Scripture: John 20: 28-29

²⁸ “My Lord and my God!” Thomas exclaimed. ²⁹ Then Jesus told him, “You believe because you have seen me. Blessed are those who believe without seeing me.”

Scripture Commentary:

What would have happened to Thomas had he not seen the resurrected Jesus Christ for himself? Christ was not hard on Thomas for his doubts. Some people need to doubt before they believe.

A doubt is a form of a question, and a question needs an answer. When we seek the answer, we will find it. This is a good process.

Thomas still believed Jesus was the Messiah. His problem was that he did not fully understand Jesus’s teachings when Jesus said that he must die and in 3 days he would be resurrected.

Do not let doubt become a road block and stubborness become a lifestyle – that harms our faith, making us a candidate for Satan. We do not have to see a miracle or a physical appearance to believe in God. We have His Word, the Bible, to help in our walk of faith. Just study the Gospels to understand the life and mission of Jesus.

Thomas is a good example of a believer and follower of Jesus Christ. Jesus is as real now as he was then. A physical appearance will not make him any more real to you.

Read the Entire Chapter of the Scripture Referenced:

John 20

Read Other Commentary from the Book of John:

You Can Depend on Jesus to Make You Whole

Jesus Offers You Living Water to Slack Your Thirst

Scripture: 2 Samuel 12: 5-7

⁵ And David’s anger was greatly kindled against the man; and he said to Nathan, As the Lord liveth, the man that hath done this thing shall surely die: ⁶ And he shall restore the lamb fourfold, because he did this thing, and because he had no pity. ⁷ And Nathan said to David, Thou art the man. Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, I anointed thee king over Israel, and I delivered thee out of the hand of Saul;

Scripture Commentary:

How does this story of David’s sin against God and God’s judgment apply to you and me today? We do sinful things in life and point to others without looking in the mirror at ourselves. We judge, compare, evaluate and pass judgment.

David did a sinful act but it took Nathan, with God’s direction, to present it in a way so David had no way of denying the sin against God. Likewise, we go about commiting sin and are in denial of what we do.

We have a Nathan in our lives who is all powerful for it is Jesus Christ.

We can lie to ourselves but we cannot lie to God. He has placed His Holy Spirit in each of us, and His Spirit records our rights and wrongs.

David faced his sin and asked God to forgive him. Our prayers asking for forgiveness help. We are not perfect; we will make mistakes. God knows this. When we pray to Him for forgiveness, He forgives us because He loves us. This doesn’t mean that we will not have to pay for our sin, but God will forgive. David had to account for his sin. (Read Psalm 51 for reference.)

Read the Entire Chapter of the Scriptures Referenced:

2 Samuel 12

Psalm 51

Read Other Commentary from the Book of 2 Samuel:

God Is the Shield of My Salvation

God Is My Rock, Fortress and Deliverer

Scripture: John 10: 7, 9, 14

⁷ Then said Jesus unto them again, Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep. ⁹ I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture. ¹⁴ I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine.

Scripture Commentary: Jesus opens the door for all.

Jesus says, “I am the door…” Jesus opened the door for all of us when he placed himself on the cross and died for our sins. This gave us entry into God, the Father’s kingdom.

We will go through many doors in this life but the most important door is the one we will enter when our life on earth ends.

Can you hear Jesus’s voice or are you listening to another voice?

When Jesus says my flock hears my voice, it means that those who have repented and accepted Jesus as their Lord and Savior know his voice. Those who have not accepted him do not know what his voice sounds like.

Verse 16 tells us there are other sheep not part of the original flock who also are his. Jesus came to the Jews first so they could go into the world and spread the Gospel. Then Jesus opened the door to let in the Gentiles, who also are the sheep of his flock.

Jesus has his door wide open so the entire universe has the opportunity to come in.

Jesus committed his life and his love to us. What have you committed to him?

Read the Entire Chapter of the Scripture Referenced:

John 10

Read Other Commentary from the Book of John:

God Has Prepared a Place for You

Do You Know the Gift of God?

Scripture: Psalm 73: 1-3, 12, 17

¹ Surely God is good to Israel, to those who are pure in heart. ² But as for me, my feet had almost slipped; I had nearly lost my foothold. ³ For I envied the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked. ¹² This is what the wicked are like—always free of care, they go on amassing wealth. ¹⁷ till I entered the sanctuary of God; then I understood their final destiny.

Scripture Commentary:

Sometimes when we stand on the corner of our lives, we desire what man has placed before us. Money, houses, jewlery … all the wealth and desires of our heart. We may be in the company of people who have the wealth we wish to have. We think that if we could only have a portion – or all of these things – we will be happy.

But the question is this: If you had all these things, what would you do with it?

Would you help the ‘have nots’ or keep it all to yourself and not share? Can you take it with you when death knocks on your door? Or can you present it to God?

There are two themes in the verses above. First, the wicked prospers on earth and people wonder why they should be good. Second, the wealthy and wicked look good and the people wish to trade places with them.

Luke 16: 19-31 recounts the story of the rich man and Lazarus. In death the rich man realizes that his wealth is worthless.

God’s gift to us is His Son, Jesus Christ. He gives us a choice: accept and follow Him or follow the road of earthly devastation and damnation. What path are you on? Is it the path to God’s kingdom and glory or hell in a basket?

Read the Entire Chapter of the Scriptures Referenced:

Psalm 73

Luke 16

Read Other Commentary from the Book of Psalms:

Idols Cannot Speak, See, Hear or Help You

Teach Me Lord, and Order My Steps In Your Word

Scripture: Colossians 1: 27

 To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.

Scripture Commentary:

God speaks to you from the depths of eternity. Before the world was formed, He says, “I AM!” You hear Him in the depths of your being where He has taken up residence. Christ is in you, the hope of glory.

The Lord your Savior is alive within you. Learn to tune into His Living Presence by seeking Him in silence. As you celebrate the wonder of His birth in Bethlehem, celebrate also your rebirth into eternal life.

This everlasting gift was the sole purpose of His entering your sin-stained world. Receive His gift with awe and humility. Take time to explore the vast dimensions of His love. Allow thankfulmess to flow freely from your heart in response to His glorious gift. Let His peace rule in your heart and be thankful.

Psalm 90: 2 says, “Before the mountains were born or you brought forth the whole world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God.”

Read the Entire Chapter of the Scriptures Referenced:

Colossians 1

Psalm 90

Read Other Commentary from the Book of Colossians:

Seek Christ Above All Things

Jesus Blotted Our Sins With His Blood

Scripture: Psalm 139: 1-2, 23-24

¹ You have searched me, Lord, and you know me. ² You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. ²³ Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. ²⁴ See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.

Scripture Commentary:

We have built-in internal protection to keep people from penetrating our personal space. But we have no way to block God because He created us. He can search us always and He knows everything about us from the number of hair on our head, and the time of our birth and death.

God is with us through every situation.

He is with us in all our trials and tribulations, protecting us, loving us and guiding us. God is omnipresent – He is everywhere at all times. Since He is, we are never lost from His presence. This is good news to His followers. No matter what we do or where we go, God is always there.

When we ask God to search us, as David did, we are really asking for help. God is aware of our true selves which we are not. He shows us our wrongs in a loving way. Ask God to change the wrongs – the weakness in you – and He will.

Read the Entire Chapter of the Scripture Referenced:

Psalm 139

Read Other Commentary from the Book of Psalms:

God Knows All Your Ways – He Is With You

Delight Yourself in God’s Never-Changing Word

Scripture: Isaiah 42: 1-4

“Here is my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen one in whom I delight; I will put my Spirit on him, and he will bring justice to the nations. ² He will not shout or cry out, or raise his voice in the streets. ³ A bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out. In faithfulness he will bring forth justice; he will not falter or be discouraged till he establishes justice on earth. In his teaching the islands will put their hope.”

Scripture Commentary:

These verses are also found in Matthew 12: 18-21 in reference to Jesus Christ. The Book of Isaiah was probably written around 700 B.C. God informed Isaiah about His Son Jesus Christ and the price he would have to pay in carrying out God’s mission. Jesus is referred to as a bruised reed that will not break, a smoldering wick that cannot be extinguished. He will neither falter nor be discouraged, and he will establish justice on earth.

Doing the work of God will put you in harm’s way. Do not be discouraged.

Isaiah was popular at the beginning of his ministry but like most prophets, he was executed. However, we see no fear in Isaiah. He is a courageous man of God, spreading the message of repentence.

Isaiah was called servant. Likewise, Jesus referred to himself as a servant. Are you a servant for God or are you serving yourself? God has given each of us an assignment. What is yours? It may be helping someone across the street or holding a door open for someone. It could be your smile or kind words.

We see here that serving meant carrying out God’s word by spreading His gospel. We are priveleged to help spread the word of Jesus’s mission. Through you, God’s mission is being carried out. God chose you for a particular job. Be grateful and appreciative for His gift and His love.

Read the Entire Chapter of the Scriptures Referenced:

Isaiah 42

Matthew 12

Read Other Commentary from the Book of Isaiah:

Pray Unto the Lord – He Will Respond

Here I Am, Lord; Send Me

Scripture: John 15: 20-21

²⁰ Remember what I told you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’^[b] If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also. ²¹ They will treat you this way because of my name, for they do not know the one who sent me.

Scripture Commentary:

It is important to remember that God sent His Son Jesus Christ to save you from a life of sin. God didn’t give Jesus and easy road to travel; Christ’s life here on earth wasn’t a bed of roses. It was a life of hardship and punishment.

So why do you feel your life should be easy?

When Jesus chose us, He gave us his love and the Holy Spirit to guide us on our journey. Jesus knows the hardships that are ahead but he has equipped us. His book of instruction, The Holy Bible, along with the Holy Spirit and Christ himself guides us.

We will be hated by the world but the hatred is from Satan’s followers. Satan will do whatever he can to distract us from God’s assignment. Remember, we are servants of Jesus but we are also called to be his friend. And as his friend, he hides nothing from us.

Christ offers hope and love.

He shows us the way to go, the life we are to live, and the love we are to have for one another. Christ offers hope and love. The Holy Spirit gives us the strength to endure the hostility of the world.

As followers of Christ we have the opportunity to spread his love and gospel to the world. We are not only his friend but also his loyal servant.

Read the Entire Chapter of the Scripture Referenced:

John 15

Read Other Commentary from the Book of John:

For God So Loved the World … That Means You!

Nicodemus Came to Jesus by Night

Scripture: Acts 3: 1-3

One day Peter and John were going up to the temple at the time of prayer—at three in the afternoon. ² Now a man who was lame from birth was being carried to the temple gate called Beautiful, where he was put every day to beg from those going into the temple courts. ³ When he saw Peter and John about to enter, he asked them for money.

Scripture Commentary:

Many people – both religious and non-religious – have read or heard the story about the lame man begging for money at the temple entrance. We see many people today begging at train and bus stops, and in front of office buildings and stores. We may either give them money or ignore them.

God gives each of us the power to spread His Word.

I don’t think that any of us feel that we have the power that Peter had to tell the lame that they can walk or the blind that they can see. However, God has given each of us the power to spread His message to anyone that we talk to. God’s gospel sets us free our ailments. Even if we aren’t physically healed, we can be healed of the spiritual ailments of our soul, which is eternal.

As God worked through Peter, he was able to heal the beggar in the story both physically and spiritually. Likewise, God, working through you, can give healing, both spiritually and physically, if only you believe.

As we work in Jesus’s name, we can know that He is alive.

The religious leaders thought they had put an end to Jesus when they crucified Him. But when Peter, through Jesus, healed this beggar, we all can know that Jesus Christ is alive!

Our prayers have power.

Peter showed the significance of the resurrection of Jesus Christ who defeated death. Christ got the glory for this miracle. Peter showed that Jesus gave him the authority and power to heal. It is in Jesus’s name that prayer has the power to heal and forgive.

Read the Entire Chapter of the Scripture Referenced:

Acts 3

Read Other Commentary from the Book of Acts:

Repent and Be Baptized

Money Can’t Buy What Is Eternal

Scripture: Isaiah 55: 6-8

Seek the Lord while he may be found; call on him while he is near. ⁷ Let the wicked forsake their ways and the unrighteous their thoughts. Let them turn to the Lord, and he will have mercy on them, and to our God, for he will freely pardon. ⁸ “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord.

Scripture Commentary:

Sometimes we leave God out of our lives. We’re caught up in work, play and the amusement of everyday life. We either push God out or forget He even exists. On the other hand, God has never forgotten or misplaced us. “Seek the Lord while he may be found.”

God isn’t lost; however, we may be.

The wickedness we may have gotten ourselves into can misdirect our lives to the point where we feel there is no way out. God offers free nourishment for the mind, body and soul. His holy word, The Bible, shows us the salvation He freely offers.

Seek Him. Ask and it will be given. Knock and the door will open.

We physically will die without food and water. Spiritually we will die without God’s Word. Our way is not God’s way; however, it should be. God’s knowledge and wisdom are so much greater than ours. We can’t give God our plans and purposes. He gives us His plan and purpose for our lives.

Stop. Listen to God.

Follow the life He has for you. Time is running out. God has all the time He needs … what about you?

Read the Entire Chapter of the Scripture Referenced:

Isaiah 55

Read Other Commentary from the Book of Isaiah:

Seek the Lord Within His Word

God Has Freely Given Us His Love