Author: thegospelmailman@yahoo.com

God Has Not Abandoned You

Scripture : Jeremiah 2: 13, 29

13 “For my people have done two evil things: They have abandoned me—the fountain of living water. And they have dug for themselves cracked cisterns that can hold no water at all! 29 Why do you accuse me of doing wrong? You are the ones who have rebelled,” says the Lord.

Scripture Commentary:

God asks the people in Jeremiah 2 why He has been abandoned? The question is still relevant today. God further asks how has He wronged the people. He has loved them, and freed them from slavery from the Egyptians. God forsakes no one. It is we who forsake God when we put self, or self-serving things, before Him.

Think. Has God forgotten or left you? These verses compare the relationship with God to that of a marriage. Why would you seek worthless things rather than God’s love? The only lasting security is found in God, not in yourself. Do not let temptation distract you from God, the Father.

Verse 13 references “cracked cisterns.” A cistern is a pot or vase that holds water. A broken cistern is useless. If you have denied God, you are like a broken cistern. You can hold nothing. Be a vessel for God so He can fill you with His love. Carry His gospel throughout the world.

Read the Entire Chapter of the Scripture Referenced:

Jeremiah 2

Read Other Commentary from the Book of Jeremiah:

Trust God Who Can Do All Things

What Message Does God Have For You?

The Lord is Compassionate and Merciful

Scripture: Psalm 103: 1-2, 8-9

1 Let all that I am praise the Lord; with my whole heart, I will praise his holy name. 2 Let all that I am praise the Lord; may I never forget the good things he does for me. 8 The Lord is compassionate and merciful, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love. 9 He will not constantly accuse us, nor remain angry forever.

Scripture Commentary:

We get angry with a person or a group of people and won’t let it go. Why is that? God not only forgets; He forgives and is compassionate and merciful. So, if we ask God to forgive us, why is it so hard to forgive others?

If we’ve truly surrendered to God, then we can forgive and forget. If not, then we haven’t truly committed to God. We need to think about everything God has done in our lives. He has forgiven our sins, healed our diseases, redeemed us from death and given us His love and compassion. And we have a chance to be with Him forever.

We get all this, and all He asks is to be faithful to Him and love one another. Let go of the past. God has. We have a clean record moving forward.

If you believe in Jesus Christ, follow the path He has given. You are fragile but God is all powerful. He knows your strengths and weaknesses. Don’t use your weakness to justify sin. Ask God for his forgiveness, wisdom, and spiritual strength to guide you through your life.

Thank God for His Son, Jesus Christ, and His love.

Read the Entire Chapter of the Scripture Referenced:

Psalm 103

Read Other Commentary from the Book of Psalms:

Blessed Is the Person Who Walks With God

The Lord Is My Mighty Fortress, My Deliverer

Trust God At All Times

Scripture: Proverbs 3: 5-7

5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. 6 Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take. 7 Don’t be impressed with your own wisdom. Instead, fear the Lord and turn away from evil.

Scripture Commentary: God gives us the choice to trust Him.

Do you fully trust God or only partially trust Him? When do you turn to Him – all the time or when you run into trouble? Most of us do our own thing our own way and over the course of time, the mistakes pile up. God gives us the gift of choice; we choose when to call on Him.

Learn to trust God.

God does not force himself on us. He’s just there for us. We learn to trust Him. The learning curve is short for some, but there are those who never learn to put their trust in Him. God is a better judge than we for what’s best for us. We may not get what we want but God gives us what is best for us.

We must never try to think for God or discount what He is doing in our life. His ways are not our ways; His time is not our time. We must acknowledge God in all our ways. This means turning everything over to Him.

Don’t rely on yourself. Put God first in your life. Make Him a vital part of everything you say and do. Trust God completely, without question.

Read the Entire Chapter of the Scripture Referenced:

Proverbs 3

Read Other Commentary from the Book of Proverbs:

Avoid Sexual Sin: Steps to Take

Let God Help You Make Decisions

The Lord Watches Over the Path of the Godly

Scripture: Psalms 1: 4-6

4 But not the wicked! They are like worthless chaff, scattered by the wind. 5 They will be condemned at the time of judgment. Sinners will have no place among the godly. 6 For the Lord watches over the path of the godly, but the path of the wicked leads to destruction.

Scripture Commentary: Associate with godly people who build you up in God’s Word.

We will come in contact with all types of people; some godly and some satanic. Who you befriend and follow determines not only where and how you spend your life here but also what happens after your human life ends.

Will your path lead to your destruction? Will you go to heaven or to hell? Do you surround yourself with people who worship God and the Son, or Satan and the unbelievers? Are those you hang with working to build you up with the Word of God or are they trying to tear down God’s Word?

The more we study and live in God’s Word, the more fruitful we become. Don’t allow those around you to ridicule God. Be discerning. A person of God will draw you closer to Him. Don’t be like the chaff that is blown by the wind and becomes dust. Be like the tree by the river, being fed on the Word of God.

Read the Entire Chapter of the Scripture Referenced:

Psalms 1

Read Other Commentary from the Book of Psalms:

Into Thine Hand I Commit My Spirit

God’s People Must Live Together in Unity

Lay Up Your Treasure in Heaven

Scripture: James 5: 1-3

Come now, you rich, weep and howl for your miseries that are coming upon you!2 Your riches [a]are corrupted, and your garments are moth-eaten. 3 Your gold and silver are corroded, and their corrosion will be a witness against you and will eat your flesh like fire. You have heaped up treasure in the last days. 

Scripture Commentary:

James is telling us why we are so concerned about what we’ve accumulated here on earth. You can’t you take the “treasure” – the clothes, money, cars, houses, etc – with you when your time on earth is done.

What good will your earthly treasure do you in heaven or hell?

We see the treasures of past pharaohs and kings. They weren’t able to take it with them – it’s still here! So what does it really mean to be rich or poor? What have you done with what God has given you? Did you help others or did you keep everything for yourself?

Jesus tells us that everything is in the heavenly kingdom.

Your earthly treasure is not required. James proclaims the worthlessness of riches, not the worthiness of the rich. Therefore, spend your time spreading the Gospel of love and forgiveness.

Read the Entire Chapter of the Scripture Referenced:

James 5

Read Other Commentary from the Book of James:

Be Humble – Do Not Judge

Can A Man Have Faith Without Works?

And the Lame Are Healed

Scripture: Acts 3: 2-3

2 And a certain man lame from his mother’s womb was carried, whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple which is called Beautiful, to [a]ask alms from those who entered the temple; 3 who, seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple, asked for alms. 

Scripture Commentary:

Most of us know the story of the lame beggar who asked Peter and John for money. In return he was healed. We see how Jesus, through Peter and John, heals this beggar.

How many times has Peter and John seen this person asking for money and did they ever give him alms in the past? The beggar was placed at the entrance to the temple for years. So why this time was he healed?

Go back and read Acts 2. There you see that the disciples received the Holy Spirit after Christ’s death and resurrection. The Holy Spirit empowers the disciples not only to spread the gospel but also to perform miracles. The same Holy Spirit is here with us today.

Have you called on God’s Holy Spirit to guide you in your life? If not, why? God is with us as He has been since the beginning to time. To love God is to accept His Son Jesus Christ and to follow Him.

Read the Entire Chapter of the Scriptures Referenced:

Acts 3

Acts 2

Read Other Commentary from the Book of Acts:

Call On the Name of the Lord to Be Saved

Saul, why do you persecute me?

We Are All Sinners Saved By Grace

Scripture: 1 Timothy 1: 15

15 This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief. 

Scripture Commentary: We are all sinners.

Paul calls himself the chief of sinners because he knew we are all born sinners. Paul was originally known as Saul. He was a soldier for the high priest and his duty was to capture, imprison and even kill all the Christians he could find. Saul was a person on a mission and he was focused.

On his way to Damascus, Jesus stopped him and asked ‘why are you persecuting Me?’ Saul asked, “Who are You, Lord?” Jesus answered, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting.”

God forgives and forgets our sins when we turn to Him.

We all have been Saul, and because of God’s grace, we have become Paul. No matter what you’ve said, done or thought, God forgives and forgets. So don’t go through life thinking you are so bad that God will not forgive you. Don’t think you are worse or less; a sinner is a sinner.

God loves you.

The more you understand God’s grace, the more you know of His love. Humility and gratitude will become part of your lifestyle as you grow and become closer to God.

Are you on the road to Damascus or have you detoured to be on the road to Jesus Christ? We are all sinners saved by grace.

Read the Entire Chapter of the Scriptures Referenced:

1 Timothy 1

Acts 9

Read Other Commentary from the Book of 1 Timothy

Spiritual Wealth

Jesus Came Into the World to Save Sinners Like Me

Let Not Your Heart Be Troubled

Scripture: John 14: 1

“Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me.

Scripture Commentary: “Let not” means to take all your cares to the One who can.

“Let not.” These two words are telling you to not be worried about things you can’t handle. Jesus Christ will take care of you if you believe in him and have accepted him. The next four words, “your heart be troubled” show that you get into trouble when you leave Christ outside of your life and go it alone. When you think you don’t need Christ, trouble happens and you invariably call on the Lord.

After “Let not your heart be troubled,” we read “you believe in God.”

Do you believe that Jesus Christ is God’s Only Begotten Son who died for your sins and rose on the third day, and now sits on God’s right hand? Do you believe Jesus is the door, the good shepherd?

He is the resurrection, the bread of life, the light of the world, the way, the truth and the life. Jesus Chris is the true vine.

Do you believe?

The final four words, “believe also in Me.” It’s not complicated. Jesus came to show us the way. Are you on his road?

Read the Entire Chapter of the Scripture Referenced:

John 14

Read Other Commentary from the Book of John:

The Food of Spiritual Nourishment

Learn the Truth of Jesus

The Old Testament Foretold of Judas

Scripture: John 17: 12-13

12 During my time here, I protected them by the power of the name you gave me.[c] I guarded them so that not one was lost, except the one headed for destruction, as the Scriptures foretold. 13 “Now I am coming to you. I told them many things while I was with them in this world so they would be filled with my joy.

Scripture Commentary:

Psalm 41:9 tells of Judas, the son of perdition. What Judas would do was foretold in the Old Testament. This had to happen for Jesus to be identified and then crucified. Judas played his part. The question is what part are you playing? Is it for God or for Satan?

Jesus prays for us.

John 17 is Jesus’s prayer for his disciples, and for our protection against Satan. Satan’s followers are motivated by hatred for God and His Son Jesus Christ. Jesus knows there is a war between good and evil and this war will continue until the end.

We can have a personal relationship with God through Jesus.

Jesus’s disciples had him in the flesh; we have him in the Word and in the Holy Spirit. We have a personal relationship with God in His Son Jesus Christ. When we confess our sins and accept Christ as our Lord and Savior, His Holy Spirit is awakened in us to give direction in this life here on earth.

Jesus’s mission on earth continues in us. Again, what part are your playing? Is it for God or for Satan?

Read the Entire Chapter of the Scriptures Referenced:

John 17

Psalm 41

Read Other Commentary from the Book of John:

Jesus Heals the Blind

I Once Was Blind But Now I See

Jesus Replied With A Story

Scripture: Luke 10: 30-32

30 Jesus replied with a story: “A Jewish man was traveling from Jerusalem down to Jericho, and he was attacked by bandits. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him up, and left him half dead beside the road. 31 “By chance a priest came along. But when he saw the man lying there, he crossed to the other side of the road and passed him by. 32 A Temple assistant[d] walked over and looked at him lying there, but he also passed by on the other side.

Scripture Commentary: What character do you play in the story?

When you see someone in need, do you ignore them or do you try to help? Most of us have heard the story of the priest, Levite, Samaritan, and victim. We don’t know the victim’s name or where he came from but we know his fate.

We pass by people everyday who are in need. They beg for money or food outside of stores, or they’re just trying to get out of the cold or heat. When you see them, do you cross the street or just walk by? How are we any different from the priest or Levite? We are not!

Think! The person in need could be you or someone you know or a family member. We are truly our brother’s keeper. Are you the Samaritan, who has love in his heart?

This parable teaches us to love our neighbor; love as God loves us. The Jews hated Samaritans. People today hate someone who is a different color skin or who speaks another language. But we are all God’s children and no one is more special than the other. Since God loves us all as we are, why can’t we love one another as God loves us?

Read the Entire Chapter of the Scripture Referenced:

Luke 10

Read Other Commentary From the Book of Luke:

Be a Reflection of the Light of Jesus

The Seed Is the Word of God