Fri.-Sabbath, 1/29-31/21 Devotion

Praise God: Sunday is *almost* here! In order to prepare us for Sabbath church worship, here is Thomas Watson, that esteemed Puritan pastor, from his work, entitled, "The Beatitudes.” . . .

"Let us carry ourselves as the children of God in magnanimity [big-hearted-ness] and heroicalness [heroism]. The saints are high-born. They are of the true blood-royal, born of God. They must do nothing sneakingly or sordidly. They must not fear the faces of men. As that brave-spirited Nehemiah said, 'Shall such a man as I flee?' (Neh. 6:11)—so should a child of God say, 'Shall I be afraid to do my duty?' 'Shall I unworthily comply and prostitute myself to the lusts and desires of sinners?’?

"The children of the Most High should do nothing to stain or dishonor their noble birth. A king's son scorns to do anything that is below him."

Thurs., 1/28/21 Devotion (Esth. 5:2a)

Today's encouragement comes from Esther 5:2a, which says this:

"And when the king saw Queen Esther standing in the court, she won favor in his sight, and he held out to Esther the golden scepter that was in his hand." (ESV)

When God sees the church, the bride of Christ, approach the throne of grace, He is pleased to hold out the golden scepter of His love, mercy, and kindness. All of this is because Jesus shed His precious blood for His people.

Do we need to approach the throne of God today? Let us not come empty-handed. We must bring with us, in the arms of our faith, the Savior of our souls, the "Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world," (Jn. 1:29). No other offering will be accepted.

[Puritan quote of the day: "A child of God keeps two books always by him: one to write his sins in, so that he may be humble; the other to write his mer-cies in, so that he may be thankful.” —Thomas Watson, in, "The Godly Man's Picture"]

Wed., 1/27/21 Devotion (Acts 27:11)

Today's encouragement comes from Acts 27:11, which says this:

"Nevertheless the centurion was more persuaded by the helmsman and the owner of the ship than by the things spoken by Paul."

This one little verse summarizes the fatal error most people make. They listen to their pocket books, their carnal hopes, and their vain lusts, *more* than they heed the word, the gospel, and the ministers of God. And, of course, the result, in every case without exception, is the shipwreck of their lives, their estates, and all their hopes and dreams.

May we be wiser than this, by the miraculous grace given the church in the gospel of Christ. May God's people listen to Him; do His will; endure and en-joy what He lays-out; and find, in the end, the shores of heaven.

[Puritan quote of the day: "What Satan did in tempting man to fall is made an occasion of the contrary to what he intended in that it gave occasion for God to glorify Himself all the more, and gives occasion for the elect being brought to higher happiness.” —Jonathan Edwards, in his sermon, "The Wisdom of God"]

Tues., 1/26/21 Devotion (Acts 26:25)

Today's encouragement comes from Acts 26:25, where Paul said this:

"I am not mad, most noble Festus, but speak the words of truth and reason."

The Spirit-led words of God's apostles, ministers, and faithful parishioners are not those of madmen, or lunatics. The unbelieving world thinks of us that way because our words seem "otherworldly" to them, viz., we talk about a crucifi-ed and resurrected Savior, of repentance, and of the kingdom [church] of God. The actual fact is that the gospel is "more real," or "more objectively true" than anything a person could ever conceive of, with the use of a fallen reason alone.

. . . It is just that the gospel is a *higher* and nobler "truth and reason" than can be apprehended by the flesh. It can only be understood, believed, and applied by the work of the blessed Holy Spirit, using the Word of God (espe-cially preached). Faith results in love for God in and through Jesus Christ.

[Puritan quote of the day: "As wise and learned as you are, take heed to yourselves lest [Satan] outwit you. The devil is a greater scholar than you, and a nimbler disputant.” —Richard Baxter, in, "The Reformed Pastor"]

Mon., 1/25/21 Devotion (Gen. 26:18)

Today's encouragement comes from Genesis 26:18, where we read these great words:

"And Isaac dug again the wells of water which they had dug in the days of Abraham his father, for the Philistines had stopped them up after the death of Abraham. He called them by the names which his father had called them."

In every generation, God calls upon His church to once-again "re-dig" the wells of the waters of life in Christ, which our "fathers" had employed and en-joyed (in the past). The "Philistines" are always roaming around, seeking to “stop" [or fill] our wells "up" with the "earth" of the world—but they are never fully-able to eradicate the existence of these good and heavenly gospel oases in Christ.

Jesus, as found in His gospel of grace, is the embodiment and Personification of The Water of Life. May we, God's faithful church, even today, be found to be busy at "digging again” His precious spiritual “wells”—all of which refresh us in our Redeemer.

[Puritan quote of the day: "Where else can we now go but to Jesus, the ever-living Head of the whole church . . . who sends all gospel ministers, and on whom they universally depend?” —Jonathan Edwards, in his sermon, "The Sorrows of the Bereaved Spread before Jesus"]

Thurs., 1/21/21 Devotion (Gen. 22:7b)

Today's encouragement comes from Genesis 22:7b, where we read these words:

" . . . Then [Isaac] said, 'Look, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?' "

Every human being has his or her "fire" and "wood" when it comes to life and religion. Everyone knows, deep down in their hearts, that there is a righteous God who must be satisfied. What separates the redeemed churchman from everyone else is this "Lamb for a burnt offering" (mentioned here in this ancient and famous OT text). Only those that possess the Lord Jesus (the "Lamb of God") have their sins atoned for in His blood sacrifice.

Issac's question, "*Where* is the lamb . . . ?", is a good one. The Lamb (Jesus) is found by faith. He is worshipped in His church. And His gospel is proclaimed in the world. When we pray, let us always bring in our arms of faith the "Lamb of God" (Christ).

[Puritan quote of the day: "The more we see the grace of God in Christ, the spirit of fear is diminished and replaced by a spirit of love and boldness.” —Richard Sibbes, in, "Glorious Freedom"]

Wed., 1/20/21 Devotion (Acts 20:28b)

Today's encouragement comes from Acts 20:28b, where we read these words:

" . . . shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood."

Paul is speaking (above) to the elders of the ancient Ephesian church. The apostle urges those officers to "shepherd the church." He will later explain how wolves will seek to destroy the lambs in the body of Christ. But what I want to focus on are these words: "Which He [Christ] purchased with His own blood." The *reason* the elders are to guard and lead the flock is because the church has been redeemed with the very lifeblood of the Son of God.

What is valuable to the Lord, of necessity must (and will), be treasured by all who love the Lord. Are you a faithful member of the true church; and are you purchased by Jesus' blood? If so, then not only are you precious in God’s sight; but you are one of those to whom the Lord gives His greatest attention and care.

[Puritan quote of the day: "A man may know much of Christ, and yet not learn Christ. The devils knew Christ. . . . “ —Thomas Watson, in, "The Art of Divine Contentment"]

Tues., 1/19/21 Devotion (Acts 19:15)

Today's encouragement comes from Acts 19:15, which says this:

"And the evil spirit answered and said, 'Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are you?' "

It is not a good sign when the demons “do not know" someone! Perhaps as the redeemed are written in the Lamb's Book of Life, the evil spirits become privy to this information—we do not know for sure. But this much is certain: the devil is concerned only to wreck havoc on souls—he cares not at all about anything else. Those who are in Christ as His church are no longer within his gunshot range; but the devil does all he can to minimize our joy, and our effectiveness.

May we not wait to be assaulted by the evil one; instead, may all of us in God's church who love Jesus in integrity, bring the battle to him (Satan). The promise of Matt. 16:18 is a solid one.

[Puritan quote of the day: "God intermixes mercy with affliction. He steeps His sword of justice in the oil of mercy. There was no night so dark but Israel had a pillar of fire in it.” —Thomas Watson, in, "The Godly Man's Picture"]

Mon., 1/18/21 Devotion (Neh. 8:5)

Today's encouragement comes from Nehemiah 8:5, where we read these words:

"And Ezra opened the book in the sight of all the people, for he was standing above all the people; and when he opened it, all the people stood up."

Respect for the written inscripturated Word of God, especially within the con-text of the church’s Sabbath Worship of God, is very important. Hence, peo-ple are to stand for the reading of Scripture; and the pulpits are above the congregations.

Hearts that are in submission to God are not offended at showing such regard and reverence. Nevertheless, we need to be sure that we are sincere in our actions (especially in the church’s Sunday Worship Services). God knows every heart; and He knows who “stands” out of humility and love for Him (through Christ), and who “stands” simply out of convention.

[Puritan quote of the day: "Now, as a man is broken off from sin by seeing and feeling it, and groaning under the power of it, so is a man broken from himself.” —Thomas Shepard, in, "The Sincere Convert"]

Fri.-Sabbath, 1/15-17/21 Devotion

Praise God—Sunday is almost here! Some of us will be able to go to church, and *speak* publicly the glories and praises of God in our Lord Jesus Christ.

Some of you know that I recently read up on the amazing Puritan Christian zealous Founding Father Patriot, Samuel Adams. In 1766, Adams said (or wrote), “For true patriots to be silent, is dangerous.”

Sam Adams’ statement is true for all patriots; but especially for those who hold the Person and Name of Christ as dear to them. We used to enjoy genu-ine “free speech” in America. Now, our speech is largely determined by a few men in Silicon Valley.

But, let us not be silent; nor be intimidated by anyone. All truth is God’s truth; and the true church is obliged to proclaim it (better, “He,” Christ)—since Jesus is the full embodiment of all truth.

Here is what Peter said, in Acts 5:29-32, after the authorities had commanded him to utter not another word about Jesus:

"We must obey God rather than men. The God of our fathers raised Jesus, whom you killed by hanging him on a tree. God exalted him at his right hand as Leader and Savior, to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins. And we are witnesses to these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him.” (ESV)

Thurs., 1/14/21 Devotion (Gen. 15:6)

Today's encouragement comes from Genesis 15:6, where we read these words:

"And he [Abraham] believed in the LORD, and He [God] accounted it to him [Abraham] for righteousness."

This is (undoubtedly) one of the most important verses in all the Bible. Faith is absolutely necessary in order to please God (see Heb. 11:6). Saving faith in Christ leads to warm and devoted love for God. Love, then, results in sanctifi-ed and joyful behavior. But it is faith which not only ushers us into God's mer-ciful embraces, but also keeps us united to Christ.

The devil loves to get God's churchmen hung up on other things, like meticu-lously "perfect” living, for example. But all God requires of us is faith—which inevitably leads to love. The Lord would not be pleased with us, even if we had a 99.9% perfection rating (which none of us have); but He *is* pleased with us if we trust Christ truly and sincerely, even if it is less than 1% of what we ought to.

[Puritan quote of the day: "A person may know that he or she is a child of God and a member of Christ.” —Richard Sibbes, in "Glorious Freedom"]

Wed., 1/13/21 Devotion (Matt. 12:21)

Today's encouragement comes from the few words of Matthew 12:21, (which are quoting the OT):

"And in His [Christ's] Name [the] Gentiles will trust."

How incredible and unbelievable must this promise must have seemed, to the Old Testament saints (and to those believers living in the early New Covenant era). Would the Gentiles *really* come to saving faith in the Messiah, who heralded from Israel?! Indeed, after over 2000 years of church history, we have grown largely accustomed to what God did; but the marvel of it should never cease to amaze us.

Is our ethnicity "Gentile"? Then, let us rejoice that the Lord has joined us to His covenant, in His holy Son's one church, which is now made up of Jews and Gentiles.

[Puritan quote of the day: "The covenant of grace brings preferment [prefer-ential treatment]. Our nature now is more ennobled. We are raised to a higher glory than in innocence [before the Fall]. We are advanced to sit upon Christ's throne, (Rev. 3:21).” —Thomas Watson, in, "A Body of Divinity"]

Tues., 1/12/21 Devotion (Acts 12:5)

Today's encouragement comes from Acts 12:5, where we read these words:

"Peter was therefore kept in prison, but constant prayer was offered to God for him by the church."

The church's prayers are important to God, and the Lord is often pleased to answer them in accord with what we ask of Him. Herod put Peter in prison; and the church started praying for him. The Lord did not immediately release Peter, as soon as the church began to pray—but He did do it, in His good time.

Perhaps the church was especially cognizant of Peter's dire situation, in that God had allowed Herod to murder James, John's brother, in v. 2 of this same chapter. Sometimes, it is our calamities and hardships that spur and spark the churchmen's prayers—as was the case with Peter (here).

[Puritan quote of the day: "A godly man's care and trouble is especially about his soul . . . “ —Richard Sibbes, in, "The Soul's Conflict with Itself"]

Mon., 1/11/21 Devotion (Neh. 1:11b)

Today's encouragement comes from Nehemiah 1:11b, where we read these words:

" . . . and let Your servant prosper this day, I pray, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man."

Nehemiah is making this prayer (above) to God, on his own behalf. He asks the Lord to "let [him] prosper this day." A lot of times it is difficult for Christian churchmen to know exactly how to pray, (cf. Rom. 8:26 in this regard). It seems to me, however, that a good and safe prayer is for success, and vic-tory (all in Christ). After all, if we (in the church) do not succeed, everyone and everything else suffers as a result.

Some people are loathe to pray for themselves—but this is a wrong-headed notion, even though it may come from sincere and even pure motives. In-stead, the best humility makes sure that we *do* pray for ourselves. If anyone has any question about the truth of what I am saying, I would have them find Jesus praying for Himself, in the Garden of Gethsemane, (see Matt. 26:36 ff.).

[Puritan quote of the day: "Satan could not deceive us, unless we deceived ourselves first, and are willingly deceived.” —Richard Sibbes, in, "The Soul's Conflict with Itself"]

Fri.-Sabbath, 1/8-10/21 Devotion

Praise God—Sunday is almost here! We certainly need this coming Lord’s Day, to regroup and re-focus.

I am going to quote a paragraph from a book I just finished reading, entitled, “Samuel Adams, a Life,” by Ira Stoll. It is quite good. I do recommend it.

Samuel Adams (not his cousin John), was perhaps the greatest, and the *most* “radical” of all the Founding Fathers. He was a passionate Christian churchman, and a true Puritan. His life and legacy is worthy of our emulation and admiration.

On p. 248, these words are found:

“In [Samuel Adams’] final term as governor [of Massachusetts], [he] set a day of public fasting and prayer for Thursday, May 4, 1797, ‘beseeching' God ‘to endue us with all the Christian spirit of piety.’ The declaration went on to ask God ‘that the rod of tyrants may be broken into pieces, and the oppressed made free,’ and to express hope of ‘speedily bringing on that holy and happy period, when the Kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ may be every-where established, and all the people willingly bow to the scepter of Him who is The Prince of Peace.’ "

Thurs., 1/7/21 Devotion (Gen. 7:16b)

Today's encouragement comes from Genesis 7:16b, which says this:

"And the LORD shut him [Noah] in [the ark]." (ESV)

When, in time and space, God redeems His elect people, He "shuts them in[to]" the Lord Jesus Christ, and His holy church. The sealing power of the Holy Spirit "shuts us into” the Redeemer; and the baptism by water shuts us into the church covenant (so long as we remain faithful, by grace). Think about it: in his natural state, Noah would have wanted to *leave* the ark, and take a "deep sea dive" into the sins of his age—plunging himself into perdition with the condemned humanity that was destroyed in the flood. Only God’s sovereign grace made him even desirous of being "shut into" the ark.

Where are we, today: floundering, without an anchor, in a sea of iniquity; or riding high over the rough waves of the world's destruction, (in Jesus' ark of His church)?

[Puritan quote of the day: "Saul's sparing Agag lost him the kingdom, and our sparing sin will lose us the kingdom of heaven.” —Thomas Watson, in "The Mischief of Sin"]

Wed., 1/6/21 Devotion (Matt. 6:27)

Today's encouragement comes from Matthew 6:27, where we find our Savior asking this question:

"Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?"

Worry is the practical opposite of faith. Worry says, "I cannot really trust God to take care of my concerns; I need to take matters into my own hands." Worry is highly God-dishonoring. People that are given to worry "worry" that, if they quit worrying, they are no longer caring for or about the objects of their worry. But this is a misguided approach. Care does not necessitate worry. In fact, the greatest expressions of care do not worry at all—instead they trust God with the trouble.

Let us face it: worry is a malady and affliction that befalls all of us sinners. But we need not live in it. If we want *real* solutions to the heart-issues that are so important to us, then we are wise if we trust God to take care of them. Are we sincere churched Christian believers today, trusting in Jesus alone for our salvation? If so, then worry has no place in our lives. (If not, then we really do have plenty to worry about.)

[Puritan quote of the day: "Ground your comfort upon a lasting and un-changeable covenant, on such a covenant that accepts will for works, desires for deeds, and endeavors for performances.” —Christopher Love, in, "The Dejected Soul's Cure"]

Tues., 1/5/21 Devotion (Ezra 5:11b)

Today's encouragement comes from Ezra 5:11b, where we find these words:

"We are the servants of the God of heaven and earth, and we are rebuilding the temple that was built many years ago, which a great king of Israel [Solo-mon] built and completed."

Here, in a nutshell, is the individual Christian's, and the entire church's pur-pose for living. While the devil and his comrades spend all their time on earth seeking to tear down the "temple,” Christ’s true church—God's people spend all their time seeking to build it up.

The work has already been "built and completed" (see above) in Jesus’ body—through His atoning death and glorious resurrection. Our mission, in co-laboring with God, is in "rebuilding," viz. extolling before all the creation, the beauties and glories of Jesus and His bride.

[Puritan quote of the day: "Sound repentance begins in the love of God and ends in the hatred of sin.” —Thomas Watson, in, "The Doctrine of Repent-ance"]

Mon., 1/4/21 Devotion (Matt. 4:11)

Today's encouragement comes from the few, but profound words of Matthew 4:11, which say this:

"Then the devil left Him [Christ], and behold, angels came and ministered to Him."

Such is the world that the Lord Jesus lived in; and that you and I live in. One moment we saints are wrestling with, and throwing off the devil; the next min-ute God's heavenly beings are ministering to us. But it must be this way in this world, because of the continuing existence of sin and temptation. This is not all bad, because it is here that the redeemed churchmen of the Lord can show the reality, genuineness, and power of their God-given faith in Christ.

So, are we dealing with the devil right now? If so, let us take heart: after he leaves us, God will show us the pleasant side of the spiritual kingdom of Christ.

[Puritan quote of the day: "Thus, affliction is in many ways for our good, but there is no good in sin.” —Thomas Watson, in, "The Doctrine of Repentance"]