Matthew B.’s Journal
Newest Journal Entries for Matthew B.
2023
Oct 19
Nehemiah 4:14
After I looked things over, I stood up and said to the nobles, the officials and the rest of the people, "Don't be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for your families, your sons and your daughters, your wives and your homes."
Matthew B. from Katy, TX said:
Nehemiah managed this problem with wisdom from above. Always remember God is by your side when you are in danger from those that persecute you!
2023
Oct 19
Nehemiah 2:18
I also told them about the gracious hand of my God on me and what the king had said to me.They replied, "Let us start rebuilding." So they began this good work.
Matthew B. from Katy, TX said:
I can't hardly imagine what it would be like to learn that God's hand was on Nehemiah and what the king had said to him. This would be very exciting for them to know God was looking after the project.
"For I know the plans I have made for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Jer. 29:11
2023
Oct 16
Nehemiah 1:11
Lord, let your ear be attentive to the prayer of this your servant and to the prayer of your servants who delight in revering your name. Give your servant success today by granting him favor in the presence of this man." I was cupbearer to the king.
Matthew B. from Katy, TX said:
Nehemiah was really saddened about what he heard about Jerusalem. He sat down and wept. For some days He mourned and fasted and prayed before the God of heaven. He prayed and asked God to hear their prayers. God did hear that prayer!
2023
Oct 15
Ezra 10:3
Now let us make a covenant before our God to send away all these women and their children, in accordance with the counsel of my lord and of those who fear the commands of our God. Let it be done according to the Law.
Matthew B. from Katy, TX said:
This was a difficult time for Ezra and the people. They made a covenant before God to send away all these women and their children in order to correct their sin against God.
God is merciful and just!
2023
Oct 14
Ezra 9:8
"But now, for a brief moment, the Lord our God has been gracious in leaving us a remnant and giving us a firm place in his sanctuary, and so our God gives light to our eyes and a little relief in our bondage.
Matthew B. from Katy, TX said:
The Lord our God has been gracious to us today as he has in the past. So many times we don't measure up and yet God gives us grace daily. We need to walk with him and talk with him. Let God know that we love him and ask him to watch over us and forgive us when we fall short during the day. We need to communicate to him throughout the day and walk with him.
2023
Oct 13
Ezra 8:22
I was ashamed to ask the king for soldiers and horsemen to protect us from enemies on the road, because we had told the king, "The gracious hand of our God is on everyone who looks to him, but his great anger is against all who forsake him."
Matthew B. from Katy, TX said:
God looks after everyone that looks to him! If we forsake him he will be angry against us. In verse 31 "On the twelfth day of the first month we set out from the Ahava Canal to go to Jerusalem. The hand of our God was on us, and he protected us from enemies and bandits along the way." We see that God did in fact look after and protected them from their enemies. I see God's love in this passage.
2023
Oct 12
Ezra 7:10
For Ezra had devoted himself to the study and observance of the Law of the Lord, and to teaching its decrees and laws in Israel.
Matthew B. from Katy, TX said:
This is a powerful work of the Lord through Artaxerxes, king of kings, to Ezra the priest, the teacher of the law. This letter is strong and convicting. Verse 26 notes that "Whoever does not obey the law of your God and the law of the king must surely be punished by death, banishment, confiscation of property, or imprisonment. Praise the Lord!
2023
Apr 03
Judges 8:23
But Gideon told them, "I will not rule over you, nor will my son rule over you. The Lord will rule over you."
Matthew B. from Katy, TX said:
Gideon had a lot of insight. He knew that the people needed the Lord forever not him.
So, he turned them toward the Lord. They needed to focus on the Lord rather than Gideon and his son.
2015
Jun 11
Malachi 2:2
If you do not listen, and if you do not resolve to honor my name," says the Lord Almighty, "I will send a curse on you, and I will curse your blessings. Yes, I have already cursed them, because you have not resolved to honor me.
Matthew B. from Katy, TX said:
Spiritual leaders in the church should be accountable both to God and to fellow Christians.
2015
Jun 07
Zechariah 12:10
"And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and supplication. They will look on me, the one they have pierced, and they will mourn for him as one mourns for an only child, and grieve bitterly for him as one grieves for a firstborn son.
Matthew B. from Katy, TX said:
Whether we are Jews or Gentiles, in order to be saved we must personally and sincerely believe that Jesus Christ died and shed His blood to wash away our sins. Jesus Christ died for the sins of the whole world, including both Jews and Gentiles. Furthermore, it was the sins of all people that nailed Him to the cross. Though the Jewish leaders orchestrated this event and as a nation rejected the Messiah, the Roman soldiers represented the Gentile world when they drove the nails into His hands and feet and pierced His side with a sword. The apostle John summarized this reality with one of the greatest truths ever penned:
"For God loved the world in this way: He gave His One and Only Son, So that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life." (John 3:16) Reference the Life Essentials Study Bible, Pg 1267. God's grace to all of us is unimaginable! I know that I don't deserve His grace. All I can do is be happy that He provided a way for us all to be with Him in the future. Thank you Lord for your unconditional love!
On Psalms 127:3 by Elena G.
“Children are a blessing sent from above. I have been blessed with five…”