Fri.-Sabbath, 5/26-28/23 Devotion

Praise God—it is almost Sunday. All the true Christians get to worship God in church. To help get us ready, here is Thomas Watson, from his book, "The Lord's Supper.” . . .

"Behold the love of God the Father in giving Christ to be broken for us. That God should put such a Jewel before us is the admiration of angels. 'God so loved the world that He gave His only Begotten Son,' (John 3:16). It is a pat-tern of love without a parallel. It was a far greater expression of love in God to give His Son to die for us than if He had voluntarily acquitted us of the debt without any satisfaction at all. If a subject is disloyal to his sovereign, it argues more love in the king to give his own son to die for that subject than to forgive him the wrong freely."

Thurs., 5/25/23 Devotion (1 Jn. 4:16a)

Today's encouragement comes from 1 John 4:16a, where we read these few words:

"And we have known and believed the love that God has for us . . . "

It is a monumental blessing for us Christians in the true church to know and believe that God loves us. This is especially remarkable, since in our natural state of sin we hated God. But now, as we are in Jesus, we are loved by God; and we love Him (cf. v. 10a). Now, because we recognize that we are loved by God, and we actually believe the incredible fact of this truth—we cannot do enough for Christ. God's love now "compels" us, (2 Cor. 5:14), to a lively and loving obedience.

. . . If we do not know and believe that God loves us, then we will inevitably show ourselves to be spiritually unfaithful—since we will seek our affection from idolatrous sources. This is why it is imperative that Christians get a solid interest in Jesus’ gospel—so that we know that we are the genuine objects of God's love.

[Puritan quote of the day: "Such as think totally to ruin the church, must do it in a time when it is neither day nor night, for the Lord keeps the church by His providence night and day.” —Thomas Watson, in, "A Body of Divinity"]

Wed., 5/24/23 Devotion (1 Jn. 3:8b)

Today's encouragement comes from 1 John 3:8b, where the apostle wrote these words:

"For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil."

If the devil had not done his best to destroy God's world—especially by tempting human beings to sin—there would have been no reason for the Son of God to appear, as a Redeemer. Though sin is to be abominated in all its forms, it is still the case that it made the way for God to demonstrate the full range of His wonderful characteristics—including love, forgiveness, atone-ment, mercy, grace, righteousness, justification, and patience.

Has the devil left some of his dirt on us in Christ's true church? Let us be en-couraged: Jesus is in the sanctification process of destroying our sin; and building us up, in our growing love for Him—all through Christ.

[Puritan quote of the day: "If we love God, our hearts ache for the dishonor done to God by wicked men.” —Thomas Watson, in, "All Things for Good"]

Tues., 5/23/23 Devotion (Ps. 77:13)

Today's encouragement comes from Psalm 77:13, where Asaph wrote these words:

"Your way, O God, is in the sanctuary; who is so great a God as our God?"

God always operates from His “sanctuary." The Old Covenant sanctuary was a type of heaven, (cf. Heb. 8:4-5). In the heavenly sanctuary today, the Son of God intercedes for His saints by virtue of His atoning blood, (cf. Heb. 7:25). The church that meets (especially) in the Sunday worship services constitute the place of God's sanctuary on earth, (cf. 1 Pet. 2:4-5). And finally, the indi-vidual hearts of the regenerate churchmen are also the abodes of His sanc-tuary, (cf. 1 Cor. 3:16).

*From* God's sanctuary goes forth praise of God in Jesus Christ; and the ev-angelism of the world. Let us be thankful that the true God is the God of the “sanctuary": the place of worship and rest.

[Puritan quote of the day: "Here is a pillar of support to every soul who has broken off sin and espoused holiness. This is an undoubted evidence that you are a true child of God.” —Thomas Watson, in, "The Mischief of Sin"]

Mon., 5/22/23 Devotion (1 Jn. 1:10)

Today's encouragement comes from 1 John 1:10, where we read these words:

"If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him [God] a liar, and His word is not in us."

Sin is an insidious thing. If we acknowledge it, we must confess it and repent of it—receiving fresh absolution in Jesus’ blood. If we do not acknowledge sin, we sin even worse (by pretending it does not exist). The best thing to do, in confessing sin, is to be as honest with God as we possibly can be. This re-quires God's gracious and loving assistance.

Confession of sin usually has these two temptations attached to it: 1) to say things to God that we do not really mean (just to ease our conscience); or, 2) to confess things to God which (in themselves) are really not sin at all. Again: the key is candor. May the Lord help us know our hearts well enough, in order to make good confession to Him; and then to enjoy our full freedom in Christ.

[Puritan quote of the week: "The eyes of our souls cannot be towards God unless He has cast a gracious look upon us first.” —Richard Sibbes, in, "The Bruised Reed"]

Fri.-Sabbath, 5/19-21/23 Devotion

Bless God—it is almost Sunday, God's holy day! In order to encourage us as we prepare for church, here are some good words (with modern updates) from Jonathan Edwards, taken from his sermon entitled, "Christians a Chos-en Generation.” . . .

"Christians are of a very different nature and temper from the rest of the world. The truly godly people are very different in their disposition from oth-ers. They hate those things that the rest of the world loves, and they love those things for which the rest of the world has no interest—so much so is this the case that [ungodly] people wonder why they place their happiness in a strict observance of the self-denying duties of religion.

“[The ungodly] wonder at the delight the godly take in spending so much time in meditation and prayer; and that they do not place their happiness in those things which [the ungodly] do. 1 Peter 4:4: 'Wherein they think it strange that you do not run with them in the same excess of riot; so they speak evil of you.’

"But the reason is that [the godly] are of a different [spiritual] race, and so they are driven by different dispositions."

Thurs., 5/18/23 Devotion (Ps. 71:16b)

Today's encouragement comes from Psalm 71:16b, where we read these words (of David):

" . . . I will make mention of Your righteousness, of Yours only.”

This little phrase (above) is a good reminder that The *only* One who has any inherent "righteousness" is God alone, Who communicates it through Christ alone. All of our righteousness is derived from Him. When it comes to the greatest form of righteousness (i.e. justification before God), this is imputed to the churched Christian in regeneration; and it is enjoyed by faith in Jesus. When it comes to any form of "civil" righteousness (which cannot and does not save), any person may have it; but it is given as a token of God's "com-mon" grace.

Let us who have received the gift of atonement in Christ’s blood bless God that we possess *His* (Jesus') Own righteousness. This is the great advan-tage of the church; and it is cause for unbounded rejoicing.

[Puritan quote of the day: "The truth is, we should listen as much to the voice of God in the ministry of His Word as if the Lord should speak out of the clouds to us.” —Jeremiah Burroughs, in, "Gospel Worship"]

Wed., 5/17/23 Devotion (1 Pet. 4:19)

Today's encouragement comes from 1 Peter 4:19, where we read these words:

"Therefore let those who suffer according to the will of God commit their souls to Him in doing good, as to a faithful Creator."

Suffering is never pleasurable; but it can forward the genuine progress of the true church saints. It has a cleansing effect on our souls; and it draws us back to Christ. If we are going to have to suffer anyway, let us do so for doing good, or for insisting on God's ways. "Commit[ting our] souls" to God means that we do what is right, and leave the consequences with the Lord.

It is interesting that Peter refers to the Lord as a faithful "Creator," at the end of this verse—rather than a Redeemer. God's creation covers everything in the universe: those things that positively affect our obedience, and those things that "negatively" affect it.

[Puritan quote of the day: "Satan tempts to sin under a pretense of religion. He is most to be feared when he transforms himself into an angel of light.”

—Thomas Watson, in, "All Things for Good"]

Tues., 5/16/23 Devotion (1 Pet. 2:9)

Today's encouragement comes from 1 Peter 2:9, where the apostle wrote these words:

"But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, [God's] own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light."

Note the high and lofty appellations (names) given the children (church) of God—all taken from the Old Testament. Sometimes we may not feel like a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, etc.—but this does not change the reality of who and what God says the redeemed people of Christ’s church are.

The purpose of this great divine pedigree is proclamation of praise, which is the best form of evangelism. If God has called us out of the darkness of sin, into the light of saving grace, then we have a lot to say, in the praise of our Lord Jesus.

[Puritan quote of the day: "The vessel is first seasoned before wine is poured into it: the vessels of mercy are first seasoned with affliction, and then the wine of glory is poured in.” —Thomas Watson, in, "All Things for Good"]

Fri.-Sabbath, 5/12-14/23 Devotion

Bless God—it is almost Sunday! In order to help get us ready for church, here is Thomas Watson, from his good book, "A Body of Divinity.” . . .

"See in this, as in a transparent glass [mirror], the love of Christ to the elect. He came to redeem them; and He died intentionally for them. Would it not be great love for a king's son to pay a large sum of money to redeem a captive? If he would be willing to be a prisoner in his stead, and to die for his ransom—would this not be a matter of wonder?

"Jesus Christ has done all this, He has written His love in characters of blood. It was wonderful for Christ to speak a good word to His Father for us, but He knew that this was not enough to redeem us. Though a word being spoken made a world, yet it would not redeem a sinner. 'Without shedding of blood there is no remission,' (Heb 9:22)."

Thurs., 5/11/23 Devotion (Ps. 59:8)

Today's encouragement comes from Psalm 59:8, where we read these words:

"But You, O LORD, shall laugh at them; You shall have all the nations in deri-sion."

God's "belly-laughs" are not always brought on by some silly (or funny) things that His creatures do (perhaps, even innocently). In the verse above, the Lord is chuckling over the foolishness and stupidity of His enemies, who think they can take Him on and overcome the Creator (who made them).

In reality, life is no "laughing matter"; and God calls on His whole world to worship Him (alone)—through Jesus Christ alone. The fact of the matter, however, is that only the faithful church actually practices this (proper wor-ship). Those who love Jesus will be vilified by those who hate Him. But the same Lord who "laughs" at the wicked also blesses His true children.

[Puritan quote of the day: "What peace or comfort had Judas in the sight of his thirty pieces of silver?” —William Bridge, in, "A Lifting Up for the Down-cast"]

Wed., 5/10/23 Devotion (Ps. 56:3-4)

Today's encouragement comes from Psalm 56:3 & 4, where David wrote these words:

"Whenever I am afraid, I will trust in You. In God (I will praise His word), In God I have put my trust; I will not fear. What can flesh do to me?"

God's children are, from time-to-time, afraid. David had his problems; and un-doubtedly we have ours. It is precisely at the exact moment of fear, however, that we are most able to strengthen ourselves in God's grace, and trust Him. This trust, then, has the effect of turning fear away from us. After that, a re-newed sense of confidence arises in our hearts, which allows us to say, "What can flesh do to me?"

Let us not be undone by fear. Instead, let us turn it on its head; and use it for our own advantage. Let us see it as a fresh opportunity to trust God in and through our Lord Jesus Christ.

[Puritan quote of the day: "Purity of heart is the jewel which is hung only upon the elect. As chastity distinguishes a virtuous woman from a harlot, so the true saint is distinguished from the hypocrite by his heart-purity.” —Thomas Watson, in, "The Beatitudes"]

Tues., 5/9/23 Devotion (Ps. 55:16)

Today's encouragement comes from Psalm 55:16, where we read these words:

"As for me, I will call upon God, and the LORD shall save me."

David makes a personal assertion here. No matter what other people choose to do with their troubles—he, at least, will bring his problems to the Lord. Dav-id believed that simply "calling upon God" would be enough to secure His help. This is why he wrote, "The Lord shall save me."

May all God's Christian churchmen call upon Him, in trouble or in pleasure. Let us recognize that the Lord is good; and that He alone is able to meet all of our needs—be they profound or mundane.

[Puritan quote of the day: "Those who would annihilate the ministry try to pull the stars out of Christ's hand.” —Thomas Watson, in his sermon, "God's Ana-tomy upon Man's Heart"]

Mon., 5/8/23 Devotion (Heb. 13:20-21)

Today's encouragement comes from Hebrews 13:20 & 21, which says this:

"Now may the God of peace who brought up our Lord Jesus from the dead, that great Shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting cove-nant, make you complete in every good work to do His will, working in you what is well pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for-ever and ever. Amen."

What a great benedictory prayer this is (above). Let us note how God puts a *comprehensive* blessing on His church. The Lord does not cut us short in anything with regard to His Son's resurrection. Instead, we get all of those benefits now, as we grow into our understanding of them in Christ, day by day.

Let us recognize this: that no matter what we struggle with down here, there is nothing so powerful, that our participation in Jesus and His resurrection cannot conquer it.

[Puritan quote of the day: "The mercies of God have a melting influence upon the soul; they dissolve it in love to God. God's judgments make us fear Him, His mercies make us love Him.” —Thomas Watson, in, "All Things for Good"]

Fri.-Sabbath, 5/5-7/23 Devotion

Praise God—it is almost Sunday! Here is Thomas Watson, from his great work, "The Art of Divine Contentment." . . .

"What it is then to learn Christ?

"To learn Christ is to be made like Christ, to have the divine characters of His holiness engraven upon our hearts: 'We all with open face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image,' (2 Cor. 3:18). There is a metamorphosis made; a sinner, viewing Christ's image in the mir-ror of the gospel, is transformed into that image. Never did any man look up-on Christ with a spiritual eye, but he went away quite changed. A true saint is a divine landscape picture, where all the rare beauties of Christ are in a lively way portrayed and drawn forth. He has the same spirit, the same judgment, the same will, with Jesus Christ."

Thurs., 5/4/23 Devotion (Num. 11:1a)

Today's encouragement comes from Numbers 11:1a, where these sobering words are found:

"Now when the people complained, it displeased the LORD; for the LORD heard it, and His anger was aroused. . . . "

There is an acceptable (even proper) way to "complain" to God, (cf. Ps. 142:2); and then there is this unacceptable and improper way to do it, (as seen all throughout Num., ch. 11). The people "craved"; they wanted their way; they "wept all over" Moses; they insisted that they be granted their de-sires. God's answer was to give them exactly what they wanted; and then to afflict many of them with death, (see vv. 33-34).

Let us be careful about what we earnestly long for; and of what we "demand" of God. If we are not satisfied with the Person of Jesus Christ, and, in Him, His church’s “ordinary” means of grace, and instead insist on something more “exotic”—then we may get what we want, but then pay dearly for it in the end.

[Puritan quote of the day: "Hence we learn that a life of holiness is the most pleasant life in this world, because in such a life we have the imperfect begin-nings of a blessed and endless sight of God.” —Jonathan Edwards, in his sermon, "The Pure in Heart Blessed"]

Wed., 5/3/23 Devotion (Num. 10:32)

Today's encouragement comes from Numbers 10:32, where we read these words:

"And it shall be, if you go with us—indeed it shall be—that whatever good the LORD will do to us, the same we will do to you."

These words (above) spoken by Moses, to his father-in-law Jethro, are still true today; and they are a very good evangelism tool. Those who will willingly join themselves to Jesus and His church—even if they have spent all their days in idolatry and sin—can and will be the recipients of all the "good" the Lord is already extending to His children.

. . . There is a condition, though. Outsiders must come in, and become a part of the church of Christ. Standing outside—even while approving of the virtues of the people of God—is not enough. Let all sincere Christians realize how blessed we are in Jesus, His gospel, and His church; and let us seek to share these most sublime benefits with others.

[Puritan quote of the day: "God's word is fitted for all estates, callings, and conditions of mankind. . . . It gives direction for our apparel, sports, labor, gain, and giving; for our buying and selling, for our speech and silence, for our company and solitude.” —William Lyford, in, "The Instructed Christian"]

Tues., 5/2/23 Devotion (Heb. 7:16)

Today's encouragement comes from Hebrews 7:16, where we read these words:

"[Christ] has come, not according to the law of a fleshly commandment, but according to the power of an endless life."

Because Jesus Christ always lives, His church may rest secure in His (Christ's) eternal priesthood. Under the Old Covenant, the priests came and went—as they, like everyone else, died. But now that Jesus has been incar-nated, crucified, and risen from the dead—He is at the right hand of the Fa-ther, always making intercession for His church, through His blood atonement for us.

Whereas *all* non-Christian religions and life-philosophies have to depend on dead people, who cannot help them at all—the Christian believer depends on One who can never die. Let us approach our Messiah with confidence—knowing that He has provided everything for us, and that He has "the power of an endless life."

[Puritan quote of the day: "God is a tender Father, and He would have all the love of His children.” —William Bridge, in, "A Lifting Up for the Downcast"]

Mon., 5/1/23 Devotion (Heb. 6:15)

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

"And so, after he [Abraham] had patiently endured, he obtained the promise."

The most important practical fruit of sincere and saving faith in Jesus, in this world, is perseverance. Without endurance to the end, even love has no cre-dibility. It is not easy to stretch-out all the way to the finish line, and to con-clude the race well. But, if we are to please God, and be satisfied in our souls, we must do this.

So, are we finding it difficult to faithfully persist in Christ in any area of our lives today? If so, then let us be like our spiritual father (Abraham); and, by grace, put all our trust in Jesus. Just when it seems that our strength is gone—God, in Christ, will carry us all the way through this life, to heaven itself.

[Puritan quote of the day: "If civility were sufficient to salvation, Christ need not have died.” —Thomas Watson, in, "The Doctrine of Repentance"]