Matthew 16:5
    It is easy to miss a very important concept in this verse. The disciples had forgotten something that would generally be quite important. They made a mistake. They acted in a less that wise way. They did something they though was kind of dumb. The fact of their forgetfulness is here mentioned because it weighed on their minds. They were burdened by it. They felt as if it was a horrible blunder. It was a grief to them. And, judging by the coming verse, they expected that Jesus would never make such a mistake, and that he would deride them if he found out, or though of it.
   This attitude in the disciples was not due to the tone that Jesus generally used with them. He was not a harsh master. They did not have any need to cower before him. He did not pick at their every error. So, then, why did they think anything of this failure? Why did it get them down? The answer is more simple than we might expect. Being with a completely perfect person at all times brings much to light in our own hearts. As a result, we have a tendency to do much soul-searching while in such company. The Lord has this same influence with us even today. A daily walk with him brings out our own improprieties.
   Thus, the enemy, seeing that Jesus’ presence has this type of influence over our lives, seeks to thwart any good result. He leads us to conclude that every slight mistake is some horrific blunder. We think then that, all things done by us in a less than desirable fashion might be judged as evil and condemned by the holy eyes of the great Almighty God. The truth is that the devil simply holds us to his standard rather than anything else. He demands an avoidance of all mistakes and blunders, but allows sin freely as a means to his ends. It is he who will distract us with our lack of intelligence, so as to make us forget our lack of holiness. He himself makes few mistakes and is quite intelligent and competent beyond our ability. But, he is full of sin. It is altogether impossible for him to do anything but sin. He is chained to it. It is his doom, his condemnation, his damnation. It is his forever.

Bible Reading: Proverbs 10:1-12:28

Scripture Memory: 1 John 4:5 “They are of the world: therefore speak they of the world, and the world heareth them.”

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You for Your love for us! You are so kind! You teach us to improve our selves, yet You have made a way for us to be forgiven for the worst of things in our lives. Help us to remember that our praise for You will be no more valuable than our faithfulness to You. This is why You have made a way for us to be given the ability to abide in Christ. Thank You for enabling us to praise You, not only with our lips, but with our lives. You are so amazingly gracious to us. Thank You for rescuing us from the designs of the wicked one. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Prayer Requests: Pray for a woman’s niece who is trying to get pregnant. Pray for a man in the hospital who is nearing death. Pray for a woman with cancer who is living in a life care center.

Journal Entry #13299

Matthew 16:4
    The Jewish leaders took a calculated risk in this case. They felt fairly certain that Jesus would not grant their request for a sign. However, if he had, they would have been silenced. They felt it worth the risk because they were spurred on by the evil one. Indeed, they probably felt that this was at least a small victory rather than the great defeat that it really was.
   These leaders did not understand the significance of the sign of Jonah, nor did the people at large. This is one of the reasons that the sign of Jonah was chosen. It was not possible for their blinded hearts to accept such a sign. Even today, the whale of a tale that is the book of Jonah gets made fun of as far-fetched. Simple faith is required to understand it, and these men had none.

Bible Reading: Proverbs 7:1-9:18

Scripture Memory: 1 John 4:5 “They are of the world: therefore speak they of the world, and the world heareth them.”

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You for another day of life. You have made our lives surprisingly pleasant in spite of our sin. The greatest blessing is knowing You. Without You, our lives would be dark, dreary places. You bring the light of Your Truth to our hearts. Thank You for Your love! In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Prayer Requests: Pray for a boy recovering from bronchitis. Pray for a man who is trying to be a witness at work. Pray for a man who was involved in a bad accident. Pray for a man who just came home from the hospital.

Journal Entry #13298

Matthew 16:3
   These men were supposed to be the masters of Israel. They were the religious experts. They were the leaders that should minister to the souls of men. And yet, in their conceit, they new more of the weather and other insignificant things, than they did of the state of things in God’s plan. They knew what kind of day it might be, but were oblivious to what day it was. Material things and simple problems had blinded their minds to eternal truths and deeper wisdom. Indeed, present circumstances combined with complacency have often been the cause of much shallowness in religious circles.

Bible Reading: Proverbs 4:1-6:35

Scripture Memory: 1 John 4:4 “Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.”

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You for this day. You are amazing in Your plans and purposes. You work things out just as You see fit. And your way of doing it is always right. Thank You for letting us know that Your way is the right way. It is good to not have to waste our lives chasing the wrong path. You lead us as we should go, and You are good leader. You are worthy of all our praise! In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Prayer Requests: Pray for a man who just broke a leg. Pray for a man in the hospital. Pray for a man’s wife who has cancer.

Journal Entry #13297

Matthew 16:2
    One of the most well-known oft-repeated jokes is the accuracy of the weather man. Sometimes he gets it right, sometimes he doesn’t, and sometimes we’re not exactly sure what he said anyway. Yet, we all generally listen to the weather man in some form or fashion. He may not be right, but if he is even halfway right, we want to know about it.
    Why? It is important. It can make a big difference. Nobody wants it to rain on their parade. So, we listen, and we listen good. Yet, as Jesus is telling his hearers in this passage, we are quite concerned over the weather, but forget the more important things in life. Indeed, it is amazing how appropriate Jesus’ illustration is even to this day. The meteorologist may know more about the sky than the weather men in Jesus’ day, but his news still isn’t as important the signs of the times to which Jesus referred. We spend a lot of time talking about the weather with complete strangers, and yet fail to discuss the vital issues of life with our closest friends.

Bible Reading: Proverbs 1:1-3:35

Scripture Memory: 1 John 4:4 “Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.”

Prayer: Heavenly Father, may we learn to listen to You more carefully! You are worth hearing. You have the answers we seek. You hold the truth that we need in Your hand. Thank You for making Your Word available to us. May we heed it! You are so big, and Your Words are weighty. But, rather than shunning us, You share with us. Thank You for Your precious Son. Thank You for Your amazing grace. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Prayer Requests: Pray for a man who just broke his leg. Pray for an man’s unspoken request. Pray for a woman who has chronic health problems.

Journal Entry #13296

Matthew 16:1
    Given the fact that Jesus had done so many miracles, one might well wonder, why not make a sign in the heavens for these unbelieving Pharisees? The answer is quite simple. Prophecy was the evidence for the Messiah. All that had been prophesied concerning Christ was fulfilled as intended for his first coming to earth. He remained consistent with it, and did not add to it. Thus, they were asking him to depart from the program the Father had laid out for him. This he would never do.

Bible Reading: Psalm 145:1-150:6

Scripture Memory:  1 John 4:4 “Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.”

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You for Christ! He has kept Your will and made life available to us. Thank You for the abundance that is mine through him! You are such a blessing to us through Your Son. You are so wise to make the beautiful plan of salvation that You have. Thank You for Your word, and being able to learn about You from it. What a joy! In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Prayer Requests: Pray for a lady with advanced cancer. Pray for an older couple that need to make some decisions.

Journal Entry #13295

Matthew 15:39
   Image, if you will, how it felt to go home after such a day in the presence of the Lord Jesus. Healings began the events of the day, teaching was interspersed throughout to be sure, and the miraculous feeding cam towards the end. This would be a day you would long remember fondly. It would be one of those treasures in your memory that would shine for years to come. And, then, it was over. It was time to go home.
   It is hard to overstate the feelings that this excites in us. We would long to stay there with Him forever. We would never want to leave. And yet, do we ever find ourselves feeling this way in our day? Do we find the fellowship with our brothers and sisters in Christ so appealing that we cannot wait to see them next Sunday? Do we leave the church house with the same reluctance that we might leave the side of the Lord Himself? Does our own personal time in devotions each day excite such feelings? The truth is, as those who belong to Christ, we have him with us at all times. But, an awareness of his presence will cause certain things to be all that much more precious to us.

Bible Reading: Psalm 138:1-144:15

Scripture Memory: 1 John 4:4 “Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.”

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You so much for Your goodness to us. You have always known what we need better than we do. You know what a blessing the presence of Your Son is to us. He is our link to You, our daysman, as Job would put it. Having him in us, and by him having access to You, is the most wonderful blessing anyone could ever even ask for. It is so nice! You are so gracious to us! Thank You! In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Prayer Requests: Pray for a man who is getting used to a new job. Pray for a family with spiritual needs. Pray for a man making a lot of decisions.

Journal Entry #13294

Matthew 15:38
   Conservative estimates for the total number of persons involved in this feeding would be somewhere around ten to twelve thousand. Let us assume ten thousand persons. Indeed, if every man had a wife and one child with him, there would have been twelve thousand. So, we can be quite positive that there were at least ten thousand. How much food would it take to feed this multitude? how much food would it take today?
   I used an estimate from my wife’s old Fannie Farmer cookbook to come up with these numbers: 250lbs of Coffee, 75 Gallons of Creamer, 50lbs of Tea, 300 Gallons of Ice Cream, 50 Gallons of Whipped Cream, 200lbs of Butter, 4,000lbs of Beef, 6,000lbs of Chicken, 3,500lbs of Potatoes, 2,500lbs of Peas, 2,500lbs of Applesauce. With these numbers, every person would have something to drink, some beef and chicken, a potato, peas, and some applesauce. For desert, there would be a bit of ice cream. To eat one’s fill, this would be sufficient. Needless to say, that was quite a miracle.

Bible Reading: Psalm 132:1-137:9

Scripture Memory: 1 John 4:4 “Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.”

Prayer: Heavenly Father, it is easy for us to lose sight of all that You have done for us. Your provision for our daily needs is only balanced by Your provision for our spiritual needs. You have made a way for us to be abundantly supplied for throughout all of eternity. You are amazing, and so good to us! May we serve You as we should, for it is a delight to work in Your kingdom! In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Prayer Requests: Pray for our church as we grow. Pray for a woman that is recovering from a broken hip. Pray for a little boy that is not feeling well.

Journal Entry #13293

Matthew 15:37
    There will be no end to explanations of why seven baskets were left. I have heard so many different explanations that they have all lost their luster. The fact is, the amount remaining was just what the Lord wanted it to be, and it was far more than the original amount before the miracle. It seems we will never know the exact significance of the numbers. But, what can be drawn from this is that the Lord wants us to know he can provide more than enough to meet any need. We have no reason not to trust him completely.

Bible Reading: Psalm 120:1-131:3

Scripture Memory: 1 John 4:3 “And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world.“

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You for this day. You are so wonderful to us. You give us clarity of thought, and help us to know what to do. You are good to us. Thank you for Your love. You are so merciful, and gracious. You bless us with family and friends. Thank You! In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Prayer Requests: Pray for two families that recently lost loved ones. Pray for a man with kidney failure. Pray for a man recovering from a liver transplant.

Journal Entry #13292

Matthew 15:36
   Some have surmised that, since Jesus sent the disciples to feed the multiplied bread to the multitude, the people did not actually realize that a miracle occurred. However, this is extremely unlikely. Given the amount of food involved, the most casual observer among the people would have at least guessed that something strange was going on. As to the reason for having the disciples help, the answer is quite simple. Though Jesus could have thrown the food into the sky and let it rain down on everyone, this would not have served his purpose. He used the disciples to illustrate the fact that the food spread much like the gospel spreads. all blessings in this age originate with Christ. He is the source, and his servants take it from there.

Bible Reading: Psalm 119:86-176

Scripture Memory: 1 John 4:3 “And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world.”

Prayer: Heavenly Father, You are quite amazing. That You take the time to know us is a great glory to You. Sometimes the most wonderfully crafted items are small, and seemingly insignificant. Such is the case with us. We are nothing compared to You, and yet You put so much into us. You are good. All that we have to be thankful for comes from You. May we ever live to sing Your praise. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Prayer Requests: Pray for a little boy who is sick. Pray for many who are under the weather at this time.

Journal Entry #13291