S – For freedom, Christ set us free. Stand firm, then, and don’t submit again to a yoke of slavery
Galatians 5:1 CSB
O – Commentary:
The freedom given by Christ liberates believers from the law.
yoke of slavery In Jewish tradition, the image of the yoke was often used to describe the law’s role of guiding people in righteousness (as is seen in the rabbinic work Mishnah Abot 3:5; compare Matt 11:29–30). Paul redirects this imagery to clarify the law’s effect now that Christ has come: It does not lead or teach people anymore, but instead enslaves them
A – None of us want to be a slave to something but we do choose it at times. With the Jewish person, it was the law. Today, we choose things that tie us to things that captivate our attention, time and energy. We are called to freedom but we enjoy the “comfort” of being yoked to these things. When something is more important than God, we are not walking in true freedom.
R – Heavenly Father, you are the Lord over all things. We want to walk in freedom today. Whatever is holding us captive in our attention, time and energy that isn’t according to your will, we choose to put you first. Give us the courage and strength to walk in freedom today.
S – God has spoken once; I have heard this twice: strength belongs to God,
12 and faithful love belongs to you, Lord. For you repay each according to his works
Psalms 62:11–12 CSB
O – Commentary:
The psalmist contrasted this with the fact that God has declared that the power is His. David heard God say two things: that He is strong and loving. So justice will be meted out to everybody. How much better then to find rest in the powerful God than in human devices.
“Psalms,” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures
A – In declaring his strength in majesty, praise, force, and might, God reveals another aspect of his character – love. As an all-knowing, all-powerful that has no limits, he created man for relationships to demonstrate and share love. What a powerful combination to recognize and thank God for his love for us.
R – Heavenly Father, we stand in awe of you and thank you for your love. In your power and might, you fashioned man to be in a relationship with you. Thank you for Jesus Christ providing a way for that relationship. We are grateful and love you.
S – Don’t let your heart envy sinners; instead, always fear the Lord.
18 For then you will have a future, and your hope will not be dashed
Proverbs 23:17–18 CSB
O – Commentary:
Envying sinners (cf. 3:31; 24:1, 19; Ps. 37:1), wanting to do what they do, is senseless because they have no hope (24:20) whereas the wise and godly do. The immediate pleasure of sin cannot be compared with the ultimate hope associated with the fear of the Lord
“Proverbs,” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures
A – One of the greatest gifts that God gives us is hope. There is always the opportunity for God to intervene in our lives. We can live from the “positive” because we know God has our best in mind in all situations.
R – Heavenly Father, you are exalted above all things. Thank you for the hope you give us each day. Help us to live with anticipation of your power and presence being displayed today. We honor and revere you.
S – I have been crucified with Christ, and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
Galatians 2:20 CSB
O – Commentary:
Having been thus united to Christ, believers share in His death, burial, and resurrection. Paul could therefore write, I have been “crucified with Christ” (lit., “I have been and am now crucified with Christ”). This brought death to the Law. It also brought a change in regard to one’s self: and I no longer live. The self-righteous, self-centered Saul died. Further, death with Christ ended Paul’s enthronement of self; he yielded the throne of his life to Another, to Christ. But it was not in his own strength that Paul was able to live the Christian life; the living Christ Himself took up His abode in Paul’s heart: Christ lives in me. Yet Christ does not operate automatically in a believer’s life; it is a matter of living the new life by faith in the Son of God
“Galatians,” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures
A – Death to the law but also a death to my self-centeredness. In crucifying myself, it opens the door for faith to grow and mature. That is a daily death to self and activation of trust and belief in God’s goodness.
R – Heavenly Father, we surrender and worship You. Continue to reveal areas where we need to crucify our selfishness. Give us the courage to unlock new areas of faith and trust. We know you have our best in mind regarding your plans.
S – “And yet because we know that a person is not justified by the works of the law but by faith in Jesus Christ, even we ourselves have believed in Christ Jesus. This was so that we might be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law, because by the works of the law no human being will be justified.”
Galatians 2:16 CSB
O – Commentary:
In this verse, one of the most important in the epistle, the word justified occurs for the first time. It is a legal term, borrowed from the law courts and means “to declare righteous.” Its opposite is “to condemn.” But since people are condemned sinners and God is holy, how can people be justified? In answer, the apostle made a general declaration that negatively man is not justified by observing the Law, but positively, justification is by faith in Jesus Christ. This is a strong affirmation of Paul, Peter, and the rest—introduced by We … know. It is followed by a statement in which Paul explained that he had put this doctrine to the test and validated it in his own experience (v. 16b). Finally, in verse 16c the apostle reaffirmed that justification is by faith and not by works (cf. Gen. 15:6).
“Galatians,” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures
A – It comes down to our faith in Christ. Everything flows from that. Our works, actions and words should model a genuine faith in Christ.
R – Heavenly Father, we honor you above all other things that exalt themselves. You alone are worthy of our faith. We put our trust in you. Help our thoughts, words and actions align with your Word and will for our lives.
S – Apply yourself to discipline and listen to words of knowledge
Proverbs 23:12 CSB
O – Commentary:
Apply your heart (cf. 22:17b) suggests diligence and desire for instruction (mûsār, often trans. “discipline,” as it is in 23:13). Applying your ears is another way of saying “pay attention and listen” (cf. 22:17a).
“Proverbs,” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures
A – We all have things we love or hold our attention. Our relationship with Christ should be paramount. We should intentionally ” apply” ourselves to his disciplines, words and instruction.
R – Heavenly Father, you are the one, true God. We invite your Holy Spirit to lead us in your truths, disciplines and direction. Give us the strength and courage to be intentional and faithful to your Word. Help us to grow in our relationship with you.
S – Don’t speak to a fool, for he will despise the insight of your words
Proverbs 23:9 CSB
O – We should not subject our words to those who don’t value them or respect us.
A – We are called to love all people. In that, establishing healthy boundaries is vital to maintaining our own health. We should be able to have a conversation with anyone that is respectful. If a person is not, establishing a line of relationship allows you to extend love while maintaining your own “distance.”
R – Heavenly Father, we honor you above all other names today. Give us your heart when dealing with difficult situations and people. Give us the courage to extend your love at all times. Give us the wisdom to have healthy boundaries to protect the gifts and talents you give us.
S – The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him—a Spirit of wisdom and understanding,
a Spirit of counsel and strength, a Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord.
Isaiah 11:2 CSB
O – Commentary:
In these verses the character and work of the “Branch” are described. The Spirit of the Lord will rest on Him, that is, the Holy Spirit would empower Him (at Jesus’ baptism, Matt. 3:16–17) for His work which would be characterized by wisdom … understanding … counsel … power … knowledge, and the fear of the Lord. The attributes of the Holy Spirit would characterize the Messiah. Because of His wisdom, understanding, counsel, and knowledge He is the Wonderful Counselor (Isa. 9:6). Isaiah referred to the Holy Spirit more than did any other Old Testament prophet (11:2 [four times]; 30:1; 32:15; 34:16; 40:13; 42:1; 44:3; 48:16; 59:21; 61:1; 63:10–11, 14).
He is characterized by the fear of the Lord and has delight in it (11:3) just as His people should have. To fear God is to respond to Him in awe, trust, obedience, and worship.
“Isaiah,” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures
A – These seven qualities are the character of the Holy Spirit. Each unique aspect of the Holy Spirit can impact our relationship with Him. It also can be an attribute we embody as we live for God daily.
R – Heavenly Father, we worship you alone today. We ask for the Holy Spirit to flow through us today in the Spirit of wisdom, understanding, counsel, courage, knowledge and fear of the Lord. Each quality will empower us to face today ready to be used by you.
S – For a child will be born for us, a son will be given to us, and the government will be on his shoulders. He will be named Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.
Isaiah 9:6 CSB
O – Commentary:
He will have four descriptive names that will reveal His character. He will be the nation’s Wonderful (this could be trans. “exceptional” or “distinguished”) Counselor, and the people will gladly listen to Him as the authoritative One. In the kingdom many people will be anxious to hear the Messiah teach God’s ways (2:3). He is also the Mighty God (cf. 10:21). Some have suggested that this simply means “a godlike person” or hero. But Isaiah meant more than that, for he had already spoken of the Messiah doing what no other person had been able to do (e.g., 9:2–5). Isaiah understood that the Messiah was to be God in some sense of the term.
This Deliverer will also be called the Everlasting Father. Many people are puzzled by this title because the Messiah, God’s Son, is distinguished in the Trinity from God the Father. How can the Son be the Father? Several things must be noted in this regard. First, the Messiah, being the second Person of the Trinity, is in His essence, God. Therefore He has all the attributes of God including eternality. Since God is One (even though He exists in three Persons), the Messiah is God. Second, the title “Everlasting Father” is an idiom used to describe the Messiah’s relationship to time, not His relationship to the other Members of the Trinity. He is said to be everlasting, just as God (the Father) is called “the Ancient of Days” (Dan. 7:9). The Messiah will be a “fatherly” Ruler. Third, perhaps Isaiah had in mind the promise to David (2 Sam. 7:16) about the “foreverness” of the kingdom which God promised would come through David’s line. The Messiah, a Descendant of David, will fulfill this promise for which the nation had been waiting.
The Messiah is also called the Prince of Peace, the One who will bring in and maintain the time of millennial peace when the nation will be properly related to the Lord. Together, these four titles give a beautiful picture of the coming Messiah’s character (Isa. 9:6 includes the first of Isaiah’s 25 references to peace.)
“Isaiah,” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures
A – 700 years before Christ’s born, these words were spoken about him. Amazing to see the accuracy of them. Jesus was all of these things. One of the many reasons to believe he is the Son of God.
R – Heavenly Father, you are God. You are who you say you are. Thank you for loving us so much that you sent Jesus in the form of a man to pay the price for our sins. We are grateful for our relationship with you.
S – Then I said: Woe is me for I am ruined because I am a man of unclean lips and live among a people of unclean lips, and because my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of Armies
Isaiah 6:5 CSB
O – Commentary:
Isaiah had pronounced woes (threats of judgment) on the nation (Isa. 5:8–23), but now by saying Woe to me! (cf. 24:16) he realized he was subject to judgment. This was because he was unclean. When seen next to the purity of God’s holiness, the impurity of human sin is all the more evident. The prophet’s unclean lips probably symbolized his attitudes and actions as well as his words, for a person’s words reflect his thinking and relate to his actions. Interestingly Isaiah identified with his people who also were sinful (a people of unclean lips
“Isaiah,” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures
A – We are unclean and broken vessels in our relationship with God. Yet, the blood of Jesus forgives our sins and covers us. Gratitude and humility are our first response to God’s love that does for us what we could not do.
R – Heavenly Father, we stand in awe of the presence of the Lord of all. Thank you for loving and forgiving us when we are unclean before you. We are grateful and humbled that we are considered for such love. Help us to show our love to you today in our thoughts, words and actions.
Just Add Water . Chris Bonham 