Fri.-Sabbath, 6/25-27/21 Devotion

Thank God—it is almost Sunday! As we prepare for church worship, may these words of Jonathan Edwards, from his sermon entitled, "A Warning to Professors of Religion," bless our hearts:

"When we are in attendance on the ordinances [preaching, sacraments, and prayers (songs)] of divine worship, we are in the special presence of God. When persons come and attend on the ordinances of God, they are said to come before God, and to come into His presence. Jer. 7:10: 'Come and stand before Me, in this house which is called by My Name.' Ps. 100:2: 'Come be-fore His presence with singing.'

"In divine ordinances, people have immediate interaction with God, either in applying to Him (as in prayer and singing praises); or in receiving from Him, waiting solemnly and immediately on Him for spiritual good (as in hearing the Word); or in both applying to God and receiving from Him (as in the sacra-ments [baptism and the Lord's Supper])."

Thurs., 6/24/21 Devotion (Isa. 56:6b, 7a)

Today's encouragement comes from Isaiah 56:6b & 7a, where we read these words:

" . . . Everyone who keeps from defiling the Sabbath, and holds fast My cove-nant—even them I will bring to My holy mountain, and make them joyful in My house of prayer. . . . "

Here (above) is a sweet promise to all faithful Christian churchmen. Do we love the Lord? Do we love Him enough to value His Sabbath (Sunday), His church, and His worship? If so, then there are real solid blessings that are ours. We will know “mountain”-top experiences of praise (even in this world); and we will be joyful in God's house, His church.

. . . Most religious people are seeking their fulfillment in other places, and in other ways. They may receive some false "highs" from time-to-time; but only the faithful saints get the real goods (in Christ). Let us stay the course of our faith in Jesus. We will not regret it (now, or on the Judgment Day).

[Puritan quote of the day: "Prayer is the pouring out of the soul to God; not the pouring out of words, nor the pouring out of expressions; but the pouring out of the soul to God.” —William Bridge, in, "A Lifting Up For the Downcast"]

Wed., 6/23/21 Devotion (Isa. 55:1a, 3a)

Today's encouragement comes from Isaiah 55:1a & 3a, where we read these words:

"Ho! Everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat. . . . Incline your ear, and come to Me. Hear, and your soul shall live . . . "

God lays-out a great spiritual banquet, and He invites all nations to it. To par-take of the luscious fare set before sinners, all that is necessary is the "tak-ing" of it. Money, effort, works—none of these may be used, to "buy," earn, or apprehend it.

The practical dimension for getting the goods of the feast of the kingdom of heaven is simply to "hear," (as v. 3a says, above). The church proclaims the gospel of Christ's free grace; and the only ones that benefit from it are those who come with empty and hungry hearts. They are the ones who unasham-edly gorge themselves on the Lord Jesus Christ, and all God’s wonderful promises in Him. This pleases God, the Host, very much!

[Puritan quote of the day: "Justification admits of no degrees. No, not in heav-en—you are not more justified there than you are here. You are now as per-fectly justified as ever and as accepted of Christ as ever.” —Jeremiah Bur-roughs, in, "Gospel Remission"]

Tues., 6/22/21 Devotion (Isa. 54:17)

Today's encouragement comes from Isaiah 54:17, where the prophet wrote these great words:

" 'No weapon formed against you shall prosper, and every tongue which rises against you in judgment you shall condemn. This is the heritage of the ser-vants of the LORD, and their righteousness is from Me,' says the LORD."

God's servants may take great comfort from this divine promise (above). Sa-tan and evil (religious) men form unholy alliances against God's ministers and churches. And though they rage, and create a fuss, they are never success-ful. The reason for all this is because of the latter part of this verse: the saints' righteousness is from God in Jesus Christ alone. If righteousness had any-thing to do with us sinners, then the devil and his horde would have a hey-day with us. But, since righteousness is exclusively from Christ, and is His gift of grace to us—the redeemed servant-lovers of God are safe.

Let us joyfully relish our justification in Jesus today.

[Puritan quote of the day: "Justification is the very hinge and pillar of Chris-tianity. An error about justification is dangerous, like a defect in a foundation.” —Thomas Watson, in, "A Body of Divinity"]

Fri.-Sabbath, 6/18-20/21 Devotion

Praise God—it is *almost* Sunday! In order to help us get ready for church, here is Thomas Watson, from “his Ten Commandments” book. . . .

"We dress our souls on a Sabbath morning by prayer: 'When you pray, enter into your closet,'  (Matt 6:6). Prayer sanctifies a Sabbath.

“Here are some of the things we should pray for in the morning of the Sab-bath. Let us ask a blessing upon the Word which is to be preached; that it may be a savor of life to us; that by it our minds may be more illuminated, our corruptions more weakened, and our supply of grace more increased.

"Let us pray that God's special presence may be with us, that our hearts may burn within us while God speaks, that we may receive the Word into meek and humble hearts, and that we may submit to it, and bring forth fruit, (James 1:21)."

Thurs., 6/17/21 Devotion (Ps. 111:2)

Today's encouragement comes from Psalm 111:2, where we read these words:

"The works of the LORD are great, studied by all who have pleasure in them."

God's works are remarkable, indeed. Consider the far-flung universe. Who created all those galaxies and stars, etc.? God. But the creation of one hu-man being is more significant than *all* the non-rational creation put together. Still, greater than the work of the making of man, is the labor of God through which He procured His church's salvation.

The work of Christ on the cross, and in His glorious resurrection is the "mag-num opus," and masterpiece of all that God has ever done. We contribute *no* work to our salvation—God does it all, even "against the grain" of our natural rebellion and disdain for Him. Creation is the work of the Lord's "fing-ers"; redemption is the work of His "arm."

[Puritan quote of the day: "God, in the sentence of justification, pronounces a man perfectly righteous, or else he would need a further justification after he is justified.” —Jonathan Edwards, in, "Justification by Faith Alone"]

Wed., 6/16/21 Devotion (Isa. 48:22)

Today's encouragement comes from Isaiah 48:22, where we see these pow-erful few words:

" 'There is no peace,' says the LORD, 'for the wicked.' "

These words become a refrain in Isaiah. The prophet ends major sections of his inspired thought with it. Who are the wicked? All those who live contrary to the gospel of grace, and who refuse to love and cling to the Messiah. These are found both inside and outside the realm of organized religion.

If the wicked are *never*, even for a solitary moment, at peace—then, who would want to be wicked? Do not even worldlings strongly desire a sense of peace in their hearts? Surely they think they do; but in fact they do not—since they reject the Prince of Peace. By faith, may our hearts dwell contentedly in Jesus today, no matter how much turmoil swirls about us, (cf. Rom. 5:1).

[Puritan quote of the day: "Christ incarnate is nothing but love covered with flesh. As Christ's assuming our human nature was a masterpiece of wisdom, so it was a monument of free grace.” —Thomas Watson, in, "A Body of Divin-ity"]

Tues., 6/15/21 Devotion (Rev. 17:14b)

Today's encouragement comes from Revelation 17:14b, where we read these words:

" . . . and those who are with Him [Christ] are called, chosen, and faithful."

The Bible clearly teaches that God elects some (not all) people unto salvation in Jesus—and that He then places them into His church (cf. Eph. 1:3-6). But what is sometimes not emphasized enough is the fact that those who are *truly* chosen, and therefore *really* redeemed, *will be "faithful" and/or per-severing* in this life.

. . . In other words, there is no such thing as an unfaithful "chosen” Christian person. If we *are* chosen by God, in His sovereign grace, we *will be* faith-ful in Christ and His church. Some people (hypocrites) have a false assur-ance in this regard. They believe in the doctrine of so-called “eternal secur-ity”—but they do not possess the goods of real perseverance in Christ. Let all of us be *true* Christians, who humbly knowledge that we are chosen (de-spite ourselves), and show our election by our being faithful to God and His covenant.

[Puritan quote of the day: "Going to hear a sermon in jest has proved some men's conversion in earnest.” —John Flavel, in, "The Mystery of Providence"]

Mon., 6/14/21 Devotion (Isa. 46:5)

Today's encouragement comes from Isaiah 46:5, which says this:

"To whom will you liken Me, and make Me equal and compare Me, that we should be alike?"

The incomparability of God is a major theme in Isaiah’s prophecy, and in the rest of the Bible. Compared to the Lord, the entire created universe, with all its vastness and abundance, is less than a “drop in a bucket." Compared to the Triune God of the Christian religion, an idol is a farce, at best. Isaiah makes fun of how idolaters carve out their god from a block of wood, and then burn up the rest of the timber in the fireplace, (see Isa. 44:15-17).

It is astounding that this incomparable God would deign to unite Himself to mankind, in the incarnation of the Second Person of the Holy Trinity, our bles-sed Lord Jesus Christ. May we stand in awe of the church's God, and give Him all the glory.

[Puritan quote of the day: "If you have quit calling upon God, it is time for you to quit hoping and flattering yourselves with an imagination that you are a child of God.” —Jonathan Edwards, in his sermon, "Hypocrites Deficient in the Duty of Prayer"]

Fri.-Sabbath, 6/11-13/21 Devotion

Thank God—Sunday is almost here. We *get* to go back to church. In order to help us get ready for Worship, here is Jonathan Edwards, from his, “Char-ity and Its Fruits” book. Pastor Edwards is explicating 1 Cor. 13:3. . . .

“He who has no sincerity in his heart has no real respect for God in what he seems to give, or in all his performances or sufferings; and therefore God is not his great end in what he does or gives. What is given is given to that which the individual makes his great end in giving. If his end is only himself, then it is given only to himself and not to God. If his aim is his own honor, ease, or worldly profit, then the gift is but an offering to these things. The gift is an offering to him to whom the giver’s heart devotes, and for whom he de-signs it.

"It is the aim of the heart that makes the reality of the gift. And if the sincere aim of the heart is not to God, then there is in reality nothing given to Him, no matter what is performed or suffered. So it would be a great absurdity to sup-pose that anything that can be offered or given to God can make up for the absence of love in the heart for Him. For without this, nothing is truly given, and the seeming gift is but a mockery of the Most High."

Thurs., 6/10/21 Devotion (Isa. 42:3a)

Today's encouragement comes from Isaiah 42:3a, where we read these words:

"A bruised reed He [Christ] will not break, and smoking flax He will not quench . . . "

Do we sometimes feel like we are "smoking flax," or a "bruised reed"? If so, let us not lose heart. We possess the life of the Person of Jesus, but our ex-perience of Him seems to ebb so low, that we may wonder if it is still viable (life). Thankfully, though every regenerated churchman will have low times; our light (and life) in Christ will never completely go out, or be dissolved.

God does, on occasion, allow His children to experience faint pulsations of spiritual life, in order to "kick-start" us to something much better. We should never be content with being "barely alive"; and we should seek grace in our Redeemer to be more fully "fanned into flame”—but, at the same time, we should never despair (of anything). As we are in Jesus (and His church) we are ultimately safe, and successful.

[Puritan quote of the day: "The way to keep Satan out of our ‘country,' is to attack his.” —William Bridge, in, "A Lifting Up For the Downcast"]

Wed., 6/9/21 Devotion (Isa. 41:10)

Today's encouragement comes from Isaiah 41:10, where we read these great words:

"Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand."

These words (above) are very encouraging ones. Are we harried today? Do we feel like things are spinning a bit "out of control"? If so, then let us stop, and re-affirm our humble but real faith in Christ. The Lord will not forsake us. Instead, He will sustain us—especially in our toughest times.

This covenant promise is not for everyone—(although it is held out to every-one in the gospel). Instead, it is the exclusive privilege of the redeemed church of Christ. Therefore, let us look to our Savior, the faith we have in Him (which is God's gift to us), our baptisms, and our assurance of our Father's love for us. Let us not look to our circumstances: be they good, or bad.

[Puritan quote of the day: " . . . Get your self-love mortified, even religious self-love.” —William Bridge, in, "A Lifting Up for the Downcast"]

Tues., 6/8/21 Devotion (Deut. 12:30b, 31a)

Today's encouragement comes from Deuteronomy 12:30b & 31a, where we read these words:

" . . . Do not inquire after their gods, saying, ‘How did these nations serve their gods? I also will do likewise.’ You shall not worship the LORD your God in that way . . . "

This is a very "relevant" Scripture (above), because many (if not most) con-gregations today are *doing* the very thing we are told not to do (here). They look at the sinful, idol-worshipping society in which we live, and they ask, "How do these people worship their gods? Let us design our services around their ways, so as to be ‘relevant.’ "

. . . But once a church sets out to be "relevant" to the culture with regard to its Sabbath Worship Services, that congregation has instantly become "irrele-vant," (especially to God Himself). We are to look to Jesus and the scriptures, and get our instructions from above, rather than looking to earth, to do as all the heathen do. The faithful church sets the standard for the culture, and in-vites sinners to come up to a life of dignity and worth (in Jesus).

[Puritan quote of the day: "It is a greater mercy to descend from praying par-ents than from the loins of nobles.” —John Flavel, in, "The Mystery of Provi-dence"]