36: The multitudes came to Christ. The hurried masses of the common people assembled about their true hero. They recognized that Christ held the answers they could find nowhere else. He saw them in droves. He was not impressed by how many came, or by what they thought of him. This would be our thoughts. No, Jesus thought of their great needs. He knew of needs that the people did not even know they had. It is the same today, Jesus can see into the heart of the masses and hear the cry of their hearts, even if they are deaf to it.
   He has compassion. The word here is σπλαγχνίζομαι, which refers to the seat of the emotions being deeply moved. In our day, the heart is seen as the seat of the emotions. In that day it was the bowels, or the spleen. Jesus was moved to sympathy. Sympathy is a surprising and wonderful thing to get from Jesus. It means that he feels like we feel. He identifies with us. How wonderful is that!
   Without a shepherd, sheep will wander themselves into all kinds of dangers and troubles. They faint in that they will lie down and seemingly give up, beset by adversaries on every side. They wander about, not knowing the best rout for their well-being. They are very much a fitting illustration of humanity without Christ.

Daily Bible Reading: Luke 18:1-19:48

Daily Memory Verse: 1 John 1:9 “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

Daily Tidbit: 1 John 1:9 is a great comfort to us. And yet, we may easily miss a big blessing right in the verse. If we confess our sins, he forgives us for those sins. However, our estimation of our sins is defective. We need his help to truly grasp the depth of our unrighteousness. Thus, Jesus is not only faithful to remove sins that we confess; but, on the basis of genuine confession, he cleanses us from all that stands between us and Almighty God.

Praise Journal: Heavenly Father, our Lord God Almighty, thank You for another day to know You. Each day with You is better than the day before. Though we know that You know what we are thinking, our praise bring honor to You. We will sing Your praises all the days of our lives. We will be joyful in the house of the Lord. We will come before You in delight for evermore. You are so worthy! Almighty God, we long to know You more. We want to lift You up in our praises. We know You are already high and lifted up, but You want us to lift You up in our hearts and lives. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Prayer Journal Highlights: Pray for a five-year-old with Ewing’s Sarcoma. Pray for a man who just had a heart attack. Pray for a woman’s unspoken request.

Personal Journal Entry #13039

35: We would do well not to miss this verse. Though it contains no exciting stories, and appears only as a summary, yet it is a blessing as well. For one thing, we can see here that the ministry of Christ was widespread. He did not fail to get around to visiting places that might otherwise be seen as ‘out of the way’ and unimportant. This is a model for us upon whom the end of the world comes. Jesus commands us to go everywhere. This means not just to every country, or to every city, but to every place. If the gospel had been preached in every corner of the globe except for some small island that might have very few inhabitants, it would still be our duty to preach even there.
   Next, we must see the manner of Jesus’ ministry. He taught in the synagogues. Though many might disdain teaching the gospel in a place that was not built specifically for that purpose, one must remember that not every synagogue ruler responded positively to the message of Christ. Nowadays we seem only to want to preach the Word were we feel it may be likely to be accepted, rather than were we know it must be preached.
   Jesus preaching was the gospel. There has been much discussion over the delineation of the ‘kingdoms’ of Scripture. This discussion can become confusing, heated, complicated, and otherwise intense. However, may I suggest one thing to keep in mind? Jesus is the King of them all, no matter how many you may think are delineated in the Bible. He brings glory to the Father by his Kingship, which he receives from the Father. The good news of the kingdom is the good news about Christ, for he is the King and the kingdom.
   Finally, take note of what Jesus did among the people. He ministered to the common mass of society. It would be hard to prove that Jesus left anyone out. His ministry reached to the lowest, and the highest. Beyond this, we see that he healed ‘every’ sickness and disease. Nowadays we have so-called faith healers. You will find with these certain aliments missing. Why? It is easy to say that a bad back has been cured, but to restore a limb gnawed off by leprosy? That is a true miracle! To help a man who is hard-of-hearing is one thing. But, to put a man’s ear back on after it has been severed from his head by a sword, that is a miracle. Jesus is the real deal, no phony show.

Daily Bible Reading: Luke 15:1-17:37

Daily Memory Verse: 1 John 1:8 “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.“

Daily Tidbit: The story of the prodigal son in Luke 15 has inspired many. We love the beautiful picture of forgiveness that is found there. And yet, I cannot help but think that many today would react differently than the father in the story. Now I think many fathers would go to one of to extremes. Some would be like the older brother and fail to forgive the prodigal. Others would find nothing wrong with what the prodigal had done, and would thus receive him back with joy, but not with love. The proper response that we see in this story is a lesson to us today. Forgive sinners, remembering that we are all sinful. However, never forget that there is something that needs to be forgiven, and repented from.

Praise Journal: Heavenly Father thank You for Your forgiveness! Many people think You are too hard on our sins. But, the extent of our sin only serves to highlight the amazing power of Your grace. Though we would not sin only that grace may abound, it is so good to know that sin cannot overcome Your grace. You are able to forgive, always, those who truly repent. Father, Your love in this is astounding! To think that You care for us is well nigh unbelievable. Thank You for sending Christ to this old broken world to fix our mess. He is such a comfort to us! Knowing that we have a Mediator on Your right hand really makes a difference. We can feel that You are not listening to us grudgingly, but willingly. We can feel that You listen as if Christ makes the requests for us, for surely he does. Oh, how nice! May we never take it for granted! Thank You for all that You mean to me! In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Prayer Journal Highlights: Pray for a woman who just had braces put on her legs.

Personal Journal Entry #13038

33: The key thing to recognize here is the crowd’s association of Jesus’ miracles with an exception in Jewish history. What they are literally saying is that Jesus did greater miracles than all who had gone before him. This response, though brought on by Jesus’ healing of the mute man with the demon, was likely due to a recognition of the nature of many of the miracles he had done. These were not things that happened every day, to say the least. Even the great prophets Elijah and Elisha, who arguably performed more miracles than most in the Old Testament, could not top the power of Christ. Furthermore, the authority of Jesus was, throughout the gospels, recognized by those who saw and heard him.
34: The Pharisees had to say something. They were forced into some type of statement because of the evidence of Jesus’ identity as the Messiah. Their response only serves as more evidence. If Jesus had been easy to argue against, or disprove, their response would have been far different. Instead, they blasphemed the Holy Spirit and said that Jesus cast out demons by the power of the devil. That they addressed his ability to cast out demons above all else is vital. The reason reveals that they understood that his authority over the forces of the devil was a huge proof of his Messianic identity.

Daily Bible Reading: Luke 13:1-14:35

Daily Memory Verse: 1 John 1:8 “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.”

Daily Tidbit: Ewing’s Sarcoma is a cancer of the bones or soft tissues. It is quite rare. It is usually found in bones such as the pelvis, humerus, ribs, or clavicle. It is named after the man who discovered the disease and distinguished it from other forms of cancer. A person can survive with treatment, depending upon how the disease develops.

Praise Journal: Heavenly Father, thank You so much for this wonderful day! You have, by Your power, given us such hope for our lives. I cannot ever thank You enough for the difference that You make in my life. It is such a joy and privilege to serve You. You are worthy of all my adoration. Never will I ever find the perfect word to describe You, Almighty God. Your name alone is enough to inspire all that I can muster in the way of vocabulary. Every characteristic of Your personality is precious to me. It thrills my soul to think of constant fellowship with You, and yet You offer just that. Can  I ever ask for more? I will joy in asking for more of You every day of my life. It is a pleasure to pursue You. You are worth finding out, like a treasure that is worth digging for. Thank You, Father, for Your Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. He is precious to me! In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Prayer Journal Highlights: Pray for several people who are sick. Pray for a man who just had a heart attack. Pray for a woman’s unspoken request. Pray for a woman who just had stints put in. Pray for a five-year-old girl with Ewing’s Sarcoma.

Personal Journal Entry #13037

32: The construction of the words here lets us know that the ‘they’ refers to the two blind men, now healed. They went out and found this man, who they evidently knew, and brought him to Christ. As funny as it may sound, this was just as much an act of faith as believing that Jesus could heal them. Many of us, receiving great things from Almighty God, fail to share our knowledge of him with others. We think that he cannot help in their troubles. We are afraid, or lazy, and do not talk to them about him. These men likely had this in their plans the whole time. Once they had their sight, they knew just what they would do. Though Jesus had told them to keep quiet about their miracle, this one was done in public. This may partially explain their failure to keep their miracle quiet.

Daily Bible Reading: Luke 11:1-12:59

Daily Memory Verse: 1 John 1:8 “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.

Daily Tidbit: Romans 12:21 “Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.”

Praise Journal: Heavenly Father, thank You for all that You have done. You give us the strength to face another day in spite of ourselves. We need Your help so much! But, You never seem to tire of our neediness. Thank You for Your faithfulness to remember the frailty of our existence, and to bless our lives so richly. Without You, life is truly meaningless. I cannot ever overestimate the importance of all that You have done in my life. Thank You for Jesus! In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Prayer Journal Highlights: Today, join me in praying for pastors all over this nation. We need men who will be faithful to the little things, and depend upon Almighty God when they face big things.

Personal Journal Entry #13036

31: Often we must remember that the obvious thing may not be the best thing. Though these men sought to honor Christ before others by spreading the news, they could have honored him more by obeying him better. Now his command to us is to publish the gospel everywhere, and we seem to have trouble obeying that! Either way, it is a matter of obedience.

Daily Bible Reading: Luke 9:1-10:42

Daily Memory Verse: 1 John 1:7 “But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.”

Daily Tidbit: When the business of life gets to be overwhelming, let Jesus help you make it through.

Praise Journal: Heavenly Father, thank You for all that You have done for us. You are truly gracious and wonderful. You love is more than we could ever ask for. We will never be able to fully understand the full measure of Your love. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Prayer Journal Highlights: Pray for a mother and her son that both have cancer.

Personal Journal Entry #13035

30: Jesus order to these men must be commented on. We must keep in mind that we do not know the exact situation in any case. What can be said is that faith, even during times when miracles were very common, should never be based solely upon miracles if at all possible. Faith based solely upon miracles doe snot mature as quickly, or well, as that based upon the Word of Almighty God.

Daily Bible Reading: Luke 8:1-56

Daily Memory Verse: 1 John 1:7 “But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.”

Daily Tidbit:  1 Corinthians chapter 6 reminds us in verse 13 that our body belongs to the Lord. Do we live like it?

Praise Journal: Heavenly Father, thank You for this day! You are worthy of our praise at all times, but Sunday is so special. It reminds us of Your constant care for us. It reminds us of our need to be devoted to You all the time, not just on this day of the week. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Prayer Journal Highlights: Pray for the family of a lady that just passed away.

Personal Journal Entry #13034

29: According to your faith is the message of Almighty God throughout history. All that we receive shall be according to our faith. Salvation is received by faith. God’s word is accepted by faith. The Christian life is lived by faith. Jesus is looking for faith. That is what he wants, that is what he asks for, that is what he expects to find. Genuine faith will take care of the rest, for our works will follow our faith.

Daily Bible Reading: Luke 6:1-7:50

Daily Memory Verse: 1 John 1:7 “But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.”

Daily Tidbit: Samuel Francis Smith, who wrote ‘My Country, ‘Tis of Thee,’ was a Baptist. He was influential in the beginnings of Baptist interest in foreign missions.

Praise Journal: Heavenly Father, Your ways are always best. Giving us Your Word, and simply asking for faith, is the best way. Salvation is a beautiful plan, and we are glad to be recipients of it. It is never embarrassing to explain Your way, because it is so wonderful. We will live to serve in Your plan. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Prayer Journal Highlights: Pray for a woman with a tumor in her heart. Pray for a family that just recently lost a loved one.

Personal Journal Entry #13033

28: These two men were very persistent. Jesus may have had others following him saying things like they said, only without a genuine heart of belief. There were likely many in the crowds who only repeated what others had said. That these men continued to pursue him showed the genuine nature of their faith.

Daily Bible Reading: Luke 4:1-5:39

Daily Memory Verse: 1 John 1:7 “But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.”

Daily Tidbit: Ephesians 6:6 tells us about not trying to please others. How many of us really take that to heart?

Praise Journal: Heavenly Father, thank You for this glorious day! I am glad that no matter how rushed we are, You are always right on time. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Prayer Journal Highlights: Pray for a man with a cold.

Personal Journal Entry #13032

27: The address of these blind men to Christ is more complete than what we hear from the lips of those who see. They did two very significant things by how they called for him. First, to address Christ as the Son of David was no common salutation. Though any male descendant of David might be referred to in this way, it was not how people would have referred to any other of David’s descendants. Thus, this is very specifically used, and has a very specific meaning. These men were recognizing Jesus as the Messiah of Israel, and nothing less. Jesus ran into few during his ministry who actually recognized his identity publicly.
   Second, to ask for mercy was quite appropriate. This is not to say that the men were asking only for forgiveness from sin. They were asking for healing. However, using the term ‘mercy’ carries with it an understanding that all physical malady has sin as its root cause. They were recognizing and admitting that, though their desire was to be healed, the Messiah would know and be able to forgive their sin as well. What a great measure of faith we see then on the part of those less privileged than the masses.

Daily Bible Reading: Luke 2:1-3:38

Daily Memory Verse: 1 John 1:6 “If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth:“

Daily Tidbit: While the number of men, and women, is constantly increasing, the number of good husbands, and wives, is constantly decreasing. For those looking to be married some day, keep this very important thing in mind. Let Almighty God find the best one for you.

Praise Journal: Heavenly Father, thank you for this wonderful day. Lord, you are always there. I never can understand how You can live me so much and be so faithful to love me and be concerned about me. But, I won’t complain! Oh Father, You are truly the best friend we could ever have! I can’t get over how You are always there for me all the time. I wake up in the morning not ready to ‘be there’ for anybody, and yet You have been with me all through the night. I need You every hour! I am so glad that You don;t get tired of my needyness. You never complain or tell me to go away. You give me strength for each day and a sense of newness every morning. It is revitalizing to know You. I feel fresh and alive when I live close to You each day. I feel like there is a fountain flowing into my life. Oh do I need a fountain! Everywhere I go it seems I am pushing out, trying to feed the message forth to others. I must have a fountain flowing into my soul. I must not dry up! You are so powerful, so able to make me alive. Without You I would be in really big trouble. Thank You for Jesus! Jesus thank You for Your love! In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Prayer Journal Highlights: Pray for the Boy Scouts. Pray for a woman whose husband just left her.

Personal Journal Entry #13031

26: We are told in the other gospels that Jesus instructed the parents of the girl not to publicize the event. Jesus chose some miracles to publicize, and some to keep private. In the case of Lazarus, or the widow’s son, he did not try to make the matter private. Here he does. Though Jesus’ intentions are not always clear to us, there could be several reasons for his choice here.
   First, Jesus did not, in general, want people to believe in him simply on the basis of his miracles alone. He wanted people to believe he is the Messiah. The miracles he chose to make public were specifically for that purpose.
   Second, Jesus was apparently concerned about misunderstanding or misrepresentation. He knew the atmosphere in Capernaum quite well. As a result, he felt it best to keep the matter private. Misunderstanding could lead to the opposite of the desired effect. It could drive people away from him rather than draw them to him.
   Third, the girl was a child. Jesus knew that she, and her parents, did not need to be surrounded and hounded by questioners and curious persons. That would only cause headaches for them. Remember, people were very superstitious in that day.
   Either way, the miracle did end up getting publicized, at least fairly widely. As Matthew tells us, that entire area heard the story.

Daily Bible Reading: Luke 1:1-80

Daily Memory Verse: 1 John 1:6 “If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth:”

Daily Tidbit: The first church in Tennessee was the Buffalo Ridge Baptist church in Washington County.

Praise Journal: Heavenly Father, thank You for Your wisdom. You always know exactly what needs to be done. You know how we think, and what we think. You have the solution before we know the problem. May we always rely on You for the answers. You are a fountain of good in a world of evil. Thank You for Your Son, and all that he means to us! In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Prayer Journal Highlights: Pray for a middle-aged couple with spiritual needs. Pray for an older man with a cold.

Personal Journal Entry #13030