Category: Uncategorized

Mark 6:4
   Jesus is here giving voice to an idea that has been repeated in various ways throughout history. Many great men have found that they are not nearly as great when they are at home. Familiarity, and a sense of knowing one’s origins, tends to cause people to think less of a person, and not more.
   This was, it seems, very true in Jesus case. His own family failed to believe in him early on. His brothers and sisters failed to see who he really was. And the town that knew him the best, understood him the least. Indeed, we often fail to see what we have until it is gone.

Judges 20:1-Ruth 1:22

James 1:4 But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.

Heavenly Father, thank you for your freshness. The quality of being fresh, or new, is not something we would normally think of to apply to you. But it is indeed true. We are so often stale, dried up, withered. You on the other hand, are always fresh, always new, always faithful. Any day of the week when we come to you we find new life, new hope, new truth, new rest. You are the cure for apathy. You are the cure for boredom. You are the cure for disappointment, and discouragement.

Pray for a family that just lost a loved one. Pray for a young woman who will be traveling soon. Pray for a woman who is not feeling well at all.

Journal 15181

Mark 6:3
   One of the most interesting things that we find in this verse is that Jesus was apparently a carpenter just like Joseph before he began his ministry. The people here in Nazareth still thought of him as the carpenter, and knew his siblings.

Judges 17:1-19:30

James 1:3 “Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.”

Heavenly Father, thank you for always telling us the truth. Though we do not always like the truth about ourselves, it is always a blessing to know truth. We see our sin as a result, but we also see your love and forgiveness. Truth has a freeing effect upon us. It gives us the ability to face reality as it is, rather than trying to deal with the world as it isn’t. Thank you! In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise you, Amen.

Pray for a woman who has many health issues. Pray for a man recovering from a long illness.

Journal 15180

Mark 6:2
   The people of Jesus’ home town couldn’t understand how he knew all that he did. They were trying to understand it with their conventional wisdom. They couldn’t figure where he had gotten it all from. They couldn’t deny his teaching, for it was very convincing, but they wouldn’t accept it because they couldn’t figure it out. This is the reason that many miss the truth of the Christ. They try to figure it out without God’s Word as a guide.

Judges 13:1-16:31

James 1:2 My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations;

Heavenly Father, forgive us for so often failing to pray for our nation! We must care for our countrymen, loving them as we love ourselves. My prayer is that people will come to understand the truth of the Christ. If we can but grasp that concept, we will then begin to see how to approach every day of our lives. Thank you, dear Father, for your life for this fallen world. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise you, Amen.

Pray for our nation.

Journal 15179

Mark 6:1
   Jesus returns to Nazareth. Imagine what it would be like to live in the same city with him! Yet there were many there who did not believe him.

Judges 10:1-12:15

James 1:1 “James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad, greeting.”

Heavenly Father, thank you for giving to us the grace we need for each day. You are our supply. Only you can handle everything in our lives. We are totally dependent upon you whether we act like it or not. Thank you for your faithfulness! In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise you, Amen.

Pray for a man who needs to be in church.

Journal 15178

Mark 5:43
   Jesus didn’t want people to believe in him only because of his miracles. He wanted them to understand the truth as well.
   He commands that she be fed because she likely had not had a square meal in a while.

Judges 8:1-9:57

1 John 5:21 Little children, keep yourselves from idols. Amen.

Heavenly Father, thank you for you grace! You make your goodness available to all through Christ. You give us access to so much. May we never cease to praise you for all that you have done. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise you, Amen.

Pray for a woman who is not feeling well.

Journal 15177

Mark 5:42
   Being 12 years old, this girl was ready to get back to living. Older persons might sit and reflect upon the events of the day a little bit longer. But not her, she was ready to get back to moving and living and loving her parents and doing things. Indeed, as a girl of the age of 12, her childhood was likely almost over. She would surely be married within the next couple of years.
   It seems quite interesting to me to contrast those who are brought back to life by the Lord Jesus, and those who claim to come back from the dead these days. Because of the technology we have for resuscitation, many now claim to have been dead and come back to life. This of course is always a relative event. Not breathing or, having little brain activity, doesn’t necessarily make you dead. In any case, people do seem to have a very different reaction to these experiences than did this girl. She just kind of pops up and gets back to life. Whereas, many today will wake up and tell all kinds of stories of what happened to them while they were supposedly dead.

Judges 5:1-7:25

1 John 5:20 And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know him that is true, and we are in him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life.

Heavenly Father, it is so amazing to think that you give us of your own spirit when we are saved. It’s much like how you brought this girl back to life. When we were dead in our trespasses and sins, you gave us new life in every way. The Holy Spirit is our surety of all of that grand and glorious future that you have promised to us. Because we have your Spirit living in us, we know beyond a shadow of a doubt that you are on our side. We can depend upon you forever. We can listen to you, hear from you, learn from you. You are interested in helping us understand what you want from us. You are interested in helping us understand that what we need and want is exactly what you provide. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Pray for a man under the care of hospice. Pray for a young boy recovering from several surgeries.

Journal 15176

Mark 5:41
   We’re not exactly sure what language Jesus spoke regularly. However there is great likelihood that this Aramaic, or Syriac, that he uses to speak to the little girl here was his chosen tongue. In any case, many in that region would have spoken Greek. So Jesus would have spoken Aramaic and Greek.
   It is quite likely that this language with which he speaks to the young child was a language familiar to her and her family. Though this would seem normal, Jesus is somewhat unique in this way. Among men, those who would claim to have power to do what Jesus did, might say some kind of an unintelligible thing in order to make themselves and sound special. Jesus says nothing special. He needs no show, but only the real fact of his mighty power over death.

Judges 2:1-4:24

1 John 5:19 And we know that we are of God, and the whole world lieth in wickedness.

Heavenly Father, as you know we often ask you to make us happy. We want more joy, more contentment. But, we often think that these things will only come to us if you give us more of what we find in this life. To be sure, you do give us great material blessings. However, we are heirs of eternal life, and there is a treasure out there that gives us a joy and contentment no material blessings here on earth could ever match. May we rest forever in your abundant supply! You know what we need and not we ourselves. Your provision goes a step further than we would go. It enables us to serve you as your trusted friends. It gives us a place in your kingdom. We think of our earthly needs, you supply for our eternal tasks. We just look for bread for the next meal, while you supply day by day the food we need for an eternity as your royal ambassadors. Your glory is your focus, and rightly so. You alone can give what we don’t even know we need. Thank you! In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise you, Amen.

Pray for a woman who is sick. Pray for a woman who is having trouble with her stomach.

Journal 15175

Mark 5:40
   There is a great contrast between Christ and a false prophet. Those who would make a show of healing, or doing some great miracle, might try to make a big deal out of it. But the Lord Jesus does the opposite. This is because he truly was going to do a miracle. Something was really going to happen. This was not a show. This was the real deal.
   Sometimes, Jesus did his miracles to be seen very publicly. But, most of the time he kept them in private. And why is this? It’s because that’s where they belonged. They were private things done for private people. They were meeting the needs of those that he ministered to. Other times, there was reason to make a very public show of what had been done.

Joshua 23:1-Judges 1:36

1 John 5:18 We know that whosoever is born of God sinneth not; but he that is begotten of God keepeth himself, and that wicked one toucheth him not.

Heavenly Father, thank you for your leading in our lives. It is great to have your Word right here before us, but having your Spirit within s is so wonderful as well. To only have a book that tells us the truth, and not to have the Spirit to help us live it, would not be as good. By your Holy Spirit, we can understand your Word. Thank you for your care for us, in giving us of your Spirit. Show us the way in which we should go, that we may serve you with our entire heart. May our lives honor you in every way! You are worthy! Thank you for helping us to see your truth, and help us to be witnesses for you each and every day. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Pray for a man who is not feeling well. Pray for a man going out of town.

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Mark 5:39
   Though some have tried to argue the point, the girl was indeed dead. However, this is not the only time that Jesus refers to the dead as sleeping.
   To understand this, we need to consider two things. For one thing, we know that the early Christian church adopted the same kind of language to refer to those who had died in faith, knowing they would live again. Jesus seems to be doing the same thing here. But also, consider the state this girl was in. Though her body was in every sense dead, the Master of life was on his way to revive her. Thus, we cannot speak particularly about the state of her decomposition, for the Lord may already have suspended that. To understand this one need only remember the story of Lazarus. He was dead long enough to be quite disfigured by his experience, but evidently, he was not. So, the power of the Christ extends beyond simply raising the dead, he has power over death itself. This is the point Jesus is making here.

Joshua 20:1-22:34

1 John 5:17 All unrighteousness is sin: and there is a sin not unto death.

Heavenly Father, if you wanted us to be sidetracked by our worries and cares, you wouldn’t have told us to cast them upon you. It is amazing to think that you even take the time to consider our worries and cares. It is not as if, once you take them from us, that you toss the list in a trash can and forget about it. No, you remember our problems and concerns. You know what is important to us. You care, just like any other friend, only so much better! Thank you! In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise you, Amen.

Pray for two women recovering from cancer. Pray for a man with congestive heart failure.

Journal 15173

Mark 5:38
   Our ideas of mourning and grieving here in America are much different from what one might find many other places in the world. Indeed, heathen lands have quite strange practices in connection with death. In the case of the Jews under Roman rule, an influential man such as Jairus would have certain expectations laid upon him.
   The wailing here described may well have been performed by professional mourners hired for the purpose. Though to a certain extent this may be speculation, it seems likely that at least some musicians were hired for the event. Thus, the funeral began the moment the life ended.

Joshua 16:1-19:51

1 John 5:16 “If any man see his brother sin a sin which is not unto death, he shall ask, and he shall give him life for them that sin not unto death. There is a sin unto death: I do not say that he shall pray for it.”

Heavenly Father, many times the circumstances of this life tend to get the better of us. We are easily swept away in their flood. And yet we find in your Word the possibility of contentment in turmoil. We see held forth the reality of peace in the storm. We find an otherworldly outlook. We are told to see the facts in a different light, one that encompasses all that there is not just our little corner. We become part of a grander scheme, that is yet quite individualistic because it is based on you as an individual in your relationship to us. Thank you for the security of your eternality! In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise you, Amen.

Pray for a woman with cancer. Pray for a woman who is not feeling well.

Journal 15172