Matthew 23:10
   The best way to understand what Jesus wants here would be Paul’s admonition in 1 Corinthians 11:1. He tells the Corinthians to follow him, but as he followed Christ. So, we should not follow another upon their own merits, but only as they follow Jesus. He is the measure of authority. He is the measure of devotion. He is our Master, leader, guide, etc.

Bible Reading: 2 Samuel 1:1-3:39

Scripture Memory: James 2:11 “For he that said, Do not commit adultery, said also, Do not kill. Now if thou commit no adultery, yet if thou kill, thou art become a transgresssor of the law.”

Prayer: Heavenly Father, Your Son brings joy to my life. Thank You for sending him to me! Knowing that I have eternal life through Jesus Christ my Lord and Savior is the most important thing I can think of. Nothing else matters so much as that. Lord Jesus I want to live with You as my Master. I want to be faithful to You, since You are so faithful to me. How can I ever thank You enough? Father, You are so wise and kind and full of grace. May Your praises be found forever in my mouth, for You are worthy. And worthy is the Lamb to receive honor and riches and wisdom and power and glory for ever and ever. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Prayer Requests: Pray for a very young baby with serious health issues. Pray for a family being broken up because of drugs. Pray for a woman being tested for a blood clot.

Journal Entry #14191

Matthew 23:9
   It is important to understand the situation in Jesus’ day, which continues in orthodox Judaism until today. The Torah is the biblical law given to Moses. There was then the Mishna, which is the ‘oral law’ that is not found in the scriptures. And then there is the Talmud, which is a commentary on the Mishna. The Talmud and Mishna were, and are, considered as equal in authority to the Torah. So, the ‘fathers’ of the Jews, the scribes, pharisees, rabbis, etc. were able to add to the Mishna and Talmud. Thus, like the Pope today speaking ‘ex cathedra’ they could make statements that were considered equal with holy scripture. This bears no more authority than the Quran, or the writings of Budism or Hinduism, or any other heathen religions.
   Thus, Jesus is attacking the idea of spiritual fathers. These men could ‘lord it over’ the souls of others. They could judge other men’s souls while claiming their own righteousness. They could condemn one to hell and exalt another to heaven in consideration of monetary remuneration. It is just this kind of arrogance that caused the monk, Martin Luther, to be one of the agitators of the great reformation.
   This is what Jesus is vociferously attacking. Preaching against sin very strongly is not wrong. Being called by a name of respect out of a recognition of the office God has given to a person is not wrong. Being a ‘holy father’ that can unilaterally condemn a person’s soul to hell, that is very wrong! The body of believers as a group in a local assembly can make judgments that are binding, but this does not include saving or un-saving anybody.
  So, the avoidance of confusion surrounding a title is very important. It would be better to be called ‘hey you’ than to be seen as an ecclesiastical potentate.

Bible Reading: 1 Samuel 28:1-31:13

Scripture Memory: James 2:11 “For he that said, Do not commit adultery, said also, Do not kill. Now if thou commit no adultery, yet if though kill, thou art become a transgressor of the law.”

Prayer: Heavenly Father, the more I learn about You, the more I see how loving and kind You are! You can never be completely understood by my finite mind, but the more I do understand, the more I am amazed. You are the joy of my contemplation. I can never thank You enough for all that You have done for me. Your Son is the Savior of my life. He has made me able to know You. Oh God, I am so glad to know You! In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Prayer Requests: Pray for a man who has stomach trouble. Pray for a young woman with bad flea bites. Pray for a man who is unsaved. Pray for our upcoming VBS.

Journal Entry #14190

Matthew 23:8
   Please take note here that Christ is attacking primarily the pride and comparison and respect of the few problems. It is not necessarily his intent to say that we may not use titles. His point is that, under Christ, we are all equal. If a Christian is, for example, a judge, it would not necessarily be wrong for him to be referred to as ‘your honor’ as judges generally are. However, one in that capacity needs to understand that this title does not somehow make him better than, or above, any other person.
   The same is true with the title ‘pastor’ which we use quite regularly. It is not to be seen as a mark that that person is somehow better than others, or that their word is to be taken without question. Instead, it simply denotes that person’s area of responsibility. This would apply also to commanders in the military, employers, governors and other politicians. Give honor to whom honor is due. But, this makes no one better than another. Thus, Jesus is speaking strongly against ecclesiastical potentates who would presume to have power over men’s souls.

Bible Reading: 1 Samuel 25:1-27:12

Scripture Memory: James 2:11 “For he that said, Do not commit adultery, said also, Do not kill. Now if thou commit no adultery, yet if thou kill, thou art become a transgressor of the law.”

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You for Your great love for us! It is so good to know that we are all Your creations. So many will try to lord it over others and make them feel so small. But, before You, we are all so small. You are the Great and Mighty Eternal God. You are above all of us. You cannot be compared to anyone or anything for You are above and beyond all that is and all that ever shall be. Thank You for all that You mean to me! In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Prayer Requests: Pray for a man recovering from open heart surgery. Pray for a woman recovering from a bad fall. Pray for a man with bad back pain.

Journal Entry #14189

Matthew 23:7
   They wanted everyone to know who they were. Even today, many have titles by which they like very much to be called. Because of our propensity for pride, the usefulness of titles are often outweighed by the problems they cause.

Bible Reading: 1 Samuel 22:1-24:22

Scripture Memory: James 2:10 “For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.”

Prayer: Heavenly Father, may we never forget just how much You have done for us. You have sent us Your own Son to save our souls. What mercy! What love! What power! You are so amazing we could spend our entire lives praising You. And we shall indeed spend all eternity in that task. Blessed joy, to praise You forever!

Prayer Requests: Pray for a young man in school that has a lot of choices he needs to make. Pray for a woman on a lot of medication. Pray for a man who just found out he has cancer.

Journal Entry #14188

Matthew 23:6
   The religious leaders of the Jews were not for their care for the fatherless and widows. Instead, they were known for their pompous piety. Their supposed holiness took up a lot of space, to say the least. They did not hesitate to make themselves very obvious to others.

Bible Reading: 1 Samuel 19:1-21:15

Scripture Memory: James 2:10 “For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.”

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You for Your love for us. Your blessings are so amazing! We can never deserve any of it. And so, I will give you all the praise! Your are worthy of a blessing and honor and glory and power. It is for you and you alone that we should live our lives. Only You may guide us in the way that we should go. We can never thank You enough for all that You are to us. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Prayer Requests: Pray a young girl with heart problems. Pray for a woman who is recovering from a bad fall. Pray for a woman having open-heart surgery. Pray for a man recovering from open heart surgery.

Journal Entry #14187

Matthew 23:5
   The phylacteries and borders of the garments were both meant to symbolize the observance of the law. However, it is obvious from Jesus’ words here that these items had become more of a show than anything else. False religion will always have its trinkets, and Judaism is no exception.

Bible Reading: 1 Samuel 17:1-18:30

Scripture Memory: James 2:10 “For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.”

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You for this wonderful Sunday! It is supposed to be a day about You, and yet You give us so many blessings during it! Thank You for Your love! May we never fail to live for You as we should. You are worthy of the praise dear Father. You are so holy, and just and pure. You are kind and gracious and loving. May Your name be forever praised! In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Prayer Requests: Pray for a woman in a third world country who just became a widow. Pray for a family that just lost a loved one. Pray for a woman with heart problems.

Journal Entry #14186

Matthew 23:4
   By this Jesus means the doctrines of men. For, though man made doctrines may have a semblance of law, they have not the balm of the scriptures. The law of God crushes, but it also heals. This is why Jesus says that his ‘burden is light’ in another place. He may put a weight upon our life, but it will not force us into the ground, but will free us by enabling us to bear it. The law of those who have no law is damning, and the law of those who make their own law is cursing, but the law of the Christ is liberating.
   The scribes and Pharisees, having made the laws (their traditions which the added to the true law), and being wealthy and able to spend time pretending devotion rather than actually working, oppressed the people religiously.

Bible Reading: 1 Samuel 15:1-16:23

Scripture Memory: James 2:9 “But if ye have respect to persons, ye commit sin, and are convinced of the law as transgressors.”

Prayer: Heavenly Father, our lives should be live to Your service. We need to understand how to please You. We need to see what You really expect of us. We need to understand what is really important in this life. We must honor Your Word and uphold Your name and not be afraid to stand for the gospel. We have to quit asserting our will, and start understanding Your will. Above all, we must avoid hypocrisy. To live always the way we say that we live is more honoring to You. Being what You want us to be, and what we say that we are, that’s the big thing. We can say so much, but our praises will be established by our actions. May our lives always glorify You! In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Prayer Requests: Pray for several people who will be missing a week’s pay next week. Pray for our young people, they need our prayers.

Journal Entry #18185

Matthew 23:3
   There is often quite a difference between what is taught of the substance of the law, what it is interpreted to mean, and how it is applied to life. This is what Jesus is getting at. Though the Jewish teachers were careful to preserve and teach the letter of the law, their interpretations were corrupted, and their application was downright disturbing. This is simply due to the fact that interpretation is the place where application and substance meet. Many can say what the law says. A smaller number can explain what it means. Only a select few will actually live by it. You might say it is the law of diminishing returns to an extent. The place where the letter of the law meets real life is where the spirit of the law resides. And thus, very often, the spirit is not what it should be, and the letter is completely misrepresented.

Bible Reading: 1 Samuel 13:1-14:52

Scripture Memory: James 2:9 “But if ye have respect to persons, ye commit sin, and are convinced of the law as transgressors.”

Prayer: Heavenly Father, Your truth is always applicable, but we fail to obey. May Your Word always be the shining light in our life. You have given us so much through Your truth! May we never underestimate the blessings we have through Your Word. You are worthy of our praise! Thank You! In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Prayer Requests: Pray for a man who just lost his grandfather and is travelling to be at his funeral. Pray for a young woman who is looking for a car and is travelling to find one.

Journal Entry #14184

Matthew 23:2
   The authenticity of the ministry of Christ is so very apparent. One whose teaching was so different from the norm in Judaism at the time would be thought to refuse as worthless anything coming from Jerusalem. But, Jesus did not do this. He spoke from the point of view of one who was intimately acquainted with he law, and who knew all that went on. He did not try to destroy the establishment of the teaching of God’s Word. He knew that he would be sending out teachers and preachers of his doctrine. And, whether they knew it or not, every teacher of the Mosaic law in his day was expounding his doctrine. The law was not his enemy, and it still isn’t. Jesus knew how to avoid the ‘baby with the bathwater’ problem better than we often do. He was the source of the law, and he was the One who wanted it to be taught. So, whether rightly or wrongly, when it was taught he approved of it. He was able to bring to the Jewish mind thoughts that had not occurred to anyone before, and yet he remained absolutely consistent with the law of Moses.

Bible Reading: 1 Samuel 9:1-12:25

Scripture Memory: James 2:9 “But if ye have respect to persons, ye commit sin, and are convinced of the law as transgressors.”

Prayer: Heavenly Father, deliver us from thinking that we can ever make headway in this life without Christ. He is so vital to our thinking. He is absolutely indispensable to our understanding of our moral selves. We cannot have life without him. We may seem to survive. We may have some form of life. But without him we may not legitimate our existence. Without him, we could never live for an eternity. Our hearts would corrupt us long before then. Fear, despondency, perversion, arrogance, and even boredom would swallow us whole. By Christ we may escape the limitations of an existence tied to decaying flesh. We may by him see a possibility of life that is not defined by a struggle against the unknown enemy that we fail to put a face on for fear we will see ourselves. By Him we begin to understand the joys of work without toil, pleasure without pain, and relationships without parting. By Him we strangle the lie that ‘I need my problems’ to become a better human. We begin to see the possibility of life without death, progress without struggle, and identity without powerlessness. We see the horizon of an eternity where we will understand how that a Changeless, Realization-less, Eternally Static and Incomparable Person is actually the most Alive, Warm, Kind, Personable, Self-aware, Unique, and Loving One in Three that could be. For many of us our circumstances define us, for others they surround us, for still others they engulf us. Some even pretend to shape their circumstances. For the Christian, circumstances hang from us as pendants or medals that would decorate and honored hero. They can be traded in for glory. Our circumstances, which fill out our time here on earth, are our currency for eternity. May Christ be praised! In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Prayer Requests: Pray for a family distressed after losing a loved one suddenly. Pray for a man having heart surgery on Monday. Pray for a man going in for a consultation with a doctor.

Journal Entry #14183

Matthew 23:1
   Notice the differentiation between the multitude and the disciples. The Word of the Lord is for everyone. But we can never kid ourselves about the crowds. There will always be those that will not believe. They come to see a show, to hear something new, to judge and criticize, or whatever. Their motivations are transitory, and their curiosity does not last.

Bible Reading: 1 Samuel 5:1-8:22

Scripture Memory: James 2:8 “If ye fulfill the royal law according to the scriptures, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself, ye do well:”

Prayer: Heavenly Father, Your knowledge is incredible! You know so much and You understand so much. We cannot even begin to truly grasp all that You can and do know. Understanding you and Your world better is the pursuit of our lives. And, if it were not for You, we could not even do that! What can we say? we can only stand back in awe at Your greatness. We can only attempt to describe Your magnificence in our praises. If it were not for You, we could not even open our mouths to praise You. You are truly amazing! In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Prayer Requests: Pray for two men with bad back pain. Pray for three women with anemia.

Journal Entry #14182