Matthew 12:45
   Jesus would not stay there on earth forever. The Jews needed to accept him into their hearts. Yes, some of them would still have the chance to do so after his ascension. But, today is always the day of salvation. The time to accept him is always now. Later is never the message. Now is the proper time. Later may not be too late, but now is never too early.
   This generation of Jews would not only see the coming of the Messiah to them, but also the decline that would lead to the destruction of their nation. Though they were ‘cleaned out’ by John the Baptist and the Lamb himself, many of them hardened themselves to the Truth and became worse off than they were before.

Bible Reading: Numbers 11:1-13:33

Scripture Memory: 1 John 2:24 “Let that therefore abide in you, which ye have heard from the beginning. If that which ye have heard from the beginning shall remain in you, ye also shall continue in the Son, and in the Father.“

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You so much for this day! You are so good to us. We can get excited about the simplest of things. However, rather than laughing at us for having such plain tastes, You bless us in the simple things anyway. Knowing that You keep the sun in the sky not only for Your Divine purposes, but for our pleasure as well is a great comfort. Indeed, that You care about our sentiments is a glory to Your magnanimous character. You are so beneficent! May we always be thankful for Your personality. It is what makes our lives happy. Without knowing that You are there, this world would make little sense. Oh Father, teach us to live lives of worth and goodness! In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Prayer Requests: Pray for our local and national political leaders. Pray for a church that recently flooded. Pray for an elderly woman on her deathbed. Pray for a man that is going to have a test to determine if cancer treatments have been successful.

Journal Entry #13152

Matthew 12:44
   The demon returns to the man that he was cast out of. The man has attempted to put his life in order by himself. This attempt will lead to just this outcome. It makes an empty, though organized, mess. We must have Christ in us in order to be anything other than empty in our hearts.

Bible Reading: Numbers 8:1-10:36

Scripture Memory: 1 John 2:24 “Let that therefore abide in you, which ye have heard from the beginning. If that which ye have heard from the beginning shall remain in you, ye also shall continue in the Son, and in the Father.”

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You for all that Jesus does in our lives! He makes us able to live so much differently. We must rely on him to help us be the best that we can be. Oh Father, what a mercy it is to have him in our hearts! Thank You for Your power to enable us to be Your children. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Prayer Requests: Pray for a missionary family travelling in France.

Journal Entry #13151

Matthew 12:43
   The Jews though that demon spirits inhabited desert places. Thus, Jesus speaks of the demon that left the man wandering through dry places seeking rest. This gives us a small glimpse of how the minions of the devil, and even the old snake himself, operate. They are at their greatest rest when they are in the hearts of men.

Bible Reading: Numbers 7:1-89

Scripture Memory: 1 John 2:24 “Let that therefore abide in you, which ye have heard from the beginning. If that which ye have heard from the beginning shall remain in you, ye also shall continue in the Son, and in the Father.”

Prayer: Heavenly Father, all glory is Yours! You are worthy of it all! May we live to sing Your praises. May every day of our lives be a testimony of praise to You, our great Creator. You are truly the Thrice Holy Almighty God! You own us and this world. You know all their is to know about us. You know our todays, our tomorrows, and our yesterdays. You know exactly what we need and exactly who were are. Thank You for Your wisdom! You inspire us to be more than what this flesh would have us to be. You call us to embrace a greater view of what we may be through You. Oh Father, thank You for Your salvation! Thank You for our Lord Jesus! He means so much to us! In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Prayer Requests: Pray for an elderly woman on her deathbed. Pray for a local church that is going through a difficult time.

Journal Entry #13150

Matthew 12:42
   The Queen of Sheba, who Christ here refers to, came to see about all that she had heard concerning Solomon. Although she was a Gentile, she was impressed not only with the greatness of Solomon, but also with the greatness of Almighty God. She recognized God’s hand and his wisdom in putting wise Solomon over the people of Israel. And yet, these Jews in Jesus’ day could not recognize the Messiah himself! Surely the Queen of Sheba would have responded differently to Christ than these hypocritical Jewish leaders.

Bible Reading: Numbers 5:1-6:27

Scripture Memory: 1 John 2:24 “Let that therefore abide in you, which ye have heard from the beginning. If that which ye have heard from the beginning shall remain in you, ye also shall continue in the Son, and in the Father.”

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You for this lovely day. You always give us just what we need, even though we do not always think so. We tend to want more than we need. Oh Father, may we learn to be happy with Your supply! You always fill us full with good things. We try to gorge ourselves on junk. You are always providing for us, You love us so much. Thank You! In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Prayer Requests: Pray for a man who has back pain.

Journal Entry #13149

Matthew 12:41
   Jesus knows how the judgment at the end will play out, for he is the judge. The story of Jonah was so fitting to show these false leaders of the Jews how hypocritical they were. Jonah really did not want the Gentile people of Nineveh to repent, and yet they did. Here, Jesus was doing all that could be done to get Jewish people to repent, and yet they would not. What an amazing contrast! He went to his own, and they did not receive him. Jesus call to repentance, being far greater than Jonah, should bring anyone to their knees.

Bible Reading: Numbers 3:1-4:49

Scripture Memory: 1 John 2:24 “Let that therefore abide in you, which ye have heard from the beginning. If that which ye have heard from the beginning shall remain in you, ye also shall continue in the Son, and in the Father.”

Prayer: Heavenly Father, we know that You are the Great Potter, and that we are the humble clay. It is so wonderful to know that You love us so much that You work on our lives. You call us to Yourself by Your Son. He brings us to You and tells us Your Truth. He gives us Your Spirit in our hearts and lives. How can we ever understand the fullness of this mercy and grace? Your goodness is overwhelming! Knowing that Jesus himself atones for us, that he is our offering before You, is such a blessing. We are so glad to know the Son, so that we may know You, Father. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Prayer Requests: Pray for two families that just lost loved ones. Pray for a lady with a serious infection.

Journal Entry #13148

Matthew 12:40
   The story of Jonah was so appropriate for Christ to pick. The book of Jonah reveals the love of God in such a unique way. Just as Jonah spent time in the whale for his disobedience, Jesus spent some time in the grave for all of ours.

Bible Reading: Numbers 1:1-2:34

Scripture Memory: 1 John 2:24 “Let that therefore abide in you, which ye have heard from the beginning. If that which ye have heard from the beginning shall remain in you, ye also shall continue in the Son, and in the Father.”

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You for all that You have done in the past for us. So much of what we have in Christ happened before we were ever born. It is amazing to realize that You loved us before we knew what love was. Each day You lead and guide us by Your Spirit, and through Your Word. We know that You are present with us all the time. In the days ahead, no matter what happens, we know that You are in control. You already have it all planned out, and You know when everything will all work out. It is so good to know You! Thank You, Father, for Jesus! In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Prayer Requests: Pray for a little girl who is going to have an adenoidectomy soon.

Journal Entry #1314

Matthew 12:39
   Jesus is reminding the Jews of their unfaithfulness to the Lord God. They wanted a sign because their fathers had killed the prophets. They were not willing to believe his miracles. They were not willing to consider the evidence from Scripture. Thus, they had committed spiritual adultery against Almighty God.

Bible Reading: Leviticus 26:1-27:34

Scripture Memory: 1 John 2:23 “Whosoever denieth the Son, the same hath not the Father: (but) he that acknowledgeth the Son hath the Father also.“

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You for all that You have done for us. You are so gracious and merciful to us. We owe You all the praise and glory. You are worthy of it all! Thank You for Jesus! In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Prayer Requests: Pray for a woman who has a bad infection and is elderly.

Journal Entry #13146

Matthew 12:38
   It is very important not to miss what is being asked for here. The Jewish leaders were well aware that Jesus had performed miracles. However, they were not asking for miracles specifically. They were asking for a sign. In other words, they wanted him to do something specifically for his own benefit. This would be the same as Satan tempting him to make stones into bread, or to jump off of the temple pinnacle. It was not a part of the Divine plan for Jesus to go around doing tricks for people. His miracles fulfilled prophecy. They were done for the benefit of others. This is the difference between the miracles of Christ and the works of the  devil. The devil is always out for a show. This is why Jesus refused to do anything as a result of their request. Pointing them to the resurrection was the only hope for their dark souls.

Bible Reading: Leviticus 24:1-25:55

Scripture Memory: 1 John 2:23 “Whosoever denieth the Son, the same hath not the Father: (but) he that acknowledgeth the Son hath the Father also.”

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You for always making Your work in our world obvious to us. You do not leave Yourself without a witness in any corner of this globe. Your Truth has traveled far and wide. You are so merciful to fallen humanity. 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 couple of people having heart trouble. Pray for a woman with bronchitis. Pray for a couple that are under the weather. Pray for a girl that just started a new job.

Journal Entry #13145

Matthew 12:37
   Our words are heard by others. Our words are heard by Almighty God. Our words can likely be heard by the devil and his minions. Our words can be head by angels if God permits it. Thus, our words are very important. They reflect our heart, our thoughts, and our will. It is because of all this that our words are a very good measure by which the Lord will judge us.

Bible Reading: Leviticus 22:1-23:44

Scripture Memory: 1 John 2:23 “Whosoever denieth the Son, the same hath not the Father: (but) he that acknowledgeth the Son hath the Father also.”

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You for Your answers to life’s questions. Sometimes we don’t always understand everything about them, but they are always the best. We will praise You for Your manifold wisdom, and Your great grace. You always want what is best for us, and You always care. Thank You for Your great faithfulness! In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Prayer Requests: Pray for a woman in critical condition in the hospital. Pray for a woman with sinuses. Pray for two men recovering from physical pains.

Journal Entry #13144

Matthew 12:36
   We have all heard the old adage, if you have nothing good to say, say nothing at all. Well, this verse gives us good reason to heed that advice. If you have nothing good to say, be sure you’ll hear what you did say again. This verse lets us know that what we say means a great deal to Almighty God.

Bible Reading: Leviticus 19:1-21:24

Scripture Memory: 1 John 2:23 “Whosoever denieth the Son, the same hath not the Father: (but) he that acknowledgeth the Son hath the Father also.”

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You for always helping us to understand things that we don’t understand at first. You are very merciful. Thank You for giving Your wisdom freely, even though we do not deserve it. You are so perfect, and yet perfectly wonderful to us, imperfect beings. Thank You. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Prayer Requests: Pray for a church making some decisions. Pray for a woman with bronchitis. Pray for a man who is working a lot.

Journal Entry #13143