24: This verse and the following illustration really sum up what Jesus is looking to communicate. Really listening to Christ, taking his words to heart, is the important thing. Many have tried to be loyal to an idea of Christ that they have invented themselves. Knowing that he is wise, they have taken the words of his which they find most palatable, and run with them. However, as he says here, obedience is the key, and obedience demands that we look at every word of Christ, not just what we like.
   Of course the wise man is the soul of any individual that clings to the Word of the Lord for hope. The building is our future life. We must build our lives on the Lord Jesus Christ, with his teaching as our foundation. One must remember that the Great Commission is not simply to give people the basics of the gospel, but to teach people to do “whatsoever I have commanded you” (Matthew 28:20). In other words, the gospel is not just the good news of of his death, burial, and resurrection. But, also, it is the entirety of his teachings as we have them in Scripture. Indeed, all of the Bible outside of the four gospels serves as commentary on the four gospels. It is the ministry of Christ that we are to embrace fully, and follow his commandments wholeheartedly.

Daily Bible Reading: Jeremiah 4:1-6:30

Daily Memory Verse: Jude 1:15 “To execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed, and of all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against him.“

Daily Tidbit: It is amazing how many persons have borrowed bits and pieces of the Sermon on the Mount to fill out their philosophical viewpoint. And yet, it is even more amazing to see how few truly accept the teachings of Christ. People, evidently, don’t want a Saviour, they just want a guru. In other words, they want some kind of knowing adviser or guide, but not a Lord and God. People long for a seemingly wise yogi that will lead them to a greater sense of their own godhood. They refuse a Judge whose eyes pierce into their very soul looking for obedience to his commands, for he is wisdom. The value of a life lived with a true sense of the reality of Jesus Christ as he really is cannot be measured this side of eternity.

Praise Journal: Heavenly Father, give us a clear vision of Christ. May we drink deeply from the cup of Your Word. We need to realize our position in relation to Him. He is the key to life, and the escape from death. Oh Father, thank You for Jesus! I can never thank You enough for Him! He is the best motive for every day of life I live. He keeps me going. He gives me a song. Lord, thank You for the Christ life. Thank You for the hope and peace we have in the Lord Jesus. That hope inspires me. It leads me to greater heights all of the time. I love Your blessed and sure hope! Almighty God, forgive my iniquity and pardon my sin by the blood of Christ. Blessed is he to who You will not impute sin. His righteousness is my desire. Thank You, Lord, for Your holiness, and making a way for us to come to You. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Prayer Journal Highlights: Pray for many who are travelling today. Pray for a man looking for a church. Pray for a woman who is sick. Pray for a missionary in Africa. Pray for a woman recovering from a broken pelvis.

Personal Journal Entry #12225

23: We always talk about knowing Jesus. But, does he know us? Obviously, Jesus knows everything and everybody. However, he is here referring to the fellowship relationship that he has with those who belong to him. The children of the Father have an close relationship with Christ.
   To do the works of a saint, and yet never to have had the repentance, yieldedness, and transformation of heart of a saint, is to live in hypocrisy. To such Jesus says, depart. This does not mean that the true saints were not once sinners themselves in the fullest sense. It does mean that those who have not been changed by the glorious power of the gospel of Christ remain in their iniquitous state no matter how many good works they may have to their credit.
   Some have surmised that hell is only absence from the Lord in eternity. Surely this is the worst circumstance of hell, but it is the direct cause of many other terrible circumstances. God is gracious and merciful in that no individual may say that he or she has not had the chance to avoid this otherwise inevitable fate.

Daily Bible Reading: Jeremiah 1:1-3:25

Daily Memory Verse: Jude 1:15 “To execute judgement upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed, and of all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against him.”

Daily Tidbit: Luke 17:11-19 tells us about Jesus healing ten men with leprosy. This is a wonderful story that highlights the goodness and graciousness of Almighty God. First, Jesus healed the nine as well as the one who returned to thank him. They took what they could get from him, and, being satisfied, went their way. He did not unheal them for their lack of thanksgiving and praise. This is merciful. However, the story turns quickly to the Samaritan who returned to thank the Lord. The others, being Jews, must have felt that, once freed of their malady, they were ready for eternity in their present state. The Samaritan, however, returned to make his dependence upon Christ, and his love and appreciation for Almighty God very clear. He immediately gave God the glory due to him. He returned to Jesus, not to simply say ‘thank-you’, but to worship him with thanksgiving. He understood the true nature of our thanksgiving to God Almighty. True thanksgiving is the recognition of our complete and total dependence upon Almighty God. If one practices this kind of thanksgiving, this day of thanks that we observe will always find him with a heart of praise for the Lord. If one experiences great loss or pain at this time of year, and has a heart like the nine who went their way, that one will not be thankful on this day. But, if one has a heart like the Samaritan, recognizing the eternal goodness and love of our Lord, that one will have little trouble being thankful today despite the most unfavorable circumstances.

Praise Journal: Heavenly Father, I cannot thank You enough. Our very lives are the most we can offer. Though we feel that to be less than enough, it is that which You have requested, and so we gladly give it. Oh Father, You love for us overwhelms our souls with joy! To know, on this day, that you have loved us so much as to give Your own Son to die in our place is the greatest cause for thanksgiving we can possibly conceive. You, Father, are the fountain of mercies and graces that we cannot contain. You out-give, out-love, and out-think us in every area. We cannot get ahead of Your goodness. when we come to a new day, we find You have already been there with Your blessings. Give us a heart full of true thankfulness, and help us to love others as You love them. We would not want to live for five minutes without your care. So, do not let us forget Your goodness to others for five minutes. Thank You for listening to our praise on this day. We know that You deserve the praise every day. But You are gracious and kind, and will hear our special thanks on this day set aside for You. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Prayer Journal Highlights: Pray for a man recovering from a car accident. Pray for a woman recovering from serious health issues. Pray for a man who just received bad news on his bloodwork. Pray for a young couple having a baby very soon. Pray for people all over America to have a heart of true thanksgiving like the Samaritan on this day.

Personal Journal Entry #12224

22: The day of judgement is coming, and Jesus makes it clear that salvation will not be based upon good works. Indeed, many would say, how can these things be done by those who are not saved? Keep in mind, however, that Judas did these things, and yet was not Christ’s in reality. Balaam prophesied by God, and yet was, it became apparent, a false prophet. Indeed, many supposed ministers of the gospel in our own day have been found to be quite false in their own hearts.

Daily Bible Reading: Isaiah 63:1-66:24

Daily Memory Verse: Jude 1:15 “To execute judgement upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed, and of all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against him.”

Daily Tidbit: A man by the name of George Atkins penned the song, Brethren, We Have Met to Worship. We don’t know anything about Atkins. However, the song became quite popular during the Second Great Awakening here in America.

Praise Journal: Heavenly Father, thank You for Your provision. Help us, as we think about how thankful we should be, to realize how dependent upon You we are. We need You for our very breath. Almighty God, may we have a sense of Your awesome power. You are so big, and we are so small. Thank You for Your blessings upon us who could never deserve them ourselves. Thank You for making a way for mercy and hope. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Prayer Journal Highlights: Pray for a family looking for a church. Pray for a man with heart trouble. Pray for a woman with gout. Pray for a woman recovering from a fractured pelvis. Pray for Israel and Gaza.

Personal Journal Entry #12223

21: A simple admission of Christ’s divinity, power , and Lordship is not the same as salvation. Many have confessed that Jesus is a very great man, and some even that he is God, and yet have not accepted him as the Lord of their lives. One might say that Jesus must be taken on the Father’s terms, or else, the accepting only the truth of the person of Christ is not enough for eternal life.
   This is a great warning to those who would live a fake Christian life. Some will call Him Lord, and have an outward show of being His, but will not do the will of the Father. That they are not His will be shown by their lack of obedience. This is really more on the same lines as his discussion of fruit inspecting. It is possible that we will meet those in life who confess Christ, but are none of his.

Daily Bible Reading: Isaiah 58:1-62:12

Daily Memory Verse: Jude 1:14 “And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints,”

Daily Tidbit: The yellow-eyed penguin lives only on the Island of New Zealand and the surrounding islands. It has pink feet, a pink beak, yellow eyes, and a band of yellow around the back of its head.

Praise Journal: Heavenly Father, thank You for Your amazing world. You have made so many wonderful things. May we stand in awe of Your power and glory. Your greatness is impossible to conceive in its entirety, but we will try. Oh Father, how merciful You are! Thank You for allowing us to know the measure of Your greatness. Thank You for communicating Your Truth to us. It is such a mercy and grace that You have given us Your Word. To know that you have written us a book, to give us a chance to live our lives for You, oh that is just so nice! May we always seek to do the will of the Father. We want to be doers of the Word, and not hearers only. You are so good to reveal Your will to us, the least we can do is listen and obey. Having a sense of Your power, love, and holiness makes our life totally different from what it would be. I give You the praise, for You alone are worthy of it. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Prayer Journal Highlights: Pray for a lady with gout. Pray for a man with a blood clot. Pray for a man who needs a job. Pray for a man looking for a church. Pray for a man with heart trouble. Pray for many who are sick.

Personal Journal Entry #12222

19: Sooner or later, those who teach false doctrine, and lead others astray, will come to destruction.
20: Therefore, you can always tell good fruit-bearers by that hallmark of faithfulness.

Daily Bible Reading: Isaiah 44:1-57:21

Daily Memory Verse: Jude 1:14 “And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints.”

Daily Tidbit: The name ‘Enoch’ is actually very common in the Bible. It can also be ‘Hanoch’ or ‘Henoch’, but all three come from the same Hebrew word. The name means dedicated, and Enoch was surely dedicated.

Praise Journal: Heavenly Father, thank You for helping us in all that we do. You lead us and guide us no matter what comes our way. you always know what is best and lead us in the safest path, even if we don’t think it so safe. Oh, Father, thank You for the comfort of knowing that You care so much! In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Prayer Journal Highlights: Pray for a woman recovering from a broken pelvis.

Personal Journal Entry #12221

17: Of course, trees in general are neither good nor bad morally speaking. However, Jesus is now directly applying the illustration. He is likening the moral and spiritual goodness or badness of men to the quality of a tree’s fruit. A ‘good’ tree may be an apple, pear, cherry, etc. It will produce good, healthy apples, pears, cherries, etc. This is due to the quality of the tree. The same applies to the ‘corrupt’ tree. The corrupt tree has some disease or bad circumstance about it which makes it bring forth unhealthy, worthless fruit.
18: The good, quality, tree then only brings forth good fruit. And it is impossible for the corrupted tree to do so. Does this then, the corrupted tree, symbolize those who were saved, but have gone apostate concerning the truth and have lost their place in eternity? No, it symbolizes those who, having the seed of the truth shared with them, never truly accepted it, and have become false teachers of the Word, confusing the hearts of others.

Daily Bible Reading: Isaiah 41:1-43:28

Daily Memory Verse: Jude 1:14 “And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints,”

Daily Tidbit: In the Latin Vulgate the word for ‘corrupt’ in Matthew 7:17-18 is ‘malus’. Intrestingly enough, this term has been carried over into English with a derivative meaning. In English malus refers to the reclamation of performance-related compensation due to the discovery of a defect in the performance. This is a close parallel to the fruit-inspecting principle that Jesus is communicating to his hearers in these verses.

Praise Journal: Heavenly Father, thank You for being so merciful. You know what we will say and do. You know how we will fail You before we do it. Though we may hopefully live as we should, many of us fail You on a daily basis. Thank You for a chance to live right. Thank You for the righteousness that is ours in Jesus Christ. Thank You for, by him, making us able to stand before You without being altogether revolting to You. It is such a mercy and grace to be able to come to you in prayer and offer our praise to You. To know that I can give praise to the Maker of this wonderful world I see about me, and that He listens, oh that is almost too much to handle! I gladly enjoy it and embrace it. I will sing Your praises for all of my days. Oh Lord, be pleased with the honor that we accord to You! We know that You are the Glorious One, the Holy One, the Just One, the Loving One. Father, thank You for allowing us to know You and Your glory! In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Prayer Journal Highlights: Pray for a woman with a bad work schedule. Pray for a man with a bad work schedule. Pray for a man recovering from surgery.

Personal Journal Entry #12220

16: Wolves in sheep’s clothing cannot hide themselves perfectly. Sooner or later, their deeds will find them out. And their fruit is the best way to find out. They cannot bear any fruit but what is consistent with their character.

Daily Bible Reading: Isaiah 37:1-40:31

Daily Memory Verse: Jude 1:14 “And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints,”

Daily Tidbit: Grapes and figs, both mentioned in Matthew 7:16, were very valuable and common commodities in Jesus’ day. Thorns and thistles, as now, were sources of trouble for farmers. those who knew how to bring forth good fruit would immediately spot thorns or thistles over grapes or figs.

Praise Journal: Heavenly Father, thank You for Your mercy, grace, and love. The hope and peace that we may have in our hearts because of Your goodness is so wonderful and amazing. we could never thank You enough. As we celebrate Thanksgiving this coming week, may we remember that thanksgiving should well up within our hearts every day. We have You to thank for every blessing, large or small. Oh Father, give us a better view of Your provision, and use us to help provide for others.

Prayer Journal Highlights: Pray for a man who is under the weather. Pray for a woman in rehab. Pray for a woman with troubling health issues.

Personal Journal Entry #12219

15: Obviously, Jesus is using an illustration again. This vivid picture of wolves dressed in the skin and wool of a sheep, so as to deceive the sheep, is one that makes easy sense to anyone reading it. Indeed, if wolves had such a trick, the poor sheep would be helpless against it.
   The illustration also fits well with false prophets because of their tendency to look like real prophets. Though we may not readily understand why today, the true prophets of ancient times often dressed in a long garment made of wool. False prophets, in order to keep up appearances, would do the same.

Daily Bible Reading: Isaiah 37:1-40:31

Daily Memory Verse: Jude 1:14 “And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints,”

Daily Tidbit: The ‘ravening’ wolves here described in Matthew 7:15 are not inconsistent with their nature such as it is. The word ravening is simply used to remind us vividly of their predatory nature. False prophets exist only to devour others. And, like many predators in the animal kingdom, they will attack the weakest prey first.

Praise Journal: Heavenly Father, thank You for another day to live. You have given us such blessings in this life. May we always see Your goodness and rejoice in Your greatness. Give us that lasting joy that only You have. Lord, Your plans for us are perfect, and You always have our best in mind. Give us the strength to carry on through life’s confusions and difficulties. You are worthy of our praise. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Prayer Journal Highlights: Pray for a family that just lost their house in a fire.

Personal Journal Entry #12218

13: The word ‘strait’ in this verse means narrow. Jesus here establishes a principle that is sometimes forgotten. Most people will not enter into eternal life. The narrow gate itself is Christ, though, in a very real sense, this verse refers back to the proceeding one. Treating others as you yourself would be treated is a very narrow path, and Christ is the door to it. Indeed, the word ‘gate’ usually refers to the entrance to a city. This would be the heavenly city, which Abraham and his children of faith have looked for throughout history (see Hebrews 11:10).
14: Interestingly enough, early Christians were sometimes referred to as members of ‘The Way’. Apparently, they took Jesus’ words to heart. Indeed, love for others has characterized true Christianity down through the years. The most enduring examples of Christian values and living have come from those who observe James 1:27: “Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.”

Daily Bible Reading: Isaiah 33:1-36:22

Daily Memory Verse: Jude 1:13 “Raging waves of the sea, foaming out their own shame; wandering stars, to whom is reserved the blackness of darkness forever.“

Daily Tidbit: Jesus’ teaching in Matthew 7:13-14 was controversial. Jewish people at that time thought that most Jews would be saved, and that very few would not. Jesus teaches the opposite. Even today, it is difficult for people to accept this teaching of Christ. It is hard for us to imagine that most people will not enter into eternal life in heaven. However, this seems to be the consistent teaching of Scripture. We know that Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life, but how many enter at this Door? We must pray earnestly for the vast myriads of people in our world who even now are on the edge of eternity. It is our responsibility to take the gospel to the world, and we must pray that Almighty God will send laborers forth for this great work.

Praise Journal: Heavenly Father, give us an understanding of Your ways. Show us the path that You have for us in Christ. Give us a vision of the many millions going through the broad gate to destruction. Oh Father, give us a heart like yours! Rather than being filled with pride, may we humbly realize the value of the lives all around us. Lord God, You have an endless love for man, let us ride of the wave of Your compassion. Make us sensitive to Your pity and care for the needs of humanity. Help us to see Your hand at work in this world. Show us Your design for Your world. May we see the awesome plan that You have set forth for this existence. Oh Father, make Your great glory shine forth into our soul! You are worthy to be praised! You have made us, and not we ourselves. As the great Creator, we expect so much from You, yet we often fail to respond to Your commands. May we please You at all times. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Prayer Journal Highlights: Pray for a family whose house just burnt down.

Personal Journal Entry #12217

12: This verse serves to summarize much of what Christ had said up to that point. To treat others as we would honestly want to be treated is the heart of his message, and, as he says, of the message of God’s Word. Though many claim to follow this rule, and do not follow him, he teachings make it clear that we need his righteousness in order to keep up this standard.

Daily Bible Reading: Isaiah 29:1-32:20

Daily Memory Verse: Jude 1:13 “Raging waves of the sea, foaming out their own shame; wandering stars, to whom is reserved the blackness of darkness forever.”

Daily Tidbit: The Golden Rule, which is what the concept in Matthew 7:12 is called, can be found in almost every major religion of the world. And yet, one must ask, is it possible to follow the golden rule perfectly without Christ in your heart and life? The answer to that is evidenced every day by Christians all over the world.

Praise Journal: Heavenly Father, thank You for Your treatment of us. It gives us such a mandate for our treatment of others. If You are good to us, who do not deserve any of it, must we not also be good to those around us? Oh Father, give us a heart of concern for others rather than for ourselves! Your glory peals away our selfishness. May we be holy, as You are holy. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Prayer Journal Highlights: Pray for the lost.

Personal Journal Entry #12216