Category: Uncategorized

Matthew 24:12
   Although it is true to say that evil is no new thing, it seems that Jesus is here supporting the idea that things will get steadily worse and worse. The proof of this can be seen in our world today. We have more knowledge than all of the generations before us, and yet we are sadly lacking in wisdom. History has continued on, yet, rather than learning from it, we forget it, or deny it.
   Because of the increase of iniquity (which implies not just sin, but the love of it) many have grown lax and weak. Anemic Christianity is the sign of our times. Indeed, many are ready to settle for anything short of absolute heresy as gospel truth. This lack of dedication is due to the abounding iniquity. When you are around great evil, it is easy to compare yourself to the evil ones and think you are pretty good, when really your zeal is cold and indifferent.

Bible Reading: 2 Chronicles 25:1-28:27

Scripture Memory: James 2:25 “Likewise also was not Rahab the harlot justified by works, when she had received the messengers

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You for Your goodness and love to us. It is amazing to think that the Eternal God loves us and has our best interests at heart. We will humbly serve You, for You deserve our love and adoration. Our lives are best lived in service to You, Almighty Father. Thank You for all that You have done for us! In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Prayer Requests: Pray for my Dad. Pray for a man who needs salvation. Pray for an older lady with health concerns.

Journal Entry #14234

Matthew 24:11
   There will not be an end to those who try to benefit themselves by false religion until time is out. Always we will have those who profit from the spiritual needs of their fellow man. Woe to them who would capitalize on the suffering of others! They give people false hope, and that is the greatest travesty one might commit. We are to tell the truth. Being a false prophet does nothing for You but to condemn you forever!

Bible Reading: 2 Chronicles 21:1-24:27

Scripture Memory: James 2:25 “Likewise also was not Rahab the harlot justified by works, when she had received the messengers, and had sent them out another way?”

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You for Your truth. You don’t expect us to believe lies. You give it to us like it is. You don’t water it down or doll it up. Thank You for transparent truth! You have given us a foundation for our feet, and a guide for our path. May we always go in Your way! In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ i pray and praise You, Amen.

Prayer Requests: Pray for my Dad, who is recovering from heart surgery. Pray for a woman who just had a stroke. Pray for the middle east.

Journal Entry #14233

Matthew 24:10
   Jesus is alluding here to the differences among those who would call themselves Christians. Indeed, we see even today a huge spectrum of differences among those that would try to call themselves Christian. There has been much bloodshed in history over these differences because of those who believe it is right to hurt others for what they believe. This is very wrong. No true Christian should ever hurt anyone for what they believe or do not believe.

Bible Reading: 2 Chronicles 18:1-20:37

Scripture Memory: James 2:24 “Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only.”

Prayer: Heavenly Father, You are faithful to us. Thank You for You grace and love towards us. We do not deserve Your goodness, but we will praise You for it forever. May we be faithful to you and serve You all our days. You have done wondrously and are mighty in Your great power and love. You cannot be compared to anyone or anything. You are so much higher than we can fathom. Teach us of Yourself, for that is the glory of our lives, to know You. Wisdom from You is a blessing to our hearts. May we forever be Your servants and sing Your praises with our mouths. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Prayer Requests: Pray for my dad. Pray for a man having surgery today. Pray for a man in the care of hospice.

Journal Entry #14232

Matthew 24:9
   The word ‘then’ here need not signify order. Instead it means, at that time. So, again, these are things that will characterize the age in which we live. And, indeed, martyrdom has never ceased. There is always someone somewhere killing God’s people. The hatred on the part of all nations is obvious. No nation remains friendly to Christianity for very long.

Bible Reading: 2 Chronicles 13:1-17:19

Scripture Memory: James 2:24 “Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only.”

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You for Your wisdom. You give us Your truth and show us what You need us to know. You can guide us into light for our lives. You do not want us to be ignorant, but instead You help us to understand things. May we never cease learning from You! In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Prayer Requests: Pray for my Dad, who is at home recovering from heart surgery. Pray for a man who has spiritual needs. Pray for a woman being checked for cancer.

Journal Entry #14231

Matthew 24:8
   By saying these are the beginnings of sorrows Jesus simply means that the troubles of the end time will be even worse. These things He has mentioned are but a foretaste of the judgement to come. So, once again, wars, famines, earthquakes, and the like are reminders of the end, but they do not serve as signs of when the end will be, for they fill this age in which we now live.

Bible Reading: 2 Chronicles 9:1-12:16

Scripture Memory: James 2:24 “Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only.”

Prayer: Heavenly Father, Your plans are perfect. You always know what You want for us. May we faithfully submit to your way, for then it will go well with us. Thank You for Your leading, even when we don’t understand it. You have loved us with an everlasting love, and we can only praise You and thank You by living for You. I love You, Father. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Prayer Requests: Pray for my Dad, as he recovers from heart surgery. Pray for a woman having a CT scan this week. Pray for a woman with cancer.

Journal Entry #14230

Matthew 24:7
   Once again, Jesus is helping His followers to understand that there would be griefs such as these in the coming age. These things would not specifically reveal the time of His coming, but would characterize the future. This we can see from history. Nation has risen against nation, and famine and earthquakes have occurred. As He says in the previous verse, the end is not yet. These happenings are not a sign that the end is come, but serve as a reminder that it is coming.

Bible Reading: 2 Chronicles 6:1-8:18

Scripture Memory: James 2:23 “And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God.”

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You for loving us so much. Though we cannot see Your hand, we know You are guiding us every step of the way. You are able to do so much more than we could ever imagine. May we always learn to depend upon You more. We are in a world were that is not popular. But we can also see that the right thing is not always popular. I praise You for all that You have done, and for all that You are! In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Prayer Requests: Pray for my Dad. Pray for a family that just lost a loved one. Pray for a woman having trouble with her knee.

Journal Entry #14229

Matthew 24:6
   Again, do not try to make the Lord say anything he is not saying. We know that war has continued in spite of the first coming of Christ. From our perspective this is easy to understand, but for the disciples it might seem amazing that the propensity of the world for war would stay such even after the coming of the Messiah. This age has indeed been an age of war. Many of these wars have been great. Israel, Jerusalem, and the Jewish people have suffered in many of these conflicts. But, referring to their last question, Jesus made them to understand that many wars in many places would not be the harbinger of the end times. Perhaps the world wars would be a good example. To many, they may have seemed to be the end of the world, but they were not.

Bible Reading: 2 Chronicles 1:1-5:14

Scripture Memory: James 2:23 “And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God.”

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You for Your leading! You know the end from the beginning. We don’t always understand what You are doing. But, we know that You can be trusted. You love us. You really care what happens to us. Thank You for Your grace, love, joy and peace. You are so holy and just and good! May we praise You for evermore! In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Prayer Requests: Pray for my Dad, hoping to come home tomorrow. Pray for a woman with an infection in her finger. Pray for a man travelling to get medical treatment.

Journal Entry #14228

Matthew 24:5
   Keeping with what we have already set forth, it is important to understand what is and is not being said here. Jesus is not speaking of persons who might come claiming specifically to be Jesus (though that does happen sometimes), or to the antichrist who will ultimately come. He is referring instead to those who would claim to be the Messiah. This is in itself a great sign of the future coming of Christ. That there have been many false Messiahs is quite plain from history. This is exactly why Jesus issues the warning here. When He, the true Messiah, returns, there will be no question Who He is. He will not look for a following, He will have a following. Don’t be deceived, the Messiah has come, and that’s all there is to it.

Bible Reading: 1 Chronicles 27:1-29:30

Scripture Memory: James 2:23 “And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God.”

Prayer: Heavenly Father, may Your Holy Name be praised for ever! You have given us Your Messiah. You have made Your plan for this world. No man-made Messiah is needed for Your desired future to be laid out by Your decree. You have had it all in the works from the very beginning. Nothing takes You by surprise, and nobody takes You for a fool. Thank You for Your glorious might! In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Prayer Requests: Pray for my Dad. Pray for a woman recovering from knee surgery. Pray for a woman with stomach trouble.

Journal Entry #14227

Matthew 24:4
   Jesus starts out with a very important admonition. Indeed, it is often that for want of understanding this basic truth that we fail to understand prophecy. The simple lesson here is this, Jesus alone may be trusted. This is so very important that I cannot emphasize it enough. There are literally millions of people who have had their eschatological understanding completely subverted and perverted for failing to observe this one simple rule. Only Jesus knows the truth. Truth must come from Him, in His way, at His time. Those who claim to have some type of special revelation given only to them by Jesus, thus setting them up as another authority, are immediately to be seen for the apostates that they are.
   Truth must flow from Christ to His followers directly. No one man may presume to instruct all others in the truth and hold his opinion as equal with the Bible record. No, to know the future, we must get it from the Future Maker, the Lord Himself. This is why we find the ‘Revelation of Jesus Christ’ in the Bible. It is His revelation, it belongs to Him, and it is about Him. Do not veer from this basic, simple, powerful truth! To do so is confusion!

Bible Reading: 1 Chronicles 24:1-26:32

Scripture Memory: James 2:22 “Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect?”

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You for Your truth! You give us just what we need to know, though we often fail to understand. We go on and on trying to discover the reason for things we don’t really need to know about and miss the best truths right before us. May we be wise through You. You can guide us to the truth that we need in our lives. You can show us the path that You have laid before us. And You do it one step at a time. Thank You for caring for us, Father! In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Prayer Requests: Pray for my Dad, recovering from heart surgery. Pray for a man having back pain, but getting better. Pray for a woman who may have cancer.

Journal Entry #14226

Matthew 24:3
   Just as we find three questions here, we must keep three very important things in mind as we consider the following words of Christ. In His great Olivet discourse, Jesus has quite a bit to say about the future. To make sure you understand His words, keep these things in mind. First, the disciples asked these questions from their perspective. They did not know what Jesus knew, or what we know today. And, Jesus answered with this in mind. Second, you must harmonize what you find here with the rest of Scripture. Do not try to interpret the passage without considering the other gospels, the Revelation, and other applicable portions of God’s Word. Finally, do not try to make anything mean something it doesn’t have to mean. This is the trickiest of them all. We have a tendency to want knowledge, but miss truth. So, we read into the text that which we desire to see, rather than what is actually there.

Bible Reading: 1 Chronicles 21:1-23:32

Scripture Memory: James 2:22 “Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect?”

Prayer: Heavenly Father, we are so totally dependent upon You! We don’t even understand what is going on in our own lives, let alone do we know the ins and outs of all of history. Only You understand everything. But, what You have given us to know, it is for that we are so grateful. We are glad to know that You have given us the truth we need to know You and to be Your children. That is such a blessing! It is our whole reason for being! Thank You! I praise You, Father! In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Prayer Requests: Pray for my Dad, who is recovering from heart surgery. Pray for a man with cancer.

Journal Entry #14225