Mark 2:17
   This answer on the part of Christ is really not all that radical when compared to the thinking of the scribes and Pharisees. However, it required the acceptance of his ministry as legitimate. This these Jewish leaders were not prepared to do. Their problem was not understanding the needs of the sinner, but identifying anyone but themselves as anything but sinners. To see Christ as righteous was being a difficulty for them. Indeed, in their thinking anyone who was not like them must not be truly righteous. And those who Jesus now sought to minister to were seen as so far from righteousness that trying to bring them to repentance would be a travesty.

Bible Reading: John 9:1-10:42

Scripture Memory: James 5:16 “Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.” 

Prayer: Heavenly Father, help us to keep our eyes on you. We often get so bogged down with the cares of this life. We may be waiting on certain things, or looking for something to change. But, all that we truly need can be found in you. So, as we wait we should depend upon you, because what we are waiting for may never come. We must trust you with the next step, because it may only seem to be the next step to us. You may have something altogether different in mind. Let us get our minds off of ourselves, and onto Christ. May his name be praised! In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise you, Amen.

Prayer Requests: Pray for a family that just lost a loved one. Pray for a man awaiting a brain scan.

Journal Entry #15047

Mark 2:16
   And why did they ask the disciples and not Christ himself? Well, it may very well be that they had not the opportunity, or they did not want to get too close to him with these ‘sinners’ around. How then did they have access to his disciples? Maybe they caught a couple of them on their way to join the meal. We don’t know, but we can be sure that these men were beginning to try to draw his disciples away from him.

Bible Reading: John 7:1-8:59

Scripture Memory: James 5:16 “Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.”

Prayer: Heavenly Father, make us know the truth of your gospel. We seem to miss the significance of a relationship with Christ. We have so much in him! He is the fulfillment of all that we need in this life and the life to come. May we ever praise you for your glorious plan of redemption. You, Father, are perfectly holy, perfectly just, perfectly loving! Thank you for Christ! In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise you, Amen.

Prayer Requests: Pray for a man in the hospital. Pray for our upcoming revival.

Journal Entry #15046

Mark 2:15
   It has always been the case that hardened sinners will be drawn to the truth. Though they may be seem the last to be expected to convert, this is not always the case. And why is this? Well, the ravages of sin do take their toll on a person. Hardened sinners begin to see the futility of the sin-filled life. Though they are quite chained to it, if ever the Spirit may break through they are easily converted wholly. Thus the demon possessed, the drunkard, the drug addicted, the fornicator, the profligate, and the like. They may, many of them, be sold to their master for all of life. But, if they come into contact with the truth in the person of a genuine minister of the gospel, many of them will give up their wayward life and be truly converted. This is not to say that this level of service to sin is required to be a wholehearted convert, for it is definitely not. But, a familiarity with the emptiness of sinful life makes one the more in love with the abundant life in Christ. Hence John Bunyan, John Newton, and Billy Sunday.

Bible Reading: John 5:1-6:71

Scripture Memory: James 5:16 “Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.”

Prayer: Heavenly Father, help us to realize what we have in Christ. The love that you have made available to us is limitless. We need not look to our fellow man to fulfill our deepest needs. But, as we learn to depend upon your love, we find the ability to identify love in the hearts of others. We feel more loved by our friends and loved ones, and more affinity even with our enemies, as we learn to lean upon your amazing love. This would seem backwards to our sentiments, but it is exactly how it works. Thank you, then, for not only loving us so much, but for teaching us what that love means. For, you offer your love with wisdom and understanding. As we grow in you, we not only feel your love more, but we know your love more. It grows inside of us. Thank you, Father! In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise you, Amen.

Prayer Requests: Pray for a young girl with seizures. Pray for a woman having shoulder pain.

Journal Entry #15045

Mark 2:14
   This is Matthew, who may well have been the brother of the second James among the disciples. There were James and John the sons of Zebedee. But, also there was James the son of Alphaeus (see Matthew 10:3). So, it seems probable that they were indeed brothers.

Bible Reading: John 3:1-4:54

Scripture Memory: James 5:15 “And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him.”

Prayer: Heavenly Father, help us to rely fully upon you! You are the One who loves us and cares for us. You have all the answers for our lives. May we serve you each day, and not ourselves. Thank you for giving us your truth! We praise you because you are worthy of honor and glory. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise you, Amen.

Prayer Requests: Pray for a woman who just had surgery. Pray for a man who just got home from the hospital.

Journal Entry #15044

Mark 2:13
   At this point these people would have primarily been coming to hear the teaching rather than just for healing and such. The interest in his teaching was then quite high at this point. And this serves as a reminder that the doctrine of God’s Word is important for our lives.

Bible Reading: John 1:1-2:25

Scripture Memory: James 5:15 “And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him.”

Prayer: Heavenly Father, it is such a blessing to know that you always care for us. Nothing can get in the way of your love. You do whatever you want and could stop loving us if you chose to, but you don’t. Thank you for being so faithful and true! Your goodness is amazing and wonderful. 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 young woman who will be travelling this week.

Journal Entry #15043

Mark 2:12
   They had never seen healing performed like this before. The forgiveness of sin was new, to be sure. But, then also, Jesus simply tells the man to get up and go home. It was quite sudden. Jesus didn’t have to work up to it. Indeed, the man may very well have been healed before he even got up.

Bible Reading: Luke 23:1-24:53

Scripture Memory: James 5:15 “And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him.”

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank you for forgiveness in Christ! Your love for us never ceases to inspire us to work for you. Serving you is the joy of our lives. Give us a good attitude of heart as we serve others in the name of Christ. May we ever honor you by our words and deeds. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise you, Amen.

Prayer Requests: Pray a woman having trouble with dizziness. Pray for a woman having trouble with her sugar.

Journal Entry #15042

Mark 2:11
   Why does Jesus tell this man to go home? That is, more or less, the point of this statement. What was the reason for that? Could not this man stay and hear the teaching just like everyone else? Well, Jesus knew that the Jewish leaders in attendance were perturbed. They were not going to take this forgiving of sins thing lying down. So, Jesus wanted the man to go home before the Jewish teachers began to give their take on it. He wanted to avoid confusion in this man’s heart. He was protecting him from the doctrines of those who did not understand or accept the truth.

Bible Reading: Luke 22:1-71

Scripture Memory: James 5:14 “Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord:”

Prayer: Heavenly Father, it is so amazing to know you! You know everything before it ever even happens. All of your plans are perfect because you can plan them out ahead of time. Even the most intelligent of us cannot fathom the depths of your wisdom and understanding. We know that you never make a mistake. May we trust you fully with our lives. You are faithful! In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise you, Amen.

Prayer Requests: Pray for a man in the hospital. Pray for a young man with a brain stem injury.

Journal Entry #15041

Mark 2:10
   Jesus could not have made it any more plain than this. His explains exactly why he said what he said, and exactly what it means. He was not just some supposed miracle-worker. He was not just a good teacher. He was not just a holy man. He was and is the Eternal Son of God.

Bible Reading: Luke 20:1-21:38

Scripture Memory: James 5:14 “Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord:”

Prayer: Heavenly Father, to be like Jesus is our earnest prayer! He is the Lord of our life. You have saved our souls by his offering for us. Make us like him in our hearts by his blood. We cannot ask for anything better. There is no greater goal. Thank you for Christ 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 and his son in the hospital. Pray for a baby with a broken collarbone.

Journal Entry #15040

Mark 2:9
   Jesus is all about teaching. Oh yes, he worked many miracles while he was here on earth, but his teaching is his focus. This becomes obvious throughout the gospels. Here we see it quite clearly. He didn’t just do miracles for the sake of miracles. He did all that he did to teach and to try to get people to see who he was.
   Some might object by reminding us that, on several occasions, Jesus told people not to tell who he was. Indeed, as I have already said, Jesus wanted more than a mob following. In fact, on one occasion, when his retinue of followers was getting larger, he gave the teaching we find in John chapter 6. That little discourse on the body and blood trimmed his disciples down considerably. And why? Because he wanted his disciples to follow his teaching, not his miracles. Miracles evidence who he is. But, teaching explains his identity.
   He is literally saying here that since he is God he can forgive sins or heal diseases by the same power and authority. This would cause a crisis of belief for these pious Jews. They had to either accept him as Messiah, or reject him completely. Jesus wasn’t looking for a middle-of-the-road crowd. He engendered either the most faithful of human followers, or the worst of enemies.

Bible Reading: Luke 18:1-19:48

Scripture Memory: James 5:14 “Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord:”

Prayer: Heavenly Father, may we learn complete dependence upon you! How foolish it is to try to live this life deciding for ourselves what is safe and easy. In so many things we know that we must refer to the instructions. But, with the big issues of life we often prefer to feel our way alone. We must rely upon your infinite wisdom. You alone may guide our steps to the difficult but right path. We would not choose the harder ways of life, but you can make the rough places plain. Your abilities are not diminished by circumstances. And, you can lead us no matter how bumpy might be the journey. We will follow Christ no matter where he leads, for he has the words of eternal life! In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise you, Amen.

Prayer Requests: Pray for preachers this morning. Pray for our missionaries today.

Journal Entry #15039

Mark 2:8
   I think that there is a great and somewhat unnoticed movement to minimize the awesome power and authority of the person of the Christ. Jesus is the Great I AM! Don’t ever miss that! Satan would love nothing more than for us to minimize the person of Christ. This does not mean we have to deny his humanity. Far from it. We may emphasize the fact of his humanity while lifting him higher than all at the same time.
   Jesus was and is a human being. However, the effects of sin have absolutely no influence upon him at all. God made man in his own image at the beginning. Man was perfect, he was not God, nor would ever be God, but he was perfect. Thus, the human being as a creature was a complete vehicle for the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit. Christians today are the same kind of thing, though even more so than Adam. We are human, yes, but we are energized and animated by the Holy Spirit. And, one day in heaven we will be perfectly so, though only reflections of the glory of God, and not divine in ourselves.
   Jesus is more than that. God has made for him a human body. But his humanity is profoundly effected by his divinity. He is not just a perfect human. He is the perfectly thrice holy Son of God! There is nothing about his humanity that needs to prevent that. Any limitation that he incurred by being incarnated was a choice of his own divine will. As Philippians 2 intimates, he is in full control of all that his humanity might entail. The limitation of the Limitless One is not a dishonor to him, but a glory in that he has an eternal purpose for all that he may do.
   Thus, we have here before us God in human flesh. Jesus could indeed read men’s thoughts. This is true for several reasons. First, the devil himself guesses men’s thoughts because he is a spiritual being that has been around for thousands of years. How much more then would the eternal Son of God understand what men think? Secondly, and far beyond that, Jesus created man. When you have made something you will have an intimate knowledge of how that thing works. Even given man’s free will, the Holy Son understands us altogether. Third, and most amazing, Jesus’ ability to see into the very soul of a man seems undeniable. This is a power and authority over the heart of mankind that the devil can only dream of. The penetrating power of the Christ is irresistible, though he does, at this time, allow men to choose. Satan cannot do this. Even when he holds absolute sway in an unsaved man’s life, the Holy Spirit of God can reach that heart with conviction. It is this power of the Spirit that Jesus as the Second Person of the Trinity has in him. He may reach to the unreachable. He may see into your very soul and speak directly to it.

Bible Reading: Luke 15:1-17:37

Scripture Memory: James 5:13 “Is any among you afflicted? let him pray. Is any merry? let him sing psalms.” 

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank you for your truth. You have revealed to us so much about your Son. I know that to miss that is to miss everything! You cannot be ignored. I must yield to the Christ! We are to live our lives discovering the truth of who he is. We may have many life ambitions, but we cannot be anything but remiss if we miss out on the truth of the Christ. How can we ignore his Person? May we live to know him intimately. You are the Great I AM, dear Jesus! I praise you forever, dear Lord! In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise you, Amen.

Prayer Requests: Pray for a woman having a baby soon. Pray for a man recovering from a serious disease.

Journal Entry #15038