Matthew 12:13
   There can be no doubt that Jesus here did something that nobody else could do, and yet the Pharisees ignored it. The devil could not restore the joints and rebuild the fingers of this man as Jesus did here so easily. Many may claim to heal another, but this sort of healing you will not see. Only God can do this. There was no trickery here, it was the work of the Lord. The Pharisees could not have known anyone who had the power to do such wonders and yet turned out truly to be nothing more than a servant of the devil. Thus, their rejection of Christ is without excuse. They had to intentionally ignore the evidence and the convincing nature of his words.

Bible Reading: Genesis 46:1-48:22

Scripture Memory: 1 John 2:17 “And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.”

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You for another day of life. We so easily forget all of the blessings that You give us. I would imagine that the man with the withered hand was always thankful for his hand from that day forward. But, are we thankful for our hands, if they have never been withered? Oh Father, not only do You give us our healthy hands, but You also allow us to help in Your service. What an honor! You know the best use of our hands, our tongues, our minds, our whole selves. You make our lives worth something. Thank You for all that You do! In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Prayer Requests: Pray for a young man recovering from a fall. Pray for a Christian police officer.

Journal Entry #13120

Matthew 12:12
   Though some today in our mixed-up world would try to deny it, Jesus valued human life over that of animals. If the Jews were expected to value the life of their animals, saving them from harm on the Sabbath, how much more should they care for other people? Jesus always used very convincing answers like this. The enemies of Christ were always left speechless before him.

Bible Reading: Genesis 43:1-45:28

Scripture Memory: 1 John 2:17 “And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.”

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You for always being kind to us. We do not have to ask You to be good, You just are good. You do not make us serve You, You let us choose to do so. You do not make us praise You, but we choose to do so. You are so wonderful! 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 needs a lung transplant. Pray for a man with back pain.

Journal Entry #13119

Matthew 12:11
   Jesus knew not only the laws of the Old Testament, but also the traditions of the Jewish leaders. As he did when he went to the temple at age twelve, he asked questions that they had a hard time answering. The Jewish leaders themselves would put their animals over the Sabbath. They felt it was justified.

Bible Reading: Genesis 41:1-42:38

Scripture Memory: 1 John 2:17 “And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.”

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You for the opportunity to praise You and thank You. Though we often forget it, You have given us our body to use to worship You. We should be so thankful for all that You do for us. Your mercy, grace, and love are so overwhelming. Thank You, Father. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Prayer Requests: Pray for Christians who are being persecuted in Cameroon. Pray for a woman who needs a lung transplant.

Journal Entry #13118

Matthew 12:10
   The Jewish leaders were always trying to trip Jesus up with their questions. The sad thing is that they thought they really had something with this one. There were traditions that said you could not heal any but he most urgent physical need on the Sabbath. In other words, since this man’s life was not in immediate jeopardy, his healing would have to wait. Of course, they couldn’t heal him anyway.
   Jesus faced several questions such as this one in his ministry. He always responded very directly. He never seemed flustered. The answers seemed obvious once he had stated them, yet none would have thought of them before he did. He knows the Truth because he is the Truth.

Bible Reading: Genesis 38:1-40:23

Scripture Memory: 1 John 2:17 “And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.”

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You for always helping us to know the Truth. No matter what we deal with in life, You give us an accurate picture of what is right. That is a real help to us. In a world where so much is a lie, Truth is a great comfort. Your Word helps us in such practical ways. You are worthy of our thanks and praise. May we never forget it! In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Prayer Requests: Pray for a woman with pneumonia.

Journal Entry #13117

Matthew 12:9
   It is often overlooked that Jesus made it a habit to go to the synagogue. Though we might think this only natural, it was not necessarily required of him. He could have avoided contention on many occasions by avoiding this practice. Furthermore, we never see him contending with the Jews about how they conducted their worship in these places. Instead, the contention was always from the Jews themselves. Sometimes we forget, as they seemed to, that Jesus is Jewish too.

Bible Reading: Genesis 36:1-37:36

Scripture Memory: 1 John 2:16 “For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.“

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You for Jesus! Thank You for answered prayer! Thank You for always being in control. You know everything that will happen. You have it all figured out. You are worthy of all the praise! In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Prayer Requests: Pray for the safety of Christians in Cameroon. Pray for a man with back pain. Pray for a man who just had a heart attack.

Journal Entry #13116

Matthew 12:8
   Jesus makes a statement here that would be very offensive to the Pharisees. Yet, he says ti anyway because it is true. This is a great lesson to us about telling the Truth. No matter how unpopular it may be, the Truth is always best.

Bible Reading: Genesis 33:1-35:29

Scripture Memory: 1 John 2:16 “For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.”

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You for this life You have given us through Jesus Christ. It is great to meet other people who know Christ as well. We can all share in our appreciation of the life that You give us through Him. Thank You for all that Jesus means to us. Only You know all that You do for us through Him. Thank You for Your wonderful plan of salvation and the life that it allows us to live. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Prayer Requests: Pray for some missionaries who are travelling. Pray for a small church making a lot of choices right now.

Journal Entry #13115

Matthew 12:7
   This is a direct reference to Hosea 6:6. The Jewish leaders were simply keeping up the deficiencies that the Jews had exhibited for several hundred years. Their emphasis on external ritual and tradition was a poor substitute for true obedience in their heart. Jesus makes it clear that the disciples were not guilty of any wrongdoing in this matter.

Bible Reading: Genesis 31:1-32:32

Scripture Memory: 1 John 2:16 “For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.”

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You for those times when You choose to bless us so much that we are amazed. Your blessings are always a mercy to us, but sometimes they are just overwhelming. Thank You for willingly giving to us in spite of ourselves. You are very gracious. How can we thank You enough for all that You do? Oh Father, You are the most important One in our lives! In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Prayer Requests: Pray for a man who is unresponsive. Pray for a man with an infection.

Journal Entry #13114

Matthew 12:6
   If the Pharisees had believed at all what Jesus says in this verse they would never have questioned him. Jesus knows this, but says it anyway. Jesus did not hide the fact that he was the Messiah. If he was the One who made the Sabbath holy, he could regulate it as he saw fit.

Bible Reading: Genesis 29:1-30:43

Scripture Memory: 1 John 2:16 :For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.”

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You for all that You do in our lives each day. We take so much for granted. Though we miss it when it is gone we forget the good health that You bless us with. We are so quick to want blessings, but slow to give You all the thanks for them. Father, You are patient with us, and that is a blessing too! Thank You for the blessing of salvation through Your Son, Jesus Christ. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Prayer Requests: Pray for a woman who is getting used to a new nursing home. Pray for a man in a coma.

Journal Entry #13113

Matthew 12:5
   In this verse Jesus is building up to something. God could obviously interpret his own law. If he allowed the priests to work on the Sabbath, that was his choice.

Bible Reading: Genesis 27:1-28:22

Scripture Memory: 1 John 2:16 “For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.”

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You for Your perfect law! It shows us Your standard and helps us to understand our need for Christ. You are so good to give it to us. You have made Your laws obvious to us, even though we often break them. Thank You for Your great mercy in this. Thank You for Christ, who saves us from our transgressions. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Prayer Requests: Pray for a missionary in Africa. Pray for a woman being checked for cancer.

Journal Entry #13112

Matthew 12:4
   David and his men did as they did for the cause of need. They would not have been able to bring food with them and were running for their lives. Jesus was using this illustration to remind the Pharisees that their were exceptions to the law. The actions of Jesus’ disciples did not require an exception of the law, but a relaxing of the oral traditions that the Pharisees followed. He is saying by this argument that if David could be innocent while clearly doing something the law forbade, his disciples could surely be innocent while doing something that was only against their traditions.

Bible Reading: Genesis 25:1-26:35

Scripture Memory: 1 John 2:16 “For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.”

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You for the Lord Jesus! His words in the gospels are so nice to be able to read. All of Your Word is precious, but to have the very words that Christ spoke here on earth is very nice. You are worthy of all our praise and adoration. You always know the best things to tell us about. You guide us in the best ways. You bless us more than we could ever deserve. Thank You for allowing us to glorify You. That is a privilege that we sometimes forget. To honor You is the goal of our lives. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Prayer Requests: Pray for a lady having trouble with her stomach. Pray for a minister with a rare glandular disorder.

Journal Entry #13111