Category: Uncategorized

Mark 1:33
   Our modern sentiments in civilized countries today tend to get in the way when we study the Bible. Many people, upon reading this text, balk at the idea that the whole city was actually involved. We have become so cynical and sarcastic, as well as proud, that we think in skewed ways.
   If you have ever been in a smaller, agrarian, third-world type town or village you would immediately know the truth of this statement. Word of mouth works best when word of mouth is all that there is. Indeed, word of mouth is still the best form of advertisement. So, to say that the whole city was involved is not a push at all. Indeed, those who would normally be left at home, such as the blind and lame, were here the whole reason for the trip!

Bible Reading: Matthew 19:1-20:34

Scripture Memory: James 5:7 “Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain.”

Prayer: Heavenly Father, help us to remember that you are the Infinite Sovereign of All the Universe. We cannot put you in a box and think we know everything there is to know about you. You transcend our puny limitations. May we never forget that your ways, though so much different from ours, are always the best. We can trust you even when our minds cannot seem to get your plan in focus. How can we know you but by you? Without your own will revealing yourself in your Word, we would remain in darkness. May we live in the glorious light of your truth forever! In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise you, Amen.

Prayer Requests: Pray for a woman having chest pains. Pray for a young lady with the flu.

Journal Entry #15017

Mark 1:32
   Very often we will not immediately understand things in Scripture because we are not Jewish. Having heard about Jesus’ miracles, people wanted to come and see him. However, the incident at the synagogue occurred on the same day as this verse. So, it was the Sabbath. Thus, until 6 PM, no one would make the trip to see him. But, after that, there was a whole multitude of people who came all at once.

Bible Reading: Matthew 16:1-18:35

Scripture Memory: James 5:6 “Ye have condemned and killed the just; and he doth not resist you.”

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank you for holding onto us through life’s trials and troubles. You don’t leave us when the going gets rough, but you carry us through. You are not troubled by the things we face, but it seems big to us. Thank you for your patience with our frailty. You never fail to remember that we are but dust. 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 who just lost his wife. Pray for a man travelling to Florida this week.

Journal Entry #15016

Mark 1:31
   We don’t know the exact nature of the fever. But, in any case, it was a miracle for her to be free of it so quickly. Indeed, it seems that, in addition to being healed, she was quite refreshed by the Lord. This is evidenced by her immediate care for the things that she would normally be occupied with had she not been feeling ill.

Bible Reading: Matthew 14:1-15:39

Scripture Memory: James 5:6 “Ye have condemned and killed the just; and he doth not resist you.”

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank you for your Holy Spirit. You lead and guide and help us in our lives in every way. We can always trust to you for the right way. Your timing is always just right. You can solve problems in the most unexpected ways. We can trust you with our lives and know that what you do will be best. Thank you! In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise you, Amen.

Prayer Requests: Pray for a woman with cancer. Pray for a woman having trouble with her insurance company.

Journal Entry #15015

Mark 1:30
   Apparently they didn’t tell him about her right away. Likely they didn’t see any reason to. Though we would think that they would assume he could heal her, that is not necessarily the case. Even the disciples seemed to be slow about realizing the nature of the Christ. They had to learn, just as we do, to trust him with everything.

Bible Reading: Matthew 12:1-13:58

Scripture Memory: James 5:6 “Ye have condemned and killed the just; and he doth not resist you.”

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You for Your great wisdom. You always know exactly what needs to be done. You know what we are thinking. You have the solution before we understand the problem. You have all the answers! You’re goodness never runs dry. Thank you for your Son, and all that he means to us! In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise you, Amen.

Prayer Requests: Pray for a man recovering from heart surgery. Pray for a woman who just had some lung tests done.

Journal Entry #15014

Mark 1:29
   Apparently Peter and Andrew his brother were originally from Bethsaida (John 1:44), not Capernaum. However, being fishermen, they had likely relocated for business interests. Having the same dwelling would not be strange for brothers, especially if Andrew was still unmarried.

Bible Reading: Matthew 10:1-11:30

Scripture Memory: James 5:5 “Ye have lived in pleasure on the earth, and been wanton; ye have nourished your hearts, as in a day of slaughter.”

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank you for your greater plan. We don’t always understand, but your ways are higher than ours. Who can advise you? Who will question your great wisdom? Man cannot begin to know all that you know already. You alone see the future, because you’re already there. We are so limited in comparison to you. Father, thank you for being so amazing! You are the Eternal God, and we praise you! In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise you, Amen.

Prayer Requests: Pray for a woman’s unspoken requests. Pray for a boy that is sick. Pray for a man having surgery at the end of the month.

Journal Entry #15013

Mark 1:28
   Jesus was quite popular in his early ministry. But he wasn’t worried about popularity. So many famous people will exchange popularity for meaning. Jesus was no fool.

Bible Reading: Matthew 7:1-9:38

Scripture Memory: James 5:5 “Ye have lived in pleasure on the earth, and been wanton; ye have nourished your hearts, as in a day of slaughter.”

Prayer: Heaven;y Father, let us never fall in love with fame. Popularity is deceptive. So many things that we seem to want so much are just a lie. Thank you for the truth. Thank you for your love and kindness to us! Thank you for Jesus! In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise you, Amen.

Prayer Requests: Pray for a man who is sick. Pray for a man with several health and financial issues. Pray for a man with emotional and spiritual issues.

Journal Entry #15012

Mark 1:27
   Why was this so astonishing? Why did they wonder if it was a new doctrine? What were they saying? The answer is actually quite simple. What Jesus had just done, much like his teaching, was done with authority. But, how could he have authority over evil? That is what they were wondering about. They rightly realized that One who had power and authority over evil spirits must be very great indeed. However, they had not yet come to the conclusion that he was the Messiah. Thus, they wondered how any man could have this kind of command over evil. Unlike the Jewish leaders later, they did not think he was of the devil, so they knew it was by the power of God that this had been done.
   We today must recognize the same truth. Jesus has absolute authority. He may command who he will. And why? Because he is God. As the Second Person of the Trinity, he is able to do all of this and more. His authority is complete because it is by him that all things were made, and by him all things hold together. This was new for sure. God himself in human form was among them. As Emanuel he had there in his person all the fullness of the Godhead bodily. This was new because this had not happened before. Yes, the Lord had visited his people, but not like this. This was new, and this authority of Christ on earth was the beginning of the Church age.

Bible Reading: Matthew 5:1-6:34

Scripture Memory: James 5:5 “Ye have lived in pleasure on the earth, and been wanton; ye have nourished your hearts, as in a day of slaughter.”

Prayer: Heavenly Father, may we give ourselves to you fully. Thank you for giving to us your promises. If we will respond to your faithfulness, the is no end to what you may do with us as we yield totally to you. Make us your servants in every part of our lives, Father. We must hold nothing back. You are worthy of our fullest devotion. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise you, Amen.

Prayer Requests: Pray for our national leaders. Pray for missionaries all over the world. Pray for police and fire personnel.

Journal Entry #15011

Mark 1:26
   There are occasions where having a good knowledge of Greek can be quite helpful. And why is this? Well though it is possible that the man was here literally ‘torn’ or hurt in some way, that is most likely not the case. A couple of friends you can often turn to for sticky Greek issues are Robertson and Wuest. Though I would hesitate to approve everything they ever wrote, these two fellows can help in jams where a good handle on the Greek comes in handy.
   Looking to help such as this we can gather that, though the word here can mean to tare, it is more likely to mean to convulse. Indeed, Robertson will tell you that the loud outcry was more of a high-pitched scream than anything.
   So, with the help of these friends, we can see what is really happening here. The unclean spirit, being much like a spoiled brat deprived of a prized toy, is throwing a little temper tantrum as he is forced out of the man. He throws the man into a fit and screams with one of those blood-curdling deals that simply means ‘I’m mad because I’m not getting my way!’ In other words, as the book of Revelation shows, the evil world loses, and that’s that. The devil and all of his followers can scream as much as they want, but it won’t change the fact that Jesus Christ is Lord!

Bible Reading: Malachi 4:1-Matthew 4:25

Scripture Memory: James 5:4 “Behold, the hire of the labourers who have reaped down your fields, which is of you kept back by fraud, crieth: and the cries of them which have reaped are entered into the ears of the Lord of sabaoth.”

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank you for your knowledge about us. You know our shortcomings. You understand our sin. You know what we need, and you solve the problem your way. You don’t give us what we want so much as what we need. Thank you for taking good care of us. Your wondrous love is absolutely amazing! May we never cease to focus on your glory and honor rather that on our shortcomings. We have fallen short, period. Only you may change that. To look to you in your great Power and Holiness is all that we can do. Your Son is our only hope. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise you, Amen.

Prayer Requests: Pray for the high level of gang activity in Chattanooga. Pray for a woman exposed to sickness at work. Pray for a lot of people that will be looking for work next year.

Journal Entry #15010

Mark 1:25
   Was Jesus afraid of this demon? Is that why he responded so quickly? Did he not want to be made known? Quite the contrary. Statements of belief from evil spirits don’t pose a problem to Christ, but they are not a help either. When Satan is the source of a statement about Scripture or God, it is completely worthless. It is always tainted by his twisting of the truth. So, instead of fear, Jesus was simply acting with decisiveness against an enemy that needed to be made aware of the fact that whatever might happen would only come to light when Jesus was good and ready for it. In other words, Jesus had a plan in motion, and he would decide how much of that the devil would be privy to, and how much he wouldn’t.
   The wording here is interesting. Saying ‘hold your peace’ sounds really nice, but it could be translated more literally – Shut up! Get out! No explanations or answers are provided. No time for reflection on past actions is offered. Jesus didn’t even allow for one phone call! Immediate, powerful, authoritative, and decisive action was the response of the Lord Christ. And, as we see elsewhere, even Satan himself in person did not fail to obey that voice or heed that command.

Bible Reading: Zechariah 12:1-Malachi 3:18

Scripture Memory: James 5:4 “Behold, the hire of the labourers who have reaped down your fields, which is of you kept back by fraud, crieth: and the cries of them which have reaped are entered into the ears of the Lord of sabaoth.”

Prayer: Heavenly Father, keep your truth ever before us. Oh how we fail to see that the devil is a liar! He has never done anything else but lie to us. It is impossible for this evil world to operate any other way. Lies are all that the evil one can produce. Thank you for your truth, your Word is truth. Your Son is the Truth. How can we think that we know better than you? Only you know what is real. Your truth turns on the light while all else lies in darkness. We praise you for your truth, dear Father! May we never try to live without surrendering to your truth. We know you are always trustworthy. Thank you! In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise you, Amen.

Prayer Requests: Pray for a young man who just took his first job. Pray for a man with the flu. Pray for a man with a blood clot.

Journal Entry #15009

Mark 1:24
   This phrase where the unclean spirit asks what Jesus has to do with them is a figure of speech. It is a way of saying that hey have nothing in common, and that they should naturally be completely separated. The demon is thus, in an agitated and angry state, telling Christ that the powers of evil do not see any reason for him to intrude upon their world. The demon then inquires about Jesus’ plan of action. It wonders whether Jesus had come there to destroy the evil spirits. Finally, it proclaims a complete knowledge of the identity of Jesus.
   It is helpful to understand what is going on here. Confusion in these matters is commonplace. The enemy, the old devil, sees this world as his domain. And, he does have dominion in it for the moment. So, the anger of the evil spirits is directed at Jesus because they rightly identify him as a threat. But, Satan does not think like God does. His reasoning is warped. Thus, though he is highly intelligent, he and his demonic hoards do not understand the motivations and plans of God properly. They cannot because evil can never comprehend good. As a result, the evil spirit wanted to know the plans of this powerful adversary so that he might gain all the advantage possible. Please remember, the devil and his followers are full of pride, thinking they can somehow subvert the power of Almighty God if they can but get the upper hand.
   That the demon knew Jesus might seem odd to some. However, Satan prides himself in his knowledge. He thinks that he can somehow outwit God. His followers are the same. This spirit identified Christ not out of any desire to glorify him, but to show off the resources and prowess of the underworld. This will always be the way with the devil. He and his are smart but weird, powerful but prideful, and resourceful but ridiculous. His rule can never stand because he is not, and never could be, Almighty God.

Bible Reading: Zechariah 7:1-11:17

Scripture Memory: James 5:4 “Behold, the hire of the labourers who have reaped down your fields, which is of you kept back by fraud, crieth: and the cries of them which have reaped are entered into the ears of the Lord of sabaoth.”

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank you for your knowledge. Though we like to think we know so much, your truth is so much better. You know everything! You can give us an understanding of this world that we could never have on our own. Your Word shows us the very foundation of the cosmos. we can be led into truth by your Spirit. Beyond this, you know us more than we know ourselves. You can see the truth that we need. You know where we are deficient. You can answer our most important questions with a better grasp of the truth. Thank you for your gifts, Father! In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise you, Amen.

Prayer Requests: Pray for a man who needs to move out of a nursing home. Pray for a man that has heart problems. Pray for a woman with a stomach virus.

Journal Entry #15008