Scripture: Luke 9: 59-62

⁵⁹ He said to another person, “Come, follow me.” The man agreed, but he said, “Lord, first let me return home and bury my father.” ⁶⁰ But Jesus told him, “Let the spiritually dead bury their own dead!^[l] Your duty is to go and preach about the Kingdom of God.” ⁶¹ Another said, “Yes, Lord, I will follow you, but first let me say good-bye to my family.” ⁶² But Jesus told him, “Anyone who puts a hand to the plow and then looks back is not fit for the Kingdom of God.”

Scripture Commentary:

Jesus tells two men, “Come, follow me.” One man asks Jesus to let him bury his father first. The other wants to say goodbye to his family. Jesus tells the first man to go and bury his father, then follow him and spread the message of God’s kingdom. He tells the second man that he is not worthy to spread God’s word.

The first man is fulfilling his burial duties to his father. Jesus tells us that there are requirements to follow God. Those requirements do not include forsaking responsibility to family. The first man had a duty to family that needed to be fulfilled. Jesus’s response was to go and fulfill that duty, then go and spread God’s message.

The second person was just going to say goodbye, and maybe have a goodbye party. He had nothing urgent or important that had to be done.

Two people, two requirements. One was accepted and the other rejected. God knows our heart, soul and mind. If you are truthful to God in your request, He will honor it with love and understanding.

In John 14:13, Jesus tells us, “You can ask for anything in my name, and I will do it, so that the Son can bring glory to the Father.”

Read the Entire Chapter of the Scriptures Referenced:

Luke 9

John 14

Read Other Commentary From the Book of Luke:

Be a Reflection of the Light of Jesus

How Hard Is It To Forgive?

Scripture: Matthew 26: 14 – 15, 25

¹⁴ Then Judas Iscariot, one of the twelve disciples, went to the leading priests ¹⁵ and asked, “How much will you pay me to betray Jesus to you?” And they gave him thirty pieces of silver. ²⁵ Judas, the one who would betray him, also asked, “Rabbi, am I the one?” And Jesus told him, “You have said it.”

Scripture Commentary:

The question: “How much will you pay me to betray Jesus to you?” The answer: thirty pieces of silver. That was the price of a slave during that time. It’s ironic that Jesus Christ, the servant for man, was also our slave servant. He came into the world to take our sins onto himself, giving us the only true path to God, Our Father.

Jesus chose Judas to be one of his disciples although he knew what Judas would do. The deed was foretold in Psalm 41: 9 (Even my best friend, the one I trusted completely, the one who shared my food, has turned against me.)

The second question asked is “Rabbi, am I the one?” Jesus replied, “You have said it.”

God will ask each of us a question.

What have you done in His name? Your reply can be nothing or Lord, I have finished the assignment you gave me. When you accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior, you received your assignment. If you’ve done nothing, sitting on the sidelines, then you did what Satan had for you. As a child of God, you are to love and help those in need.

Jesus paid the price for you.

Read the Entire Chapter of the Scriptures Referenced:

Matthew 26

Psalm 41

Read Other Commentary From the Book of Matthew:

Will You Be Prepared When Christ Returns?

Not Everyone Has a Relationship with God. What About You?

Scripture: Genesis 3: 1-3

The serpent was the shrewdest of all the wild animals the Lord God had made. One day he asked the woman, “Did God really say you must not eat the fruit from any of the trees in the garden?” ² “Of course we may eat fruit from the trees in the garden,” the woman replied. ³ “It’s only the fruit from the tree in the middle of the garden that we are not allowed to eat. God said, ‘You must not eat it or even touch it; if you do, you will die.’”

Scripture Commentary: The serpent deceives.

The Bible refers to Satan as the serpent and records three times where he has a conversation with someone. Genesis 3 is the first time, and Job 1: 7-11 and Job 2: 2-6 is the second time. The third time is in Matthew 4: 3-10.

A conversation is defined as “an informal spoken exchange, a familiar talk.” The last part of familiar spells “liar.” Satan will do or say anything to get you to follow him. Satan had to get God’s permission to attack Job. He lied to Eve to sway her. With Jesus, he was lost before he even got started.

The serpent deceives the entire world.

He has nothing to offer. Only God and Jesus, His son, offers the truth. God is our Father and His love for us is forever and truthful.

Read the Entire Chapter of the Scriptures Referenced:

Genesis 3

Job 1

Job 2

Matthew 4

Read Other Commentary From the Book of Genesis:

The Temptation of ‘Must Not’

God Turns Our Wrong Around

Scripture: Luke 12: 17-19

¹⁷ The rich man thought to himself, ‘What will I do? I have no place to put the grain.’ ¹⁸ Then he said, ‘I know what I will do. I will take down my grain building and I will build a bigger one. I will put all my grain and other things I own into it. ¹⁹ And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have many good things put away in your building. It will be all you need for many years to come. Now rest and eat and drink and have lots of fun.”’

Scripture Commentary: Is bigger really better?

We often get caught up as consumers in accumulating ‘the good things in life.’ The bigger, the better! We’re always searching for the best deal, the newest and latest gadget, and keeping up with the Joneses. Who are the Joneses in your life? We have more clothes and shoes than we can wear in a week to the point that we run out of closet space and storage in our homes. We strive to maximize our earnings and acquire more than we can afford or need. All of this we do for a better tomorrow. However, we forget that we could die at any moment from an accident, illness, or natural causes.

Don’t put your hope in material things.

We are meant to put our hope not in the material things we accumulate but in God’s hands. When we die, we cannot stand before God and say, “I served you in this way or that way,” when in reality our concerns are more about our possessions than the people around us in need.

The man in Luke 12 died before he could use what he had stored in his barns. Paul encourages us to be careful how we live. Do not act thoughtlessly. Understand what the Lord wants you to do.

God has a plan for you.

Your earthly possessions will have no value in the Kingdom of God, so stop focusing on what the world has and start focusing on what you can do for the Kingdom of God. Only your faith in God frees you from the anxiety caused by greed. God will supply all your needs.

Read the Entire Chapter of the Scripture Referenced:

Luke 12

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Fear of God Is the Beginning of Wisdom

How Do You Use Your Worldly Goods?

Scripture: Psalm 100: 1-5

¹ Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth. ² Worship the Lord with gladness; come before him with joyful songs. ³ Know that the Lord is God. It is he who made us, and we are his^[a]; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture. ⁴ Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. ⁵ For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.

Scripture Commentary:

In John 21: 15-17 Jesus tells Peter three times to go and feed his sheep. We are called his sheep in Psalm 100, and Christ is our Shepherd. The shepherd protects the sheep of his pasture. He stands guard to prevent harm to them. To enter into his protective pen, we must accept and acknowledge him as our Lord and Savior.

Enter his house with songs of praise and thanksgiving. Blessing his name is our way of submitting to God. We did not create ourselves; God created us. If you do not believe this, you are outside of God’s pasture looking in. You are the center of your world, not God. This position leads to self-gratification and greedy possessiveness. It is a path to darkness.

When we accept God as our Creator, we accept and know His love for us. In return, we easily love one another. John 3: 16 tells us, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” God is worthy of our worship. Enter His house with songs of praise, and with love, grace and thanksgiving.

Read the Entire Chapter of the Scriptures Referenced:

Psalm 100

John 21

John 3

Read Other Commentary From the Book of Psalms:

The Prayer of an Old and Gray-Headed Man for Rescue

Living for God In A Deceitful World Can Be Difficult

Scripture: Matthew 16: 23

²¹ From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life. ²² Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. “Never, Lord!” he said. “This shall never happen to you!”²³ Jesus turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns.”

Scripture Commentary

Jesus prepares his disciples for what is to come when he explains that he must suffer, be killed, and on the third day be raised to life. Peter rebukes Jesus for saying this. This is the same Peter who early on says that Jesus is the Son of God; the same Peter who later denies Jesus three times.

Satan tries to use Peter to get Jesus to forsake his mission. This is Satan’s mission for us even today. Satan knows who Jesus is yet he tries to tempt him anyway. And if Satan tried to tempt Jesus, how much more will he try to tempt each of us.

Oftentimes our most difficult temptation comes from those who only try to protect us from discomfort. However, our true protector is Jesus Christ. When we give our lives in service to Christ we truly discover the real purpose of living.

Who do you serve – God or self? Where is your life taking you – to heaven or hell? Is there love in you or hate? Do you give or always take? Do you help or hinder others?

Read the Entire Chapter of the Scripture Referenced:

Matthew 16: 21-23

Read Other Commentary From the Book of Matthew:

Peter Denied Jesus … “I don’t even know the man.”

How Can Anyone Walk On Water?

Scripture: John 11: 21-26

²¹ Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if only you had been here, my brother would not have died. ²² But even now I know that God will give you whatever you ask.” ²³ Jesus told her, “Your brother will rise again.” ²⁴ “Yes,” Martha said, “he will rise when everyone else rises, at the last day.” ²⁵ Jesus told her, “I am the resurrection and the life.^[e] Anyone who believes in me will live, even after dying. ²⁶ Everyone who lives in me and believes in me will never ever die. Do you believe this, Martha?”

Scripture Commentary: Only Jesus is the resurrection and the life.

Jesus told Martha, “I am the resurrection and the life.^[e] Anyone who believes in me will live, even after dying.” Three times in the Bible, Jesus demonstrates his compassion and empathy for people while revealing his authority and power over death.

First, there was the only son of a widow who was being carried away for burial until Jesus touched him and said, “Arise.” Second, a father sought Jesus to heal his sick and only daughter but she died before he could make his request known. Jesus told him not to fear, only believe, and she shall be well. Jesus went to her home, took her hand and said, “Arise.” Third, Jesus was on his way to see Martha and Mary who had been mourning for four days over the death of Lazarus, their brother and Jesus’s beloved friend. They knew they would see their brother again in the resurrection of the last days, but Jesus, God’s only begotten son, knew differently. Jesus called out to Lazarus, commanding him to come out of the open tomb.

Don’t let fear overtake your faith.

Jesus reminds us not to let our fear overtake our faith in God. The widow was fearful about her survival with no husband or son to comfort her. The father faithfully sought Jesus, believing that only he could heal his daughter; however, fear rose in him when he heard that she had died. Jesus encouraged him not to give in to fear and doubt. The sisters also believed that Jesus could heal their sick brother, but they worried and feared each day that Jesus didn’t walk through the door.

We may become anxious and fearful over the highs and lows in life but God is faithful. He will not forsake us. Turn your fear into faith. God may not come when we want Him, but He is always right on time.

Read the Entire Chapter of the Scripture Referenced:

John 11

Read Other Commentary From the Book of John:

The Old Testament Foretold of Judas

The World Will Persecute You For Jesus

Scripture: 1 John 2: 1-2, 18

My dear children, I am writing this to you so that you will not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate who pleads our case before the Father. He is Jesus Christ, the one who is truly righteous. ² He himself is the sacrifice that atones for our sins—and not only our sins but the sins of all the world. ¹⁸ Dear children, the last hour is here. You have heard that the Antichrist is coming, and already many such antichrists have appeared. From this we know that the last hour has come. 

Scripture Commentary: Jesus, our advocate, pleads our case before God.

Jesus pleads our case before God. When Satan comes to claim us because we are sinners, Jesus stands up for us and tells Satan that we have repented and that he has taken our sins to the Father and has pleaded our case. God, the Father, forgives us and we are free from sin.

Satan has lost because Jesus died on the cross for our sins. He is the advocate that pleads our case before God. If you feel guilty, condemned or lost, Jesus’s reassurance is for you.

Ask for forgiveness and forsake your life of sin. Let Jesus plead your case before the Father. The penalty of death has no hold on you. Jesus suffered and paid the price for you. When you unite with Jesus, you are forgiven. Forgive others as God forgives you. And love others.

Read the Entire Chapter of the Scripture Referenced:

1 John 2

Read Other Commentary From 1 John:

Love Comes From God Because God Is Love

We Are From God and God Is Love

Scripture: Jeremiah 11: 4

⁴ For I said to your ancestors when I brought them out of the iron-smelting furnace of Egypt, “If you obey me and do whatever I command you, then you will be my people, and I will be your God.” 

Scripture Commentary: God tell us, “you will be my people.”

God’s told the people in Jeremiah’s day that if they obeyed Him, “then you will be my people, and I will be your God.”  This same covenant is still with us today. We either obey God’s laws or we don’t.

In Jeremiah 14, God tells Jeremiah, “Pray no more for these people, Jeremiah. Do not weep or pray for them, for I will not listen to them when they cry out to me in distress.” Do not be so caught up in the world that God no longer listens to you.

Repentence is the pathway to God. Stop. Turn from your sins. Ask God for forgiveness. Don’t continue to pray to God and live a sinful life. God’s blessings flow when we are committed to Him, not when we selfishly stay in the world of sin.

Read the Entire Chapter of the Scripture Referenced:

Jeremiah 11

Read Other Commentary From the Book of Jeremiah:

Trust God Who Can Do All Things

Blessed Is the One Who Trusts God

Scripture: Luke 12: 37 – 40

³⁷ The servants who are ready and waiting for his return will be rewarded. I tell you the truth, he himself will seat them, put on an apron, and serve them as they sit and eat! ³⁸ He may come in the middle of the night or just before dawn.^[d] But whenever he comes, he will reward the servants who are ready. ³⁹ “Understand this: If a homeowner knew exactly when a burglar was coming, he would not permit his house to be broken into. ⁴⁰ You also must be ready all the time, for the Son of Man will come when least expected.”

Scripture Commentary: Jesus is waiting for you.

How many times have you said, “I’ll be there in an hour” and you were either late or didn’t show up? The person on the other end was waiting for you but you didn’t come.

We know that Jesus is coming back but we don’t know the day or the time. We live in a time when we think we control everything. When we can’t, we get frustrated and push to get what we want. Jesus said he’s preparing a home for his followers in God’s kingdom. Jesus will return at an unexpected time but this is not meant to be a trap to catch us off guard. His delay gives us time to prepare for his return.

Some of us are still searching for Christ and haven’t yet accepted him as their Lord and Savior. If that is you, you have time to turn things around. Accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior so that when he returns, you will be part of his heavenly family.

Read the Entire Chapter of the Scripture Referenced:

Luke 12

Read Other Commentary From the Book of Luke:

Work the Harvest for God

At What Hour Will Jesus Return?