Matthew 25:8
   Some may ask how that those who are unprepared know to ask of the ones who are. However, this is not at all surprising. It is quite a common thing for the children of this world to recognize the children of God and their testimony. Then, as a result of that, the children of this world will use a child of God as a surrogate to God. Prayer requests are often supplied to Christians by persons who have never ventured to pray on their own. These have a pretended piety, thinking they are not worthy to talk to God, which is only a cover for their wickedness. In this way it is quite common to find the lost asking favors of the saved in spiritual matters.

Bible Reading: Psalm 138:1-144:15

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

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You for this day to bring praise to You! You are worthy of our praises. we bring all glory and honor to You! You alone are worthy. You alone have saved us and called us by name. You alone can care for our needs and deliver our souls. Thank You for Your blessings. Now let us serve You with all our hearts. We know that Your service is the joy of our life. Thank You! In Jesus name I pray and praise You, Amen.

Prayer Requests: Pray for a man who just in the hospital. Pray for a man having heart trouble.

Journal Entry #14281

Matthew 25:7
   Will we be ready for the rapture? Will we be prepared for the second coming after that? The message of Christ is to be ready always. To be busy about His service is the best preparation. When can then simply continue to serve in his presence.

Bible Reading: Psalm 132:1-137:9

Scripture Memory: James 3:14 “But if ye have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, glory not, and lie not against the truth.”

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You for this wonderful day! We praise You for all that You have done in our world through Your church. You have made Your plans clear to us as far as the gospel goes, and yet we often fail to declare it as we should. May we praise Your name and declare Your truth always! In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Prayer Requests: Pray for a man undergoing treatment for several conditions. Pray for several people who need to get back into church. Pray for an older lady going through a difficult time right now.

Journal Entry #14280

Matthew 25:6
   Notice the suddenness of the call. There was no time to prepare now. The bridegroom was present. He was on His way, and there was nothing to do but to go to meet Him. The time to be ready had come and gone. So it is. Jesus will come, and those who are ready will be ready and those who are not will not. And that’s it.

Bible Reading: Psalm 120:1-131:3

Scripture Memory: James 3:14 “But if ye have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, glory not, and lie not against the truth.”

Prayer: Heavenly Father, we look forward to that time when we shall see the Lord Jesus. We are so excited about Your plan and want to live prepared for the next step in You program. We do not want to be found lacking in our service to You. Thank You for the hope we have in Christ! It is wonderful to live lives of expectancy. Looking forward to His arrival is not a disappointing activity. It gives us new life and hope every day. May Christ be praised! 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 woman who will be travelling this week. Pray for a man undergoing difficult medical treatments.

Journal Entry #14279

Matthew 25:5
   While in this world, the difference between the righteous and the unrighteous is not always immediately apparent. On the surface, it may seem, there is quite a bit of similarity among all persons. However, this is only because that the righteous must live in this present evil world. The similarities end there. There can be found no comfort for the wicked in the fact that God’s children are required to walk this earthly vale as well as they. On the contrary, it is a condemnation of the wicked that the righteous maintain faith in spite of the mundane circumstances of life.

Bible Reading: Psalm 119:86-176

Scripture Memory: James 3:14 “But if ye have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, glory not, and lie not against the truth.”

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You for helping us every step of the way. Your provision for our souls is such a comfort to our hearts and minds. You alone truly care for us. All else have come to steal and destroy. You only can be trusted with our lives, for only You are worthy of trust. May we never cease to praise Your Holy Name! You cannot be touched with the filth of this world, and though we walk through it, we can be free from it by the blood of Christ. Oh Father, may we never lose sight of You Dear Son! He is all to us! I love You, Father! In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Prayer Requests: Pray for a woman with pleurisy. Pray for a woman battling pneumonia. Pray for a man being treated for several medical conditions.

Journal Entry #14278

Matthew 25:4
   Though the world sees it as foolishness, there is much comfort in the prepared state of the Christian life. When we live a prepared life, a life that is always in tune with the eternal, we are ready for every eventuality. Death may not take us unprepared. Judgment may not fall upon us. God’s wrath is not our destiny. No scheme of man can be a final end to our hope. Thus, living prepared, is living ready to go. Without this state, the circumstances of life are an endless barrage of unexpectedness. The curves of life throw us under the bus, so to speak. With this preparedness in place, we live life instead of life living us. It is the difference between a temporary human living a transitory life, and a citizen of heaven living part of our existence here on earth. This life is, for the prepared, only a part of the overall picture. It is but a temporary home.

Bible Reading: Psalm 119:1-85

Scripture Memory: James 3:13 “Who is a wise man and endued with wisdom among you? let him shew out of a good conversation his works with meekness of wisdom.”

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You for answered prayer! You know our every need before we ask! Thank You for Your reassurance as we bring before You our loved ones. You know our hearts and that we will always ask for Your blessings. How can we ask for anything else from You? You are the Source of every good thing. You alone have our best interest at heart. Never let us forget Your amazing love! Thank You for Your Son and the mercy that we have through His shed blood on Calvary. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Prayer Requests: Pray for a woman with a painful pleurisy in her lungs. Pray for a woman battling pneumonia. Pray for a man having minor surgery. Pray for a couple that is travelling.

Journal Entry #14277

Matthew 25:3
   There are many who begin in Christ, but are yet not His. They start out in the right way. They think they have the Spirit. They presume that they are right with God. They live better than they had. They say all the right words and do all the right things. Yet their lives lack the transforming power of The Christ. They are none of His. They have tried to be good, but yet have loved this present world.

Bible Reading: Psalm 114:1-118:29

Scripture Memory: James 3:13 “Who is a wise man and endued with knowledge among you? let him shew out of a good conversation his works with meekness of wisdom.”

Prayer: Heavenly Father, we have not the ability to handle this life. You must carry us through this long journey. Father, You alone know all that we will face and You can guide us through every step of the way. When we don’t understand, You are here with us to help us through each moment. You give us Your Word to comfort our hearts. How can we turn from You? You alone care for the thoughts of our souls. You alone offer strong consolation as One who understands our hurts and sees our suffering. Can we find that in any other? There is none else beside You, Almighty Father. You only love us with that unconditional everlasting love that You have promised to us. We will not turn from Him with Whom we have to do. You are our Lord, and the Master of our lives. We will make our supplication to You and You alone. For nobody else has the ears to hear us with. There is no other Source of Knowledge or Compassion in the universe. We will make our cry to The Christ! I love You! In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Prayer Requests: Pray for a woman who has very bad upper respiratory congestion. Pray for a man with shoulder pain. Pray for a man having trouble with his appendix.

Journal Entry #14276

Matthew 25:2
   In our day we have so many who would think that Jesus is on their side. They define Jesus their own way. Thus, their foolishness never becomes a burden to them as it should. They live in denial, thinking that the judge of all the earth is happy with them. But, obviously, Jesus does see much foolishness in this world, and He knows who are His. The wisdom of the child of God does not make us somehow better than others in an innate sense, but we are in a better class of people by His grace alone.

Bible Reading: Psalm 108:1-113:9

Scripture Memory: James 3:13 “Who is a wise man and endued with knowledge among you? let him shew out of a good conversation his works with meekness of wisdom.”

Prayer: Heavenly Father, I love Your truth. It is wonderful to know that at any time we may open Your Word and find absolute truth. We need not live with the lies of the world. We don’t have to go forth with the uncertainty of this world’s system, but can look to Your kingdom. We can live in Your way and follow Your precepts. Happy are Your servants! They may joy in their Master, no matter the labor. May we accept from Your hand all that You give us, and live our lives dependent upon You for all of our needs. We can know that You care in every situation. I love You! In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Prayer Requests: Pray for a woman battling pneumonia. Pray for a single mother that is feeling depressed. Pray for a missionary couple in Guyana.

Journal Entry #14275

Matthew 25:1
   We see the word ‘then’ and ask, when? The answer, based on where we are in Christ’s discourse form the last chapter, is that this is concerning the time of the second coming. The arrival of the bridegroom would be the second coming itself. Thus, this does not directly address us in this church age, as the church will be taken out at the rapture. However, the same kind of admonition applies now. It is for this reason that many have seen it that way. And, it cannot hurt to do so, for we need to remember that, whether we speak of the rapture or of the second coming, the attitude towards the Lord, and the preparation for Him, are to be the same.

Bible Reading: Psalm 106:1-107:43

Scripture Memory: James 3:12 “Can the fig tree, my brethren, bear olive berries? either a vine, figs? so can no fountain both yield salt water and fresh.”

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You for life! You have given to us life and hope that we may live as only You can enable us to. You have all the authority and power in heaven and earth. May we never lose sight of Your wonderful greatness! I praise You for all of Your mighty works, and the holiness that is the paramount of Your being. You are God alone and there is none to be compared with You. Thank You for Your Son, and the beautiful plan of salvation that You laid out for us. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Prayer Requests: Pray for a man struggling through radiation treatments. Pray for a young couple to have safe travels on their honeymoon. Pray for a young man with many life issues.

Journal Entry #14274

Matthew 24:51
   This is one of many places in the Bible where we see the reality of the final judgement. Though Jesus will ‘cut asunder’ these hypocrites, He will place them with others like them and there shall be anguish as a result. This is not the description of annihilation, but of the continued eternal judgement of the lake of fire.
   For one thing, most people would not anticipate Jesus cutting anyone asunder. Quite frankly, these are part of the many people who try to understand Jesus without reading what the Bible has to say about Him. Jesus is God, and as God He will judge the living and the dead. He will execute His Divine wrath upon His enemies.
   The weeping and gnashing of teeth here describes the condition of those who are eternally in the torments of the lake of fire. Some will weep, realizing too late the foolishness of their failure to obey Christ. The gnashing of teeth comes from those who will spend eternity mad at God, still thinking themselves better by their own pride.

Bible Reading: Psalm 103:1-105:45

Scripture Memory: James 3:12 “Can a fig tree, my brethren, bear olive berries? either a vine, figs? so can no fountain both yield salt water and fresh.”

Prayer: Heavenly Father, I thank You for this new glorious day of Yours! You have made it and all that is in it and given me the opportunity to live for You in it. You are faithful to us. You never fail and You holiness is always absolute. May we never cease to praise Your glorious name. All praise and honor be the the Lord God Almighty! He is the God of all, reigning for all eternity! You are worthy, oh Lord, of all that my heart can sing. You are worthy of all that my mouth can say. You are worthy to be the center of all that I know and am. You make me what I am, and more and more each day. Thank You for Jesus! In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Prayer Requests: Pray for a woman who is awaiting the results of several biopsies. Pray for  a woman with knee problems that keep her up at night. Pray for an elderly woman who is making a big change in her life right now.

Journal Entry #14273

Matthew 24:50
   The suddenness of the coming of the Lord is a part of the judgement of God. His wrath will come as in a moment. This is His design and plan for what He will do. For those who are already prepared for the program of the Christ, this is no problem, but for the rest it is a fear. Such is the import of prophecy. It is here to warn us to be prepared ahead of time. It is not a blow-by-blow of all that will happen and when. Jesus has no intention of revealing every detail to us. Instead, His words are meant to cause action now so that we may be prepared then.

Bible Reading: Psalm 96:1-102:28

Scripture Memory: James 3:12 “Can a fig tree, my brethren, bear olive berries? either a vine, figs? so can no fountain both yield salt water and fresh.”

Prayer: Heavenly Father, You are so holy! Your righteousness shines throughout history as an amazing testimony to Your faithfulness. Any honor and truth and justice that may be found in our lives is from You. You are the Inspiration, Source, and Authority behind all righteousness in our lives. We cannot be ‘good’ without You. It is not even possible. You are a Light shining in the dark night of sin. Your Lamb shines forth before us showing the way of salvation that He has purchased by His own blood. Jesus is the Preeminent One! He is above and beyond and over all things. He has the dominion over the earth. We may live as men and women in His kingdom only. Without Him we are but impostors in this world. Like the devil, we are foreign to the way of things as they should be if we are devoid of Christ. He is our lifeline! He is our existence! He is our only hope! Thank You, Father, for The Christ! In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Prayer Requests: Pray for the peace of Jerusalem. Pray for the lost. Pray for many who are diseased in third-world nations.

Journal Entry #14272