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

Scripture: Ecclesiastes 6: 2-5

² God gives some people great wealth and honor and everything they could ever want, but then he doesn’t give them the chance to enjoy these things. They die, and someone else, even a stranger, ends up enjoying their wealth! This is meaningless—a sickening tragedy. ³ A man might have a hundred children and live to be very old. But if he finds no satisfaction in life and doesn’t even get a decent burial, it would have been better for him to be born dead. ⁴ His birth would have been meaningless, and he would have ended in darkness. He wouldn’t even have had a name, ⁵ and he would never have seen the sun or known of its existence. Yet he would have had more peace than in growing up to be an unhappy man. 

Scripture Commentary:

We are bombarded with messages and images of wealth, from the Powerball to seeing the lifestyles of the richest people in the world. These riches refer to earthly value. Solomon asks how rich and valuable is your soul? How do you go about enhancing your relationship with God.

Solomon shows us that having God as the head of your life is the only value you need. What you’ve accumulated here on earth stays on earth but what you’ve accumulated for God goes with you into eternity. Think about it: if you live a thousand years, it’s ultimately meaningless without God.

Everyone dies; it does not matter if you are rich or poor. And none of us will take anything that we have acquired with us. We can eat the right foods, do physical exercise but in the end, death is waiting for all of us yet we don’t spend nearly as much time or effort on our spiritual health. It’s short-sighted to work hard to extend this life and not take the necessary steps to fulfill what God has for us. Solomon is telling us that we have the road map to God. It’s the Bible. Follow it!

 Read the Entire Chapter of the Scripture Referenced:

Ecclesiastes 6

Read Other Commentary From the Book of Ecclesiastes

The Conclusion Is to Know God

Sow Your Seed in the Morning

Scripture: Luke 6: 48-49

⁴⁸ It is like a person building a house who digs deep and lays the foundation on solid rock. When the floodwaters rise and break against that house, it stands firm because it is well built. ⁴⁹ But anyone who hears and doesn’t obey is like a person who builds a house right on the ground, without a foundation. When the floods sweep down against that house, it will collapse into a heap of ruins.”

Scripture Commentary: The Bible is the foundation for life.

This parable references how we do things in life. Why do we still build structures so close to the water? We know that when the floods sweep down against it, the soil will wash away and the foundation will weaken.

Every year more properties are built in these locations and the beauty of being near the water is promoted, leaving out the hazards that come with living there. This is how Satan reaches us – with the beautiful scenery and no mention of the possible storms.

God has given us the blueprint, The Bible, on which to build our life. If we study the Good Book, we will build our life on solid rock, not on dirt or sand. When the storm comes – and it will come – God has placed protection around us. The hard winds and rains of life will not topple us.

This is a lifelong process, not a quick fix. The crises in our lives test our faith.

Is your faith in Jesus built on sand, dirt, or on solid rock? Can you withstand Satan’s storms? Trust in Jesus Christ, your Protector, your One God.

Read the Entire Chapter of the Scripture Referenced:

Luke 6

Read Other Commentary from the Book of Luke:

When He Saw Their Faith, He Answered Their Prayer

Lord, I Will Follow You

Scripture: 1 John 1: 5-9

⁵ This is the message we heard from Jesus^[c] and now declare to you: God is light, and there is no darkness in him at all. ⁶ So we are lying if we say we have fellowship with God but go on living in spiritual darkness; we are not practicing the truth. ⁷ But if we are living in the light, as God is in the light, then we have fellowship with each other, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, cleanses us from all sin. ⁸ If we claim we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and not living in the truth. ⁹ But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness. 

Scripture Commentary: God sees a lying heart.

“Mirror on the wall, can I truly lie to you at all?” Yes, you can but you know you are lying. So, if you cannot lie to yourself, how can you lie to God? You can’t.

When God asks you a question, He already knows the answer. 1 John 1 is saying that if you are a Christian on the outside but are living a sinful life, you are not practicing the truth.

We aren’t perfect and never will be; however, we must try to follow Christ as best we can and not be hypocrites. Anything we do in the dark should we should also be able to do in the light.

Don’t deceive yourself into thinking that what you are doing is OK when the Holy Spirit says no. We can’t love God and court sin. Christ exposes and judges such deceit.

Read the Entire Chapter of the Scripture Referenced:

1 John 1

Read Other Commentary from 1 John:

Do Not Believe Everything You Hear

Jesus Is the Christ, Born of God

Scripture: John 15: 1-2, 5

“I am the true grapevine, and my Father is the gardener. ² He cuts off every branch of mine that doesn’t produce fruit, and he prunes the branches that do bear fruit so they will produce even more. ⁵ “Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing. 

Scripture Commentary: We are all branches that belong to the vine of Jesus.

Jesus is the vine; we are the branches. God is the gardener who cares for us. God sent Jesus to show us the way to His kingdom. You are a fruitful disciple of our Lord by following Christ and spreading the gospel.

Go into the world and take His message. Don’t just go to church and do nothing else. If you are the latter, you are unproductive. Don’t become the branch that is cut off from the vine and thrown away. Be the branch that is pruned so it can bear much fruit.

The harvest is great; the workers are few.

Those who won’t bear fruit for God or who try to block the growth of God’s followers will be cut off from His life-giving love, grace, mercy and forgiveness. The harvest is great; the workers are few.

Are you in God’s vineyard, harvesting for Him, or are you just there looking around with your hands in your pockets?

Read the Entire Chapter of the Scripture Referenced:

John 15

Read Other Commentary from the Book of John:

Do You Know the Way to Heaven?

Jesus Is the Living Water

Scripture: Psalm 100

¹ Shout with joy to the Lord, all the earth! ² Worship the Lord with gladness.    Come before him, singing with joy. ³ Acknowledge that the Lord is God! He made us, and we are his.^[a] We are his people, the sheep of his pasture. ⁴ Enter his gates with thanksgiving; go into his courts with praise. Give thanks to him and praise his name. For the Lord is good. His unfailing love continues forever, and his faithfulness continues to each generation.

Scripture Commentary: God made us in His image.

Church, the building, is the structure made by human hands where we go to worship God. God made us. The true church is our body, which is the temple God created. Are you honoring His creation by caring for it or are you neglecting His house?

God is our Creator; we did not create ourselves.

Many people live as though they are the creator and center of their own little world. This mindset is earthly. When you realize this body – this life – is a gift from God, you should want to give to others as God has given to you.

God alone is worthy to be worshipped.

Do you get up in the morning praising and thanking God for watching over you during the night and for giving you this day? Psalm 100 tells us to “Shout with joy to the Lord, all the earth!  Worship the Lord with gladness.    Come before him, singing with joy.” How are you starting your day? With or without God?

Read Other Commentary from the Book of Psalms:

Take Shelter in the Lord for Every Storm

Praise Ye the Lord, Place Your Trust in Him

You Are My God; Earnestly I Seek You

Search Me, God, And Know Me

Scripture: Psalm 90: 4-5

⁴ For you, a thousand years are as a passing day, as brief as a few night hours. ⁵ You sweep people away like dreams that disappear. They are like grass that springs up in the morning.

Scripture Commentary:

These verses are a perfect description of our life. Moses reminds us that a thousand years are like a day to God. Our time is limited. At the beginning of our lives we need protection and guidance. As we mature, we grow strong both physically and mentally. We feel we have all the time in the world, but we do not.

In contrast, God is not limited by time or space. God gives each of us an allotment of time. The question is what are each of us doing with that allotment? Are we living just for ourselves or are we living for God?

Our life on earth is limited; in God’s kingdom we will have no limit. Realizing that life is short should help us use the little time we have wisely. Ask Jesus to direct you in the way He wants you to go.

John 14:14 says, “Yes, ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it!” Go ahead – ask before your allotted time runs out.

Read the Entire Chapter of the Scriptures Referenced:

Psalm 90

John 14

Read Other Commentary from the Book of Psalms:

Have Mercy on Me, O Lord

Come to Jesus’ Banquet Table

Scripture: 2 Corinthians 5: 1, 7

For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. ⁷ (For we walk by faith, not by sight:)

Scripture Commentary:

The earthly house that we call a body is only temporary; we will stay here for a limited time. This earthly world is only a stopping station for our trip to our permanent home, which is either God’s Kingdom or Satan’s hell.

We have a choice and a chance to choose which place we will spend eternity.

God gave us this earth of live on and to prepare ourselves. We are not here by accident or by a fluke of nature. God has a purpose for each of us.

Paul tells us that God has a place not made of human hands. Jesus says in part, “In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself…” (John 14: 2-3).

Paul clearly states that our present bodies make us groan but when we die, we will not be spirits without bodies. We will have new bodies that will be perfect, without sickness, disease and pain. The wicked will cease and the weary will be given a place of rest.

Read the Entire Chapter of the Scriptures Referenced:

2 Corinthians 5

John 14

Read Other Commentary from the Book of 2 Corinthians:

God’s Grace Is Sufficient For Your Needs

Are You Confirming Scripture or Conforming It?

Scripture: Psalm 6: 1-4

¹ O Lord, don’t rebuke me in your anger or discipline me in your rage. ² Have compassion on me, Lord, for I am weak.     Heal me, Lord, for my bones are in agony. ³ I am sick at heart. How long, O Lord, until you restore me? ⁴ Return, O Lord, and rescue me. Save me because of your unfailing love.

Scripture Commentary: God shows compassion and mercy on us.

David went to God knowing he had sinned. He knew that if God punished him the way he should be punished, he would be doomed. But God has compassion and is a loving and forgiving God.

Think about your actions in life. If God truly gave you what you deserved, would you still be here? David went to God, ready to accept his punishment, but he begged God to have compassion on him and not punish him in anger.

God has compassion on us according to His great and unfailing love.

Likewise, Jeremiah asked God to correct him with compassion (see Jeremiah 10: 24). Both Jeremiah and David knew if God punished them with justice only and no mercy, they would be wiped out by God’s wrath.

When we ask for God’s mercy, we should include not only ourselves but also our family, friends and foes. Go to God in honesty. He knows us completely and wants the best for each of us.

Throughout the Bible we read how God’s love has taken people through hardships and despair. God saved them because He loved him, just as He loves each of us.

Read the Entire Chapter of the Scriptures Referenced:

Psalm 6

Jeremiah 10

Read Other Commentary from the Book of Psalms:

Lead and Teach Me Your Ways, O Lord

God Discards the Record of Our Transgressions

Read Other Commentary from the Book of Jeremiah:

What Message Does God Have For You?

Scripture: Psalm 119: 105

Your word is a lamp to guide my feet and a light for my path.

Scripture Commentary: The Bible lights the path of life.

As we walk on this path called life, some travel in darkness because they do not know about the true light of Jesus Christ. The earthly world has them in its grip. They go about life with no purpose. They either have no knowledge of Christ, have not accepted him as their Lord and Savior or have outright rejected him.

There are two paths in life we can choose to take.

To walk safely in the dark, we need light so we don’t stumble and fall. In the dark we may lose our way.

God’s Word (The Bible) is the light to show us the way ahead so we don’t stumble as we move through life. It reveals the entangling roots of false values and philosophies. John 8:12 says, “I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won’t have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life.”

Jesus brings God’s presence, protection and guidance to our lives. Step out of the darkness and into God’s marvelous light.

Read the Entire Chapter of the Scriptures Referenced:

Psalm 119

John 8

Read Other Commentary from the Book of Psalms:

You Are My God; Earnestly I Seek You

The Chaff Blows Away, the Grain Bears Fruit