Category: Uncategorized

Matthew 24:1
   These buildings were evidently something to behold. Though it is not certain why the disciples wanted Jesus to see this great sight at this time, it is doubtless that many came there just to admire the workmanship. The greatness of Herod’s temple only stood to throw into sharp relief the comments of Christ about it and in it. The building seemed not to impress Him, but what was done in the building was His subject time and again.

Bible Reading: 1 Chronicles 9:1-11:47

Scripture Memory: James 2:21 “Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar?”

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You for this day to praise You. We don’t wake up in the morning thinking that, but that is exactly what it is, another opportunity to see Your hand at work in our lives. Though some may be going through great difficulties physically, or others may be scarred emotionally, we can all lift our hands in praise to You. You have given us another day of life, and You have made Your grace and love available to us freely. How can we miss that? Your ways are amazing to us! Thank You for all that You are! In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Prayer Requests: Pray for a man with a family that has been in an out of the hospital for a year now. Pray for a man going through extensive treatments for a rare disease.

Journal Entry #14221

Matthew 23:39
   That these words would come from their mouths can happen one of two ways. Individually, all people will ultimately acknowledge the supremacy of Christ. And, this will occur in the future. However, as a nation, the Jews will also, at a future time, accept Christ nationally. This will occur during the end times and is mentioned in the Revelation of Jesus Christ. So, whether as part of the damned who are forced to admit the Lordship of Christ, or as part of those who have turned to Christ in faith, all nations shall indeed bless the One who comes in the name of the Lord, Jesus Christ.

Bible Reading: 1 Chronicles 7:1-8:40

Scripture Memory: James 2:21 “Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar?”

Prayer: Heavenly Father, may pretense not force its ugliness into my heart! We must be true to You! You are worthy of our true and full devotion. Thank You for the cross! In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Prayer Requests: Pray for a man who has a lot of work to do. Pray for a man with a difficult job situation. Pray for a woman with cancer.

Journal Entry #14220

Matthew 23:38
    As the next verse illustrates, this does not mean God is done with the Jews. What it does mean is that the mission of declaring God’s name to the world was taken from them. Though any Jewish believer may do so, and rightly, the church is now the means of witness in this world. Jesus’ church is bearing the fruit that the Jewish religious system missed out on.

Bible Reading: 1 Chronicles 6:1-81

Scripture Memory: James 2:21 “Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar?”

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You for another day with my wonderful family! Your blessings are so good. You have given us life and family and friends. You have saved our souls. You have given us joy and peace. You must love us so very much. You are worthy of all the praise, for You are holy. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Prayer Requests: Pray for a woman with health problems. Pray for a woman with a lot of decisions to make.

Journal Entry #14219

Matthew 23:37
   By and large the Jews had missed the message of the prophets. They failed to accept their words. And the law of Moses, though they claimed to accept it, was added to and twisted round by them. So, that which Jerusalem had become compared to what it was possible for it to be were two different things.
   A this point, some may digress into a discussion of free will versus Divine Sovereignty. However, this verse is about a city, a nation, not an individual person. From it we may not directly draw truths about individual lives.

Bible Reading: 1 Chronicles 4:1-5:26

Scripture Memory: James 2:20 “But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You for life! You have given us so much and we are so thankful! Please help us to see our blessings as You see them. Give us Your eyes to see our situation and lead us with Your feet. We need You, we must depend upon You. You are worthy of our life of service to You, Almighty God. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Prayer Requests: Pray for a girl with health issues. Pray for a man with spiritual issues in his life.

Journal Entry #14218

Matthew 23:36
   Though we forget it, Jesus actually did quite a bit of prophesying during His earthly ministry. Indeed, virtually all of the prophecy given in the New Testament comes straight from the mouth of Christ.

Bible Reading: 1 Chronicles 2:1-3:24

Scripture Memory:  James 2:20 “But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?

Prayer: Heavenly Father, Your Word is amazing! The number of fulfilled prophecies is beyond amazing. You have given us the sure Word. It is true, we can be positive. We can know that we have the truth in our hands. You are worthy of the praise for Your wonderful Word. Thank You! In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Prayer Requests: Pray fro a man with a case of poison oak. Pray for a woman with bone spurs.

Journal Entry #142

Matthew 23:35
   Jesus here refers to the first and last murders in the Old Testament. In the Jewish organization of the books, Abel was the first (as in our Bible today), and Zacharias was the last. Thus Jesus is here referring to all innocent blood shed from the very beginning and onward. Though these men were not personally responsible for each of these deaths, they failed to learn anything from them. Beyond this they were about to shed blood themselves. Their nation was about to receive its due for all the blood that had been shed.

Bible Reading: 2 Kings 24:1-1 Chronicles 1:54

Scripture Memory: James 2:20 “But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?”

Prayer: Heavenly Father, You have given to us so many blessings. Your love for us is not lacking. Yet, Your ways are hard for us to understand because we are slow to believe You. May we trust You as we should. Thank You for Your truth to guide us from day to day. You are truly amazing! You kindness is overwhelming! Remind us, dear Lord, that You are in control of it all. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Prayer Requests: Pray for a woman making some decisions concerning her employment. Pray for a woman who has a cut on her finger.

Journal Entry #14216

Matthew 23:34
   We tend to say little about this, but consider carefully what Jesus is telling us here. He is equating His followers with the Old Testament prophets and scribes and wise men. Though this may seem a forgone conclusion, we sometimes act as if those we read about in the Bible, especially in the Old Testament, are somehow superior people that nobody today could emulate. This is simply not true. We are to be imitators of Christ. If anything, having His example and the power of the indwelling Spirit, we have even more opportunity to be godly.

Bible Reading: 2 Kings 21:1-23:37

Scripture Memory: James 2:19 “Thou believest there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.”

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You for this day! You give us blessings all the time. We sit and think of all the things we would like You to do, or how we wish things had happened. And, in the meantime, we miss Your blessings. Help us to accept Your way as You lead us in Your path. We have to realize we cannot decide it all. We must rely on your great wisdom. I love You! In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Prayer Requests: Pray for a man with bad back pain. Pray for a man with a serious health condition. Pray for two women with cancer.

Journal Entry #14215

Matthew 23:33
   Like their father the devil, that ancient serpent, they pretended to be spiritual guides. They claimed great wisdom of God. Yet they knew little of Him practically. They had memorized the statutes for sure, but the truths failed to penetrate their wicked hearts. So, not only were they themselves evil, but they lay in wait to snare others, and this is their greatest condemnation. It is for the same reason that the devil is condemned, because he is always the enemy, the accuser, the tempter.
   Though Jesus never delves into great elaboration on the torments of hell as I have heard some attempt to do, He never seems to even try to avoid the subject. Indeed, He drives His discourses towards the subject as the necessary endpoint. This reveals to us the sentiments of Almighty God on the subject. He does not wish for us to fool ourselves. He did not for a moment try to let these men feel they would somehow escape damnation in the end. He does not try to make a world where everyone is ultimately happy and blessed. He is trying to help these false teachers realize the plight which they faced, and the precipice upon which they were tiptoeing. He does so out of mercy, warning them, and yet knowing they would not hear.

Bible Reading: 2 Kings 18:1-20:2

Scripture Memory: James 2:19 “Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.”

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You for Your mercy! You have made Your truth known to us. We cannot say we have not been told. May we always have before us the task of telling others! There will be no excuses in the end. Nothing will pull back from perdition but the blood of Your precious Son. Thank You for him! In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Prayer Requests: Pray for a man and his job. Pray for a young woman who is pregnant. Pray for a man taking medication.

Journal Entry #14214

Matthew 23:32
    Sin is at all times wrong, and there is no ammount that is needed in that sense. If God had not an ounce of mercy or patience not a second of sin would be needed for Him to destroy this rebellious world. Yet God is no inanimate force. He is a person like you and I. He sets His limits. He decides how to handle situations. He makes plans. His sense of justice doesn’t change or become lax just because His mercy allows evil for a time. He may wait years to bring a judgement upon sin. This makes Him no less just, but shows us that He is real. Jesus, understanding the nature of God far better than we, knows the way God handles mankind.
   Jesus is not commanding these men to sin more. He is not saying that sin is inevitable. What He is doing is revealing once again His Divine prescience. Knowing what they would do, He leaves them to it. Though they were not glorifying God by their actions, their ultimate failure would be to his glory. Thus, though to us it would seem to be strange to urge on those doing wrong, He is urging on only the way in which they would ultimately glorify God, though to their own damnation.
   The judgement on these and their people would come soon enough when the Romans saw to it late in the first century. God’s hand is not short, and He will work his purpose regardless of what we do.

Bible Reading: 2 Kings 15:1-17:41

Scripture Memory: James 2:19 “Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.”

Prayer: Heavenly Father, Your power is amazing to me! I know that You have more than sheer power. I know that You are good and kind and holy and pure. But, You can do anything, You are limitless, and yet You have chosen to make us. You have spent You time on us. You have redeemed us. You have loved my soul! How could I ever get over that! I know what I think I would do and be if I could be anything. And yet,  I would never be as good as You have been. You alone are God, and that is quite clear. Only you could be God. Only You could do this. Only You could maintain the glory. You are not impersonal. You are not unknowable. And yet, You are so infinitely high! I cannot reach You, but You reach me! How can I stop loving the fact that You have made Yourself accessible to us? What glory is not your worthy due? What can I say but to put my hand on my mouth and be in awe of You and Your great deeds. I could not do more than to play the traitor to my own existence if I tried to explain You away. How can I be an artist, an author, a master, a friend, a lover, a father, a person if I am not of Your making? Would I dare to think without Your record of my thoughts? Would I even be anything if You did not regard me? If I were not written in your book, could I be more than a dream? Thank You for the Christ, the Son of God. Jesus shows me the truth of life. He gives me the right to hold my head up to recognize the creation that I am. He has vindicated my desire to know you and Your wondrous works. By Him I have hope to see the miracles of Your making. Only in Him may I be saved. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Prayer Requests: Pray for a man who is sick with a bad sinus infection. Pray for a man dying of cancer. Pray for a house to sell.

Journal Entry #14213

Matthew 23:31
   Jesus would not be one to say that a person is doomed to be as bad or worse than his progenitors. However, he also understands human nature. Generally, a son will not be much better than his father. This is not true all across the board, but the old saying about the apple not falling far from the tree is not far from the tree itself. These men mentioned the sins of their fathers only to make themselves look better. But, never would the Lord find in their mouths genuine sorrow for the sins of their fathers. Instead, he would only hear how they were better, and soon, all would see the proof of their false nature as they cried for the death of the Prophet, Priest, and King.

Bible Reading: 2 Kings 12:1-14:29

Scripture Memory: James 2:18 “Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will show you my faith by my works.”

Prayer: Heavenly Father, You alone are God. No matter what man may say or do, You know it all. You cannot be fooled. You are beyond our comprehension. We cannot put You in a box. We cannot study You by our measure. Yet, by Your power and mercy, we may know You, if we do so with a submitted heart. Oh, to know the Almighty, that is the joy of life! I would be content to wonder at Your great creation, but You have revealed Yourself, so my wonder turns to You. You are the One who may make alive. You have the power of death, life, and eternity in Your hands. You are not because I know You, I am because I know You. To exist without communion with You, is to live a death. Oh Father, thank You for life in Christ! In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Prayer Requests: Pray for the lost.

Journal Entry #14212