Tues., 11/30/21 Devotion (2 Pet. 2:19b)

Today's encouragement comes from 2 Peter 2:19b, where we read these words:

" . . . for by whom a person is overcome, by him also he is brought into bond-age."

All of us are in "service" and "bondage" to someone. The way to know who this being is, is to ask oneself, "About whom do I most often think? About whom am I practically obsessed?" The answer to this query reveals our ulti-mate master.

When the master is another fallen human being (be he or she good or bad)—this is a miserable bondage. When the Master is the King of glory, the Lord Jesus Christ, this is a liberating "bondage." When the master is self or Satan—this is torturous labor. But when the Master is the Triune God, this is sweet service. Let all Christ's faithful churchmen gladly serve under the banner of Christ today!

[Puritan quote of the day: "Lord, let the magnet of Your Spirit draw my heart upward. Lord, dig the earth out of my heart; teach me how to possess the world, and not love it; how to hold it in my hand, and not let it get into my heart.” —Thomas Watson, in, "The Ten Commandments"]

Mon., 11/29/21 Devotion (2 Pet. 1:2)

Today's encouragement comes from 2 Peter 1:2, where we find these wonderful words:

"Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord . . . "

To have grace and peace *multiplied* to one's soul is a very blessed thing. God does not only "add," or "drip" His good gifts onto His beloved churchmen (a little at a time)—but He multiplies them. And notice how He does this: in our knowledge of Him, and of His Son Jesus.

If we know God in the Lord Jesus Christ, we possess the Person of grace and peace. The more we love God (in Christ), the more we enjoy God’s blessings—though they often do come with trouble and difficulty.

[Puritan quote of the day: "Upon this reconciliation with God, you and God come to have common friends and common enemies.” —Jeremiah Bur-roughs, in, "Gospel Reconciliation"]

Fri.-Sabbath, 11/26-28/21 Devotion

Thank God—it is almost Sunday! In order to help get us ready for church, here is the incomparable Puritan Thomas Watson, from his book entitled, "The Ten Commandments":

"Faith in Christ is acceptable to God because it is a self-denying grace; it makes a person go out of him- or herself, renounce all self-righteousness, and wholly rely on Christ for justification. It is a very humble grace that con-fesses its own poverty, and lives wholly upon Christ. As the bee derives all its sweetness from the flower, so faith derives all its strength and comfort from Christ.

"Faith is a grace acceptable to God, because by faith we present a righteous-ness to Him which best pleases Him: we bring the righteousness of Christ in-to court, which is called 'the righteousness of God,' (2 Cor 5:21). . . . A believ-er may say, 'Lord, it is not the righteousness of Adam, or of the angels, but of Christ who is God/Man, that I bring before You.' The Lord cannot but smell a sweet savor in Christ's righteousness."

Thurs., 11/25/21 Devotion (Jonah 4:6)

Happy Thanksgiving, everybody!

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

"And the LORD God prepared a plant and made it come up over Jonah, that it might be shade for his head to deliver him from his misery. So Jonah was very grateful for the plant."

To his honor, Jonah was "grateful for the plant"; but it would soon be evident that Jonah's thankfulness was piecemeal. When God removed the plant, Jo-nah became very peevish and churlish. When God refused to give Jonah a divine fireworks display, by blowing up Nineveh, it displeased the prophet greatly.

True gratitude that glorifies God is universal and uniform. This does not mean that we Christians will always get it right; but it does mean that we are to set our hearts on being grateful to God for *all* things, be they "good" or "evil."

[Puritan quote of the day: "As the sun rises by degrees till it comes to shine in glory, so it was with the Sun of Righteousness [Christ]. He revealed Himself in the church little by little.” —Richard Sibbes, in, "Glorious Freedom"]

Wed., 11/24/21 Devotion (Lk. 8:1a, 39b)

Today's encouragement comes from Luke 8:1a & 39b, where we read these words:

"Now it came to pass, afterward, that [Jesus] went through every city and vil-lage, preaching and bringing the glad tidings of the kingdom of God. . . . And [the formerly demon-possessed man] went his way and proclaimed through-out the whole city what great things Jesus had done for him."

Here is a great pattern of how true Christianity works. Jesus' gospel is pro-claimed from the church's pulpits, the cities of the world are filled with Christ's doctrine (cf. Acts 5:28b), and the individually-redeemed saints bring this good news to everyone they can.

Today, just like then, what Christ preaches through His clergy, the parishion-ers proclaim in their worlds and spheres of influence. In this way "every city" and "whole cit[ies]" are reached with the gospel of God’s grace in our Lord Jesus Christ.

[Puritan quote of the day: "What would become of us if there were not grace above sin, and mercy above misery, and power in Christ Jesus above all the power in Satan and death?” —Richard Sibbes, in, "Glorious Freedom"]

Tues., 11/23/21 Devotion (Lk. 7:50b)

Today's encouragement comes from Luke 7:50b, where we read these words of our Blessed Savior Jesus:

" . . . Your faith has saved you. Go in peace."

These few words (above) provide the redeemed church everything we need. Our faith (which is personal, “your") "has" (past tense) "saved [us]." Because of this, we may, in full confidence in Christ, "Go in peace.” We believers do not need to debate whether or not our sins are forgiven; and whether or not God is at peace with us. Instead, we alone have the blessed privilege of knowing that God is fully satisfied with us—since Jesus bore our sins for us.

The fallen world in which we live provides us plenty of opposition and warfare; but our sin's conflict with God no longer exists. For this peace, which is great-er than anything the world could ever know, let us always give our Lord thanks.

[Puritan quote of the day: "Oh, what a comfort and privilege is this to you! Oh, you believing soul. Though you were never so wicked and abominable be-fore, yet I tell you from God this day, in whose presence you stand, that He will never remember your sin any more.” —Jeremiah Burroughs, in, "Gospel Remission"]

Mon., 11/22/21 Devotion (1 Chron. 17:2)

Today's encouragement comes from 1 Chronicles 17:2, which says this:

"Then Nathan said to David, 'Do all that is in your heart, for God is with you.' "

I really like this verse. The Christian churchman who walks by faith in Jesus has great freedom. Here (above), the prophet Nathan gives King David the "green light" to do whatever he (David) wants to do, in his earnest desire to love and serve his God. It turns out later in the chapter that the Lord inter-venes, and tells David that his son (Solomon) would be the one who would build the temple, and not David (after all).

. . . But the principle is a sweet one. Do we love Christ? Are we worshipping Him aright? Are the essentials of our faith intact? If so, then we are free to do "whatever we want to," since our heart's deepest wishes are only to exalt God, and further Christ's church and gospel. This is a great threat to the world, and to pharisees; but it is a priceless promise to faithful churchmen.

[Puritan quote of the day: "Christ's work, both in the church and in the hearts of Christians, often goes backward so that it may go forward better.” —Rich-ard Sibbes, in, "The Bruised Reed"]