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?

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?

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

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

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

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

Scripture: John 1: 1-4

In the beginning the Word already existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God. ² He existed in the beginning with God. ³ God created everything through him, and nothing was created except through him.  The Word gave life to everything that was created,^[a] and his life brought light to everyone.

Scripture Commentary: God is the beginning of everything.

Genesis 1:1 says, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” There is nothing before God. He is first and everything else follows.

Genesis means origin. It is the starting point. The book of John starts by quoting Genesis in telling us Jesus’s origin. He was before everything because He was. It reveals the Creator, Sustainer, the Judge and Redeemer.

We see God’s love for man, and the entrance of sin. Fellowship with God was taken and Satan rose to take down man, God’s creation. John tells us Jesus is the Word, and the Word was God.

John was an eyewitness, one of the 12 disciples to see the miracles of Christ. He saw Jesus turn water to wine, heal the sick, feed the 5,000 plus with 5 loaves of bread and 2 fish, restore sight to the blind, and raise Lazarus from the grave. John saw the resurrected Jesus Christ.

The book of John is the new beginning for God’s life for us.

John reveals Christ’s deity for us to see. He tells us Jesus is the Light of the World, the door, the One and Only Lamb of God, the Son of God, the Bread of Life, the resurrection. He is the Good Shepherd, the Truth and the Life. Amen.

Read the Entire Chapter of the Scriptures Referenced:

John 1

Genesis 1

Read Other Commentary from the Book of John:

You Are the Branch In Need of a Vine

For God So Loved the World … That Means You!

Scripture: Romans 7: 5-6

⁵ When we were controlled by our old nature,^[b] sinful desires were at work within us, and the law aroused these evil desires that produced a harvest of sinful deeds, resulting in death. ⁶ But now we have been released from the law, for we died to it and are no longer captive to its power. Now we can serve God, not in the old way of obeying the letter of the law, but in the new way of living in the Spirit.

Scripture Commentary:

Does this sound familiar: I’m trying my best but I seem to be getting nowhere? This will be a constant refrain if you are captive to the power of sin, haven’t accepted Jesus Christ and haven’t called on the Holy Spirit. You will remain confused and lost as long as you are living for yourself and continue in this worldly lifestyle.

As with Paul, you must be born again to God’s Holy Spirit. Without Christ, you are living a lifestyle of self gratification and determination. When you accept Christ and invite him into your life, he becomes your center. This is what Paul tells us in Romans 7: 5-6.

You cannot earn your way into the Kingdom of God by following the commandments and laws or even by attending church. Christ’s sacrifice on the cross opened the way to eternity with God. His Holy Spirit will show you what to do. Paul looked to Jesus for salvation because that’s the way to the Father.

The only one who can set you free is Jesus Christ. Thank God we are free at last!

Read the Entire Chapter of the Scripture Referenced:

Romans 7

Read Other Commentary from the Book of Romans:

Jesus Freely Died For Your Sins

God Is the Root That Supports You