Author: Bill Hall

13: Faith is the victory! Jesus here recognizes and responds to faith. It is always this way with Almighty God. The healing that the centurion’s servant immediately received was not due to his master’s good works, or to his. It was not due to anything special about either of them. If anything human could be credited, Jesus made it clear that faith alone could be pointed out. Why? Because faith is that human effort which brings no glory to any except God. Faith is simply full reliance upon the Lord. It does not lend glory to the believer, but to the One who is believed. This is that quality in us that Almighty God always looks to find.

Daily Bible Reading: Ezekiel 35:1-37:28

Daily Memory Verse: Jude 1:20 “But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost,”

Daily Tidbit: Ezekiel 37 is perhaps one of the most colorful passages in scripture. The vision of the dry bones coming to life reminds us that Almighty God can do as he pleases. It is no harder for him to make living people from dead people than it was for him to make people to begin with.

Praise Journal: Heavenly Father, thank You for Your Word. It is great to have something we can look to for an understanding of You. We can never know You too well. Thank You for making Yourself know to us. May we always seek after knowing You. Oh Father, You are quite a subject! If we spend our entire lives studying You, we will still only just begin to see how majestic and good and wonderful You are. Give us a sense of Your personality and desires through Your Word. Knowing You is such a worthwhile pursuit! In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Prayer Journal Highlights: Pray for many who have colds/flu. Pray for a man who is recovering from poor health.

Personal Journal Entry #12252

12: The children of the kingdom are, of course, the Jews. In other words, many who would be thought, as Jewish, to automatically enter eternal bliss, shall miss it altogether. The idea of weeping and gnashing of teeth in outer darkness points out some interesting thoughts about hell. First, all who are in hell are very conscious of the fact that they are ‘outside’, outside of heaven that is. Secondly, many in hell will be quite sad that they missed heaven, eternally disappointed by the tricks of the devil they bought into in this life. Third, there will be many who ‘gnash with the teeth’, meaning that they are eternally mad at the God of heaven Who has rejected their efforts (without Christ) to enter eternal bliss. Thus, those who are there will be either forever sad, or forever mad, or both.

Daily Bible Reading: Ezekiel 32:1-34:31

Daily Memory Verse: Jude 1:20 “But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost,”

Daily Tidbit: Ezekiel 33:18-19 is a confirmation of a principle found elsewhere in scripture. It is better to be wicked and repent and change, and become righteous, than it is to be righteous and become wicked. To begin poorly will not prevent finishing well, but to finish poorly will erase reward from early successes.

Praise Journal: Heavenly Father, thank You for explaining heaven and hell to us. Though many of us would rather not think about hell, knowing about it is infinitely better than never being warned. Though we think so little of it sometimes, being included in the plan of redemption with he Jews is a great blessing. Thank You, You are worthy of all our praise! May we be forever in awe of Your grace and love. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Prayer Journal Highlights: Pray for a man with health issues. Pray for a woman’s knee. Pray for Christians in 2013.

Personal Journal Entry #12251

11: The promises made to the patriarchs included blessings for believers in the entire world, not only the Jews. This is made abundantly clear by this comment from Jesus, the spread of the gospel in Acts, and the doctrine found in other New Testament writings, such as Galatians.

Daily Bible Reading: Ezekiel 28:1-31:18

Daily Memory Verse: Jude 1:19 “These be they who separate themselves, sensual, having not the Spirit.“

Daily Tidbit: Elephants can live to be 60-70 years old.

Praise Journal: Heavenly Father, thank You for the availability of Your grace. We so often forget that You don’t need us, we need You. Many seem to act as if You couldn’t survive without us. As the Self-sufficient Sustainer of the entire universe, You don’t need anything. But, we definitely need You. Thank You for being available to helpless mankind. You are so kind and generous to even take the time to care about us. It is because You are so good. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Prayer Journal Highlights: Pray for a man with health issues. Pray for several families having difficulties this holiday season.

Personal Journal Entry #12250

10: Jesus here compares the faith of this Gentile with the faith of the Jews. There was a great difference between the two.

Daily Bible Reading: Ezekiel 24:1-27:36

Daily Memory Verse: Jude 1:19 “These be they who separate themselves, sensual, having not the Spirit.”

Daily Tidbit: The prophet Ezekiel lost his wife during the time of his ministry. It is recorded in Ezekiel 24.

Praise Journal: Heavenly Father, thank You for making Your words accessible not only to believing Jews, but to Gentiles as well. Your mercy and grace in this is more than we realize. Your willingness to send Your gospel message to people living in spiritual darkness is a great glory to You. Your grace is truly sufficient for all mankind. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Prayer Journal Highlights: Pray for many with sickness.

Personal Journal Entry #12249

9: The centurion understood what many people miss. Almighty God puts things all around us that help us understand him. All of the concepts that we see in the world around us help to show us how God thinks, and what he is capable of.

Daily Bible Reading: Ezekiel 22:1-23:49

Daily Memory Verse: Jude 1:19 “These be they who separate themselves, sensual, having not the Spirit.”

Daily Tidbit: If eight people meet each other, and they all shake hands with each other, twenty-eight handshakes will occur.

Praise Journal: Heavenly Father, thank You for the simple examples of Your power all around us. they remind us that You are in control, and that You never fail. It is so good to know that You know everything, and can do anything. We are so glad to be in Your care. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Prayer Journal Highlights: Pray for a man with terminal cancer.

Personal Journal Entry #12248

8: At first glance, we may think that the centurion’s words here were not genuine. But, we see by the response of Christ that the centurion was quite honest. He truly felt unworthy of Christ. What a contrast with so many who feel Christ is not worthy of them! They who shun salvation reject Christ as if he is just another deceiver.

Daily Bible Reading: Ezekiel 20:1-21:32

Daily Memory Verse: Jude 1:18 “How that they told you there should be mockers in the last time, who should walk after their own ungodly lusts.“

Daily Tidbit: In Ezekiel 20:46, Ezekiel is told to ‘drop’ his words in a certain direction. This is an interesting illustration. When we speak, our words are dropped, and cannot be retrieved.

Praise Journal: Heavenly Father, thank You for this day, and for Your blessings. You have blessed us with family and friends. Our family is so special to us. They are illustrations of Your care and concern for us. May we, also, like the centurion, treat Christ as he should be treated. We become so familiar with You in our minds sometimes that we forget just how holy You are. Even though You live within us, let us not feel any more worthy than did this centurion. It is only by the blood of Christ that we are what we are. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Prayer Journal Highlights: Pray for two men who have health issues. Pray for a lady who has poor health. Pray for a boy that is sick.

Personal Journal Entry #12247

7: Jesus, obviously, already knew what this centurion would say in response to these words. So, why then did Jesus say he would come, when he knew the centurion would say he didn’t need to? There were occasions on which Jesus did not go to the location of the need, but healed from a distance. Why does he offer to go when he knows that the centurion is not asking that? The answer reveals much about the Lord’s love, and the way his will works with people. Though it was excellent that the centurion believed Jesus could heal over distances, it was not a requirement for the grace of the Lord. Jesus was letting this man know that he was willing to come to his house if the centurion felt it necessary. In other words, the Lord’s mercy has more to do with him than it does with us. It will come further than we will. It will come before we will. It will last beyond us. Faith is required, yes, but the mercy and grace of Almighty God do the work. This is the same in salvation. Faith is mandatory. Without faith, salvation will never be received. However, it is by grace that we are saved. Our faith in God could not by itself save us. His grace, received because of that faith, does the saving. And he receives all of the glory in that.

Daily Bible Reading: Ezekiel 17:1-19:14

Daily Memory Verse: Jude 1:18 “How that they told you there should be mockers in the last time, who should walk after their own ungodly lusts.”

Daily Tidbit: In the Septuagint, Proverbs 10:28 reads thus: “Joy rests long with the righteous, but the hope of the ungodly shall perish.”

Praise Journal: Heavenly Father, You grace is so amazing! To think that You draw us to Yourself is an overwhelming thought. Without Your mercy, there would be no planet earth. Without the possibility for redemption, there would be no reason for our existence. Thank you for giving to us life and meaning. May we constantly see Your mercy at work all around us. To have the opportunity to know and share the news of Your great grace is truly the opportunity of a lifetime. The hope and joy that You hold out to us are so wonderful. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Prayer Journal Highlights: Pray for many who are sick with colds, flu, viruses, etc.

Personal Journal Entry #12246

6: Notice here the care afforded this man’s servant. Many might fail to love their servants as well as this centurion. Indeed, those who have employees would do well to emulate this level of concern for the centurion’s servant.

Daily Bible Reading: Ezekiel 14:1-16:63

Daily Memory Verse: Jude 1:18 “How that they told you there should be mockers in the last time, who should walk after their own ungodly lusts.”

Daily Tidbit: Black jaguars, leopards, and even tigers do exist. They are the result of a genetic variation and are more rare than their regular-colored counterparts.

Praise Journal: Heavenly Father, thank You for others that You bring into our path in life that are a blessing to us. Just as the centurion and his servant, we will have good friends that mean much to us. Thank You for this special blessing. You always know what we need. On top of that, You are the best friend anyone could have! May we spend our lives cultivating our relationship with You. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Prayer Journal Highlights: Pray for several persons who are sick at this time.

Personal Journal Entry #12245

5: This is one of my favorite stories about Jesus. He is for everyone. He does not just help some of us, he helps all of us. This centurion was a Gentile. He had a simple faith in Christ that was very refreshing. So many try to over-complicate life and fail to see the plain illustrations all around us. Like the blind man in John 9, he understood who Jesus is, and believed accordingly.

Daily Bible Reading: Ezekiel 11:1-13:23

Daily Memory Verse: Jude 1:17 “But, beloved, remember ye the words which were spoken before of the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ;“

Daily Tidbit: Today is 12-12-12. This sequence in our date means nothing more than yesterday’s 12-11-12. However, this sequential numbering will not occur again in our lifetime. So, it is a great day to start some new habits and renew our commitments.

Praise Journal: Heavenly Father, thank You for every day that You give to us. Your love for us is astounding. No matter who we are, or where we are, You know all about us and care about us. Your love is truly perfect. It is hard to understand why we can’t seem to accept You more easily. So many live without You, and yet You care for all of us. You are the good and wise God of all. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Prayer Journal Highlights: Pray for revival among Christians all over the world.

Personal Journal Entry #12244

4: The interesting phrase in this verse comes at the end. Although Jesus did not want the man to tell the general population, he wanted a testimony brought before the priests. He wanted his miracles seen as what they were, fulfillment of prophecy, not simply amazing wonders. Others might have claimed to heal, but Jesus presents proof.

Daily Bible Reading: Ezekiel 7:1-10:22

Daily Memory Verse: Jude 1:17 “But, beloved, remember ye the words which were spoken before of the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ;”

Daily Tidbit: Proverbs 10:28 “The hope of the righteous shall be gladness: but the expectation of the wicked shall perish.”

Praise Journal: Heavenly Father, thank You for those times of refreshing that You give to us. What a mercy they are! May we be constantly mindful of Your generosity. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Prayer Journal Highlights: Pray for an older man who is has serious health issues.

Personal Journal Entry #12243