Month: October 2020

Lord, I Will Follow You

Scripture: Luke 9: 57-62

As they were walking along the road, a man said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.”58  Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.”59 He said to another man, “Follow me.” But he replied, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.”60  Jesus said to him, “Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God.”61  Still another said, “I will follow you, Lord; but first let me go back and say goodbye to my family.”62  Jesus replied, “No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.”

Scripture Commentary:

Jesus, walking by the sea of Galilee, saw two brothers casting a net. Jesus told them, “Follow me.” Straightaway they left their nets and followed Him.

And going from there Jesus saw James and John with their father. He told the two brothers, “Follow me.” Immediately they left their father and followed Jesus.

What does Jesus want from us?

He wants total dedication, not halfhearted commitment. We cannot pick and choose from among Jesus’s ideas and follow Him selectively. We have to accept the cross along with the crown; judgment as well as mercy.

We must count the cost and be willing to abandon everything else that has given us security. Luke does not say in chapter 9, verse 59 if James and John’s father has died or if he is dying. In verse 61, Luke does not say if the someone mentioned wanted to say goodbye to family or friends. We see in Matthew 4 that Jesus called to Simon, Andrew, James and John. And they dropped everything and followed Jesus.

Jesus is calling you. Are you going to follow Him?

Read the Entire Chapter of the Scripture Referenced:

Luke Chapter 9

Read Other Commentary from the Book of Luke:

Lord, Remember Me When You Come into Your Kingdom

I Once Was Lost but Now I’m Found

Trust In the Lord Always

Scripture: Proverbs 3: 5-7

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; 6 in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.[a] 7 Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and shun evil.

Scripture Commentary:

Do you trust in the Lord with all your heart or do you do things your own way?

I was going to do something in my life. I just knew this was what God planned for me. No one could tell me differently. But as time went by it did not happen. I would say that it was in God’s hands.

As time passed, I found that it was God testing my faith in Him. As I questioned this I realized that God saw the problem that lay ahead. Because it was in His hands, I was able to avoid a costly mistake.

God is the only one to go to and to trust.

We must trust Him completely and not lean on ourselves. He is a better judge of what we need than we are! We must not be wise in our own eyes.

Solomon said we must acknowledge God in all our ways and turn everything over to Him. In many ways you may already acknowledge God, but it is in the areas where you attempt to restrict or ignore His influence that will cause you grief.

Trust in the Lord in all things. He will guide you in the path to go because He loves you.

Read the Entire Chapter of the Scripture Referenced:

Proverbs Chapter 3

Read Other Commentary from the Book of Proverbs:

Knowledge of the Lord is the Beginning of Wisdom

Let God Help You Make Decisions

Do Not Fear; God Is With You

Scripture: Isaiah 41: 10

So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

Scripture Commentary:

God says to followers, “So do not fear, for I am with you.” As our Creator, Father and Maker, He will guide us and protect us at all times. He calls us to a life of thankfulness. Our moments are to be punctuated with thanksgiving.

The basis of our gratitude is His sovereignty. God is Creator and Controller of the universe.

Heaven and earth are filled with His glorious presence.

When we criticize or complain, we are acting as if we think we can run the world better than God does. We need to look at the mess we are in! From our limited human perspective, it may look as if God is mismanaging things. But we don’t know what God knows; we can’t see what He sees.

If God pulled back the curtain to allow us to view heavenly realms, we would understand much more. However, we are designed to live by faith, not by sight.

God shields us from knowing the future or seeing it. Acknowledge His sovereignty. Give thanks in all things. One day He will call us home.

Read the Entire Chapter of the Scripture Referenced:

Isaiah Chapter 41

Read Other Commentary from the Book of Isaiah:

Don’t Cut Yourself Off From God

Actively Honor the Lord

We Have Our Minds Set On Jesus

Scripture: Romans 8: 4-6

...in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.5 Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. 6 The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace.

Scripture Commentary:

I’m sure we can all remember the day we accepted Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. We had our minds set. We felt good because we weren’t controlled by Satan and his sinful nature.

Paul places people in two categories: those who let themselves be controlled by the flesh and those who let themselves be controlled by the spirit. We would all be in the first category if Jesus hadn’t offered us a way out.

When we said yes to Christ, we became His and began to follow Him in mind, body and spirit.

We are “not guilty”!

We are free from Satan’s clutches. Free at last; thank God we are free! O what a feeling.

God has given us freedom through Jesus Christ. His Holy Spirit has given us power to live as God intends. The Holy Spirit is God’s guarantee of eternal life for those who believe in and follow Him.

Read the Entire Chapter of the Scripture Referenced:

Romans Chapter 8

Read Other Commentary from the Book of Romans:

There Is No Death in Jesus Christ

Refrain from the Wickedness of a Godless Life