Scripture: Romans 8: 1-2

Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, ² because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you^[a] free from the law of sin and death. 

Scripture Commentary:

You were truly guilty. We all were. The fact is that the whole human race is guilty of sin and belongs on the road to damnation. But Jesus, through His death on the cross, has set you free! Without Christ, you would have no hope at all.

God loves you so much that He gave His only begotten Son for your sins.

Repent and give yourself to God and all charges and sins are dropped. Your slate is wiped clean. Jesus did this for you. He will present you to the Father and plead for you.

Before Jesus, the Israelites made blood sacrifices for their sins. But once Jesus’s blood was sacrificed on the cross, animal sacrifices were needed no more. If not for Jesus, you would be in Satan’s control for all time.

“Amazing grace, how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me! I once was lost but now am found, was blind but now I see.”*

Can you imagine that? Without God’s Son and love for you, where would you be?

The Holy Spirit is in you now by faith, and by faith you are certain to live with Jesus Christ forever.

Read the Entire Chapter of the Scripture Referenced:

Romans 8

Amazing Grace : Lyrics and the story behind the hymn

Read Other Commentary from the Book of Romans:

God Is the Root That Supports You

Christians Are Sealed By The Spirit

Scripture: Luke 9: 23-24

And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me. ²⁴ For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it.

Scripture Commentary: Whoever loses his life for Jesus will save it.

Jesus gave His life for us. Why? Because He loves us, wants to give us a chance to repent our sins and have eternal life in His Father’s kingdom.

Jesus tells us to take up our cross. Each of us has one. This is an invitation from Christ Himself to follow Him into the world, carrying His message. Throughout the ages, those who did this were subject to death, persecution and torture. This is still happening today in parts of the world.

What does it mean to take up your cross and follow Jesus?

In Jesus’ time, the Romans used the cross to publicly humiliate the person being crucified. Before being crucified, the person was spit upon, and his clothes were removed so he was naked. He was then beaten almost to death, then made to carry his cross.

To be honest, would you put yourself in a situation like that? There are people in the world living under this possibility. We are fortunate not to be under this pressure; however, we may be called names or even killed but not like it was 2000 years ago.

Here is the question. Have you taken up Jesus’ cross?

Read the Entire Chapter of the Scripture Referenced:

Luke 9

Read Other Commentary From the Book of Luke:

Follow Jesus and Become Fishers of Men

Jesus Went to Synogogue Every Week

Scripture: Isaiah 6: 7-8

 ⁷ With it he touched my mouth and said, “See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for.” ⁸ Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?”

Scripture Commentary:

God made an invitation to serve Him. “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?” Isaiah surrendered himself to God.

We will all get the call.

Some will answer; some will feel inadequate or unqualified. Consider Moses, who was a murderer. And David, an adulterer. And Rehab, a prostitute.

Not only did God call people who did really bad things but He also called unusual, insecure, inconsistent people. There is Noah, a drunkard; Isaac, a daydreamer; Joseph who was abandoned; and Gideon, who was afraid.

There’s Jeremiah, who was too young, and Abraham who was too old. Consider Elijah who battled depression and Naomi who was embittered. Martha was a worrywart. John, the Baptist ate bugs.

All of these people are a far cry from your avengers and the heroes you would have picked. The same God who called them still is calling imperfect people today.

What we see as imperfection, God sees as servants. God’s call prompts us to live beyond ourselves. It isn’t about our comfort. It’s about completely surrendering to Him.

Read the Entire Chapter of the Scripture Referenced:

Isaiah 6

Read Other Commentary From the Book of Isaiah:

God Knows You In Your Entirety

The Pit of Corruption is Dug for the Wicked