Thurs., 3/31/22 Devotion (Col. 1:6c)

Today's encouragement comes from Colossians 1:6c, where we read these words:

" . . . since the day you heard and knew the grace of God in truth."

This little phrase (above) written by Paul to the Colossian church is interest-ing. First of all, there was a "day" on which these churchmen "heard" the gos-pel. But not only did they hear the good news—they came to "know" the very "grace of God." And this was "true” knowledge—not just speculation or philo-sophical musing.

To "know the grace of God in truth" is to believe in, love, and embrace the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ. How do we "know" whether or not we "know" Christ? Deep in our hearts, do we want to "hear" His gospel preached to our souls every Lord's Day? If this is so, this is very good and solid evidence that we possess sincere faith, and real regeneration.

[Puritan quote of the day: "God does not bring His people into troubles, and leave them there.” —Thomas Watson, in, "All Things for Good"]

Wed., 3/30/22 Devotion (Php. 4:6)

Today's encouragement comes from Philippians 4:6, where Paul wrote these words:

"Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God . . . "

The reality is that every normal person living in a fallen world experiences anxiety—and this includes even the most mature and seasoned Christian churchmen. But there is this one antidote to *all* anxiety, and that is prayer unto the true God through Jesus Christ. There are no concerns or worries of God’s parishioners that are "off limits" to Him. And there is no alternative pro-vided by the Lord, as to how we are to handle our troubles, than that of our bringing them to Him in prayer.

Therefore, let us avail ourselves of this most-valuable resource; and let us re-cognize that as we pray, we are drawing ever-closer to our Savior.

[Puritan quote of the day: " . . . It is a matter of conscience to make our lives as comfortable as [they] may be.” —Richard Sibbes, in, "The Soul's Conflict with Itself"]

Tues., 3/29/22 Devotion (Php. 3:9)

Today's encouragement comes from Philippians 3:9, where we read these amazing words of Paul:

" . . . and [that I may] be found in Him [Christ], not having my own righteous-ness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith . . . "

This is one of the loveliest verses in the whole Bible. Here, the former zealous works-oriented pharisee (Paul) celebrates his liberation in his justification in Christ. The Apostle no longer regards his old (and false) "righteousness" to be anything other than "rubbish," (v. 8).

What an irony that God would make the former champion of works-right-eousness the greatest proclaimer of free grace in Christ (received by faith alone) that the church has ever known. If we have the "righteousness of Christ," we have everything we need. God the Father views His churched children who are clothed in Jesus' righteousness to be as perfectly holy as His Own Dear Son.

[Puritan quote of the day: "Morality shoots short of heaven. It is only nature refined. A moral man is but old Adam dressed in fine clothes.” —Thomas Watson, in, "The Doctrine of Repentance"]

Mon., 3/28/22 Devotion (Prov. 15:3)

Today's encouragement comes from Proverbs 15:3, where we find these words:

"The eyes of the LORD are in every place, keeping watch on the evil and the good."

This doctrine of God's omnipresence (His-being-in-every-place) is monument-al in importance. When we know we are being watched, we are especially careful to behave ourselves well. When we think no one sees us, we are in-clined to loosen up on our behavior.

. . . It is a form of atheism, to act contrary to the omnipresence of God. We should live in the knowledge that nothing—not even our deepest and most in-nermost thoughts—escape The Lord's perfect view. With this in mind, are we not glad that we are saved by faith in Christ, and not by our own allegedly "sufficient" deeds?

[Puritan quote of the day: "Those who preach Christ most and themselves least are likeliest to enlarge the church of God.” —Nathaniel Vincent, in, "A Discourse Concerning Love"]

Fri.-Sabbath, 3/25-27/22 Devotion

Praise God—Sunday is *almost* here! In order to help prepare us for church worship, here is Thomas Watson, from his excellent work, "Heaven Taken by Storm” . . .

"That there should be a day of holy rest dedicated to God appears from its in-stitution. 'Remember to keep holy the Sabbath.' Our Christian Sabbath now takes the place of the Jewish Sabbath: it is called 'the Lord's Day,' (Rev. 1.10)—from Christ the Author of it.

"Our Sabbath is altered by Christ's own appointment. He arose on this day out of the grave, and appeared on this day often to His disciples, (1 Cor. 16:1)—to intimate to them (says Athanasius) that He transferred the Sabbath to the Lord's Day. And St. Augustine says that by Christ's rising on the first day of the week, it [Sunday] was consecrated to be the Christian Sabbath, in re-membrance of His resurrection.

"This day was anciently called 'dies lucis,' 'the day of light,' as Junius ob-serves. The other days of the week would be dark, were it not for the shining of the Sun of Righteousness on this day. This day has been called by the an-cients, 'regina dierum,' 'the queen of days.' The early church held this day in high veneration. It was a great badge of their religion; for when the question was asked, 'servasti dominicum?,' 'do you keep the Sabbath?'; the answer was, 'Christianus sum,' 'I am a Christian; I dare not omit the celebration of the Lord's Day!' "

Thurs., 3/24/22 Devotion (Eph. 4:1)

Today's encouragement comes from Ephesians 4:1, where we read these words of Paul:

"I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the call-ing with which you were called . . . "

Are we comfortable being referred to as "prisoner[s] of the Lord"? For that matter, do we think it odd for us in the church to accept instruction from some-one else who is a "prisoner"? But "prison" is the inevitable state of all of us, and of every fallen person who has ever lived. The only real (or pertinent) question is, "Of whom or what am I a prisoner?"

Those locked-up by and in Jesus are free people in the truest sense. Those who are "free to sin" are groveling slaves of their own lust, flesh, and the devil himself. Let all true Christian churchmen who are Christ's "prisoners" rejoice at being such happy "captives."

[Puritan quote of the day: "As there is in God enough to satisfy the whole soul, so trust carries the whole soul to God.” —Richard Sibbes, in, "The Soul's Conflict with Itself"]

Wed., 3/23/22 Devotion (Jn. 13:35)

Today's encouragement comes from John 13:35, where our Lord Jesus said this:

"By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another." (ESV)

The distinguishing mark of the followers of Jesus is love; not knowledge, un-derstanding of doctrine, the skill to parse Greek words, or the ability to spell "presbyterian” correctly. The world (understandably) cares nothing about any of these things. God has so constituted human nature, that the only great magnet to the church is the love of the saints for one another, which flows from our undying affection for, and loyalty to our Redeemer, the Lord Jesus.

Let us forsake all the fleshly and failed means of "church growth"; and commit ourselves to the Messiah's simple formula: "Love one another, and all the world will know that you belong to Me."

[Puritan quote of the day: "A godly man loves God and therefore delights to be in His presence; he loves God and therefore takes comfort in nothing with-out Him.” —Thomas Watson, in, "The Godly Man's Picture"]

Tues., 3/22/22 Devotion (Jn. 12:43)

Today's encouragement comes from John 12:43, which says this:

"For they loved the glory that comes from man more than the glory that comes from God." (ESV)

Hell will be filled with man-pleasers. To love, obey, and cherish man *more* than God is damnable idolatry; and no fine-sounding excuses will hold up on the great judgment day. Man-pleasing is the fruit of unbelief. Note from v. 42 that it is possible to assent (intellectually) to the truth claims of the faith; and yet perish because of no heart-commitment to them.

In fact, to love God in and through Jesus Christ first and foremost creates the *only* context for truly and properly loving man at all. The first great com-mandment: "Love the Lord your God with all your heart," is the only way to get to the second greatest one: "Love your neighbor as yourself."

[Puritan quote of the day: "God has a peculiar quarrel with proud men, athe-ists, and hypocrites; and they shall feel the weight of His indignation.” —Rich-ard Steele, in, "The Character of an Upright Man"]

Mon., 3/21/22 Devotion (Eph. 1:5)

Today's encouragement comes from Paul's Holy Spirit-inspired words of Eph-esians 1:5:

"Having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, ac-cording to the good pleasure of His will."

Have we ever heartily (like Paul) thanked the Lord for the gracious doctrines of predestination and election; or, are we “too good” to acknowledge God’s prerogative? Without this sovereign work of God no one would ever be saved; and we would all be forever bound to sin, death, and hell. Those who exalt human "free will" over the powerful gospel of Christ despise God, and His grace.

Let us recognize this humbling truth: unless the Lord had first come to us, in His mercy—there is no way, ever, that we would have come to Him.

[Puritan quote of the day: "The church is a distinct race that originally came from God. Other men are of the earth—they are of earthly derivation, the pos-terity of men—but the church is the posterity of God.” —Jonathan Edwards, in his sermon, "Christians a Chosen Generation"]

Fri.-Sabbath, 3/18-20/22 Devotion

Praise God—it is almost Sunday. We get to go back to church. Here are good words from Thomas Watson's book, "All Things for Good":

"Spiritual mercies work for our good. The word preached works for our good. It is an aroma of life. It is a soul-transforming word. It assimilates the heart in-to Christ’s likeness. It produces assurance. 'Our gospel came to you not in word only, but in power, and in the Holy Spirit, and in much assurance,' (1 Thess. 1:5). It is the chariot of salvation.

"Prayer works for our good. Prayer is a key that unlocks the treasury of God’s mercy. Prayer keeps the heart open to God, and shut to sin. It was Luther’s counsel to a friend, when he perceived a temptation begin to arise, to go to prayer. Prayer is the Christian’s gun, which he discharges against his ene-mies. Prayer is the sovereign medicine of the soul. Prayer sanctifies every mercy (1 Tim. 4:5). It is the dispeller of sorrow. By venting grief it eases the heart. When Hannah had prayed, 'She went away, and was no longer sad,' (1 Sam. 1:18). And if it has these rare effects, then prayer works for our good."

Thurs., 3/17/22 Devotion (Ex. 28:12b)

Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

Today's encouragement comes from Exodus 28:12b, where we read these words:

" . . . So Aaron shall bear their names before the LORD on his two shoulders as a memorial."

Whereas Aaron the high priest bore the names of the tribes of Israel before the Lord, as he entered the Most Holy Place—so our Lord Jesus Christ bears the individual names of all His redeemed churchmen, as He presents us to the Father as the beneficiaries of His atonement.

The Lord Jesus Christ is the church's final, and one and only high priest. If we are in Christ today—by faith and by baptism—let us not be overly disturbed by our sins. They have been dealt with at the cross.  A Person, (Jesus Christ), who possesses infinite worth, has died for them; and He is now forever risen from the dead, interceding for us in heaven.

[Puritan quote of the day: "It is not always high water with saints, sometimes they are reduced to a very low ebb.” —Thomas Brooks, in, "Heaven on Earth"]

Wed., 3/16/22 Devotion (Jn. 6:66-68)

Today's encouragement comes from the wonderful interchange between Christ and His disciples, as it is found in John 6:66-68:

"From that time many of [Christ's] disciples went back and walked with Him no more. Then Jesus said to the twelve, 'Do you also want to go away?' But Simon Peter answered Him, 'Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.' "

This is a very poignant scene in the ministry of our Messiah. After intentional-ly paring-down the numbers of His "disciples" by teaching them that they would have to ingest Him into their beings, and that God alone could draw them to Himself, etc.—the Lord Jesus is left with just a few remaining hearty souls, (one of which was Judas, who, of course, was the betrayer).

Peter's confession—representing the true church throughout all ages—is not only brilliantly insightful, but it was also eminently practical: there is nowhere for us to go in this world, but to Jesus—unless we prefer sin, death, and hell.

[Puritan quote of the day: "When the Word comes to any place, the kingdom of heaven is said to come. . . . and Christ rules in it by the preaching of the gospel.” —Jeremiah Burroughs, in, "Gospel Remission"]

Tues., 3/15/22 Devotion (Jn. 5:6)

Today's encouragement comes from John 5:6, where we read these words:

"When Jesus saw him lying there, and knew that he already had been in that condition a long time, He said to him, 'Do you want to be made well?' "

At first glance Christ's question (above) to the lame man seems out of place. After all, does not everyone want to be "made well"? Actually, no; and this is why Jesus inquired of the infirm person. A lot of people are comfortable with their maladies—especially as it relates to a life of sin. They literally do *not* "want" to be made well.

It is actually a blessing to desire good things—and health and well-being are some of them. It is one thing to be unwell (in whatever way this may be); but it is quite another thing to be content to be in that state. God would have us de-sire Christ, His wholeness, and all blessings in Him—as the redeemed church.

[Puritan quote of the day: "Sometimes persons live in ways of sin and are not sensible of it because they are blinded by common custom and the examples of others.” —Jonathan Edwards, in his sermon, "The Necessity of Self-Exam-ination"]

Fri.-Sabbath, 3/11-13/22 Devotion

Praise God—it is almost Sunday. We get to go back to church! To help get us ready for worship, here are good words from the inimitable John Calvin, as they are found in his great “Institutes of the Christian Religion” book. . . .

“It would be just as futile for us to aim at righteousness without religion as it would be to make a beautiful display of a headless corpse! But to be truthful, religion is not only the head of righteousness and virtue, it is in a sense their soul as well, which gives them vitality. Men will never preserve fairness and love among each other without the fear of God.

“That is why we call God’s worship the beginning and foundation of righteous-ness, seeing that, once it disappears, everything which men might contrive in order to live upright, chaste and sober lives is vain and empty in God’s sight."

Thurs., 3/10/22 Devotion (Lk. 24:45)

Today's encouragement comes from Luke 24:45, where we read these words:

"And [Jesus] opened their understanding, that they might comprehend the Scriptures."

The Scriptures are important to Christ—and so is our comprehension (or un-derstanding) of them. It could be argued that to possess the Bible, but not to grasp what it means, is of little good, and could even be dangerous. The Holy Book can only benefit us when and if the Son of God, through the Holy Spirit's work, "opens our understanding."

When this happens, we discover that we are being pointed to Jesus Christ in every line (cf. vv. 25, 27, 44). We also comprehend that the Scriptures are covenantal documents, to be elucidated and applied in the context of the community of the visible church (cf. 2 Tim. 4:1-2). How about us, today? Has Christ opened our understandings, so that we might rightly comprehend the texts of the Bible—that all speak of Him?

[Puritan quote of the day: "Only Christ can satisfy the soul. All other ways and things will only end in disappointment.” —John Owen, in, "Communion with God"]

Wed., 3/9/22 Devotion (Job 38:4a)

Today's encouragement comes from Job 38:4a, where we read these words:

"Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? . . . "

How would we like to have God ask us this question (above)? Simply hearing this would humble us right down to the dust. The reality is that there is a sense in which the Lord *does* pose this query before us every time we imagine that we know better than He does; or every time we complain about His providences (and the way they work) in our lives.

None of us had yet been created when God "laid the foundations of the earth." Therefore, none of us have any right to instruct God on how He ought to run His universe. This one thing is for sure: we could not do a better job than He can. Let all of us Christian churchmen come to more implicitly trust our Heavenly Father, believing the best of Him always—especially based on His love for us in Christ.

[Puritan quote of the day: "Are your sins high as heaven? The mercies of God are above the heavens.” —Isaac Ambrose, in, "The Christian Warrior"]

Tues., 3/8/22 Devotion (Ex. 19:8b, 9b)

Today's encouragement comes from Exodus 19:8b & 9b, where we read these words:

" . . . So Moses brought back the words of the people to the LORD. . . . So Moses told the words of the people to the LORD."

We might be wondering, "Why did God have Moses do this? After all, the Lord could hear what the people said—nothing escapes His notice; He knows all things.” All this is granted, but The LORD is a Covenant God. In other words, He operates with His people (church) through a Mediator (ultimately Jesus Christ). When God deals with the rest of the world, He does not employ an atoning Mediator; but when He communes with His church, He always does.

No one has any access to God except through Jesus. No one comes to God "directly.” The Lord may *only* be approached through a Perfect God/Man In-tercessor (Jesus Christ). Moses (here in Ex. 19) is a "type" of Christ. Outside of our Lord Jesus Christ there is virtually no way to the True God.

[Puritan quote of the day: "This true God is joy in sadness, light in darkness, life in death, heaven in hell.” —Thomas Shepard, in, "The Sincere Convert"]

Mon., 3/7/22 Devotion (2 Cor. 6:1)

Today's encouragement comes from the words of Paul, as they are found in 2 Corinthians 6:1:

"We then, as workers together with Him also plead with you not to receive the grace of God in vain."

How is the grace of God received "in vain”—even potentially by regenerated, sincere Christians? It is "received in vain" when we *forget* that our right-eousness is all contained in Jesus Christ *alone*. The previous verse, (2 Cor. 5:21), had taught us the glories of imputed righteousness and substitutionary atonement. But our flesh continually recoils at such marvels; and seeks to regain its perverse "credibility" (even with God).

So, when we cease to look to Christ alone for our redemption, (and we gaze upon ourselves or something else), we receive the grace of God "in vain." Is Jesus our righteousness? Then let us look no further.

[Puritan quote of the day: "Christ is never really absent from such as love Him, but He may seem to be so sometimes.” —Thomas Vincent, in, "The True Christian's Love to the Unseen Christ"]

Fri.-Sabbath, 3/4-6/22 Devotion

Praise God—it is almost Sunday. We get to go back to church, and worship God as His covenanted people! In order to help get us ready for the Sabbath (Resurrection) Day, here are some beautiful words of John Calvin, from his monumental, “Institutes of the Christian Religion.” . . .

“That Jesus Christ is the proper goal and object of our faith, is easily shown by the fact that every part of our salvation is reckoned and included in

Him. . . . For by Christ’s hand God accomplished His work of mercy, the re-demption of His people. . . .

"In Christ, and nowhere else, will we find salvation. . . . Accordingly Scripture states that there is no other Name under heaven by which we may be saved, (Acts 4:12). . . . This Name therefore teaches believers that only in Christ should we look for salvation, and it assures us that we will find it there."

Thurs., 3/3/22 Devotion (Lk. 17:5)

Today's encouragement comes from Luke 17:5, where we read these words:

"And the apostles said to the Lord, 'Increase our faith.' "

When we believers in Christ are faced with impossible tasks, typically a good prayer to God is: "Increase our faith." And though this is a desirable end; the Lord does not always answer this request in the way we would expect. In-stead, sometimes He teaches us that we do not need *a lot* faith; but that rather we need real and applied *sincere* faith—which is always centered in and on Jesus.

Let us be sure that we do not look for more of anything in our Christian lives, without first availing ourselves of what we already possess. The exercise of faith does not require a lot of religious fanfare; but it does call on our hearts to truly cling to The Christ of the Gospel.

[Puritan quote of the day: "The true God perfectly knows the circumstances of everyone who prays to Him throughout the world.” —Jonathan Edwards, in his sermon, "The Most High a Prayer-Hearing God"]

Wed., 3/2/22 Devotion (Lk. 16:31)

Today's encouragement comes from Luke 16:31, where we read these words:

"But he ['Abraham'] said to him [the 'rich man'], ‘If they do not hear Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded though one rise from the dead.’ "

Since faith is sovereignly given to sinners through *hearing* the gospel preached (Rom. 10:17), and not through *seeing* miracles performed—we should not be surprised to hear this principle taught in this text (above) by our Lord Jesus.

Sometimes well-meaning and sincere Christians mistakenly think that sinners will be converted to Christ by their *seeing* various spectacular religious mar-vels (like even someone rising from the dead). But this is not the case at all. Instead, God miraculously saves people through the hearing of the Good News. Via this message of supreme grace in Jesus, the Holy Spirit sovereign-ly converts those God has chosen to redeem.

[Puritan quote of the day: "If we once get the victory over ourselves, all other things are conquered easily.” —Richard Sibbes, in, "The Soul's Conflict With Itself"]

Tues., 3/1/22 Devotion (Lk. 15:21)

Today's encouragement comes from Luke 15:21, where we read these great words:

"And the [prodigal] son said to [his father], ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight, and am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ "

This is a most poignant and beautiful section of Holy Scripture. The Prodigal Son is on his way home. He has been rehearsing his lines. He is saying to himself, "Remember to say, 'I have sinned.’ Do not forget the, ‘No longer worthy' part. And be sure to finish with, 'Make me like one of your hired ser-vants.' "

The repentant son does pretty well at reciting his prepared speech to his fa-ther—but before he ever gets to his last line (about being a hired servant), his father is all over him, showering love and acceptance on him. So it is with our good and glorious God: He is a loving Father, who forgives His own elect chil-dren of His church, and receives them into His embraces. This parable is a vivid picture of God's love for the people Jesus procured with His precious blood atonement.

[Puritan quote of the day: "If anything in us or on our part could stop God lov-ing us [His church], then He would long ago have turned away from us.”

—John Owen, in, "Communion with God"]