain. Your servants who work for You are the happiest of people. You inspire us to attempt great things for You. Thank You for being just exactly Who You are! In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Prayer Requests: Pray for Christians everywhere to draw closer to the Lord in their personal walk with him.

Journal Entry #13166

Matthew 13:8
   Notice that the seed that falls into good ground yields much. Jesus’ listeners would have thought this. Thirtyfold would even be a remarkable yield, let alone more than that. This parable, then, gives us the idea that those who are truly saved will be quite fruitful in their lives.

Bible Reading: Deuteronomy 8:1-10:22

Scripture Memory: 1 John 2:28 “And now, little children, abide in him; that, when he shall appear, we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before him at his coming.”

Prayer: Heavenly Father, may our hope rest on You. We can never thank You enough for salvation through Christ. Your wise and wonderful plan of salvation gives us hope for life. We are amazed by Your mercy and grace in guiding Your children through the storms of life. 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 man recovering from cancer.

Journal Entry #13164

Matthew 13:7
   The seed that fell among thorns reminds us of the fact that many will hear the Truth, and yet ultimately they will reject it. We have all around us people who know the Truth, but who refuse to talk about it or consider it further. They are deceived by this world, and are happy to be so. Though we should live right and have a good testimony to such persons, they will not change. They have chosen this world over Christ.

Bible Reading: Deuteronomy 5:1-7:26

Scripture Memory: 1 John 2:27 “But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him.“

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You for making Your Truth available to us, in spite of our reaction. Many will never listen to You, and yet You draw them to You anyway. They ignore the wooing of the Spirit. They miss the chance to hear from You. Thank You for allowing ‘whosoever will’ to come to You in faith. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Prayer Requests: Pray for an elderly woman who fell recently.

Journal Entry #13164

Matthew 13:6
   In order to understand this parable one must remember that Jesus is describing the reception of the gospel. In other words, as in this verse, he is not describing the loss of salvation. The seed that fell in the stony places represents those who quickly receive the message of the gospel but do not truly understand it. Thus, they ‘turn over a new leaf’ and pretend a change in their life, but their spirit remains dead.

Bible Reading: Deuteronomy 3:1-4:49

Scripture Memory: 1 John 2:27 “But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him.”

Prayer: Heavenly Father, it is amazing how few people praise You. We owe all we have to You, and yet, we fail to glorify Your name for all of it. I know that the enemy hates Your praise. But, I will praise You because You alone can create something good. All that we can on our own is destroy. We need You to make us truly artistic. Give us the beauty of Your holiness in our lives and creations. Let us not spend all of our days creating destruction. Oh Father, make me Your child not only in my heart, but in my actions. Help me to allow Your Spirit to fill me to overflowing with Your joy, peace, and hope. Give me Your love, that I may win others to You. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Prayer Requests: Pray for a woman with several silent requests.

Journal Entry #13163

Matthew 13:5
   In the area where Jesus was teaching, farmers would have been aware of these types of stony places. In these spots, though there appeared on the surface to be good soil, the rocks were not far below. Thus, having little soil to take root in, the seed had little chance of growing.
   Those who spring forth of this kind of soil are those who accept the Truth only for personal advantage, rather than a true commitment to the Truth. They believe simply because they think it is best for them, not because they love the Lord.

Bible Reading: Deuteronomy 1:1-2:37

Scripture Memory: 1 John 2:27 “But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him.”

Prayer: Heavenly Father, help us to live lives that will be a testimony to others. You are worthy not only of our praise, but of our lives. Thank You for always valuing our lives. You enrich us and give us abundant life. It is so good to know Someone who has our best interests at heart. Thank You! In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Prayer Requests: Pray for Vacation Bible School coming up in July.

Journal Entry #13162