Thurs., 10/31/24 Devotion (2 Tim. 3:14)

Happy Reformation Day!

Today's encouragement comes from 2 Timothy 3:14, where we read these words:

"But you must continue in the things which you have learned and been assur-ed of, knowing from whom you have learned them . . . "

As we come to a clearer and more glorious understanding of the gospel of Jesus—we must "continue" in it (that greater light). The blessed truth that re-generated Christians are *fully* righteous in God's sight—not because of our own alleged goodness—but because of the legally-imputed perfect right-eousness of Christ (received by us through faith in Jesus alone), becomes for us a great comfort.

Let us never move away from our lifeline, our happiness, and our power sup-ply—Who *is* our Lord Jesus Himself. Let us "continue" in His gospel, know-ing that we received it (ultimately) by divine revelation from God Himself.

[Puritan quote of the day: "For want of hearts full of love for God, men have heads full of error.” —Thomas Watson, in, "All Things For Good"]

Wed., 10/30/24 Devotion (2 Tim. 2:1)

Today's encouragement comes from 2 Timothy 2:1, where we read these words:

"You therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus."

This is a precious verse. What are we to be "strong" in? The "grace that is in Christ Jesus." What is this grace? It is sufficient grace—that is more than able to meet our specific, everyday and eternal needs. How are we "strong" in this grace? By faith. When we believe God, that He will answer our prayers, and help us in our needs—it greatly honors Him.

The thing to avoid, is the idea that we need to "get our acts together" *before* we can be strong in Christ's grace. The truth is, that this simple faith, whereby we appropriate to our hearts the Lord Jesus Christ Himself, *causes* us, in a legitimate, humble, and God-honoring way, to sort of "get our acts together.” All our strength is in Christ. We possess none of it in ourselves.

[Puritan quote of the day: "For from our neglect of prayer comes that dead-ness of spirit, that worldly-mindedness and unaptness to pray, to hear the Word, and to keep the Sabbath.” —John Preston, in his sermon entitled, "The Saint's Daily Exercise"]

Tues., 10/29/24 Devotion (2 Tim. 1:7)

Today's encouragement comes from 2 Timothy, chapter 1. There, in v. 7, the Apostle wrote this, to the sometimes-timid Timothy:

"For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind."

People in the world, who are outside of Christ and His church, *ought* to be plagued with a constant spirit of fear. In their cases, they have plenty about which to be terrified. But the regenerate church member need not fear any-thing or anyone but God Himself. And our fear of God is a familial one, that is perfectly mingled with love. Our Heavenly Father has already expended all His righteous wrath against us and our sin on His Own dear Son Jesus. Be-cause of this, we Christian believers have nothing to fear.

But because we still bear in ourselves our old flesh nature, we still (regrettab-ly) experience unnecessary fear from time to time. Still, let us who love Christ totally own our birthrights, and live in full confidence—all in Jesus.

[Puritan quote of the day: "By the fear of the Lord men depart from evil, that is, in their judgment, will, mind, and affections.” —John Bunyan, in, "The Fear of God"]

Mon., 10/28/24 Devotion (1 Tim. 6:17b)

Today's encouragement comes from 1 Timothy 6:17b, where we read these words:

" . . . But [let us trust] in the living God, who gives us richly all things to enjoy."

I appreciate this text (above). Not only does the Lord give us, His churched children, enough to live on—He also provides us "*All* things to enjoy." In oth-er words, *everything* God has created is to be employed for and subsumed under the welfare and happiness of the faithful members of Christ's church.

Our Heavenly Father is not "stingy," as some misguided people would imag-ine Him. Instead, He is extraordinarily generous (with those who are His, in Christ). As a matter of fact, God is more than kind to *all* creatures: even to those who hate Him, and will experience His eternal wrath, (cf. Ps. 145:9). In Jesus Christ, let us more fervently love our benevolent God, who "gives us *richly* all things to enjoy."

[Puritan quote of the day: "A true Christian grows in beauty. Grace is the best complexion of the soul. It is, at the first planting, like Rachel: fair to look upon; but, the more it lives, the more it sends forth its rays of beauty.” —Thomas Watson, in, "The Art of Divine Contentment"]

Fri.-Sabbath, 10/25-27/24 Devotion

Praise God—Sunday is almost here! In order to help us get ready for the Lord's Day church services, here is Thomas Watson, from, "A Body of Divin-ity.” . . .

"You that are Christians, believe that all God’s providence shall conspire for your good at last. The providences of God are sometimes dark, and our eyes dim, and we can hardly tell what to make of them; but when we cannot unrid-dle providence, let us believe that it will work together for the good of the elect, (Rom 8:28).

"The wheels in a clock seem to move contrary to one other, but they help for-ward the motion of the clock, and make the labrum [noise-maker] strike: so the providences of God seem to be at cross purposes; but for all that, they shall carry on the good of the elect. . . . Therefore, Christians, believe that God loves you, and that He will make the most cross providences to promote His glory and your good."

Thurs., 10/24/24 Devotion (Dan. 9:18b)

Today's encouragement comes from Daniel 9:18b, where Daniel prays these words:

" . . . For we do not present our supplications before You because of our righ-teous deeds, but because of Your great mercies."

If we had to approach God, and present our petitions to Him based on our righteous deeds, we would never arrive at our destination, ever. Besides that, we would have no basis for our prayers, because we do not *have* any sav-ingly righteous deeds. In other words, we have to be in a state of absolute moral and spiritual perfection to be heard by God.

This is why we may only come to God on the basis of Christ's righteousness alone, which is imputed to the saints in the true church, by sovereign grace. This is the ground on which we may and do rightly approach God. He will hear the prayers of those who come to Him through Jesus’ perfect atonement for sin. He disregards all other petitions and petitioners.

[Puritan quote of the day: "Hell did not know what it did when it crucified Christ; death, with all its armies, was put to death with Him.” —Richard Al-leine, in, "Heaven Opened"]

Wed., 10/23/24 Devotion (1 Tim. 1:15)

Today's encouragement comes from 1 Timothy 1:15, where we read these amazing words of Paul:

"This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief."

If we are sinners, and we know ourselves to be such—then there is real hope for us. Christ did not come to earth to save good people, (because there *are no* "good people"). Jesus did not come here to make people nice, nor civil, nor easy to get along with. Instead, He came here to redeem real vile sinners from their real and deadly sin.

Who is the "chief" of these sinners, according to Paul? Not the one we would consider the usual suspect—but rather the smug, self-righteous, religious pharisee. Paul was miraculously transformed from being one of these, into being a true and humble minister of Christ.

[Puritan quote of the day: "It is a Christian's duty to triumph, not only over the world, but over Satan.” —William Bridge, in, "A Lifting Up For the Downcast"]

Tues., 10/22/24 Devotion (Ps. 115:3)

Today's encouragement comes from Psalm 115:3, which says this:

"But our God is in heaven; He does whatever He pleases."

This is a great verse on the sovereignty of God: the doctrine that the Lord does what He wants to do; and that He is not beholden to anyone or any-thing. But sometimes we have to admit that we (even among the true church) do not always like the things the sovereign God allows to happen. After all, there are a lot of "negative" events that occur in our world (and even to our-selves).

What is the sincere and serious Christian to do about this? That is a very val-id question. We are to trust that the Maker of all things, and the Redeemer of His elect church understands and directs *all* things according to a great plan of His, (that He alone can and does fully comprehend). We are to believe that God has His saints' best interests in mind always; and that everything that happens ultimately accrues for the Holy Trinity's glory, the honor of Christ, and the welfare of the true church.

[Puritan quote of the day: "You have heaven while you are on earth when you have a contented spirit; yea, in some regards it is better than heaven.”

—Jeremiah Burroughs, in, "The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment"]

Mon., 10/21/24 Devotion (Ps. 112:6b-7)

Today's encouragement comes from Psalm 112:6b & 7, where we read these words:

" . . . The righteous will be in everlasting remembrance. He will not be afraid of evil tidings; his heart is steadfast, trusting in the LORD."

Whereas the memory of the wicked "rots," (Prov. 10:7); God's redeemed churchmen leave a blessed and enduring legacy and heritage. On top of this, those who are in Jesus, and who enjoy His righteousness, are not "afraid of evil tidings." Instead, their hearts are "steadfast, trusting in the Lord."

Why is this important? Because circumstances of life—be they of whatever sort—are not to determine how happy, nor how settled we are. Let us fight a good fight of faith; let us run a good race of faith; and let us keep the faith—but, at the end of the day, let us leave it all in the good and sovereign hands of our faithful God.

[Edwards quote of the day: "If you have the favor of God, this doctrine [of en-couragement] teaches you that you need not be afraid of enemies; for who-ever is your enemy, God looks upon as His enemy.” —Jonathan Edwards, in one of his sermons]

Fri.-Sabbath, 10/18-20/24 Devotion

Praise God—Sunday is almost here! We get to worship God, corporately! In order to help get us ready for church, here is the incomparable Thomas Wat-son, from his work entitled, "The Happiness of Drawing Near to God.” . . .

"And as Christ makes the way for us into the Holy of Holies by His incarna-tion: so by His crucifixion, He died to make God and us friends. The divine law being infringed, God's justice was provoked, and satisfaction was de-manded, before we could approach to God in an amicable way. Now here Christ as our Priest shed His blood for our sins, and so made the atonement, (Col. 1:20): 'Having made peace through the blood of His cross.' As Joseph being so great at court, made way for all his brethren to draw near into the king's presence, (Gen. 47:2)—so Jesus Christ is our Joseph, who makes the way for us by His blood, that we may now come near into God's presence. Through Christ, God is pleased with us; He holds forth the golden scepter, that we may draw near, and touch the top of the scepter."

Thurs., 10/17/24 Devotion (Dan. 2:44)

Today's encouragement comes from Daniel 2:44, where we read these words:

"And in the days of these kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed; and the kingdom shall not be left to other people; it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever."

Daniel is speaking to Nebuchadnezzar here, and he is explaining the king's dream. The "kingdom" that Daniel is referring to here, is the establishment of, and the proliferation of the New Covenant church, by the Lord Jesus Christ. The Savior's kingdom is now in the process of "break[ing] in[to] pieces" all op-posing "kingdoms."

Some of these counterfeit "kingdoms" arise even among professing, errant Christians. Others of them are wholly and self-proclaimedly "anti-Christian." All of them are in the process of falling at the feet of King Jesus. For this, let all the churched kingdom people give Him praise—even now.

[Puritan quote of the day: "Many, in a fit of terror, are willing to do or to suffer anything to keep out of hell and go to heaven; but when the fit is over, they will not deny themselves and take up the cross to follow Christ.” —Isaac Am-brose, in, "The Christian Warrior"]

Wed., 10/16/24 Devotion (1 Thess. 2:4)

Today's encouragement comes from 1 Thessalonians 2:4, where we read these words:

"But as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, even so we speak, not as pleasing men, but God who tests our hearts."

The ministers of the church who are truly called by God are sent to speak to all people everywhere the gospel of Christ's grace. But we are to do so with our minds on the Triune God first. God is our principal “Audience.” What is it that *God* wants us to say? This is what must be preached. The faithful cler-gy do not poll the people, to determine what they want to hear. Instead, we "poll" the Lord (via His written Word), in order to know what He would have us proclaim.

This principle is then passed down to the entire church, wherein the people of God begin to think this way, too. They begin to ask, "What is it that Christ would have me do, and say?" This is the way to be effective for Jesus in the world. Then, when God "tests our hearts," we pass with flying colors—be-cause of Christ alone.

[Puritan quote of the day: "Christ is in the ship of His church; do not fear sink-ing. The church's anchor is cast in heaven. Do we not think that God loves His church, and takes as much care of it as we can?” —Thomas Watson, in, "The Art of Divine Contentment"]

Tues., 10/15/24 Devotion (1 Ki. 18:21a)

Today's encouragement comes from 1 Kings 18:21a, where we read these words:

"And Elijah came to all the people, and said, 'How long will you falter between two opinions? If the LORD is God, follow Him; but if Baal, follow him. . . . ' "

I like this perspective, put forth by the prophet Elijah. Even today this principle still applies. All people worship some deity (alleged, or true). Our attitude should sincerely be: "Let the best [God] win." Is the Muslim god the true one? Then everybody should worship it. Is the atheists' god the true one? Then we should bow down to it. Is the secularists' god true? Let all men honor it (or her, or whatever). Is the Triune God of the faithful Christian church the only Real Deity that exists? Then, all human beings should worship Him.

. . . It turns out that the Holy Trinity *is* the one and only God. We know this—among other reasons—by the resurrection of the Son of God, who lives and reigns today. Christ can withstand all pretenders to His throne. Let us worship the Christian God; and not fear any of the fake ones.

[Puritan quote of the day: "There are the greatest reasons in the world to be a Christian . . . “ —Richard Sibbes, in, "Glorious Freedom"]

Mon., 10/14/24 Devotion (Ezek. 47:12b)

Today's encouragement comes from Ezekiel 47:12b, where we read these amazing words:

"They [the trees] will bear fruit every month, because their water flows from the sanctuary. Their fruit will be for food, and their leaves for medicine."

The first part of Ezekiel, ch. 47, is remarkable—one of my favorite sections of the Bible. The expanse of the New Covenant church, and the spread of Jesus' gospel of grace are all in view here. This is all happening today. Christ dwells in the "sanctuary," (the church). The church, through the Holy Spirit's application of the gospel, feeds, nourishes, and heals the world. And, in time, the "knowledge of the Lord covers the earth, as the waters cover the sea.” (Cf. Hab. 2:14.)

Let us be thankful that the God of heaven has *not* abandoned His fallen world, or the people therein. He has left His colony, the church, here. As the Body of Christ, let us be "feeders" and "healers" of the whole earth—through the preaching of the gospel of our Redeemer’s free and abundant grace.

[Puritan quote of the day: "Grace continues and increases.” —Richard Sib-bes, in "Glorious Freedom"]

Fri.-Sabbath, 10/11-13/24 Devotion

Praise God—Sunday is almost here. In order to help get us ready for church, here is Thomas Watson, from his, "The Lord's Prayer” book. . . .

"If all be a gift, then it is not a debt, and we cannot say to God as that creditor who said, 'Pay me what you owe,' (Matt. 18:28). Who can make God a debt-or, or do any act that is obliging and meritorious? Whatever we receive from God is a gift; we can give nothing to Him but what He has given to us. 'All things come from You, and of Your own have we given to You, ' (1 Chron. 29:14).

"David and his people offered to the building of God's house gold and silver, but they offered nothing but what God had given them. 'Of Your own have we given You.' If we love God, it is He that has given us a heart to love Him. If we praise Him, He both gives us the organ of tongue, and puts it in tune. If we give alms to others, He has given alms to us first, so that we may say, 'We of-fer, O Lord, of Your own to You.' Is all a gift, how absurd, then, is the doctrine of merit? . . . We cannot deserve a bit of bread, much less a crown of glory. If all be a gift, then merit is exploded, and shut out of doors."

Thurs., 10/10/24 Devotion (Col. 1:16a)

Today's encouragement comes from Colossians 1:16a, where we read these words of Paul:

"For by Him [Christ] all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible . . . "

God created everything that is—everything that has a real essence; and He did this through His Son, Christ our Lord. There may be discussions (some-times legitimate) about whether this was an instantaneous creation, or not—but the germane fact is that God created everything, and He did it through Christ (The Word). Nothing exists that God did not create. (The Lord did not create sin or any evil—as these privations of good do not have a real es-sence.)

In the beauty of this season, let us thank God for His power and glory in His creation. But let us do this with an eye to something even greater: the re-cre-ation of dead souls, who now make up the regenerated members of the body (church) of the Lord Jesus Christ.

[Puritan quote of the day: "The hypocrite takes more care to make a covenant than to keep it, and is more studious to enter into religion than that religion should enter into him.” —Thomas Watson, in his sermon, "God's Anatomy Upon Man's Heart"]

Wed., 10/9/24 Devotion (Ps. 94:19)

Today's encouragement comes from Psalm 94:19, where we read these words:

"In the multitude of my anxieties within me, Your comforts delight my soul."

This verse describes life in the fallen world infected with sin. The faithful churchman does indeed feel "anxieties"; but he or she also experiences abundant "comforts" in Christ. False forms of Christianity argue that these two are incompatible. The Scripture, on the other hand, affirms that both conster-nation *and* consolation coexist in the children of God.

Even our Savior had "anxieties." Do we remember His time in the Garden of Gethsemane? But our comforts in Christ outweigh our troubles in a shaken world. Let us thank our good and loving God for this.

[Puritan quote of the day: "It is a vain thing to think that true religion can be maintained, and have the liberty of it, without some difference of opinion among us.” —Jeremiah Burroughs, in, "Hope"]

Tues., 10/8/24 Devotion (Ps. 92:13-14)

Today's encouragement comes from Psalm 92:13 & 14, where we read these great words:

"Those who are planted in the house of the LORD shall flourish in the courts of our God. They shall still bear fruit in old age; they shall be fresh and flour-ishing . . . "

Where are we "planted" most in this world? Are we *most* invested in our ca-reers, our businesses, our civic concerns, and/or our families and homes? If so, then we will be eventually uprooted by the storms of life on a fallen planet. Only those who are firmly ingrafted into Christ and His church are able to withstand the forces set against them. On top of this, they are also able to re-main "fruitful" all the way to their last breath.

Let us love who and what God Himself loves: Christ, His gospel, and His church. As we do so, we are invincible—no matter what the world, the flesh, or the devil throws at us.

[Puritan quote of the day: "No matter what storms I meet with, I know where to put in for harbor. He who has God to be his God is so well contented with his condition that he does not much care whether he has anything else.”

—Thomas Watson, in, "The Art of Divine Contentment"]

Mon., 10/7/24 Devotion (Ps. 91:9-10)

Today's encouragement comes from Psalm 91:9 & 10, where we read these words:

"Because you have made the LORD, who is my refuge, even the Most High, your dwelling place, no evil shall befall you, nor shall any plague come near your dwelling . . . "

Those who are safely trusting in Jesus' blood atonement alone to protect them from the condemnation of sin's righteous judgment of them are the only people on earth who will weather the storms of this life (and the next). God is the Christian churchman's "dwelling place" by faith. Faith, not anything else, proves to be our key to victory (1 Jn. 5:4b), since it directly binds us to Christ.

Do we want to be safe from the most real and fearful evils? Then, as the church, let us be given over entirely to Jesus alone. Let us not trust our-selves, our works, or our performance. Instead, let us “make” the LORD “our refuge."

[Puritan quote of the day: "All the wicked, still, are under the covenant of works . . . “ —William Bridge, in, "A Lifting Up For the Downcast"]

Fri.-Sabbath, 10/4-6/24 Devotion

Praise God—Sunday is almost here again! In order to help us get ready for the church’s worship of our Triune God, here are good words from Jonathan Edwards’ sermon, entitled, “Charity More Excellent Than the Extraordinary Gifts of The Spirit.” . . .

“The grace of God in the heart is a gift of the Holy Spirit peculiar to the saints; it is a blessing that God reserves only for those who are the objects of His special and peculiar love. But the extraordinary gifts of the Spirit are what God sometimes bestows on those whom He does not love, but hates, which is a sure sign that the one is infinitely more precious and excellent than the other. That is the most precious gift that is most an evidence of God’s love. But the extraordinary gifts of the Spirit were, in the days of inspiration and miracles, no sure sign of the love of God. The prophets were not wont to build their persuasion of the favor and love of God on their being prophets and hav-ing revelations, but on their being sincere saints. Thus it was with David (see Psalm 15:1-5; 17:1-3; and 119 throughout); indeed, the whole book of Psalms bears witness to this.

“Though the Apostle Paul was so greatly privileged with the extraordinary gifts of the Spirit, he was yet so far from marring the evidences of his good estate that he expressly declares that without charity they are all nothing."

Thurs., 10/3/24 Devotion (Eph. 3:21)

Today's encouragement comes from Ephesians 3:21, where we read these words:

" . . . to Him [God] be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen."

God will get His greatest levels of glory in and through Christ’s true and re-deemed church—more than anywhere else. The reason for this, is that the regenerate saints (who make it up) are the recipients of the most miraculous and marvelous grace. They are given the very best of heaven, even while they are here on the earth. And this most wonderful gift is that of the Son of God Himself.

Let us build our lives around Christ. If we will do this, we will inevitably find ourselves relishing and serving His church. Let us do all this by grace, through faith in Jesus.

[Puritan quote of the day: "If God brings any beginnings of grace to truth, the victory is already gotten.” —Jeremiah Burroughs, in, "The Excellency of a Gracious Spirit"]

Wed., 10/2/24 Devotion (Eph. 2:8-9)

Today's encouragement comes from Ephesians 2:8 & 9, where we find these remarkable words:

"For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast."

We sinners are not saved by anything we do. This truth can be extremely hard to accept, because we are so geared in our natural flesh to believing the exact opposite. After the Fall of man in the Garden, works went out the win-dow, (but our memory of them never left us).

To seek to be redeemed by works, or to supposedly sustain a relationship with God through works, is a great affront to Christ and the gospel. If we could be saved by what we do, why would God the Father send His precious Son to die on a cruel cross for wretched sinners? Let us be grateful that we are saved by grace through faith in Jesus. This pleases God; and it brings us the best of everything.

[Puritan quote of the day: "To be rich in goods and rich in goodness is a hap-py condition.” —Jeremiah Burroughs, in, "The Excellency of a Gracious Spirit"]

Tues., 10/1/24 Devotion (Ps. 84:10)

Today's encouragement comes from Psalm 84:10, wherein we read these words:

"For a day in Your courts is better than a thousand [anywhere else]. I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of wick-edness."

Even the humblest baptized newborn, being a member of the church of the Lord Jesus Christ, is more exalted and noble than the most affluent, proud, and self-sufficient unbeliever (or religious hypocrite). One day in God's house (church) is better than a thousand in a "paradise" of sin and lust.

What do *we* prefer? Those who do not love Christ value everything before Him. Those Christians who love Jesus would take Him over anything else.

[Puritan quote of the day: "If God should make more worlds for [a redeemed soul], yet if He does not give Himself to it [the redeemed soul], it would not be satisfied.” —Jeremiah Burroughs, in, "The Excellency of a Gracious Spirit"]