Matthew 13:54
“And when he was come into his own country, he taught them in their synagogue, insomuch that they were astonished, and said, Whence hath this man this wisdom, and these mighty works?” They were amazed at what He said. But they were confused…because they only saw His humanity. Matthew 13:55-56 “Is not this the carpenter's son? is not his mother called Mary? and his brethren, James, and Joses, and Simon, and Judas? And his sisters, are they not all with us? Whence then hath this man all these things?” This Man was the carpenter’s Son…but He was also the Son of God. Their amazement changed to confusion, and then ultimately to envy and strife. Matthew 13:57 “And they were offended in him. But Jesus said unto them, A prophet is not without honour, save in his own country, and in his own house.” Their choices cost them from seeing Him do many mighty works among them. Matthew 13:58 “And he did not many mighty works there because of their unbelief.” What have we missed out on because we refused to believe He could work in the situation? We read what He has said within His Word, and yet so often we make the same mistake they did…we choose to think of Him as just a man because of our unbelief in Who He really Is. This Man still wants to do many might works among us. He can do the impossible, if only we would ask and believe. This Man never changes. He is still the Son of God. He is still holy. He is still sinless. This Man shed His precious blood and died on the cross for our sins. He rose again. He is sitting on the right hand of God making intercession for us. Read His Word today. You too will be astonished at what He says, then choose to believe while you trust and obey. Bible Reading: Isaiah 62-63 | Proverbs 25
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Luke 22:32
“But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren.” Praying for others is so important. It is always encouraging to hear someone is praying for us. But no matter how much time a person spends praying for us, there is Someone Who is praying more. He prayed for Peter before he denied Him three times. He prayed for us in the Garden. John 17:9 “I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me; for they are thine.” John 17:14,17 “I have given them thy word…Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.” He is still praying for us. Romans 8:27 “And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God.” He is constantly praying for us. Hebrews 7:25 “Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them.” What a comfort it is to know, that our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, continually prays for us while He waits to come back for us. Whatever you are facing today, rest in the fact that He is praying for you. Bible Reading: Isaiah 60-61 | Proverbs 24 Philippians 1:3-5
“I thank my God upon every remembrance of you, Always in every prayer of mine for you all making request with joy, For your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now;” God crosses our paths with different people every day. Some for a season. Some for a lesson. Some for a trial. Some for a blessing. Some for a lifetime. “I thank my God upon every remembrance of you” Who is it that every time they come to your mind you should thank God for them? Your parents. Your spouse. Your children. Your siblings. Your family. Your best friend. Your friends. Your pastor. Your pastor’s wife. Your church family. Your ____________________. “Always in every prayer of mine for you all making request with joy” Are they a part of every prayer? Whether we thank the Lord for them, or joyfully ask Him to work in their lives, we should be praying consistently for those that are most important to us. He gave them to us. Why would we not faithfully speak to Him on their behalf? “For your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now;” The Lord crosses our paths with just the right people, just when He knows we need them. Their fellowship in the Gospel has made a difference in our lives since the first day. Thank God for them today. Reach out and remind them you love them and are thankful for them. Bible Reading: Isaiah 58-59 | Proverbs 23 Psalm 118:23
“This is the LORD'S doing; it is marvellous in our eyes.” There are many things that can only be described that it was the Lord. Sometimes we cannot trace His hand, but we still can choose to trust Him. Sometimes we can look back and trace His hand through every detail. Ephesians 3:20-21 “Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.” Recognize the things that only He could have done. Nothing in ourselves could have made it happen, for there is simply nothing good that we can do without Him. John 15:5 “I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.” The Lord Jesus Himself quoted this verse: Matthew 21:42 “Jesus saith unto them, Did ye never read in the scriptures, The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner: this is the Lord's doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes?” Why would we want to try and build something on anything but Him? He is that Rock the wise man built his house upon. When the rain descends, and the floods come, we can be sure that we are safe and secure in Him. The greatest thing we can do is exalt Him and what He has done. Psalm 118:24 “This is the day which the LORD hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.” Every day, every moment, He is working in our lives. Bible Reading: Isaiah 56-57 | Proverbs 22 Isaiah 55:1
“Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.” How can we buy without money or price? By His mercy and grace. Titus 3:5-7 “Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour; That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.” What a picture of the free Gift of Salvation that is available to all who believe on Him! All we must do is come to Him believing in Who He is and what He has done for us. But this invitation does not stop with us. Once we have came to Him, it is now our responsibility to invite others to come to Him as well. People today are thirsty. Most of them do not even realize for what they are thirsting. “come ye to the waters” Invite them to come and drink from the well of everlasting life. John 4:13-14 “Jesus answered and said unto her, Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again: But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.” The woman at the well drank of this water, and she immediately began inviting others to do the same. John 4:29 “Come, see a man, which told me all things that ever I did: is not this the Christ?” In the final chapter of the Scriptures, the Message is still the same. Revelation 22:17 “And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.” Invite someone to come to Him today. Bible Reading: Isaiah 54-55 | Proverbs 21 Philippians 4:8
“Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.” Our minds are powerful. They control what we think, what we feel, how we act, what we do, what we think, etc. More often than not they are racing at ninety-nine miles an hour, constantly processing countless things simultaneously, leaving us feeling worried, rushed, and ultimately exhausted. While in prison, Paul writes to the church at Philippi exhorting them to be joyful despite their circumstances. If anyone’s mind should have been filled with gloom and despair, it should have been him as he was detained. Yet, he chose to set his mind on the joy within him instead of the turmoil around him. What are you thinking about today? Think: To consider, to take account of, to weigh, to meditate on, to have continual regard. Paul brings out eight qualities by which everything we think about should be qualified. True – It is truthful? – Ephesians 4:25 Honest – It is honorable? – 2 Corinthians 8:21 Just – Is it right? – Deuteronomy 16:20 Pure – Is it faultless? – James 3:17 Lovely – Is it acceptable and pleasing? – 1 Corinthians 13 Of Good Report – Is it reputable? – Acts 6:3 Virtue – Is it virtuous? – 2 Peter 1:3-4 Praise – Is it commendable? – Proverbs 31:31 Simply put… If it is…continue to think about it. If it is not…disregard it entirely. We are to “think on these things” if we desire “the peace of God, which passeth all understanding”. The devil wants to steal away our joy and peace that is only found in Christ Jesus. When we allow our minds to think on other things, we take our spiritual eyes off of Him. Decide today to “think on these things”. Bible Reading: Isaiah 53 | Proverbs 20 Psalm 119:19
“I am a stranger in the earth: hide not thy commandments from me.” The closer we are to God, the more uncomfortable we should feel in this world. People should look at us strange and realize that there is something different about us. If they do not see a difference in us, then we are living like them. God calls us to not only be different, but to even be peculiar. There should be something distinguishable about God’s children. 1 Peter 2:9-10 “But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light; Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy.” How does the world view us? Do they think we there is something strange about us? Do we stand out or do we blend in? We as God’s people are called to let our Light shine into the darkness of this world. Philippians 2:15-16 “That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world; Holding forth the word of life; that I may rejoice in the day of Christ, that I have not run in vain, neither laboured in vain.” May we shine our Light by proclaiming the Word of Life in our daily lives! Those in darkness cannot see their sin without the Light of the Gospel being shone on their hearts. As strangers in this world, may we continue to hold forth the Word of Truth so that others may come to know Him. Bible Reading: Isaiah 51-52 | Proverbs 19 Psalm 119:18
“Open thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law.” Do we desire for the Lord to show us something new each time we open our Bible? If we only read out of duty or obligation, we are reading in vain. Do we desire that God speaks to us through His Word while also patiently listening to what He has to say? If we want to see wondrous things out of the Word of God, we need only ask for Him to show us. Jeremiah 33:3 “Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and show thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not.” There must be Light in order for us to see. “Let there be light” The first recorded Words spoken by God in Scripture. God spoke, and there was Light. In order for us to see, we must listen to what God has to say. We have the Light of the World living inside of us to enlighten our hearts to the Truth of the Word. The more we ask God to open our eyes by His Light, the more He will show us through His Word. Ephesians 1:17-18 “That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him: The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints,” Open your eyes to the Truth of His Word today. Bible Reading: Isaiah 49-50 | Proverbs 18 Proverbs 2:6
“For the LORD giveth wisdom: out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding.” God gives us wisdom, but we have to find it within a specific Place by His specific methods. The importance of God’s Word can never be overstated or exaggerated. Proverbs 2:1-5 “My son, if thou wilt receive my words, and hide my commandments with thee; So that thou incline thine ear unto wisdom, and apply thine heart to understanding; Yea, if thou criest after knowledge, and liftest up thy voice for understanding; If thou seekest her as silver, and searchest for her as for hid treasures; Then shalt thou understand the fear of the LORD, and find the knowledge of God.” Wisdom is a Gift, that is found within the pages of the Word of God. “…out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding.” If we are to receive knowledge and understanding, we must see and hear what the Lord has to say in His Word. His Word is vital to our whole existence, our walk with Him, our testimony to others, our life and well-being, our service for Him, and our worship to Him. We cannot be wise without His Word! Many conditional blessings are found throughout the Book of Proverbs. These are promises that the Lord wishes to bestow upon His children. The Creator of the Universe, the Almighty God, offers us these opportunities, and it would be foolish for us to ignore them. We must take God at His Word, believing with childlike faith that His promises are true. James 1:5 “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. God wants to give us wisdom. Are we willing to ask Him? Bible Reading: Isaiah 47-48 | Proverbs 17 1 Kings 3:24-25
“And the king said, Bring me a sword. And they brought a sword before the king. And the king said, Divide the living child in two, and give half to the one, and half to the other.” Two women. One child. Both ladies claimed that the living child was theirs, while pointing to the other woman as the mother of the dead child. There were no witnesses, so how could a verdict be given as to whom the living child belonged to? Enter Solomon. He used a sword to discern the hearts of the two women before him. When he gave the command for the living child to be divided in two, only one woman spoke up before her child was slain. The Wisdom of Solomon brought out the truth of the matter, all because he chose to use a sword. All of Israel then saw the godly wisdom that Solomon possessed, and God used that event as evidence that His hand was upon him. 1 Kings 3:28 “And all Israel heard of the judgment which the king had judged; and they feared the king: for they saw that the wisdom of God was in him, to do judgment.” We also have a Sword at our disposal to enable us to discern the Truth. Hebrews 4:12 “For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” Each day we have an opportunity to allow the Word of God to display the wisdom of God in our lives. Ephesians 6:17 “And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:” Bible Reading: Isaiah 45-46 | Proverbs 16 |
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