Scripture: Ezekiel 29: 9-10

Egypt will become a desolate wasteland. Then they will know that I am the Lord. “‘Because you said, “The Nile is mine; I made it,” ¹⁰ therefore I am against you and against your streams, and I will make the land of Egypt a ruin and a desolate waste from Migdol to Aswan, as far as the border of Cush.^[b]

Scripture Commentary:

The Nile was Egypt’s pride and joy, a life-giving river cutting through the middle of the desert. The ruler and the people declared, “The Nile is mine; I made it.” We do the same when we say, “This is my house; I built it,” or “I have brought myself to this place in life where I am today,” or “I have built this church, ” or “I have made my business what it is today.”

These statements reveal our pride and don’t acknowledge God as our Provider, Creator, and Heavenly Father.

We have a tendency to take God for granted.

We forget that if not for God, where would we be? God is our supplier and resource. God has gifted us with the talents and abilities that we have. Instead of claiming our own greatness, as the Egyptians did, we should proclaim God’s goodness. Give Him the credit.

What you have is the gift that God has given you.

So use your gifts to His glory. Don’t boast about it or misuse it. When you stand before God, there will be a question put to you. “What have you done in my name?”

Read the Entire Chapter of the Scripture Referenced:

Ezekiel 29

Read Other Commentary From the Book of Ezekiel:

Let God Give You a New Heart

Spread the Word And They Shall Know That There Hath Been A Prophet Among Them

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

Scriptures: 1 Peter 5: 6-7

⁶ Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. ⁷ Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.

Proverbs 16: 9

In their hearts humans plan their course, but the Lord establishes their steps.

Psalm 37: 5

Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him and he will do this.

Scripture Commentary:

These three chapters and the verses chosen have one thing in common: humble yourself and trust in the Lord. Do not lean on yourself. You will not find peace without God in your life.

We tend to engage in excessive planning, attempting to control every facet of our present and future. This is a form of unbelief because we want to control everything. When we think we have achieved our goal, we find that we haven’t because we see something else we think we need. And the process starts all over again. How can this cycle be stopped?

Commit yourself to God.

Entrust everything in your life – family, job, possessions – to His control and guidance. Once you commit yourself to God, you will fully put your trust in Him. God knows you better than you know yourself.

Be willing to wait patiently. His time is not the same as your time. His wants are not the same as your wants. He knows what is best for you.

Read the Entire Chapter of the Scriptures Referenced:

1 Peter 5

Proverbs 16

Psalm 37

Read Other Commentary on Faith

Faith Has Greater Worth Than Gold

Trust God Instead of Yourself

Scripture: James 4: 13-15

¹³ Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.” ¹⁴ Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. ¹⁵ Instead, you ought to say, “If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.” 

Scripture Commentary: Here today, gone tomorrow has been said time after time.

“I just saw them last week!” How many times have you said that? We go through life making plans for today as though God does not exist; however, our future is in His hands.

Life is short no matter how many years we live.

Don’t be deceived into thinking that you have lots of time remaining. When you were a teenager, you did not think about 40, 50, 60, 70, 80 or 90. Look at you now!

Live for God today!

When you live for God today, you will have fulfilled God’s plan for you no matter when your life ends. When you have accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior, then you are a servant for Our Lord God.

Do not leave God out as you try to plan your life. There is no point in making plans as if God does not exist. You are here because He has put you here for His purpose. Ask God for direction in your life and God will show you the way.

Read the Entire Chapter of the Scripture Referenced:

James 4

Read Other Commentary From the Book of James:

Ask God and Believe He Will Answer You

Confidently Trust the Lord, Your Savior

Scripture: Matthew 18: 26-30

²⁶ “At this the servant fell on his knees before him. ‘Be patient with me,’ he begged, ‘and I will pay back everything.’ ²⁷ The servant’s master took pity on him, canceled the debt and let him go. ²⁸ “But when that servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred silver coins.^[i] He grabbed him and began to choke him. ‘Pay back what you owe me!’ he demanded. ²⁹ “His fellow servant fell to his knees and begged him, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay it back.’ ³⁰ “But he refused. Instead, he went off and had the man thrown into prison until he could pay the debt.

Scripture Commentary:

Are you this man who refused to forgive someone? How many times do you think God has forgiven you during your life?

Do you know the feeling, the freedom that forgiveness can do for you?

It releases you from the chains binding you to Satan. Unforgiveness is a way he can keep you in his grasp. Since God forgives our sins, we should not withhold forgiveness from others.

When we don’t forgive others, we set ourselves outside and above Christ’s law of love. We should always forgive those who are truly repentant, no matter how many times they ask.

If you cannot forgive others, how can God forgive you?

Read the Entire Chapter of the Scripture Referenced:

Matthew 18

Read Other Commentary From the Book of Matthew:

God’s People Are the Salt of the Earth

Jesus Fulfilled the Prophecy as King

Scripture: Romans 5: 3-5

Not only so, but we^[c] also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; ⁴ perseverance, character; and character, hope. ⁵ And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.

Scripture Commentary:

2 Corinthians 12:9 says, “My grace is sufficient for you…” The dictionary defines suffering as, “the state of undergoing pain, distress, or hardship.” In Romans 5 Paul is writing to the Romans who will be experiencing difficulties as they grow in the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Jesus suffered and died for us.

Why do we think that because we accepted Him, we are to go through life on a bed of roses? With suffering we learn that we cannot go it alone. We can only move forward with God’s help and direction.

Our relationship with God begins with faith.

And in faith, Jesus delivers us from our past with His death and resurrection . Hope grows as we learn what God has for us. It gives us the promise of eternity with Him in His kingdom.

Paul tells us that we must become like Christ so we can overcome the earthly pitfalls of this world. We rejoice in suffering, not because we know God is using life’s difficulties and Satan’s attacks to build us. We thank God for these opportunities to grow and feel the power of God working through us.

God has taken us into His family. We are now children of God for eternity.

Read the Entire Chapter of the Scriptures Referenced:

Romans 5

2 Corinthians 12

Read Other Commentary from the Book of Romans:

Be Declared Not Guilty By God

Without the Law, Sin is Dead

Scripture: Psalm 5: 1-3

Listen to my words, Lord, consider my lament. Hear my cry for help, my King and my God, for to you I pray. ³ In the morning, Lord, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait expectantly.

Scripture Commentary: Get up early in the morning and see the glory of the Lord.

What is the first thought that comes to you in the morning when you wake up from a very good night’s sleep? Do you thank God for giving you this day or do you have no thought whatsoever? Do you take the day for granted?

When you have a close relationship with God, you pray to Him day and night. Prayer is your conversation with God. He is listening to you.

Prayer is how you get to know God because He already knows you.

When you pour out your heart to God as David and Jeremiah did, they asked God to correct them gently and not in anger. They recognized that if God treated them with justice alone, and no mercy, they would be wiped out by God’s wrath.

Think of this: If God judged us as we truly need at times, we all would be in trouble. But God, in His grace and mercy, gives us time to correct ourselves. We cannot measure God’s kindness and forgiveness and love.

Read the Entire Chapter of the Scripture Referenced:

Psalm 5

Read Other Commentary from the Book of Psalms:

Lift Your Eyes to the Lord

God, A Very Present Help During Trouble