Matthew 15:4
   Both of these commandments are quoted straight from the Old Testament. The first is found in Exodus 20:12, and the second in Exodus 21:17. They are both very clear in their meaning, and, in context, are not meant to be modified or watered down.
   One of the things we easily miss here is the meaning of the first command. The second is more obvious in its meaning. Children should not speak of their parents in a derogatory manner, let alone curse them. But, the first command, concerning honor, means more than we might think. Honor speaks not just of respect. To honor your parents means that you are to give them things that they have need of. In other words, if your parents are in need, and you have the means to help them, your duty is to do it. It is just as much the children’s job to care for the parents as it is for the parents to care for the children.

Bible Reading: Job 14:1-16:22

Scripture Memory: 1 John 3:20 “For if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things.”

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You for this day. Help us to see Your hand at work all around us. We know You are constantly caring for our needs. You cause the sun to shine on us and You know exactly what is going on in our lives. We must sing Your praise, for we would be in error to fail to do so. You are so worthy of our praise! Thank You for all of the blessings that are ours through Your Son, the Lord Jesus. 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 woman who just came home from the hospital yesterday. Pray for a woman’s silent request.

Journal Entry #13259

Matthew 15:3
   Jesus was not afraid to challenge the Jewish leaders by questioning their traditions. The authority of God’s law is absolute. He had no fear that they would try to deny this fact. Many times when Jesus answers the Pharisees we might wonder why he got into these arguments with them. However, notice that he really did not get entangled in endless debate. He tended to end an argument before it really got started. This is how we should be. Never should we be afraid to state the truth. But, never should we be found to debate the established truth of Almighty God. It needs no further critique. It is authoritative, and should be presented as such. When we begin to try to rationalize it in our own terms, we can easily get ourselves into trouble.

Bible Reading: Job 10:1-13:28

Scripture Memory: 1 John 3:19 “And hereby we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before him.“

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You for loving us personally. Thank you for knowing what we are going to face each day, and giving us the grace to deal with it. You know we cannot handle it all ourselves, but You can do anything. Thank You for making the impossible no big deal. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Prayer Requests: Pray for a woman having trouble with her sugar. Pray for a man who has trouble with blood clots. Pray for a man with shoulder pain.

Journal Entry #13258

Matthew 15:2
   We have to understand that, in the minds of the scribes and Pharisees, breaking the traditions of the elders was a very serious offense. Indeed, they had, in this day, elevated the opinions of the Jewish teachers of the law above the law itself. Thus, this rule concerning the washing of hands was observed without exception and considered very important. Though the law contained regulations for washing before handling things in the sanctuary, it did not require this washing of hands before common meals.
   However, with Jesus, they had defeated themselves before they even started. To accuse his disciples of breaking traditional law was like setting up a straw man to attack. Jesus was more than ready to handle this question, and was glad to do so. He was constantly steering the Jewish leaders back to the scriptures to discover the truth.

Bible Reading: Job 7:1-9:35

Scripture Memory: 1 John 3:19 “And hereby we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before him.”

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You for making Your law about Your holiness, not a bunch of meaningless rules. Thank You for revealing to us how amazingly wonderful You are. It would be sad indeed to go through this life never knowing You as You truly are. You inspire us to serve You and attempt great things for You. We love You Father, and hope to spread Your Word all over this world. Thank You for Your Truth! In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Prayer Requests: Pray for a man making decisions about work. Pray for a woman and her daughter that both have serious health issues. Pray for an older couple that both have health concerns.

Journal Entry #13257

Matthew 15:1
   The scribes and Pharisees had a reputation to uphold. Unlike the Sadducees, who depended upon political leverage, the scribes and pharisees had to maintain their popularity to maintain their influence. As a result, they were ready to put their resources towards riding themselves of this thorn in their side. Coming from Jerusalem would be quite a trip for them, but they felt it was worth it to maintain their image.

Bible Reading: Job 4:1-6:30

Scripture Memory: 1 John 3:19 “And hereby we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before him.”

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You for Your faithfulness. Regardless of what we say or do, You always love us and care for us. You have allowed us to choose our ways. You are kind and gracious to us. May we constantly be concerned with Your impression of us, and not our estimation of ourselves. Thank You for this, another day to serve You. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Prayer Requests: Pray for our national leaders. Pray for our missionaries around the world. Pray for our military personnel and police force.

Journal Entry #13256

Matthew 14:36
   What we can easily miss here is why the touching of Jesus’ garment was employed in these miracles. The woman with the issue of blood lived in this same area, and these people had likely heard her story. Thus, it was not the individuals who needed healing that sought to be healed in this way; but, instead, it was the men of the place that had invited the sick that asked Jesus to allow their sick neighbors and friends to be healed in this manner. This shows not only their faith, but also their concern for others, including Christ himself. Indeed, it was easier for Christ to have the multitudes come by to touch him than for him to have to go to each one of them and touch them.
   Thus, we have here the story of rapid healing for a vast multitude. This is true miracle working power. The sicknesses and other maladies that were healed were not even named. The point was not great fanfare or the proclamation and recording of every miracle. The point was that people were helped, lots of people. Maybe today we make too much out of our sickness, and too little out of the Healer. Maybe we need to keep the focus a bit more on him, and a bit less on the magnitude of our needs.

Bible Reading: Esther 9:1-Job 3:26

Scripture Memory: 1 John 3:18 “My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth.“

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You for the Life that You have given us. Christ calls us to a great task that only You can, by Him, enable us to do. We cannot ever hope to accomplish this great goal on our own, but You are here to help us. I am so glad to be a part of Your plan. I can see that You know what is best for our future. You know where and how to lead us. You know what we need for the journey and You know the pitfalls. You can guide to the places of rest and show us the safe paths. Oh Father, You are so gracious and loving! Lead us, for we know Your way is perfect. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Prayer Requests: Pray for a woman who had a test today. Pray for a woman with several medical problems. Pray for a man who is recovering from a liver transplant.

Journal Entry #13255

Break
    Once a year I like to take a short break from my blog. I will resume on either 9-11 or 9-12. Have a great, long, weekend!

Bible Reading:  Ezra 8:1-Esther 8:17

Journal Entries 13247-13253 (or 13254)

Matthew 14:35
   These men recognized Christ from before, and worked hard to bring people to him. Though they may not have had any more faith than the disciples, Jesus blessed their efforts and healed many. We forget that Jesus performed miracles for many that we might think of as undeserving. Indeed, it took more effort to learn from Christ than it did to get a miracle from him. He performed miracles to fulfill prophecy, but he shared the truth to help people understand prophecy.

Bible Reading: Ezra 4:1-7:28

Scripture Memory: 1 John 3:18 “My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth.”

Prayer:  Heavenly Father, You are so amazingly powerful, and yet it is your Truth that awes us the most. You know the end from the beginning. There is nothing hidden from Your eyes. How can we even know a fraction of Your wisdom? You are great, and You are good. And, we are blessed to know You. It is hard to imagine eternity without a relationship with You, and yet we seem to get along without You in our own imagination quite often. May we always realize how much we depend upon You. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Prayer Requests: Pray for the head of a mission board as he travels. Pray for a man who is trying to get a certain job. Pray for a man coming home from long-term therapy.

Journal Entry #13246

Matthew 14:34
   They arrived at a delightful little place on the northwestern shore of the sea of Galilee. The towns around the lake stand in stark contrast to the storms that may be found upon the lake. They are, and especially Gennesaret, fertile, beautiful, peaceful little villages.

Bible Reading: Ezra 2:1-3:13

Scripture Memory: 1 John 3:18 “My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth.”

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You for this day. You give us so much to be thankful for. You allow us to live in peace by and large here in America. We just take that for granted. We can go out into our yards and garden and enjoy nature, and we don’t even give it a second thought. But, it is a great blessing from You. May we always remember that You are the source of all good things in our lives. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Prayer Requests: Pray for a man who just had a liver transplant. Pray for an elderly woman with health issues. Pray for a woman undergoing cancer treatments.

Journal Entry #13245

Matthew 14:33
   The disciples finally began to truly understand the nature of this man called Christ. We would think the lesson would not be hard to learn, but it was. It simply took them awhile to really grasp who he was. They did not really get it at first, even though they said that they believed he was the Christ. Isn’t that how we are today? We know that Almighty God can do anything. We know that he can lead in amazing ways and bring about tremendous transformations, and yet we fail to expect it.

Bible Reading: 2 Chronicles 35:1-Ezra 1:11

Scripture Memory: 1 John 3:18 “My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth.”

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You for Your amazing work in our lives. We sometimes fail to serve You as we should, and yet You are constantly at work on our behalf. You don’t take a break or sleep, You just keep doing great things. Help us to remember that we will never outdo You. Our service for You is nothing compared to Your love for us. Thank You for Your holiness. Thank You for the righteousness of Your Son, the Lord Jesus. Without the forgiveness that we can have through him, we would go around feeling dirty all the time. May we trust You as we should, for You are trustworthy. Thank You! In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Prayer Requests: Pray for a woman with shingles. Pray for a family that just lost a loved one over the weekend. Pray for a man who just applied for a new job.

Journal Entry #13244

Matthew 14:32
   The storm was just as much in the hand of Christ as was all the other circumstances on that day. If he had chosen, there would have been no storm that day. The disciples could already have been on the other side, waiting. He orchestrated and planned everything. He knew exactly what was going on.

Bible Reading: 2 Chronicles 32:1-34:33

Scripture Memory: 1 John 3:17  “But whoso hath this world’s good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him?“

Prayer: Heavenly Father, sometimes we have absolutely no idea what You are trying to do. We wonder what is going on, and yet, we know that we can trust You. Father, You have a beautiful plan for each of our lives, if we will only trust and depend upon that fact. We need to realize that You are always in control, no matter what happens. Thank You, Father. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Prayer Requests: Pray for a man who has serious physical problems. Pray for a young girl going this week to be checked for serious physical problems. Pray for a man recovering from a liver transplant.

Journal Entry #13243