Category: Old Testament

For God’s Children: He No Longer Remembers Your Sins

Scriptures: Isaiah 43: 25 and Ephesians 2: 8-9

I, even I, am he who blots out your transgressions, for my own sake, and remembers your sins no more. (Isaiah 43: 25)

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast. (Ephesians 2: 8-9)

Scripture Commentary: God no longer remembers your sins.

Imagine the moment you accepted God and repented. In that moment your sins are forgiven. And God no longer remembers your sins!

In Isaiah 6: 7, a seraphim touches Isaiah’s mouth with a coal and God forgave his sins.

Imagine God wiping away all your lies and healing all of the hate you have stored up inside yourself.

  • Anger – forgiven
  • Bitterness – forgiven
  • Boasting – forgiven
  • Jealousy – forgiven
  • Envy – forgiven

Imagine it all forgiven by God – your evil thoughts, greed, hypocrisy, gossiping, lusts, pride, ingratitude, materialism and unbelief! All forgiven and forgotten by the grace of God!

Cry out to God for forgiveness.

Your sins are gone. Forgiven. Washed away. And forgotten. In the same way that the coal removed Isaiah’s guilt and sin, the blood of Jesus takes away yours. You don’t do anything except ask for forgiveness and repent of your sins.

God’s grace changes everything. Jesus Christ did it on the cross for you.

Read the Entire Chapter of the Scriptures Referenced:

Isaiah 43

Ephesians 2

Isaiah 6

Read Other Commentary From the Book of Isaiah:

Learning from Adversity

The Destroyer Flees From the Voice of God

Don’t Be Consumed With Anguish

Scripture: Lamentations 3: 22-25

Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. 23 They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. 24 I say to myself, “The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for him.” 25 The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him;

Scripture Commentary:

Our world is consumed with injustice, poverty, war and rebellion against God. All of this should move us to tears and to action. The book of Lamentations, written by Jeremiah in 586 B.C., is calling to us today.

Jeremiah is referred to as the weeping prophet. He wept because the people rejected God. He would weep today if he were here to see how people, out of selfishness and sinfulness, bring suffering to their fellow citizens.

Lamentations allows us to see what made Jeremiah sorrowful as well as shines a light on how we are today. Jeremiah saw a ray of hope in all the wrong that surrounded him, which is God’s love.

We have God’s love in us today.

We must turn from the wicked path we are on. If we do not, then punishment will come with our disobedience as it did with Jerusalem. God promised to restore and bless the people if they repented.

Lamentations is a funeral chant or song, so the people committed suicide rather than turn from their wicked ways.

God forgives when we repent. Are you going to repent and turn to God? He will forgive you.

Read the Entire Chapter of the Scripture Referenced:

Lamentations 3

Read Other Commentary from the Book of Lamentations:

God’s Compassion Never Fails

Praise God In His Sanctuary

God Lifts Us From the Pit of Despair

Scripture: Psalm 40: 1-2

I waited patiently for the Lord. He turned to me and heard my cry. 2 He lifted me out of the pit of destruction, out of the sticky mud. He stood me on a rock and made my feet steady.

Scripture Commentary: Sin is a bottomless pit. Only Jesus can draw you out.

At times you have been in places where you were either lost, trapped, or it seemed like you were in a bottomless pit. It seemed like the more you tried to get out, the deeper it became.

The thought to call God didn’t occur in the beginning. Or maybe you did call on Him, and as far as you were concerned, He wasn’t fast enough. Waiting for God to help us is not easy in this fast paced lifestyle we live in.

King David received four benefits from God:

  1. God lifted him out of despair
  2. God set his feet on solid rock, and
  3. gave him a firm place to stand
  4. A new song of praise was put in David’s mouth

There are times when we need trials and tribulations to see how God works in our lives.

Don’t think that going to church, taking communion, and paying tithes is all you have to do. Are you really serving God? Do you spread His Gospel and live as close to a Christ-like lifestyle as you can?

The prophet Samuel told Saul, “To obey is better than making sacrifices,” as they did in David’s time. What God is saying is not to push Him out of your life. Tell the world about God’s blessings.

Read the Entire Chapter of the Scriptures Referenced:

Psalm Chapter 40

1 Samuel Chapter 15

Read Other Commentary from the Book of Psalms

To Build Without God is Futile

Praise the Lord While You Live

Search Me, God, And Know My Heart

Scripture: Psalm 139: 1-4, 23-24

O Lord, You have searched me and known me. 2 You know my sitting down and my rising up; You understand my thought afar off. 3 You [a]comprehend my path and my lying down, And are acquainted with all my ways. 4 For there is not a word on my tongue, But behold, O Lord, You know it altogether. Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me, and know my anxieties; 24 And see if there is any wicked way in me,
And lead me in the way everlasting.

Scripture Commentary: God knows your heart and sees your anxieties.

When we say, “Search me,” we are really asking God for help. God knows your heart. He knows the question before we ask. He also knows the answer.

Sometimes we know the answer, too, and it’s no. Don’t ask for what you know is wrong.

Don’t play games with God.

We may want something that we know is wrong but the flesh (Satan) says to ask anyway. This is wrong. God will give if it is His way. In His love for us, God place His Holy Spirit in each of us. In calling on God, His Spirit will always direct us on His path. Before asking to be searched, do an inventory on yourself with the help of the Holy Spirit. And do what the Holy Spirit directs.

We need to have as much respect for ourselves as God has for us.

We are made in His image, and He loved us before we ever knew Him.

Read the Entire Chapter of the Scripture Referenced:

Psalm Chapter 139

Read Other Commentary from the Book of Psalms:

Meditate on God’s Word Day and Night

Have Mercy on My Weakness, O Lord

God, A Very Present Help During Trouble

Scripture: Psalm 46: 1-3

God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, Even though the earth be removed, And though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea; Though its waters roar and be troubled, Though the mountains shake with its swelling.  Selah

Scripture Commentary: Make a point to present yourself to God in 2021.

We have just ended the year 2020 and now we are starting the present year, 2021. Some of us have lost loved ones, friends or people we knew. We shed tears, but what kind of tears? Did we cry for joy because we know the person had accepted Christ as their Lord and Savior?

This planet we call home is just a stopping station.

It’s a place to prepare for our eternal home in either heaven or hell. Each day we are given a choice to accept or reject God.

For those who accept Christ, the psalmist says that even if the world ends, we need not fear in the face of utter destruction. The writer expressed a quiet confidence in God’s ability to save him.

God is our refuge at all times and in all things.

Do not be consumed by fear or by what we are going through today with Covid-19. God is our refuge even in the face of total destruction. God is not merely a temporary retreat. He is our eternal refuge and can provide strength in any circumstance now and in the future.

Read the Entire Chapter of the Scripture Referenced:

Psalm Chapter 46

Read Other Commentary from the Book of Psalms:

Let Your New Year’s Resolution Be to Learn God’s Word!

Praise the Greatness of Our God

God Hasn’t Given You A Spirit of Fear

Scripture: 2 Timothy 1: 7, 14

For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.(7) That good thing which was committed to you, keep by the Holy Spirit who dwells in us.(14)

Scripture Commentary:

What in your life keeps you up at night and plagues you during the day? Is it the fear of losing your job, spouse, or health? These are some of the things that may be ricocheting through your mind that refuse to be quieted.

In Psalm 139: 23, David asked God to search his heart for there was something David needed to face. After asking God to search his heart, David prayed, “know my anxious thoughts.” He wanted to share his worst with God.

Why do we fear going to God and exposing ourselves with questions and fears that He already knows about?

There is nothing too big for God. There’s nothing He does not already know. Pray to God. He will reveal what holds you hostage and show you how to deal with it.

What we fear the most often reveals where we trust God the least. Our fears matter because ultimately, our fears show how we’re relying on our own self and not God.

You can’t be driven by fear and please, serve and honor God. You must ask God for help.

Read the Entire Chapter of the Scriptures Referenced:

2 Timothy Chapter 1

Psalm 139

Read Other Commentary from the Book of Second Timothy:

Jesus Was Raised From the Dead for You

The Last Days Will Be Terrible

Lift Your Eyes to the Lord

Scripture: Psalm 121: 1-7

 I will lift up my eyes to the hills— From whence comes my help? 2 My help comes from the Lord, Who made heaven and earth. 3 He will not allow your foot to [a]be moved; He who keeps you will not slumber. 4 Behold, He who keeps Israel Shall neither slumber nor sleep.5 The Lord is your [b]keeper; The Lord is your shade at your right hand.6  The sun shall not strike you by day, Nor the moon by night.7  The Lord shall [c]preserve you from all evil; He shall preserve your soul.

Scripture Commentary: I will lift up my eyes to the hills— From whence comes my help?  My help comes from the Lord.

When you opened your eyes this morning did you thank God for waking you up? When you are asleep, you lose all control of your body function. God, through His Holy Spirit, has taken over.

The psalm expresses assurance and hope in God’s protection day and night.

God, our Father and Creator, loves and protects us when we are most vulnerable, when we cannot protect ourselves. Never trust a lesser power than God Himself! There is nothing that can distract God, who is all powerful, and watches over us 24/7.

We are safe in God’s hands.

From the time we came into the world, God has been our protector. In God’s presence we have peace and protection. This world cannot provide; only God can.

So tonight thank God for this day that He has given you because you won’t see it again. And pray that He watches over you during the night.

Read the Entire Chapter of the Scripture Referenced:

Psalm Chapter 121

Read Other Commentary from the Book of Psalms:

The Lord Is My Light

Create In Me A Clean Heart

Don’t Worry That You Don’t Understand Everything

Proverbs 20: 24

A person’s steps are directed by the Lord. How then can anyone understand their own way?

Psalm 37: 23-24

The Lord makes firm the steps of the one who delights in him; though he may stumble, he will not fall, for the Lord upholds him with his hand.

2 Corinthians 4: 17-18

For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. 18 So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

Scripture Commentary: We won’t understand everything.

Proverbs 20: 24 tells us not to worry if we do not understand everything as it happens in our lives. It’s easy to be lost and confused when we deal with worldly events. We make plans and maybe they go the way we planned, and maybe not. God’s time table is His, not ours.

Psalm 37: 23 says the person in whom God delights is one who follows God, and puts their trust in Him. If you let Him, God will direct your steps and will not lead you down the wrong path.

The problems that we will have should not diminish our faith.

God is not giving us a bed of roses type of life. If God did, then we will think we don’t need Him. When we see how God pulls us through the mess we create, we realize that only His love, grace and mercy got us through.

Read the Entire Chapters of the Scriptures Referenced:

Proverbs Chapter 20

Psalm Chapter 37

2 Corinthians Chapter 4

Read Other Commentary from the Old Testament:

Serve Only the Lord Your God

Read Other Commentary from the New Testament:

Wilt Thou Be Made Whole?

Have A Wise and Discerning Heart for God

Scripture: Proverbs 3: 5-7

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; 6 in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.[a] 7 Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and shun evil.

Scripture Commentary:

My way is the right way; it’s the only way! Does this sound familiar? These days everyone feels that s/he is wise. We have been told to do some things but for many, those things don’t fit our plans or the way we do things. So we go off doing what we want, not caring who or what it may affect.

We’re all going through a trial in our lives with coronavirus. We have people telling us what to do to be safe, and people telling us to go into the world as if nothing is different and to do what we want.

God has placed His Holy Spirit in us to guide and direct us. As Jesus said, “My people know my voice.”

What is the difference between sound judgment and discernment?

Discernment is the ability God gives us to think and make correct choices. For sound judgment we need to know the voice of God. If it’s not God’s voice we hear, if it’s focused on “me, myself, and I,” then it’s Satan’s.

So the question is are you listening to God or Satan?

Read the Entire Chapter of the Scripture Referenced:

Proverbs Chapter 3

Read Other Commentary from the Book of Proverbs:

Trust in the Lord

Use God’s Gifts to You

Trust In the Lord Always

Scripture: Proverbs 3: 5-7

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; 6 in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.[a] 7 Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and shun evil.

Scripture Commentary:

Do you trust in the Lord with all your heart or do you do things your own way?

I was going to do something in my life. I just knew this was what God planned for me. No one could tell me differently. But as time went by it did not happen. I would say that it was in God’s hands.

As time passed, I found that it was God testing my faith in Him. As I questioned this I realized that God saw the problem that lay ahead. Because it was in His hands, I was able to avoid a costly mistake.

God is the only one to go to and to trust.

We must trust Him completely and not lean on ourselves. He is a better judge of what we need than we are! We must not be wise in our own eyes.

Solomon said we must acknowledge God in all our ways and turn everything over to Him. In many ways you may already acknowledge God, but it is in the areas where you attempt to restrict or ignore His influence that will cause you grief.

Trust in the Lord in all things. He will guide you in the path to go because He loves you.

Read the Entire Chapter of the Scripture Referenced:

Proverbs Chapter 3

Read Other Commentary from the Book of Proverbs:

Knowledge of the Lord is the Beginning of Wisdom

Let God Help You Make Decisions