Isaiah 55:8-9 “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.” – We can trust Him. Thank You, Father, for this day.

Matthew 18:5
   So often people take things out of context and misunderstand the meaning of a passage. This particular verse is not saying that being receptive and kind to children automatically guarantees favor with Christ. Notice that Jesus says ‘such’ a little child. This is a reference back to the previous verse, and also reflects the point of the next verse.
   Therefore, what Jesus is saying here is that those who receive persons who are humbled before Him are received by Him. What Jesus is getting at here is the relationship of believers in Christ. Receiving Christ also includes receiving those who belong to him. So, a Christian accepts his brothers and sisters in Christ, and that is a sure sign of our reception by Christ.
Bible Reading: Ezekiel 41:1-48:35
Scripture Memory: 1 John 4:20 “If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hash not seen.”
Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You for taking care of us. You watch over us and guide us every step of the way. Your grace brings us through each day. Thank You! In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.
Prayer Requests: Pray for everyone to have a safe and happy Christmas. Pray for a man in the hospital. Pray for a man who is sick at home.
Journal Entry #13356

Job 1:21 “The Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.”
1 Corinthians 5:1 “For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.”
Revelation 21:3-5 “And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful.”
Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You for the miracle of life. Before I could ever be upset that you have taken our unborn baby home to be with You, I would have to thank You for so much first. I would have to thank You for my life, and how You have saved me and blessed me. I would have to thank You for my sweet, beautiful bride, MaryBeth who is the joy of my heart. I would have to thank You for my precious William John Christopher, who is the light of my days. I would have to thank You for Peter Joseph Sterling, who is the inspiration of my spirit. So, I will thank You for all of these, and thank You for taking our little baby to Your glorious presence. For though it would not have been my choice, from One who cares so much for me I can only see it as what is best. Thank You, Father, for Your Son, the Savior of my soul, and the One who has carried my child to You. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Journal Entry #13355

Matthew 18:4
   Jesus was teaching the disciples here about humility. But, he was also teaching them something about himself. Who is, indeed, the greatest in the kingdom? Jesus. He humbled himself like a child to come to this world and die for you and me. This is a lesson in Christlikeness, not simply childlikeness. We are supposed to be like him. That is our goal.

Bible Reading: Ezekiel 38:1-40:49

Scripture Memory: 1 John 4:20 “If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen?

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You for all that You do in our lives! You makes us able to live so much differently. We must rely on Your Son to help us be the best that we can be. Oh Father, what a mercy it is to have him! Thank You for Your power to enable us to be Your children. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Prayer Requests: Pray for our Christmas play at church.

Journal Entry #13354

Matthew 18:3
   What exactly does Jesus have in mind here? Is it possible that those who had been with him so long were not yet saved? I do not think that is what he is trying to say. However, Judas was among them, and he was most definitely not saved. So, what does this mean? He is giving them a great teaching about what I means to be a Christian. We must willingly give up our way of doing things and embrace the will of Almighty God. We must yield completely to him. This is the outcome of the Christian life.

Bible Reading: Ezekiel 35:1-37:28

Scripture Memory: 1 John 4:19 “We love him, because he first loved us.”

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You for Your wonderful care for us! You have perfect plans for us. Thank You for all that You do, and all that You are! You know our deepest needs and are always there ready to meet them if we will turn to You. Your faithfulness is amazing! 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 man recovering from a liver transplant. Pray for a family that needs a new vehicle.

Journal Entry #13353

Matthew 18:2
    Jesus is the Master of illustrations. A child pictures for us our relationship to the Father. We must realize our total dependence upon Almighty God. We need Jesus for everything. This is the central truth of Christianity, and it is the hardest thing for people to accept.

Bible Reading: Ezekiel 32:1-34:31

Scripture Memory: 1 John 4:19 “We love him, because he first loved us.”

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You for Your goodness to us! A message that tells people that we must depend on Someone outside of ourselves is a hard sell. But, the Truth is the Truth. Thank You for making the Truth available, no matter how unpopular it might be. Thank You for Your Son, may we always hear him! 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 in the hospital. Pray for people to be safe this Christmas season.

Journal Entry #13352

Matthew 18:1
   The disciples were not asking who would be the greatest in general. They were speaking specifically of themselves. They wanted to know who would be the greatest in the earthly kingdom of Christ, assuming it would begin soon. Jesus had to coax them to ask the question, because they were embarrassed to admit it. This question burned in their minds more and more as the time of Christ’s departure came closer. Eve after the resurrection, they failed to understand that the kingdom would not come at that time.

Bible Reading: Ezekiel 28:1-31:18

Scripture Memory: 1 John 4:18 “There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.”

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You for Your strength. You give us so much time and patience. You are ever-faithful. You deserve a life of service from us. To live for You is a joy. Your Son is the blessing this world needs. This Christmas season is a great time for all the world to hear that Jesus is the Savior. Thank You for him, Father! In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Prayer Requests: Pray for a man in serious condition in the hospital. Pray for two older women with health issues. Pray for a woman with cancer.

Journal Entry #13351

Matthew 17:27
   It seems that, based on verse 25, Peter had planned to pay the tribute for himself, and to ask Christ about paying for himself. Jesus prevents him from this and gives him the money from the fish’s mouth instead. Indeed, it is likely that Jesus had little or no money in his possession at the time.
   No end of conjecture has been put forth with regards to the source of the money in the fish’s mouth. Some think that a fish had found a stater (the piece of money referred to here), and Jesus then knew about it. Others say the fish was directed to the money. Yet another group will say that the coin was created out of thin air and placed in the fish’s mouth. Any one of these could be true. None of them is any less remarkable than the other. Indeed, the power of Christ is quite clear, no matter how one thinks this miracle was exactly performed. No one but God could do such a thing.

Bible Reading: Ezekiel 24:1-27:36

Scripture Memory: 1 John 4:18 “There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.”

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You for Your provision for us. You give us all that we need. May we constantly praise You. Your glory is perfect and You deserve it all. You are the most wonderful person in the universe. You are the greatest One for us to think about. Knowing You is the apex of existence, the very joy of being. You are a delight to the senses, and a balm to the soul. Oh Father, thank You for Your Son, by Whom we may know You! In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Prayer Requests: Pray for a lady recovering from surgery. Pray for a young woman with spiritual needs. Pray for the family of an older man who was just saved to accept Christ as well.

Journal Entry #13350

Matthew 17:26
   Peter, of course, is able to easily supply the expected answer. Jesus words in this verse help us to understand that, in principle, children of God are free from such things. In other words, as citizens of heaven we are free from earthly tributes. However, because we are children of God, and because we are inhabitants of this world at this time, we pay. It is a matter of testimony. We pay, not because we have to, but because we can. Do I owe, as his child, allegiance to any other? No. But I must pledge my allegiance to all that he will bid me to. As Christ paid the temple tax, and the tax of Rome, I also must pay to all their due.

Bible Reading: Ezekiel 22:1-23:49

Scripture Memory: 1 John 4:18 “There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.”

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You for Your work in our lives. Often, we do not understand Your actions. But, we know that You always do what is best. Thank You for Your watch-care over us. You are so gracious to us. You care for our every need. May we render to You all You are due. I praise You, Father! In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Prayer Requests: Pray for a man who has kidney failure. Pray for two families that just lost loved ones. Pray for a woman having surgery this week.

Journal Entry #13349

Matthew 17:25
   The quick and plain answer of Peter has been assumed by some to be yet another of his thoughtless words. They say that he did not really know himself that Jesus would pay, and should not have answered for him. I think this reads too much into the text. His simple answer tells me that he did not have to think much about it. Jesus had paid the tax in the past, otherwise he surely would have said no.
   This, now, helps us to understand what Christ is saying, and what he is not saying. His little question to Peter here is designed to get the man to think about the situation, and to teach him, and us, a helpful lesson. It is not intended to cause Peter, or anyone else, from paying the tribute. What he is teaching is, first of all, that he, as the Son of God and the Great High Priest himself, was completely exempted from such a tribute. Secondly, he is teaching that those who are the children of God, as we are in Christ, are also exempted from any tax that might be levied under his government. There won’t be a taxation system in heaven, for example.
   But, as we see from the following verses, none of this precludes us from paying taxes now. Though, as children of Almighty God, we may rightfully feel exempted from such details, we should pay just like everyone else.

Bible Reading: Ezekiel 20:1-21:32

Scripture Memory: 1 John 4:18 “There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.”

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You for Your Word, It is so nice to have a book from You that contains such minute details. You really leave no stone unturned. We cannot say it is incomplete. Thank You for this Foundation for life and living. Faith and practice may be fully stocked with wisdom from this Divine Resource. Thank You for Your wisdom and Your love for us! In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Prayer Requests: Pray for wisdom for a woman who is considering signing a book deal. Pray for our upcoming Christmas play at church. Pray for our missionaries to have a good Christmas.

Journal Entry #13348