Matthew 16:26
   In this one verse Jesus gives us the motivation of the Christian life. All that we need for a reason is found here. The entire logic behind being like him is discovered by an understanding of this one thought. To find the true way, the way Christ shows us, is to find life. Everything else is death. It is an all-or-nothing proposal. Either one may miss it and miss everything, or embrace it and gain everything.

Bible Reading: Isaiah 41:1-43:28

Scripture Memory: 1 John 4:11 ” Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another.”

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You for this wonderful day, and for the many friends You have given us. Knowing others who love You is such a blessing. Though You are still God no matter how many people believe in You, It is so nice to know so many who love You. Thank You for the fellowship we can have together. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Prayer Requests: Pray for a lady having follow-up cancer surgery. Pray for a man in the hospital. Pray for a woman in an assisted living facility.

Journal Entry #13319

Matthew 16:25
   These words do not come from a person devoid of the knowledge of the joys of this life. Jesus is no mad-man. He was, and is, well aware of the human condition. He understands the temptation to live it up in the here and now. But, he shows us a far better way. The Great God who made us the beings that we are, and gifted us with this wonderful thing called life, has a bigger plan. Losing this life to gain the one to come is infinitely worth it.

Bible Reading: Isaiah 38:1-40:31

Scripture Memory: 1 John 4:11 “Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another.”

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You for Your wonderful blessings! In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Prayer Requests: Pray for a woman who is not able to get around well. Pray for a woman having trouble with her foot. Pray for a young girl being tested for cancer.

Journal Entry #13318

Matthew 16:23
    It is doubtful that Satan had himself entered into Peter and caused him to say this. Peter had just confessed his faith in Christ, and such a one could not be possessed in that way. However, Jesus rebukes the devil in Peter none the less because Peter was under the influence of the flesh. Our flesh lies within the dominion of the enemy, and he will influence it every chance he gets. Thus, Jesus words apply to sin in the flesh as well as to the person of Satan himself. Those who are not thinking in a heavenly mindset will delight in the things of this world, and not the things of God.
   This does reveal much about Satan too. He also literally is a stumbling block. That is his very nature. He always seeks to destroy the righteous. He does not delight in the things of God, of course. He hates God. He has fallen in love with the things of man. He sees in humanity a chance to pervert one of God’s creations to his own glory. He wants man for his own.

Bible Reading: Isaiah 29:1-32:20

Scripture Memory: 1 John 4:10 “Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.”

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You for this day that You have made. You put this day together to be just what we need. You already know what the day will bring forth. We know so little, and You know so much. Thank You for Your wisdom to guide us. We are blind without You. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Prayer Requests: Pray for a man with kidney failure. Pray for a woman with cancer. Pray for a woman in an assisted living facility.

Journal Entry #13317

Matthew 16:22
   This is an extremely interesting passage. It reveals much about how everyone thinks. It shows how we think, how Jesus thinks, and how the devil thinks. Peter’s words to Christ must be understood in order to get the point here. Now, the translation ‘far from thee’ that we find here is a good one. However, we need to realize that every language has unique figures of speech. These ways of saying things cannot always be easily transferred to another language.
   For example, in Greek you can have a double negative. This is usually translated ‘God forbid’, but those two words are not actually there. Instead, the Greek is literally ‘no no’ in these instances.
   Here we have a figure of speech involving the word for mercy. Literally, Peter is saying, ‘Mercy to you, Lord, this will not happen to you’. So, we can see that this is difficult to express in English. In order to really grasp what is being said, you have to have it explained a bit more. Peter is saying that he wishes God’s mercy upon Jesus. He literally is rebuking Jesus, saying that a good God would never, in his great mercy, allow such horrible things to happen to such a good person as Jesus.
   This is a very human, and sinful, way of thinking. We presume to judge the situation for God. We determine an action as improper and declare that God would never do it. We make his choices for him. And, we have all been guilty of this kind of thing at one time or another. Peter was jumping to a natural, human, conclusion. But, Peter was wrong.

Bible Reading: Isaiah 24:1-28:29

Scripture Memory: 1 John 4:10 “Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.”

Prayer: Heavenly Father, You always help us so much. You do some many little things to bless us every day. If we just sat down and started counting Your blessings, it would take all day to do it, and we still wouldn’t be done! Thank You! I praise You for Your wonderful Son that You have given us. He is the blessing that is so wonderful words just cannot describe it. Thank You for him! In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Prayer Requests: Pray for a man starting a new job soon.

Journal Entry #13316

Matthew 16:21
    The faith of the disciples was still too weak for these new revelations from Christ to really sink in. However, they did remember his words later, and were able to share it with others. The fact that Jesus knew in every particular exactly what would happen is yet another proof of his deity.

Bible Reading: Isaiah 19:1-23:18

Scripture Memory: 1 John 4:10 “Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.”

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You for this day that You have made for us! You are so good to us! You are so faithful and just. You are always around when we need You. You never forget about us or forsake us. You always care. Thank You for Your Son, he is a great blessing to us each and every day. We owe You all the praise and thanksgiving. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Prayer Requests: Pray for a woman who is going to have a kidney removed. Pray for a man with a broken leg. Pray for a woman who just had some tests done.

Journal Entry #13315

Matthew 16:20
   The fact of Jesus’ identity was already well established. Jesus was not trying to prevent people from knowing who he was. Everything he did was to fulfill prophecy, which made it abundantly clear who he was. What Jesus is here disallowing is exactly what Judas did. He is telling them not to take matter into their own hands. He is warning them not to reveal his identity or location to his enemies.
   The people in general wanted to make him a king. This was not his plan. The Jewish leaders wanted him dead. Though this was part of his plan, it could only come as he wanted it to. He was telling his followers to allow him to control the situation. He knew they would be tempted to try to get people to see Jesus for who he really is. Judas, unsure how he felt about Jesus anyway, decided that betraying him to the authorities would either force Jesus’ hand, or at least make Judas some money.

Bible Reading: Isaiah 14:1-18:7

Scripture Memory: 1 John 4:9 “In this was manifested the love of God towards us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him.”

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You for who You are! You are worthy of all our praise today and every day! You are so good and gracious and loving! Your faithfulness is such a blessing to us. If You were not so patient with us, we would be in a lot of trouble. Thank You for Your love to us! In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Prayer Requests: Pray for a boy with a stomach ache. Pray for a woman with cancer. Pray that we will be more thankful for our blessings.

Journal Entry #13314

Matthew 16:19
   This verse, again, is taken to mean that Peter was himself selected for something that he alone might exercise. That he alone might bind an loose. Instead, Jesus was saying of Peter what is true of all of the church. The gates of hell cannot prevail against the church because it belongs to Christ. He protects it. In the same way, it’s ministers, of which Peter was the prototype, hold the keys of salvation. The ministers of the gospel know who belongs to Christ because of their response to the Truth. And, they know who is not his because of their response as well.
   This was a very Jewish way of speaking. The Jews would say that the leaders, the scribes and Pharisees, Sadducees, etc. had this kind of authority. But, they did not. The true ministers of God were standing there with Jesus, and he was explaining their role. He was helping them to understand that the church would be the vehicle of salvation for the world.
   Those who would say they love Christ but hate the church are treading a dangerous line. In fact, many in this day want to break off the bands of the organized church and sort-of tailor-make their own Christianity. Though breaking from unbiblical traditions is a wise move, we would do well not to throw caution to the wind. The church is God’s chosen vessel for the salvation of the lost. He does not intend for us to all go at it alone. He wants us to meet together as we do as a church and worship him, and preach the Word.
   Indeed, we have many in this day who would confess Christ, but refuse to join a local church. Though membership in a local body of believers can never save anyone, saved persons should be members of their local Bible-believing church. Otherwise, we might as well rip the entire book of Acts right out of our Bibles. The Jews wanted to know that they were approved. They wanted to know that what was done on earth was done in heaven. We should have no less of a desire, and a much surer confidence of it.

Bible Reading: Isaiah 11:1-13:22

Scripture Memory: 1 John 4:9 “In this was manifested the love of God towards us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him.”

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You for this wonderful weekend! You are so glorious! You love is so perfect and complete. You are not lacking in anything. Your mercy knows no limit. You cannot be overestimated. You are all we could dream that You are, and so much more. Thank You for You! You are the blessing that makes our lives so much fun to live. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Prayer Requests: Pray for a man with kidney failure. Pray for a man’s unspoken request. Pray for several young people at a crucial time in their lives.

Journal Entry #13313

Matthew 16:17
   By this statement, Jesus begins to help his disciples understand the ministry of the Holy Spirit. God is at work in the lives of those who believe and follow Christ. He reveals the Truth from his Word to us as we study it. Peter knew what he did because he listened willingly to Jesus and God the Father taught his heart the Truth through Christ. This was an unprecedented revelation level. Indeed, in this age, God has made all the revelation we need available to us in his Word.

Bible Reading: Isaiah 1:1-5:30

Scripture Memory: 1John 4:8 “He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.”

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You for the wonderful day You have given us. You are worthy of our praise at all times. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Prayer Requests: Pray for a man having a lot of dizziness. Pray for a woman with bad headaches. Pray for a man traveling.

Journal Entry #13311