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16: The preponderance of demonic possession in Christ’s day is not to be a surprise. Many were given to the practice of magical arts, such was common in a culture so mixed up. The religious leaders seemed unable to offer anything authentic, and the influx of pagan idolatry was strong in areas controlled by Rome. Jesus delivered these possessed ones by a means different from all others. Indeed, his authority prompted the Jewish leaders to feel that he must be a servant of the devil. On the contrary, the demonic hoards were the more subject to his will and word than they could ever be to the devil. Verses like this one serve to highlight the extent of Jesus’ ministry. There was no sickness, no torment, no problem, that could not be easily handled by the Lord Jesus Christ.

Daily Bible Reading: Ezekiel 44:1-46:24

Daily Memory Verse: Jude 1:21 “Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.”

Daily Tidbit: Much ado has been made about nothing it seems in the case of the Mayan calendar. Scientists and thinkers have, though pointing it out, shown the December 21 date to be just what it was, another day. Religionists and spiritualists did what they do best and celebrated it, and the money they made off of it. The rest of us just went on with our lives. So is there any significance to this Mayan doomsday? Well, yes and no. As it has been pointed out, the day is just the end of an epoch of time for the Mayans, and the beginning of another. However, the true significance of the day is that it ends a certain period of time. This period was roughly five thousand years long. Thus the ancient Mayans believed that time began about five thousand years ago. Not surprisingly, the Hebrew calendar starts not but a few hundred years before that. Indeed, many calendars of ancient cultures put the date of creation somewhere in recent history. If we stop thinking that we know everything long enough to accept the wisdom of the ancients, we must come to the conclusion that God’s Word is not off in its report of the time of creation.

Praise Journal: Heavenly Father, thank You for Your Word. Though mankind hesitates to accept Truth not reported by our own senses, we could not have come this far without the influence of Your Words upon our society. May we have a renewed sense of Your awesome power and great glory this Christmas season. Father, You are able to make our lives whatever You want them to be. May we yield to Your plans this coming year, rather than chasing our own. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Prayer Journal Highlights: Pray for a man with terminal cancer.

Personal Journal Entry #12255

15: The woman was immediately healed. She was not fatigued, hungry, or in need of long recovery. This was not always the case. Sometimes Jesus’ miracles were different, like with the blind man who saw men like trees, or the young lady that needed some food after she was raised. None of this minimizes Jesus’ power. What it does do is point out that he will heal in his way, not ours. We may not always understand why some are healed, while others remain sick. We make Jesus’ ability to wipe all the problems away our acid test of his power. And yet, he has yet to wipe all problems away. He will, one day. But, in the meantime, we must believe that he can, whether he heals like we would expect or not.

Daily Bible Reading: Ezekiel 41:1-43:27

Daily Memory Verse: Jude 1:20 “But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost,”

Daily Tidbit: The biblical cubit was probably about 18″, which was generally measured by the length from a man’s elbow to the tip of his middle finger.

Praise Journal: Heavenly Father, thank You for each day that You give to us. If the rapture does not occur this coming year, which would be better, we look forward to a whole year of days from You. Every one of them is a new opportunity to remember Your glory and grace. May we never miss a day of realizing Your role in our lives. May we never let a night slip by without knowing that You have us in Your hands. We believe that You can do anything You want to do, and that You have a very specific plan for this year. May 2013 be a year full of people bringing to You the glory that You deserve. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Prayer Journal Highlights: Pray for the strength of Christian marriages. Pray for our shut-ins. Pray for those who are recovering from health issues.

Personal Journal Entry #12254

14: Several things must be noted in this verse. First, Jesus notices Peter’s mother-in-law as soon as he comes into the house. The disciples told him quickly, but he knew it all along. This reminds us of the importance of telling Almighty God our needs. He already knows, and has more than enough power to meet those needs, but he wants us to ask.
   Secondly, we notice that these miracles have been for those who would normally be considered less important, or forgotten altogether. The first was a leper, the second a Gentile, and this was a woman. Jesus left nobody out.
   Finally, Jesus was always willing to go with the flow of events. Unless he had a specific point to make, he would allow interruptions, and seemingly unexpected needs, come into his schedule. Though many would be quick to point out that he knew everything ahead of time anyway, he is to be our Example to follow. So, we should have a similar willingness to find our schedule in the serendipitous revelation of God’s will for our next moment.

Daily Bible Reading: Ezekiel 38:1-40:49

Daily Memory Verse: Jude 1:20 “But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost,”

Daily Tidbit: Though many may have thought the world would come to an end today, it did not. However, the reactions to the continuation of things as they are makes one wonder about the reaction when it actually does one day. When Jesus takes the church out of the world, for example. what will people’s reaction be then? When he returns to to rule on earth, how will everyone respond? Scripture gives us an educated guess to the answer of these questions. Indeed, based on the reaction to this day, and what we find in scripture, the true ‘end of the world’ will likely not make people very happy.

Praise Journal: Heavenly Father, thank You for Your goodness to us. You are always ready to meet our needs. I am glad that You ask us to tell You though. Our greatest need is to remember that You are the Source of all good. We easily forget that. Oh Father, may we be as willing to be interrupted by You, as You are to be interrupted by us! Your love is so patient. We speak of the patience of Job, and yet You had to be patient with him! Lord God Almighty, Your ways are perfect. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Prayer Journal Highlights: Pray for children still recovering from sickness. Pray for people this Christmas to spend time with their families.

Personal Journal Entry #12253

13: Faith is the victory! Jesus here recognizes and responds to faith. It is always this way with Almighty God. The healing that the centurion’s servant immediately received was not due to his master’s good works, or to his. It was not due to anything special about either of them. If anything human could be credited, Jesus made it clear that faith alone could be pointed out. Why? Because faith is that human effort which brings no glory to any except God. Faith is simply full reliance upon the Lord. It does not lend glory to the believer, but to the One who is believed. This is that quality in us that Almighty God always looks to find.

Daily Bible Reading: Ezekiel 35:1-37:28

Daily Memory Verse: Jude 1:20 “But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost,”

Daily Tidbit: Ezekiel 37 is perhaps one of the most colorful passages in scripture. The vision of the dry bones coming to life reminds us that Almighty God can do as he pleases. It is no harder for him to make living people from dead people than it was for him to make people to begin with.

Praise Journal: Heavenly Father, thank You for Your Word. It is great to have something we can look to for an understanding of You. We can never know You too well. Thank You for making Yourself know to us. May we always seek after knowing You. Oh Father, You are quite a subject! If we spend our entire lives studying You, we will still only just begin to see how majestic and good and wonderful You are. Give us a sense of Your personality and desires through Your Word. Knowing You is such a worthwhile pursuit! In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Prayer Journal Highlights: Pray for many who have colds/flu. Pray for a man who is recovering from poor health.

Personal Journal Entry #12252

12: The children of the kingdom are, of course, the Jews. In other words, many who would be thought, as Jewish, to automatically enter eternal bliss, shall miss it altogether. The idea of weeping and gnashing of teeth in outer darkness points out some interesting thoughts about hell. First, all who are in hell are very conscious of the fact that they are ‘outside’, outside of heaven that is. Secondly, many in hell will be quite sad that they missed heaven, eternally disappointed by the tricks of the devil they bought into in this life. Third, there will be many who ‘gnash with the teeth’, meaning that they are eternally mad at the God of heaven Who has rejected their efforts (without Christ) to enter eternal bliss. Thus, those who are there will be either forever sad, or forever mad, or both.

Daily Bible Reading: Ezekiel 32:1-34:31

Daily Memory Verse: Jude 1:20 “But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost,”

Daily Tidbit: Ezekiel 33:18-19 is a confirmation of a principle found elsewhere in scripture. It is better to be wicked and repent and change, and become righteous, than it is to be righteous and become wicked. To begin poorly will not prevent finishing well, but to finish poorly will erase reward from early successes.

Praise Journal: Heavenly Father, thank You for explaining heaven and hell to us. Though many of us would rather not think about hell, knowing about it is infinitely better than never being warned. Though we think so little of it sometimes, being included in the plan of redemption with he Jews is a great blessing. Thank You, You are worthy of all our praise! May we be forever in awe of Your grace and love. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Prayer Journal Highlights: Pray for a man with health issues. Pray for a woman’s knee. Pray for Christians in 2013.

Personal Journal Entry #12251

11: The promises made to the patriarchs included blessings for believers in the entire world, not only the Jews. This is made abundantly clear by this comment from Jesus, the spread of the gospel in Acts, and the doctrine found in other New Testament writings, such as Galatians.

Daily Bible Reading: Ezekiel 28:1-31:18

Daily Memory Verse: Jude 1:19 “These be they who separate themselves, sensual, having not the Spirit.“

Daily Tidbit: Elephants can live to be 60-70 years old.

Praise Journal: Heavenly Father, thank You for the availability of Your grace. We so often forget that You don’t need us, we need You. Many seem to act as if You couldn’t survive without us. As the Self-sufficient Sustainer of the entire universe, You don’t need anything. But, we definitely need You. Thank You for being available to helpless mankind. You are so kind and generous to even take the time to care about us. It is because You are so good. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Prayer Journal Highlights: Pray for a man with health issues. Pray for several families having difficulties this holiday season.

Personal Journal Entry #12250

10: Jesus here compares the faith of this Gentile with the faith of the Jews. There was a great difference between the two.

Daily Bible Reading: Ezekiel 24:1-27:36

Daily Memory Verse: Jude 1:19 “These be they who separate themselves, sensual, having not the Spirit.”

Daily Tidbit: The prophet Ezekiel lost his wife during the time of his ministry. It is recorded in Ezekiel 24.

Praise Journal: Heavenly Father, thank You for making Your words accessible not only to believing Jews, but to Gentiles as well. Your mercy and grace in this is more than we realize. Your willingness to send Your gospel message to people living in spiritual darkness is a great glory to You. Your grace is truly sufficient for all mankind. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Prayer Journal Highlights: Pray for many with sickness.

Personal Journal Entry #12249

9: The centurion understood what many people miss. Almighty God puts things all around us that help us understand him. All of the concepts that we see in the world around us help to show us how God thinks, and what he is capable of.

Daily Bible Reading: Ezekiel 22:1-23:49

Daily Memory Verse: Jude 1:19 “These be they who separate themselves, sensual, having not the Spirit.”

Daily Tidbit: If eight people meet each other, and they all shake hands with each other, twenty-eight handshakes will occur.

Praise Journal: Heavenly Father, thank You for the simple examples of Your power all around us. they remind us that You are in control, and that You never fail. It is so good to know that You know everything, and can do anything. We are so glad to be in Your care. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Prayer Journal Highlights: Pray for a man with terminal cancer.

Personal Journal Entry #12248

8: At first glance, we may think that the centurion’s words here were not genuine. But, we see by the response of Christ that the centurion was quite honest. He truly felt unworthy of Christ. What a contrast with so many who feel Christ is not worthy of them! They who shun salvation reject Christ as if he is just another deceiver.

Daily Bible Reading: Ezekiel 20:1-21:32

Daily Memory Verse: Jude 1:18 “How that they told you there should be mockers in the last time, who should walk after their own ungodly lusts.“

Daily Tidbit: In Ezekiel 20:46, Ezekiel is told to ‘drop’ his words in a certain direction. This is an interesting illustration. When we speak, our words are dropped, and cannot be retrieved.

Praise Journal: Heavenly Father, thank You for this day, and for Your blessings. You have blessed us with family and friends. Our family is so special to us. They are illustrations of Your care and concern for us. May we, also, like the centurion, treat Christ as he should be treated. We become so familiar with You in our minds sometimes that we forget just how holy You are. Even though You live within us, let us not feel any more worthy than did this centurion. It is only by the blood of Christ that we are what we are. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Prayer Journal Highlights: Pray for two men who have health issues. Pray for a lady who has poor health. Pray for a boy that is sick.

Personal Journal Entry #12247

7: Jesus, obviously, already knew what this centurion would say in response to these words. So, why then did Jesus say he would come, when he knew the centurion would say he didn’t need to? There were occasions on which Jesus did not go to the location of the need, but healed from a distance. Why does he offer to go when he knows that the centurion is not asking that? The answer reveals much about the Lord’s love, and the way his will works with people. Though it was excellent that the centurion believed Jesus could heal over distances, it was not a requirement for the grace of the Lord. Jesus was letting this man know that he was willing to come to his house if the centurion felt it necessary. In other words, the Lord’s mercy has more to do with him than it does with us. It will come further than we will. It will come before we will. It will last beyond us. Faith is required, yes, but the mercy and grace of Almighty God do the work. This is the same in salvation. Faith is mandatory. Without faith, salvation will never be received. However, it is by grace that we are saved. Our faith in God could not by itself save us. His grace, received because of that faith, does the saving. And he receives all of the glory in that.

Daily Bible Reading: Ezekiel 17:1-19:14

Daily Memory Verse: Jude 1:18 “How that they told you there should be mockers in the last time, who should walk after their own ungodly lusts.”

Daily Tidbit: In the Septuagint, Proverbs 10:28 reads thus: “Joy rests long with the righteous, but the hope of the ungodly shall perish.”

Praise Journal: Heavenly Father, You grace is so amazing! To think that You draw us to Yourself is an overwhelming thought. Without Your mercy, there would be no planet earth. Without the possibility for redemption, there would be no reason for our existence. Thank you for giving to us life and meaning. May we constantly see Your mercy at work all around us. To have the opportunity to know and share the news of Your great grace is truly the opportunity of a lifetime. The hope and joy that You hold out to us are so wonderful. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Prayer Journal Highlights: Pray for many who are sick with colds, flu, viruses, etc.

Personal Journal Entry #12246