Matthew 22:37
   We act nowadays as if every other one of us keeps this command to the letter. Of all the godly kings of the Jews, only one was said to have actually kept this command. It is this command that takes all of Scripture and rolls it in to one line. No person who truly kept this command would have the pride to think it. And yet, we live as if most people sitting in the pews today are shining examples of how to keep this command in its entirety.
   Dare we think that our dependence upon grace has made us mistake laxity for godliness? Could it be that we have taken God’s mercy and grace as license for a lack of true piety? Have we been able to avoid being very bad, only to fail to be very good? Have we become so enamored with reformation that we have forgotten transformation? Are we adherents, or are we servants? Have we a God, or only a religion? Do we follow Christ because it is a good idea, or because he is our Master? Are we filled with churchy words, or are we filled with the Holy Spirit of Almighty God?

Bible Reading: Joshua 7:1-9:27

Scripture Memory: James 2:5 “Hearken, my beloved brethren, hath not God chosen the poor of this world rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which God hath promised to them that love him?”

Prayer: Heavenly Father, burn away the dross! My life is full of thoughts of self rather than thoughts of heaven. We spend our time improving our station, and ignoring our souls. May love for you and Your Holy Son strip away the irreverence in our hearts! You are worthy of every word uttered in prayer and adoration to You. You are truly the Great Cause for our lives. You are the very purpose for our existence. May we never lose sight of that! How can we think that You will be satisfied with anything less than our entire loyalty? May I always give You the all of me that You deserve, Almighty Father! In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Prayer Requests: Pray for the lost. Pray for a man with Alzheimer’s. Pray for a man with pneumonia.

Journal Entry #14168

I am taking a one day break from posting. I will resume tomorrow morning, the Lord willing.

Matthew 22:36
   Can you imagine asking Christ this question? Here you have the opportunity to have the Lord himself comment upon his own Word. Yet, this man had the desire to test Jesus more than to learn anything. And that is how most people still are today. Rather than wanting to learn, they want to test Christ. They will not accept without a fight. The Holy Spirit must do a work in hearts. People will not simply be persuaded by argument.

Bible Reading: Joshua 3:1-6:27

Scripture Memory: James 2:5 “Hearken, my beloved brethren, Hath not God chosen the poor of this world rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which he hath promised to them that love him?”

Prayer: Heavenly Father, You are able to teach us all that we could ever know, and yet we so often fail to learn from You. Why do we miss all that You have to offer? Sin gets in the way so much! Thank You for giving Christ to us so that we may be freed from the blinding power of sin. With forgiveness we can once again have a teachable spirit that can discern the truth easily and see that You alone have the Truth that we need. Thank You for Your faithfulness! In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Prayer Requests: Pray for a couple travelling. Pray for a man with cancer in his legs.

Journal Entry #14167

Matthew 22:35
   This lawyer was likely a scribe. The scribes would be the group most intimately acquainted with the very letter of the law. Thus, being supposedly careful students of the particulars, experts among them should have no problem refuting Jesus if he was incorrect and unbiblical.

Bible Reading: Deuteronomy 33:1-Joshua 2:24

Scripture Memory: James 2:4 “Are ye not then partial in yourselves, and are become judges of evil thoughts?”

Prayer: Heavenly Father, You are so wonderful! You have revealed to us what we need to know from You for life and godliness. Your ways are high above ours. How You could love us as much as You do? Thank You for being so good and wonderful to us! May we live to praise and serve You forever. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Prayer Requests: Pray for churches all over America today. Pray for the lost.

Journal Entry #14166

Matthew 22:34
   The Pharisees would normally be pretty happy about the shaming of the Sadducees. However, united against what they saw as a common foe, they relished no victory. This kind of persecution is still rampant today. For example, the satanist and the Muslim would have little in common. But, if either rise to the heights of national control, the persecution of Christians (and other religions) would be on their list of things to do. Many religious groups are this way. Though they claim tolerance, most religions do not actually believe in what we would call freedom of religion. Freedom of religion in its pure form literally means that no force will be used to advance religious belief. The government, individuals, and policies of social organizations can allow it, but cannot enforce it. This is the bedrock of what it means to be a Baptist. We come from a long line of persons with freedom of religion ideas.
   We have got this confused in America. Here we know think that freedom of religion means that we cannot allow religion to play any part in public life. That is ridiculous! Public systems and institutions are made up of individuals, and those individuals will have a religion. And the powers that be have every right to allow and promote the religions represented by their constituents and representatives. What the authorities of our land may not do, according to freedom of religion, is require or impose a religion. When a religious practice, belief, or observance is outlawed, this may only be done if the basis for the law is violence itself. In other words, if a religion requires an individual to physically harm another individual, that religious practice may be outlawed. Even then exceptions can and will apply. For example Jews and many Christians will circumcise their children, which should be allowed. A religious practice, belief, or observance may not be required by law. Allowed by law, fine. Promoted by law, fine. Required by law, very dangerous.
   For the Pharisees and Sadducees, as many modern religions, control in this world was of great concern. Ultimate influence over all of the earth is the goal. True freedom and absolute control are mutually exclusive concepts in an imperfect world. As Jesus made it plain to Pilate, the kingdom of the saints is not of this world. When Jesus is ready for world domination, he will impose it personally. Only upon his authority as the Creator may this be done. If the mission of the Christian was world domination, that task would already have been completed.

Bible Reading: Deuteronomy 30:1-32:52

Scripture Memory: James 2:4 “Are ye not then partial in yourselves, and are become judges of evil thoughts?”

Prayer: Heavenly Father, You give us a love for each other and a love for this world that is unmatched. There is so much hate and fear and greed and pride, and the like, in this world. May we be reflections of Your glorious holiness. May we live as mirrors of Your perfect love. You can make us so much kinder and more pleasant than we would otherwise be. Thank You for Your working in our lives through Jesus! In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You. Amen.

Prayer Requests: Pray for a young woman visiting in a foreign country. Pray for a couple going through a lot right now. Pray for a woman seeking the Lord’s direction in her life.

Journal Entry #14165

Matthew 22:33
   Is it any wonder that one of the most amazing things about Jesus was his doctrine? Indeed, that is exactly as it should be. When it comes right down to it, doctrine is the bottom line. It is what really makes the difference. Others may have claimed greatness. Others were said to have done miracles. Others had a winning personality and great influence. Others have started religions of one kind or another. but, others have not been so connected to their doctrine. To accept Jesus without his doctrine is to strip the wings off of a bird. You just can’t do it. Jesus and his doctrine go hand in hand.

Bible Reading: Deuteronomy 28:1-29:29

Scripture Memory: James 2:4 “Are ye not then partial in yourselves, and are become judges of evil thoughts?”

Prayer: Heavenly Father, truth is Your way of making a difference. It is the difference with You. Others might suppose they have a god to worship. But, do they have the Truth, no! You alone give us the truth of Yourself and reveal that You are good. Your goodness, grace, love and mercy, while also being holy, is why I believe You. You are everything I would expect You to be, and so much more. I still cannot fathom the depth of Your greatness. I am still wrapping my head around Your goodness. Thank You for Your love! In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Prayer Requests: Pray for a man who has been in the hospital for a long time. Pray for several people with cancer.

Journal Entry #14164

Matthew 22:32
   Jesus, on several occasions, shows that he has a very otherworldly view of Scripture. Who would think to explain the fact of the resurrection in this way? Only someone who has a good grasp on eternity. Only those with knowledge of heaven. Only people who take God’s Word for what it is. Only those who really believe what God has to say.
   Even those in Jesus’ day who believed in the resurrection would hardly think of this explanation. But, Jesus was not stuck in the world of his day. He was ‘in the world, but not of it’ as much as anyone can be. We need this kind of heavenly point of view when we are looking at God’s Word.

Bible Reading: Deuteronomy 25:1-27:26

Scripture Memory: James 2:3 “And ye have respect to him that weareth the gay clothing, and say unto him, Sit thou here in a good place; and say unto the poor, Stand thou there, or sit here under my footstool:”

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You for Your love for us. We think that we love one another so much, but so often we do not have the love of Christ. We think that our care and concern for others is so patient and considerate. But, then we consider Your amazing faithfulness and great long-suffering with us, and we are put to shame. You are so much better than we can ever hope to be. Yet, Lord, we know that You can make us perfect through Christ. Thank You! In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Prayer Requests: Pray for a young woman having issues with low iron. Pray for a man who is recovering from several operations. Pray for a woman recovering from a bad fall.

Journal Entry #14163

Matthew 22:31
   Resurrection is at the heart of Christian doctrine. Without the resurrection there would really be no point to the Bible, Christian life, or any of the rest of it. If death is the end and God has no power beyond the grave then Jesus is dead and we are hopelessly miserable. Indeed, to try to promote biblical truth or Christian living and morality without this doctrine is really quite dishonest. This would be very much what Paul speaks of in 2 Timothy 3:5, having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof.

Bible Reading: Deuteronomy 22:1-24:22

Scripture Memory: James 2:3 “And ye have respect to him that weareth the gay clothing, and say unto him, Sit thou here in a good place; and say unto the poor, Stand thou there, or sit here under my footstool:”

Prayer: Heavenly Father, You are God alone reigning in absolute authority. You are infinite in Your person, complete in Your power, and unlimited in Your intelligence. You can understand all of the great mysteries and You know the answers to all of the toughest questions. It is You Who makes this great universe tick in sync and work the way it does. It is You who keeps track of every molecule of our existence. You know us better than we know ourselves. You have a log of everything. You know what happens at every level at any moment. You see it all, and You know it all. Thank You for Your great mercy, grace and love. It is so wonderful to know that One who is so great is also, by His very nature, so good. Thank You for Your Son, who is the full manifestation of all Your glory. He means so much to me! In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Prayer Requests: Pray for a man with bad back pain. Pray for the pastor of a church in Ohio. Pray for a man that runs an international missions agency.

Journal Entry #14162

Matthew 22:30
   Jesus deals directly with their false assumption concerning marriage in heaven. He says that those who are in the resurrection, meaning they who are saved children of God who will partake in the eternal happiness of heaven, do not marry. Men will not take a bride, nor will women be given in marriage. Then, as if by way of explanation, he says that they will be ‘as’ the angels.
  To understand this explanation of the lack of marriage in heaven, one may look to two other passages. First, the gospel of Luke (20:36) tells us that those who are in heaven will be ‘equal’ with the angels. This gives us the idea that the ‘as’ of this passage means that in the eternal bliss we will be something more than we are now, which logically must be the case. If we look at Genesis 2:18 we see that man was not sufficient by himself. Even in his perfect state, man by himself was deficient. Woman was created for man, then, to complete him. In heaven, being equal to the angels, men will not be deficient and need a helper, and women will not have the role of being the helper of the man. Each individual shall be sufficient in themselves.

Bible Reading: Deuteronomy 18:1-21:23

Scripture Memory: James 2:3 “And ye have respect to him that weareth the gay clothing, and say unto him, Sit thou here in a good place; and say unto the poor, Stand thou there, or sit here under my footstool:”

Prayer: Heavenly Father, You are so kind and good to us, and yet we do so little for You. Even having daily devotions is a push for us. Giving our lives as a living sacrifice to You, oh that is so hard for us it seems. But, we must remember that You have enabled it all. It is of You that we are not consumed. It is of you that we have mercy, grace, and love. It is Your work that allows us to be called the children of God. You Almighty Father, have sent Your precious Son to make us able to be Your children. We can look forward to that day in heaven when we shall be equal to the angels. What a thought! It will be glory to be a creation of Yours that is complete and holy and pure and lovely and all that You have made us to be! Wow! I can hardly wait! It is, however, a joy and privilege to serve You down here in this present world. For though it is broken, it is Your earth. You have made all of us, and not we ourselves. To live for You is the honor and pleasure that we need most in our life. Thank You for making our lives so wonderful! In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Prayer Requests: Pray for a missionary family travelling. Pray for a church that has been damaged by lightening. Pray for a young woman going out of the country on a missions trip.

Journal Entry #14161

Matthew 22:29
   Jesus points out not one, but two, grievous errors. first, though the Sadducees thought themselves very true to the Torah, it is their lack of knowledge of it that caused them to make a false assumption about marriage in heaven. Even worse, because they had only a bland application of Scriptures that they had obviously misunderstood, they also had failed to recognize the value of the power of God. In other words, they had missed the forest for the trees. They had focused so much on the letter of the law that they completely missed the Holy Spirit of God Who actually wrote it.

Bible Reading: Deuteronomy 14:1-17:20

Scripture Memory: James 2:2 “For if there come unto your assembly a man with a gold ring, in goodly apparel, and there come in also a poor man in vile raiment;”

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You for this glorious day to serve You! You inspire me to think thoughts I never would have considered otherwise. You stretch my brain and mold it to handle more of eternity. Your infinitude challenges my existence and enhances it. By the power of Your Son I may become so much more than I am now. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Prayer Requests: Pray for churches all over having VBS. Pray for a man in the hospital that just had a serious setback to his recovery. Pray for a woman who is not feeling well.

Journal Entry #14160