Jesus Blotted Our Sins With His Blood

Scripture: Colossians 2:13-15

And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses; Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross; And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it.

Scripture Commentary:

It is foolish to think that good deeds alone will cancel out the sins that we have stacked against us. Good deeds are defective. We often do not honor God through our good deeds.

God gives us the strength to do all that we do, and he compels us to serve. Do you do good deeds out of joyful dependence on God? Do you acknowledge God as the author of that deed, as the spirit within you? Are you fulfilling God’s call to serve?

Without Jesus Christ and exalting our faith to him, our deeds will signify rebellion. The trespasses against us continue to mount. Good deeds alone are not the way God saves.

The death and resurrection of Jesus Christ washed away our deeds, good or sinful. Our deeds were nailed on the cross with Christ. We left them there, and now God judges us by our faith in him. And the sins mounted against us are washed clean by Christ’s blood.

Read the Entire Chapter:
Colossians Chapter 2

Know God’s Word So No Man Can Deceive You

Scripture: 1 John 3: 7-9

Little children, let no man deceive you: he that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous. He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil. Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.

Scripture Commentary: If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. (1 John 1:8)

“No one who is born of God will continue to sin.” Let no man deceive you in this!

There is a difference between committing a sin and continuing to sin. The most faithful believers commit sins. What distinguishes them from sinners is their response to sin. Believers repent, confess, and ask forgiveness from God. They acknowledge that they have sinned, that they have done something wrong, and they strive to better themselves by not committing the action again.

Sinners are deceived for they do not recognize their error. They believe they are doing nothing wrong. . This is when the Christian community is valuable. We should help each other to stay on God’s path. Do not reject someone for stumbling in their error. Be a help to guide them to the walk of righteousness.

We all have areas in our lives where temptation is strong and habits are hard to conquer. Weaknesses give the devil an opening to interrupt our walk with God. We must deal with our areas of vulnerability.

Seek the power of the Holy Spirit and God’s Word to gain victory over prevailing sin. Stay away from tempting situations. Let Jesus Christ take you through trying times, and put yourself in God’s hands and believe in him.

Read the Entire Chapter:
1 John Chapter 3
1 John Chapter 1

God Is the Root That Supports You

Scripture: Romans 11: 12, 16, 18

But if their transgression means riches for the world, and their loss means riches for the Gentiles, how much greater riches will their full inclusion bring!(12) If the part of the dough offered as firstfruits is holy, then the whole batch is holy; if the root is holy, so are the branches.(16) do not consider yourself to be superior to those other branches. If you do, consider this: You do not support the root, but the root supports you.(18)

Scripture Commentary: God is the root of the tree

As sinners we are branches that have fallen off of the olive tree. When we repent and come to Christ, we are being grafted onto Jesus’ tree. We become a part of his family and we are supported by he who is the root.

As members of the tree, we have a responsibility to graft more branches onto our single body. We do not have a right to put others down. This is analogous to Paul’s vision for the church, where Jews and Gentiles would unite with God and Christ. God’s original plan was for the Jews to be a source of God’s blessings to the Gentiles.

There is great rejoicing when we come to Christ

We have been grafted onto a tree representative of God’s promise to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Therefore, we must work to unite Jews and Gentiles, and to become one with Christ.

When a Jew comes to Christ, there is a great rejoicing. Symbolically, a dead person has come back to life. When Christ is in you, a new you has been born. We are all absolutely dependent upon God. He is the root of the tree, the source of all things including ourselves. God deserves our praise.

Have you been grafted into the family, or are you a wild olive branch?

Read the Entire Chapter:
Romans Chapter 11

What Message Does God Have For You?

Scripture: Jeremiah 44: 16-17

We will not listen to the message you have spoken to us in the name of the Lord! We will certainly do everything we said we would: We will burn incense to the Queen of Heaven and will pour out drink offerings to her just as we and our ancestors, our kings and our officials did in the towns of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem. At that time we had plenty of food and were well off and suffered no harm.

Scripture Commentary: Listen to the message from the Lord

God told the people of Jerusalem and Judah what to do through Jeremiah. He also told them what would happen if they did not follow his instruction. The people came to Jeremiah, asking him to pray to the Lord. They wanted to know what message God had for them. When God answered, they did not like what they heard.

Have you sought guidance from God, but turned around and ignored it? If you ignore God’s advice, then why are you asking?

God will always answer your prayers. His answers will not always be what you want to hear, but God will tell you what you need to hear. He knows how to overcome your obstacles and he wants what’s best for you.

We learn from our past mistakes and use those experiences as a place from which to grow. If you ask God for help and ignore him, you will repeat mistakes and make no progress. To fail to learn from failure is to ensure failure in the future. Look at your problems and recognize the true source.

When calamity forces you to examine your life, take a close look at God’s instructions for you.

Read the Entire Chapter:
Jeremiah 44

Are You Believing In the Jesus Who Saves?

Scripture: Galatians 3:2-5

I would like to learn just one thing from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law,or by believing what you heard? Are you so foolish? After beginning by means of the Spirit, are you now trying to finish by means of the flesh?Have you experienced so much in vain—if it really was in vain?So again I ask, does God give you his Spirit and work miracles among you by the works of the law, or by your believing what you heard?

Scripture Commentary: Whoever lives believing in Jesus will never die

Do you walk with Christ because you believe your deeds will save you from damnation? Or, does your life in Christ come from faith that Jesus died for your sins and was raised from the dead to save us all? If you believe your works will save you, you are wrong. Having faith and believing in Jesus are the keys to the kingdom of God.

Before faith, we did not have salvation. We were all prisoners to sin, and God recognized this. We were beaten down by past mistakes and choked by desires that we knew were wrong. God gave us a way out through his only begotten son, Jesus Christ.

Without Jesus, everyone is held in the clutches of sin. When you put your life in Jesus’ hands you are free. Alone, we are weak. The law of the flesh is weak and we should not work so hard to keep it. Trust Jesus.

We can only grow spiritually if we let God work in us by His Spirit. God remains constant and does not break his promises.

Read the Entire Chapter:
Galatians Chapter 3

Have Mercy on Me, O Lord

Scripture: Psalm 6: 1-3

O Lord, do not rebuke or punish me in Your anger, Nor discipline me in Your wrath. Have mercy on me and be gracious to me, O Lord, for I am weak (faint, frail); Heal me, O Lord, for my bones are dismayed and anguished. My soul [as well as my body] is greatly dismayed. But as for You, O Lord—how long [until You act on my behalf]?

Scripture Commentary: David asks God to have mercy on him

This is the first of seven “penitential” psalms, where David humbly realizes his predicament, expresses sorrow over it, and demonstrates a fresh commitment to remain close to God. He implores God to have mercy on him.

The secret to a close relationship with God is to pray to him earnestly all the time, day and night. We don’t know the cause of David’s pain. We do know that he sought God for the remedy. As in David’s case, we must be willing to accept God’s punishment, knowing God’s discipline will be out of love for us, not out of anger.

Humans would not exist if God corrected us out of anger alone. Mercy is the reason we are on this earth, and it is the reason we can have a close relationship with God. God knows your anger and despair already. Do not hide the truth from him. Put it in his hands. God knows us thoroughly and wants the very best for us.

David poured his heart out to God and was completely honest. He was open to the consequences, understanding that God loved him.

Our merciful God forgives us instead of giving us what we really deserve. He will never leave or desert you.

Read the Entire Chapter:
Psalms 6

The Lord’s Glory Is Revealed

Scripture: Isaiah 53: 1, 5-6

Who hath believed our report? And to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed? (1) But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.(5-6)

Scripture Commentary: To whom is the Lord revealed?

Isaiah wrote this scripture long before Our Lord Jesus Christ came to earth to save the Israelites. The Lord was revealed to them. Even with the knowledge of his coming, the Israelites still didn’t receive the Messiah.

The Lord is revealed to you

Today we stand in a different position. We have the hindsight of Christ’s prior coming as proof of his identity and his purpose. However, some of us continue not to recognize him. Our sin is much greater than that of the ancient Israelites. Our understanding is greater also, yet we still reject Jesus Christ.

Why do we live a godless lifestyle when we have the knowledge of Christ? Does your life follow the path Jesus asked you to walk? Do you love your neighbor as you love yourself? Do you talk to God, and have you given your life to Jesus Christ?

Read the Entire Chapter:
Isaiah Chapter 53

Other recent posts from the Book of Isaiah:
The Pit of Corruption is Dug for the Wicked
Here I Am, Lord; Send Me
Pray Unto the Lord – He Will Respond

God Is Light, in Him Is No Darkness

Scripture: 1 John 1: 5,7

This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.(5) But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.(7)

Scripture Commentary: God is light that brings us out of darkness

Light represents what is good and pure. God is light because he is perfect, holy, and true. Darkness represents sin and evil. God alone can guide us through darkness and out of sin.

Truth is like light. Sometimes the truth is good, and sometimes it is bad. Similarly, light exposes both what is pretty and ugly. In the light, good and evil are easily distinguishable. The dark is deceiving because good and evil look alike.

The light exposes the darkness in our soul

Darkness cannot exist in the presence of light, and sin cannot exist in the presence of God. If we want to have a relationship with God, we must put aside our sinful ways of living. If we claim to walk with Jesus, but then set out on our own paths, we are hypocrites. Christ will expose and judge such deceit.

Walk in God’s light … do not be blinded by darkness

The soul has your record. The soul is God’s gift to you. You cannot be a christian and still live in evil and immorality. We have a choice of living in sin or living in our Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus is the Lamb of God who died for our sins. You can either walk in the light and recognize the truth, or be blind in the darkness.

Read the Entire Chapter:
1 John Chapter 1

How Do You Use Your Worldly Goods?

Scripture: Luke 12: 19, 46

And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry.(19) The lord of that servant will come in a day when he looketh not for him, and at an hour when he is not aware, and will cut him in sunder, and will appoint him his portion with the unbelievers.(46)

Scripture Commentary: We should work to make sure our worldly goods benefit more than ourselves

I have worked all my life to acquire worldly goods for myself and for my family. This is true for most of us. God gives us the ability to do many things, and we use his gifts to survive. But we cannot use the gifts he gives us solely for our own progression. We must use them for the glory of God.

When you accept Jesus Christ in your life, you become a servant to God. God tells us not to worry because he has provided for us and for our foul, cattle, and fields. We do not have to be anxious about tomorrow.

Our faith in Christ sets us free from the anxiety of our worldly life. Do not be the rich man, and die before you use your gifts for the work of God. Jesus challenges us to use our gifts, not for earthbound goals, but for God’s kingdom.

Read the entire chapter:
Luke Chapter 12

The Symbolism of the Linen Girdle

Scripture: Jeremiah 13: 1,4,5,7

Thus saith the Lord unto me, Go and get thee a linen girdle, and put it upon thy loins, and put it not in water. Take the girdle that thou hast got, which is upon thy loins, and arise, go to Eu-phra’-tes, and hide it there in a hole of the rock. So I went, and hid it by Eu-phra’-tes, and digged, and took the girdle from the place where I had hid it: and, behold, the girdle was marred, it was profitable for nothing.

Scripture Commentary: What is the lesson of the linen girdle?

The linen girdle was the garment worn closest to the person and it represented how close the people were to be to God. When God told Jeremiah to remove and hide it, that represented how we distance ourselves from God. The marred linen girdle, which has no value, represented how a people guided by their own earthly interests are useless to God.

God gave us life so that we may worship him and create his kingdom on earth. He placed us here for a purpose. There are those among us who ignore that purpose. If we go about our lives living for ourselves then we are living in denial of God’s gift. What good are you without that gift? Without that purpose?

Pride clouds your eyes to the truth

What Jeremiah is conveying in the passage above still applies today. The people had once been close to God, but their pride made them useless. Pride will not let you see the truth; that God placed us on this earth for him and not for ourselves.

Proud people may look important on the outside, but their pride rots their hearts and decreases their value to God. In this chapter, the threat of captivity didn’t even move the people to repent. The lesson of the linen belt illustrates the destiny of Judea.

What is your destiny? Are you living for God or for yourself?

Read the entire chapter:
Jeremiah Chapter 13

Other Posts on the Book of Jeremiah
God’s Compassion Never Fails
We Must Acknowledge Our Wickedness and Change Our Ways
Woe To Leaders Who Scatter God’s Flock