Matthew 13:25
   While the ministers of good are lax, the enemy will find every opportunity to subvert the Truth. In this case, he implants counterfeits among the harvest. The ‘tares’ to which Jesus here refers were actually a type of weed that looked just like wheat. Until the ears began to appear, they were indistinguishable from the wheat. Indeed, many a false Christian will only be identified by the lack of true fruit. When souls are being won to Christ, the tares will either fake conversions, or fail to produce. True fruit will reveal true Christians.

Bible Reading: Judges 5:1-7:25

Scripture Memory: 1 John 3:2 “Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.”

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You for being patient with our selfishness. You have done so much for us. We do not deserve all of Your blessings! We could never catch up with all Your kindnesses if we began listing them now. To catalog Your blessings upon our lives would surely fill our lives. We must humbly serve the One who will never forget our most basic needs. You have our best in Your eye. You will never do anything that is not good for us. Thank You for Your amazing grace and love! In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Prayer Requests: Pray for a young family travelling on vacation this week.

Journal Entry #13182

Matthew  13:24
   Unlike the previous parable, this one shows us the nature of the saved world. God intends to raise up a large group of saved persons, but they will live in this world. Thus, the lost and the saved will live together. Rather than rooting up the lost, the Lord chooses to allow his children to grow among them. This is the nature of our present world.

Bible Reading: Judges 2:1-4:24

Scripture Memory: 1 John 3:2 “Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.”

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You for giving Your wisdom freely to us. You re so kind and good to give perfect gifts to undeserving man. You are so loving to Your creations. Nobody could accuse You of not taking care of what You have made. You are truly amazing and unique in all of this universe. Great is thy faithfulness! In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Prayer Requests: Pray for a woman in an abusive relationship.

Journal Entry #13181

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