Matthew 25:18
   This servant recognized that he had been given something, but thought it not a genuine gift. He instead treated it as a liability rather than an asset. This was his sin. Disobedience was in his heart from the very beginning. His attitude towards his lord was not right. Rather than doing what he knew was expected of him, he did what he thought was best. His judgment was his guide. He did not follow the wisdom of his master. It is for this reason that it becomes apparent that he was actually the servant of another master, which is called sin.

Bible Reading: Proverbs 25:1-27:27

Scripture Memory: James 4:1 “From whence come wars and fightings among you? come they not hence, even of your lusts that war in your members?”

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You for Your amazing love! You have given us yet another day to serve You. And, how could we have the time to thank You for all that you do in our lives? If we take every moment for it, we will miss something. May we always live with a thankful attitude towards You. Your way is right, and we can trust You judgments and better our own by understanding Yours. Thank You, Father, for Jesus! In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Prayer Requests: Pray for a family in a difficult time right now. Pray for a man in the hospital. Pray for a man with cancer.

Journal Entry #14291

Matthew 25:17
   The words ‘likewise’ and ‘also’ are important in this verse. This shows us that the same kind of obedience drove both of these persons. The man with five talents and the man with two, regardless of their endowment’s size, gained the same measure. They experienced a 100% increase. They doubled their money, so to speak. So, looking at it as a percentage, they were both equally profitable. This is very key. God’s Word uses percentages. The tithe is a percentage. Jewish taxes were often taken by percentage. So, when God looks at things, He looks at the overall percentage rather than the ammount.

Bible Reading: Proverbs 22:1-24:34

Scripture Memory: James 4:1 “From whence come wars and fightings among you? come they not hence, even of your lusts that war in your members?”

Prayer: Heavenly Father, You have given us all that we need in order to serve You as we should. We may have the same measure of devotion as any other of Your children. You have allowed us to be servants in Your plan with great responsibility laid upon us. How can we do less that serve You with all our hearts and minds? Only You may help us to find our true potential. Only by your power may we truly live. Thank You for working in our lives by the power of the shed blood of Christ. You are worthy of all the praise! 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 man having surgery next month. Pray for a man with spiritual needs.

Journal Entry #14290

Matthew 25:16
   This man did something with what he had. This is the key. It’s not so much about how much he had, but what he did with it. It was about his obedience. He understood what was expected, and he did it. That is really what this is about. In context we are comparing those who really respond to Christ, and those who do not.

Bible Reading: Proverbs 19:1-21:31

Scripture Memory: James 3:18 “And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace.”

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You for the lessons we can find in Your Word. Everything we need is there. All of the wisdom we need for life can be gleaned with Your guidance. We need not look any further for answers, but only deeper in the book. May we always follow Your leading as we seek to understand what we read there. Thank You for Your truth! In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Prayer Requests: Pray for a woman who broke her hip. Pray for a man in the hospital. Pray for a woman in the hospital.

Journal Entry #14289

Matthew 25:15
   These talents given to each servant relate to the opportunity of a person’s life. Many have become confused here. Do not. The Lord knows what He gives to each and why. The focus here is not on the ammount, but on the attitude. Obedience is the bottom line, not simply wise investment strategies. Each of us may have various types and degrees of opportunity bestowed upon us. But, we should all use what we have for the service of the Lord in obedience to Him.

Bible Reading: Proverbs 16:1-18:24

Scripture Memory: James 3:18 “And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace.”

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You for loving us the way You do! You give us the opportunities of life and expect our obedience. You, however, supply the strength and ability to do the task. Indeed, our submission to Your great leading is all that is required. May we always humble ourselves before You! In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Prayer Requests: Pray for a man in the emergency room right now. Pray for a man going through several treatments for an advanced disease.

Journal Entry #14288

Matthew 25:14
   Jesus gives us these pictures of His plans for the future. And yet, we seem to think that they don’t apply to us. We think somehow that He is not watching what we do. But, indeed, He is, and He knows what we are doing with what He has given to us. May we be found faithful!

Bible Reading: Proverbs 13:1-15:33

Scripture Memory: James 3:18 “And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace.”

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You for another day to serve You. You are truly wonderful and good to us. Thank You for Your love! I cannot help but think about Your greatness each day. It is overwhelming! You make everything else seem so unimportant compared to You. You are worthy of all our praise and love. Thank You! In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Prayer Requests: Pray for a man with cancer. Pray for a missionary couple. Pray for a man recovering from surgery on his eyes.

Journal Entry #14287

Matthew 25:13
   This is the whole point. The exact day and hour will not be known. To be ready always is the lesson, and this should be our condition before the rapture, and before the second coming as is discussed here. Those who try to set a date are being foolish. It is a surprise! It can be anticipated, but not pinpointed.

Bible Reading: Proverbs 10:1-12:28

Scripture Memory: James 3:17 “But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy.”

Prayer: Heavenly Father, we look forward to what Christ has planned for the future of His world. Though the devil holds sway, he will fail as he very well knows. This world system is doomed, but help us to be shining lights for You. The lost are all around us. May we never miss an opportunity to share You, or to praise Your Name. You are so worthy! May Your Holy Name be uplifted all over this globe! In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Prayer Requests: Pray for a woman with bad chest pain. Pray for a man in the hospital. Pray for a family that just lost a loved one. Pray for a man who is travelling.

Journal Entry #14286

Matthew 25:12
   Jesus knows who are His. He does not miss a single one. He hears every repentant cry. He helps every lost sinner that comes to Him humbly seeking salvation. He will not be found mistaken. Those who are not His will have no just cause to complain. All they who are not in His hand will be obviously in the hand of the wicked one. But, this will not be seen now. Many will think themselves servants of God. They will even kill true believers thinking to do God a service. The apostle Paul knew the truth of that. Things are not always as they seem.

Bible Reading: Proverbs 7:1-9:18

Scripture Memory: James 3:17 “But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy.”

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You for Your love! You tell give us the truth. You love sinners. You have given us the Lord Jesus to die for us. You are so gracious, holy, just, and faithful. Thank You for Your strength. You are patient and good. You are worthy of all praise! In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Prayer Requests: Pray for the lost. Pray for several people recovering from surgery.

Journal Entry #14285

Matthew 25:11
   Many will cry Lord, Lord in that day and not be heeded. Indeed, there are many today that think they are the servants of God, and yet they will not be admitted to heaven. Why? Because Jesus is mean? No. Because He is just. Only those who are His may enter that blessed future. He knows who are His own, none of them will be missed.

Bible Reading: Proverbs 4:1-6:35

Scripture Memory: James 3:17 “But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy.”

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You for the people that You bring into our lives that are a blessing. Thank You for this special blessing. You always know what we need. On top of that, You are the best friend anyone could have! May we spend our lives cultivating our relationship with You. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Prayer Requests: Pray for a woman going through a difficult time. Pray for a man with personal issues. Pray for a woman who misses her husband.

Journal Entry #14284

Matthew 25:10
   The door was shut. Perhaps if we had to summarize Jesus’ entire discourse here we cold do it with these words. The door was shut. Nothing more. No more chance to get in. No more opening. It is done, and there is no going back. Though it may seem a long time, soon the door will be shut, and that will be it.

Bible Reading: Proverbs 1:1-3:35

Scripture Memory: James 3:16 “This wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish.”

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You for the clarification that You give us through Your Word. We need so much. Warnings abound, and we should heed every one. But, more than anything, we need to know You. Your great holiness seems to make that impossible. So, help us to know Your love, and understand how You make a way for us to know You. We need You like we need nothing else. You are so wonderful! In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Prayer Requests: Pray for a man getting work done on his motor home. Pray for a man with cancer, his wife is also sick. Pray for a woman having trouble with her blood pressure.

Journal Entry #14283

Matthew 25:9
   There is no way in which the lost may ride upon the merits of the saved. Some think that because they know a godly person they can then somehow derive merit from this relationship and be ‘OK’ before the Holy God. But, this simply will not do. Each individual must turn to the Lord personally. It is a one-on-one relationship with Christ that is necessary. Nothing else will do.

Bible Reading: Psalm 145:1-150:6

Scripture Memory: James 3:15 “This wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish.”

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You for another day of living. You have given us so much! How can we ever thank You enough? You are so good to us. May we serve You faithfully with all of our hearts. May we give all of our might to Your service. You can never ask for too much from us, for You are worthy of all our devotion. May we gladly spend and be spent for You! In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Prayer Requests: Pray for a woman who is depressed. Pray for a woman who broke her hip. Pray for a man undergoing medical treatments.

Journal Entry #14282