Category: Uncategorized

Mark 4:10
   Often the only way to learn more is to ask questions. Though the Word of God is plain in that it means what it says, it is good to ask questions. The Spirit can show to the children of God what passages in Scripture mean. Whereas, to the natural man, there will be many things that remain a mystery.

Bible Reading: Genesis 4:1-6:22

Scripture Memory: 1 John 2:7 “Brethren, I write no new commandment unto you, but an old commandment which ye had from the beginning. The old commandment is the word which ye have heard from the beginning.”

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank you for your leading. You guide us in so many different ways in many different areas of our lives. You give us wisdom to perform our duties. You give us love to carry out our ministry. You help us to be patient as we serve our family and friends. You give us these blessings and so much more. Each person you put in our lives is a blessing in some way. Circumstances work by your plan, and opportunities are in your control. Thank you for your goodness to us! In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise you, Amen.

Prayer Requests: Pray for a man who is travelling.

Journal Entry #15102

Mark 4:9
   Jesus doesn’t waste his words. He says everything for a reason. His attention-grabbing statements, such as this one, serve to call attention to the importance of the message, and are a warning of what is to come if those words are ignored.

Bible Reading: Genesis 1:1-3:24

Scripture Memory: 1 John 2:6 “He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked.”

Prayer: Heavenly Father, we can find all that we need in Christ! Your Word helps us through each day of our lives. We don’t need the worlds solutions, which can never satisfy. Only you have the answer of peace. Only you can bring to rest to our weary lives. The comfort from you is perfect and good. You remind us of your love and righteousness constantly. Thank you for Christ! In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise you, Amen.

Prayer Requests: Pray for a woman who may have heart trouble. Pray for a woman with swelling in her feet.

Journal Entry #15101

Mark 4:8
   Notice if you will that all the good ground seed produced fruit. Each produced a different size of crop, but each produced fruit. Jesus does not say anything negative about the smaller crop crowd, he focuses on the seed that bears no fruit.
   This is significant. Each believer will be used. And some more greatly than others. But, the sad part is that many will not be used, and will bear no fruit. The word does not take root in them.

Bible Reading: Revelation 19:1-22:21

Scripture Memory: 1 John 2:5 “But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him.”

Prayer: Heavenly Father, we know that we can trust you no matter what. Regardless of what happens, you are always faithful. Never can we find you to fail or falter. You always care and work for our good. May we trust you and depend on you for everything. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise you, Amen.

Prayer Requests: Pray for a woman who just had a stroke.

Journal Entry #15100

Mark 4:7
   Unfruitful lives are one of the enemy’s favorites. Though the Word is heard, no fruit results because of the allurements of this world. Many in our nation are like this. We live in such a prosperous place that it is easy to get distracted.

Bible Reading: Revelation 15:1-18:24

Scripture Memory: 1 John 2:4 “He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.”

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank you for your great love for us in making salvation possible. It is amazing to know that you care for us. Your love is unquestioned. Your grace is limitless. Your power cannot be challenged. Your purity is absolute. Your righteousness is perfect. Your intelligence is limitless. How can we ever praise you enough? In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise you, Amen.

Prayer Requests: Pray for a man recovering from surgery.

Journal Entry #15099

Mark 4:6
   Persecution will always reveal the genuine Christian. Nominal believers are revealed quickly by pressure. Only those who are truly followers of Christ will remain faithful under persecution.

Bible Reading: Revelation 10:1-14:20

Scripture Memory: 1 John 2:3 “And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments.”

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank you for working in our hearts to give us the right desires. You lead us to things in our lives that we would never have considered on our own. Indeed, our lives take a whole different shape because we seek to serve you. The opportunities you give us are significant for eternity. Thank you for working with us. Thank you for your mercy and grace! In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise you, Amen.

Prayer Requests: Pray for a man preparing to have surgery. Pray for a woman who just started a new job.

Journal Entry #15098

Mark 4:5
   This is those who make quick professions. They see the offer of the gospel on the face of it without really taking the time to consider the implications and details. They react quickly and simply.
   Though we do make an ‘all at once’ choice when we get saved, there is a process proceeding that. There is a time of conviction from the Holy Spirit that precedes it. Thus, those who have not been through the conviction process because of hardness of heart, or distractions of the world, tend to profess lightly, and fail quickly.

Bible Reading: Revelation 5:1-9:21

Scripture Memory: 1 John 2:2 “And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.”

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank you for this day to serve you. Help us take life one step at a time. Each day should be a testimony to your love and power. You guide us through everything. Looking back, we may see your hand of mercy through every trial. Your faithfulness motivates us to keep serving you. To be involved in what you would have us to do is a great privilege. Thank you! In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise you, Amen.

Prayer Requests: Pray for a family who just lost a loved one.

Journal Entry #15097

Mark 4:4
   This parable is about how the Word of God is responded to. In this verse we see that, whenever the gospel is preached, there will be those who simply do not hear at all. They are the way side. The gospel is lost on them. It has no effect, takes no root, and is of no interest to their hearts. Sadly, this is often the largest group among those who hear the truth.
   And why is this? Why would the truth not penetrate more easily? Well, their lives have been filled with desensitizing agents. Lies and deceit have so clouded their judgement, it is difficult for the truth to take hold. God is not the author of confusion, but Satan is, and he confuses mankind  as much as possible.

Bible Reading: Revelation 1:1-4:11

Scripture Memory: 1 John 2:1 “My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous:”

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank you for working in our lives. Even thought he enemy is constantly trying to deceive, seduce, and confuse us, you are at work as well. You are there, and you are not silent. You love us and you guide us in our lives. You have given us your truth and you show us the way in which we should go. Thank you for taking an active role in our lives. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise you, Amen.

Prayer Requests: Pray for a woman with muscular problems. Pray for a couple going out of the country in a couple of weeks.

Journal Entry #15096

Mark 4:3
   Notice how Jesus always gets people’s attention at the beginning of his discourses. He makes it clear that what he is about to say is important. As ministers of the gospel, we should be ever so humble, but our message is of great significance. Though the minister be humble, the message is to be no less bold.

Bible Reading: 1 John 4:1-Jude 25

Scripture Memory: 1 John 1:10 “If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.”

Prayer: Heavenly Father, I never want to miss out on something great in my life because I failed to obey you. For, submission to you is very important in our lives. It is good for me to hear you, to submit to your will. I know that you have planned what is best for me. How can I ever thank you enough for your work in my life? You care about me, and you have planned out my service. You guide me in it. Your name always be praised! You deserve all of the glory! 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 woman recovering from pneumonia. Pray for a woman with diabetes.

Journal Entry #15095

Mark 4:2
   We are reminded here once again that Jesus used parables. A parable is of course a story that illustrates a doctrinal truth. Jesus was teaching in his doctrine is it says here. This means not only that he was teaching the doctrine that he was getting across to the people, that is, of the gospel age. But, also it refers to his method and means of doing so. His style and way of teaching was somewhat different from the Jewish teachers because his doctrine and goals were different.

Bible Reading: 2 Peter 3:1-1 John 3:24

Scripture Memory: 1 John 1:9 “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank you for your truth. It is so wonderful to be able to each day to open a book that contains absolute truth. I would not be able to believe someone who lies to me sometimes. But you tell the truth always. We can depend upon you completely. There is no shadow of doubt when we are dealing with your truth. Your doctrine is secure and sound. Your truth is dependable and faithful. Thank you for your Holy Word which tells us of your dear Son! Thank you for salvation in him, and for a book that guides us each day of our lives. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise you, Amen.

Prayer Requests: Pray for a woman recovering from brain surgery. Pray for a man having facial surgery soon.

Journal Entry #15094

Mark 4:1
   Only in recent years has our public speaking changed quite a bit because of the use of sound amplification equipment. Traditionally, ancient and even more modern public speaking was done in such a way as to help the listening audience follow what was being said. In many cases, it might be difficult for those toward the back of the crowd to follow the message. Thus, many times, the successful sharing of a message with a large crowd would depend upon word of mouth afterward, or even during the exchange.
   Obviously, when a crowd was listening in a closed place, such as a synagogue or other public venue, the exchanging of the information would not occur right then. However, in cases such as this, people could pass along the message in real time. Thus, speakers would share a line at the time so to speak, and then that would be shared throughout the crowd.
   Though it is difficult now to know exactly what Jesus style was when it comes to sharing this message, it seems likely that he was slower and more articulate, allowing the people to absorb what he was saying a bit at a time, rather than being a fast talker. At that time, those who talked very quickly and did not properly explain themselves, would never be heard well in a large crowd such as this. Especially, as in this case, if you are teaching from a boat that had to be at least a little ways from the shore, you had to do things a little bit different.

Bible Reading: 1 Peter 4:1-2 Peter 2:22

Scripture Memory: 1 John 1:8 “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.”

Prayer: Heavenly Father, how can we ever praise you enough for what we celebrate on this glorious day? You have given us what we will spend all of eternity thanking you for. Life in Christ, that is the most wonderful gift we could ever hope to have. It is not even possible for us to fully understand the magnitude of this gift. But, what we do understand is that you love us very much. And that is more than enough for us. We will praise you. We will praise you for our entire lives. We will praise you for all of eternity. Your graciousness and love and mercy is beyond all that we could ever imagine. Thank you For Your goodness. You are good in your very nature, you can be nothing but good. You are the Lord God Almighty, the Holy One, the just one. You always do what is best. You know what is best. We will live our lives in praise and honor to you, oh Lord. You deserve all of the glory! In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Prayer Requests: Pray for pastors and preachers and teachers of the gospel all over the world today as they share the truth.

Journal Entry #15093