Fri.-Sabbath, 5/23-25/25 Devotion

Praise God—Sunday is almost here again. We get to go back to church! In order to help us get ready for Sabbath Worship, here are good words from John Owen’s “Spiritual-Mindedness” book. . . .

“ . . . No thoughts of Christ born of faith in Him and accompanied with love for Him will ever be wasted. They that sow this seed will return with their minds full of sheaves. Christ will meet with them. He will assure them that He ac-cepts them and that He is delighted with them. He will pour out His love upon them. Those gracious promises which He has made of ‘coming’ to those that believe in Him, of ‘making His home with them,’ and of ‘dining with them’ as-sure believers that if they desire to have fellowship with Him, and show this desire by thinking much about Him, He will meet with them in a very real, spiritual way."

Thurs., 5/22/25 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. If we do not acknowledge it, we sin even worse (by pretending it does not exist in us). The best thing to do, in confessing sin, is to be as honest with God as we possibly can be. This requires God's 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 (as per Ps. 139:23-24), in order to make good confession to Him.

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

Wed., 5/21/25 Devotion (2 Pet. 3:18a)

Today's encouragement comes from 2 Peter 3:18a, where we read these words:

" . . . But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. . . . "

How does a church full of regenerate Christians *grow* in "the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ"? Certainly, by being well-fed. The context of Peter's injunction (above) is largely that of the proper use and understanding of the word of God (the sacred scriptures)—particularly as they are preached.

Believers *grow* when we ingest Jesus as The Word—being hungry for Him alone. The written word, which is the basis and foundation of the church's preached word, always points everyone to The Incarnate Word (Jesus), (the "Logos," of Jn. 1:1). This "Word” (Christ) is The ultimate Revel-ation of God. Only He (Jesus) can "feed" us. He feeds us His own Person, His "flesh" and "blood," in the preached Gospel, and in the proper adminis-tration of the sacrament of The Lord's Supper.

[Puritan quote of the day: "Every godly, gracious man is a praying man.”

—William Bridge, in, "A Lifting Up For the Downcast"]

Tues., 5/20/25 Devotion (Ps. 73:16-17)

Today's encouragement comes from Psalm 73:16 & 17, where Asaph, the hu-man author, was dealing with, and finally received resolution to the thorny is-sue of the prosperity of the wicked, (see vv. 2-3 ff.). . . .

"When I thought how to understand this, it was too painful for me—until I went into the sanctuary of God; then I understood their end."

On our own, individually, we are simply *unable* to grasp a whole lot of things that are necessary for our happiness and well-being. This is no accident. God intentionally designed us to be insufficient and incomplete in and of our-selves. This is why He puts His saints into the body of Christ, His holy church. When Asaph came into the communion of his fellow-believers in the context of Sabbath worship—all of a sudden the darkness was dispersed, and his un-derstanding was enlightened, all in the Christ to come.

It is the height of pride and folly, to believe we do not need Jesus or His church. Let us enter the Lord's sanctuary on Sundays, and receive in Christ all that we need for all of life.

[Puritan quote of the day: "Mercy is not for them that sin and fear not, but for them that fear and sin not. God's mercy is a holy mercy; where it pardons it heals.” —Thomas Watson, in, "A Body of Divinity"]

Mon., 5/19/25 Devotion (Isa. 19:24-25)

Today's encouragement comes from Isaiah 19:24 & 25, which finds the prophet writing these remarkable words:

"In that day Israel will be one of three with Egypt and Assyria—a blessing in the midst of the land, whom the LORD of hosts shall bless, saying, 'Blessed is Egypt My people, and Assyria the work of My hands, and Israel My inherit-ance.' "

We should be so encouraged by the New Covenant's promises of the gos-pel’s and the church's universality, and realized success. For Isaiah to proph-esy these words must have seemed extremely preposterous and impossible to his contemporaries. But, because of the coming of the "Rod from the stem of Jesse [Christ]," (Isa. 11:1 ff.)—the fulfillment of this prophecy was not only possible, but inevitable. (For a good NT explanation of the folding together of all the nations into the church, see Eph. 2, esp. vv. 11-13.)

Let us revel in the wonderful strength of our Savior; and thank God for His comprehensive rule of the entire world.

[Puritan quote of the day: "Which of these two is more fit to take place, God's justice or man's reason? . . . The plumb line of our reason is too short to fath-om the depth of God's justice.” —Thomas Watson, in, "A Body of Divinity"]

Fri.-Sabbath, 5/16-18/25 Devotion

Thank God—Sunday is almost here! In order to help us get ready for church, here are some intriguing words from John Owen, in his “Spiritual-Minded-ness” book. . . .

“There are no greater atheists to be found in this world than those who have despised and rejected Christianity. Christianity is the fullest revelation that God has ever made and it is the last He will ever make in this world. If this revelation is despised, if men rebel against the light and power, nothing can keep them from the extreme atheism of which man’s nature is capable. It is stupid to expect help from inferior things when the highest and most noble are rejected. Reason and the light of nature give excellent proofs of the existence of God, and from them come such arguments which expose the foolishness of atheism. These rational proofs were sufficient to keep men in the know-ledge of the divine power and Godhead who never had higher revelation to help them. But where men have had the benefit of divine revelation, and have, through the love of sin and the hatred of everything that is truly good, rejected all inward convictions of the existence, power, and rule of God, they will not be kept in the Christian faith by all the arguments of reason or the ev-idence of the light of nature."

Thurs., 5/15/25 Devotion (Ps. 66:12b)

Today's encouragement comes from Psalm 66:12b, where we read these words:

"We went through fire and through water; but You brought us out to rich ful-fillment."

Only those who persevere through the trials of life get the benefit of "rich ful-fillment” in Jesus at the end of them. This principle is true at both the micro- and macro-levels of life. When testings and temptations are endured (in Christ), they give way to rest and satisfaction later. After the devil left the Messiah, angels came and ministered to Him (in Matt. 4:11).

The spoils of Christ's victory for His church do *not* go to "prima donna" spirits. Instead, they are the sole possession of those brave hearts that are willing, by grace, to take on the flesh, the world, and the devil—and defeat them (through sincere faith in the Redeemer).

[Puritan quote of the day: "True religion in a state is as a main pillar of a house and the post of a tent that upholds all.” —Richard Sibbes, in, "The Bruised Reed"]

Wed., 5/14/25 Devotion (1 Pet. 1:7c, 8a)

Today's encouragement comes from 1 Peter 1:7c & 8a, where we read these words:

" . . . Jesus Christ, whom having not seen you love. . . . "

Is it possible to love Someone we have not seen? For that matter, is it possible to believe in the existence of Someone (God), whom we have not seen? Indeed, the answer to these questions is, "Yes."  How do we know that Jesus Christ exists; and that we can love Him? Through credible witnesses. The ultimate Witness is the Holy Spirit Himself.

If we sincerely love the God we have not seen with the eyes of our bod-ies, we are blessed. Christ said as much, in Jn. 20:29. The greatest real-ities are unseen ones. Even atheists must employ these things, in order to deny them. Let us love the Christ who is more *with* us, than we are with ourselves.

[Puritan quote of the day: "Compare sin with hell, and you shall see that sin is worse.” —Thomas Watson, in, "The Doctrine of Repentance"]

Mon., 5/12/25 Devotion (Jas. 4:6)

Today's encouragement comes from James 4:6, where we read these words:

"But He gives more grace. Therefore He says: 'God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble.' "

Are we not glad that God "gives more grace"? This is sanctifying grace, that both causes us to humble ourselves (before the Lord), and increases our hu-mility (before Him). No one in their right mind would really want to be "re-sisted" by God. Who could withstand the Almighty?

Let us humble ourselves today, under the Lord's powerful hand; and in that position enjoy the sweet peace and freedom that only come to the contrite of heart. In Christ, God does not, and cannot "resist" the truly humble soul. To them, He "gives more grace."

[Puritan quote of the day: "When you go to mourn for sin, begin aloft with Christ: and do not always think to begin below with sin, and so to come up to Christ; but begin aloft with Christ, and so by your humiliation, fall down upon sin.” —William Bridge, in, "A Lifting Up For the Downcast"]

Fri.-Sabbath, 5/9-11/25 Devotion

Praise God—Sunday is almost here. We get to go back to church again! In order to help us get ready for Sabbath worship, here is Thomas Watson, from his, “The Great Gain of Godliness” book. (This book is elucidating Malachi 3:16-18). . . .

“See the mercifulness of God to His children, Who blots their sins out of His book of remembrance, and writes their good deeds in His book of remem-brance: ‘I, even I, am He that blots out your transgressions,’ (Isa. 43:25). This is a metaphor borrowed from the case of a creditor who takes his pen and blots out the debt owing to him; so says God, I will ‘blot out your transgres-sions.’ Or as the Hebrew has it, ‘I am blotting them out.’

“God in forgiving sin passes an act of oblivion or amnesty (forgetting): ‘I will remember their sin no more,’ (Jer. 31:34). God will not upbraid His people with their former offenses. We never read that when Peter repented Christ upbraided him for his denial of his Lord. Oh, the heavenly indulgence and kindness of God to His people! He remembers everything but their sins. He writes down their good thoughts and speeches in a merciful book of remem-brance; but their sins are as if they had never been; they are carried into the land of oblivion."