Matthew 13:23
   The seed on good ground represents those who are truly converted. All who are born again will bear fruit, though not all the same amount. Though many might say it is our fault if we do not all bear a hundredfold, God blesses as he chooses as well. We must be obedient, but it is possible to be obedient and have a lower yield than we might expect. Our job is to be faithful.

Bible Reading: Joshua 23:1-Judges 1:36

Scripture Memory: 1 John 3:1 “Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not.“

Prayer: Heavenly Father, You are always there for us whenever we need You.  Your faithfulness and steadfast love are amazing. It would not be possible to overstate Your goodness. How can we ever praise You enough for how You are. You are wonderful to us. Thank You for Your Son. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Prayer Requests: Pray for a woman recovering from a fall.

Journal Entry #13180

Matthew 13:22
   How many will come to the end of their lives only to find that the cares of this world have robbed them of the only precious thing they ever had? Money makes the world go round, and it has choked the life out of many well-meaning persons. We often live our lives looking for promises for tomorrow today only to find the the disappointments of yesterday again.

Bible Reading: Joshua 20:1-22:34

Scripture Memory: 1 John 3:1 “Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not.”

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You for understanding what we are looking for. Thank You for meeting our needs in such a satisfying, day-at-a-time, way. We always think we need things immediately, but You know the perfect time for everything. Your infinite wisdom is a great help to our simple lives. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Prayer Requests: Pray for the family of a young man who just died unexpectedly.

Journal Entry #13179

Matthew 13:21
   Persecution is, unfortunately, one of the most accurate tests of true faith. These, having turned to Christ in their own power, had not been born again into God’s family, and were thus unable to endure much. Affliction in this life will not deter the faith of the child of God.

Bible Reading: Joshua 16:1-19:51

Scripture Memory: 1 John 3:1 “Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not.”

Prayer: Heavenly Father, help us to be true and genuine. Lord we know that so many are simply living an act. They are trying to be Christians by their own power. We must not rely on ourselves, but on You alone. Father, thank You for new life in Christ! In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Prayer Requests: Pray for a man having problems with his leg.

Journal Entry #13178

Matthew 13:20
   Many who appear to be converted fall into this category. Indeed, as you move along here, fewer and fewer fit into each category. There is a narrowing effect. In this case we see those who understand the message and even mentally accept it. However, they do so on their own power. They try it out as if it is yet another of the myriads of religions and philosophies of this world.

Bible Reading: Joshua 13:1-15:63

Scripture Memory: 1 John 3:1 “Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not.”

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You for the gospel. You have given us so much. We will tell others of Your great love. You are worth serving. You are worthy of all our praise, and all our lives. Thank You for Your Truth, and what it means to us. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Prayer Requests: Pray for a man with shoulder pain.

Journal Entry #13177

Matthew 13:19
   When people hear God’s Word, but fail to understand it, the enemy has an easy job. This planting of Truth is not even a planting. It is just a superficial hearing. However, many, many people will fall through the cracks because they think they already know about Jesus. They remember hearing about him. They remember that it did not make any difference to them. They assume that there was nothing to it. Assumptions can be eternally dangerous.

Bible Reading: Joshua 10:1-12:24

Scripture Memory: 1 John 3:1 “Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not.”

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You for Your love and faithfulness. Thank You for Your mercy and grace. Thank You for not giving up on us. You could certainly do so if You wished and be justified. But, Your goodness is too wonderful to allow it. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Prayer Requests: Pray for a man recovering from a four-wheeler accident.

Journal Entry #13176

Matthew 13:18
   The parables of Christ are not just an example of great teaching. They are also, in their content, the greatest of all teachings the world has ever heard. For instance, we have, in this parable, the single most straightforward explanation of the manner of the spread of the gospel. There is no better teaching on this subject. Anyone seeking to elucidate upon the manner of the reception of the gospel by humanity would be remiss to leave out this gem. It is impossible to escape from the eternal relevance of the teachings of Jesus Christ.

Bible Reading: Joshua 7:1-9:27

Scripture Memory: 1 John 3:1 “Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not.”

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You for the gospel. We are so thankful for the day that You saved our souls. I will never forget what you have done in my life. You have made me altogether new. Salvation is the best thing that could or will ever happen to me. There is just nothing like it! Thank You for the message about Your Son. Thank You for sending him to us. You are so gracious! I love You! In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Prayer Requests: Pray for Christians all over the world seeking to make their relationship with the Lord stronger.

Journal Entry #13175

Matthew 13:17
   Often we forget how much more we have even today than did those saints in the Old Testament. We have come to feel somehow as if they were so much closer to the beginning that they must have known more than we do. Yet, this is not the case. We have all of God’s Word at our fingertips. It is a great privilege to have the time and resources available to us in this age.

Bible Reading: Joshua 3:1-6:27

Scripture Memory: 1 John 3:1 “Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not.”

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You for this day, and every day that You give us to learn more about You. We are so forgetful of Your blessings. But, You are always gracious and willing to give more Truth to those who will seek it. You are worthy of all the praise we can give on this wonderful Sunday. Help us to always have our mouths full of thanksgiving. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Prayer Requests: Pray for a woman with spiritual needs.

Journal Entry #13174

Matthew 13:16
   We often take for granted the fact that we have access to God’s Truth. It should never be taken for granted. There have been those who did not have access. There have been dark times in history. We must be thankful for the great blessings we have.

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

Scripture Memory: 1 John 2:29 “If ye know that he is righteous, ye know that every one that doeth righteousness is born of him.“

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank you for making the Truth available to us. You are so gracious to allow us to hear Your words and share them with others. To have the Bible in our hands is such an amazing blessing! In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Prayer Requests: Pray for a man with spiritual needs.

Journal Entry #13173

Matthew 13:15
   Notice that it is the people who had willfully ignored God’s truth. Indeed, it is stated quite plainly that God would forgive them most certainly if they were to repent. This is a great principle. God always forgives those who truly turn to him and repent. There are no exceptions.

Bible Reading: Deuteronomy 30:1-32:52

Scripture Memory: 1 John 2:29 “If ye know that he is righteous, ye know that every one that doeth righteousness is born of him.”

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You for always being merciful to us when we come to You with a heart of repentance. You never fail us, we just fail You. Thank You for telling us the Truth and not a lie. You are so just and fair in what You do and do not do. If You were not so good, You would not be so great. But, You are the great Source of all good in life. 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 the family of a woman who just died. Pray for a man who is having surgery on his foot.

Journal Entry #13172

Matthew 13:14
   This is a quote from Isaiah 6:9-10. Isaiah was told to tell his hearers that they would not hear him. This was not only true for his day, but is a recurring theme for the Jews. Though they have been given much truth, many have rejected that truth. Paul also quoted this passage when he was witnessing to the Jews at Rome. Like so many others, there were those among the Jews in Paul’s day who refused to accept the truth of the gospel.
   One very important thing to remember here is that this is a voluntary blinding. Some have come to the conclusion that Almighty God simply decided not to allow these people to believe. That is only true in a sense. He has prevented them from hearing the truth that has been given them, but only because they had already rejected the truth before. This is one of the dangers of not listening to Almighty God. Sometimes he will continue to give you the truth even though he knows you will reject it. It just makes the rejection that much worse. He will get the glory,and it will be apparent that you are missing a blessing.

Bible Reading: Deuteronomy 28:1-29:29

Scripture Memory: 1 John 2:29 “If ye know that he is righteous, ye know that every one that doeth righteousness is born of him.”

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You for reaching out to us with Your Truth. Though You know that many of us will reject it, You still make it available anyhow. It is so good to know that You actually want us to know You. You want us to have a desire for You. You want us to hunger and thirst for a deeper relationship with You. Thank You for that comfort. It is amazing how much that helps. Just knowing that You actually care about what we do with Your Truth shows us how important it is to our lives. Every word that You say is precious. It all means so much because it come to us from Your heart. You love us, and that is why You have given us the Truth. Though it may difficult for us to accept, it is better than being told a lie. Thank you for not just giving us what we want. So often we get what we want only to find it cannot satisfy. You can satisfy, and we love You for it. Thank You for Your Son, and salvation through him! In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Prayer Requests: Pray for a man trying to get a lot done at work. Pray for a woman recovering from surgery on her vocal cords. Pray for a man trying to get a second opinion on a medical condition. Pray for the family of a man that just died. Pray for a national missionary facing many challenges.

Journal Entry #13171