Contemplations
Illumination of Grace
“Wherefore is light given to him that is in misery, and life unto the bitter in soul.” (Job 3:20) Light in Scripture is often used to describe how the Holy Spirit makes known the grace of God and the transforming power of His Word. This light shines into the darkness...
Do You Have the Mind of Christ?
“For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ.” (1 Corinthians 2:16) To “have the mind of Christ” means to think in accordance with God’s truth, wisdom, and will. But this is not possible by human reasoning alone,...
To Whom Will You Liken God?
“To whom then will ye liken God? or what likeness will ye compare unto him?” (Isaiah 40:18) Perhaps the simplest and yet most comprehensive name for God in all of Scripture is that solemn declaration of Himself to Moses in Exodus 3:14—“I AM.” This majestic name...
The Everlasting Beauty of God’s Timing
“He hath made everything beautiful in his time: also he hath set the world in their heart, so that no man can find out the work that God maketh from the beginning to the end.” (Ecclesiastes 3:11) The wisdom of Solomon in Ecclesiastes reaches into the heart of every...
The Everlasting King Without Rival
“Thus saith the LORD the King of Israel, and his redeemer the LORD of hosts; I am the first, and I am the last; and beside me there is no God.” (Isaiah 44:6) The Lord’s kingship is not an office assumed in time but a glory that belongs to Him from everlasting. Indeed,...
The Incomparable God
“To whom then will ye liken God? or what likeness will ye compare unto him?” (Isaiah 40:18) The question the prophet asks here is a rhetorical one, for the implied answer is absolute. There is no likeness. There is no comparison. God stands alone. Thus any attempt to...
Walking Before the Covenant-Keeping God
“Paul, a servant of God, and an apostle of Jesus Christ, according to the faith of God’s elect, and the acknowledging of the truth which is after godliness.” (Titus 1:1) The doctrine of predestination, often misunderstood, stands as a cornerstone of divine grace in...
Three Who Bear Record
“For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one.” (1 John 5:7) In matters of significance, God does not leave His people to their own reasoning. He establishes truth by witness, and in this matter—the...
The Spirit Who Teaches the Heart to Cry Father
“And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father.” (Galatians 4:6) Here in Galatians, the Holy Spirit who dwells in the hearts of believers is expressly called “the Spirit of his Son,” because He works in them...
Lord of All Places and Times
“God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands; Neither is worshipped with men’s hands, as though he needed anything, seeing he giveth to all life, and breath, and all things; And...
Laughing at the Promise
“Therefore Sarah laughed within herself, saying, After I am waxed old shall I have pleasure, my lord being old also?” (Genesis 18:12) Sarah’s life-changing experience recorded in Genesis 18 appears quiet and even benign on the surface. Sarah doesn’t laugh aloud. She...
The Manifold Wisdom Made Known in Christ
“And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ.” (Ephesians 3:9) The apostle Paul is urging the church to better grasp something that stretches beyond...
Learning to Trust
“But we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God which raiseth the dead.” (2 Corinthians 1:9) There’s no doubt that Paul’s words in 2 Corinthians 1:9 come from a place of deep affliction. And yet God designed it that...
Do Not Let My Sin Shame Your People
“Let not them that wait on thee, O Lord GOD of hosts, be ashamed for my sake: let not those that seek thee be confounded for my sake, O God of Israel.” (Psalm 69:6) Psalm 69:6 is a prayer born out of deep humility and holy fear. David is not only concerned for his own...
Kept or Cast Down
“For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment.” (2 Peter 2:4) Angels, mighty creatures of great power and dignity, were not spared when they sinned but were cast down...
Before the All-Seeing God
“Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do.” (Hebrews 4:13) Hebrews 4:13 reminds us of one of the most sobering and clarifying truths revealed in Scripture: nothing...
Wonder of Wonders
“Canst thou by searching find out God? canst thou find out the Almighty unto perfection?” (Job 11:7) Job’s question in this passage is, in reality, affirming the fact that no amount of effort, intelligence, curiosity, or persistence can bring us to a full...
Light That Cannot Be Overcome
“And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.” (John 1:5) The apostle John writes in the first chapter of his gospel that the Word that became flesh and dwelt among men was not only with God in the beginning … He was God. Nothing came into...
Staying Upon the Lord in Truth
“And it shall come to pass in that day, that the remnant of Israel, and such as are escaped of the house of Jacob, shall no more again stay upon him that smote them; but shall stay upon the LORD, the Holy One of Israel, in truth.” (Isaiah 10:20) The promise in this...
Worship at His Footstool, For He Is Holy
“Exalt ye the LORD our God, and worship at his footstool; for he is holy.” (Psalm 99:5) The command to worship the Lord is repeated throughout the psalms because the foundation of all true worship is found in this simple but profound declaration: “for he is holy.” The...
All Things Already His
“Who hath prevented me, that I should repay him? Whatsoever is under the whole heaven is mine.” (Job 41:11) Man’s natural condition is described in Scripture not as weak or frail, but as dead. Yet Paul tells us in Ephesians 2:4 that God is rich in mercy, and that He...
Dwelling With God Before His Throne
“Therefore are they before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple: and he that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them.” (Revelation 7:15) This passage describes the great end of redemption, the highest privilege of the saints, and the...
God’s Gift of Repentance
“In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth; And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will.” (2 Timothy 2:25-26)...
Deliberate Watchfulness
“But who am I, and what is my people, that we should be able to offer so willingly after this sort? for all things come of thee, and of thine own have we given thee. For we are strangers before thee, and sojourners, as were all our fathers: our days on the earth are...
Glory of Salvation
“Or who hath first given to him, and it shall be recompensed unto him again?” (Romans 11:35) It is impossible to do anything to place God in our debt. We cannot initiate a move toward Him in any way that would obligate Him to respond. Indeed, salvation does not arise...
Sin, Satan, and the Responsible Heart
“But Peter said, Ananias, why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost, and to keep back part of the price of the land?” (Acts 5:3) The sin of Ananias is a solemn warning that though Satan tempts, man himself sins. In this passage Peter does not excuse...
Putting On Christ
“The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light. Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying. But...
Thankful for God as the Great Origin
“If thou be righteous, what givest thou him? or what receiveth he of thine hand?” (Job 35:7) The question set before us in this verse strips away every ounce of pride, for it rhetorically affirms that God is not enriched by man’s righteousness nor diminished by his...
The Sovereign Counsel of God
“Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure:” (Isaiah 46:10) The Lord alone possesses absolute sovereignty over all things, declaring the end from the...
The Universal Nature of Sin
“If they sin against thee, (for there is no man that sinneth not,) and thou be angry with them, and deliver them to the enemy, so that they carry them away captives unto the land of the enemy, far or near...” (1 Kings 8:46) Solomon’s words at the dedication of the...
Guilty Before a Righteous God
“O LORD God of Israel, thou art righteous: for we remain yet escaped, as it is this day: behold, we are before thee in our trespasses: for we cannot stand before thee because of this.” (Ezra 9:15) In this prayer of Ezra recorded in chapter 9, he does not attempt to...
Returning to the Almighty
“Receive, I pray thee, the law from his mouth, and lay up his words in thine heart. If thou return to the Almighty, thou shalt be built up, thou shalt put away iniquity far from thy tabernacles.” (Job 22:22-23) The path to restoration with God is plainly stated in...
Despising a Gracious Father
“Do ye thus requite the LORD, O foolish people and unwise? is not he thy father that hath bought thee? hath he not made thee, and established thee?” (Deuteronomy 32:6) Moses poses a searching question to the hearts of God’s people, “Do ye thus requite the LORD?” The...
Salvation by Mercy Alone
“Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost.” (Titus 3:5) Scripture declares time and again that salvation does not arise from works of righteousness that we...
By the Word of God
“For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water.” (2 Peter 3:5) The apostle Peter addresses a deliberate blindness that marks the hearts of ungodly men. He does not...
All Things Made by the Word
“All things were made by him; and without him was not anything made that was made.”(John 1:3) This testimony concerning the Son of God is that all things, without exception, owe their being to Him. Nothing exists independently. Nothing came into being apart from His...
The Word That Spoke All Things into Being
“By the word of the LORD were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth.” (Psalm 33:6) Scripture repeatedly declares the majesty of God. For example, none other than Almighty God could create everything from nothing simply by the word of...
A Resolution Against New Year’s Resolutions
“And the Jews’ Passover was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem, and found in the temple those that sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the changers of money sitting: And when he had made a scourge of small cords, he drove them all out of the temple, and the sheep,...
What Is Different About This Baby?
“For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.” (Isaiah 9:6) Babies are born every day, each one a...
The Power to Perform Miracles
“But lift up your rod and stretch out your hand over the sea and divide it. And the children of Israel shall go on dry ground through the midst of the sea.” (Exodus 14:16) The Old Testament is filled with occasions where God demonstrated His power through miracles....
Evidence of God’s Infinite Power
“Great is our Lord, and mighty in power.” (Psalm 147:5) Evidence of the power of Almighty God abounds all around us, as every aspect of creation we observe and enjoy in our world is a result of the counsel of His will and effect of His infinite power. God ascribes...
What Does It Mean to Know the Infinite God?
“Can you discover the depths of God? Can you discover the limits of the Almighty?” (Job 11:7 NASB) The questions Job poses in this passage are rhetorical, of course. So the answer is a resounding “No!” Only God understands Himself in a perfect manner because He is...
Where God Dwells
"For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones." Isaiah...
Why Be Thankful?
"In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you." (1 Thessalonians 5:18) One of the great privileges of parenting is guiding a child toward growth. Parents know that challenges and discipline, though unpleasant at times, are...
Transcending All
"The LORD is high above all nations, His glory above the heavens." (Psalm 113:4) The natural man exalts himself, believing in his own strength, intelligence, and ability to shape his destiny. He puffs out his chest and calls himself a self-made man. Yet such thinking...
God’s Purpose in Affliction
"Behold, I have refined you, but not as silver; I have tested you in the furnace of affliction. For My own sake, for My own sake, I will act; for how can My name be profaned? And My glory I will not give to another." (Isaiah 48:10-11) Scripture makes it clear that...
Boast in the Lord
“… just as it is written, ‘Let him who boasts, boast in the Lord.’” (1 Corinthians 1:31) The narrative in 1 Kings 16 recounts a tragic period in Israel’s history detailing the reign of a series of wicked kings who led the people deeper into idolatry. Among them, Ahab...
Reflecting Him
“Be thou exalted, O God, above the heavens: let Thy glory be above all the earth.” (Psalm 57:11) God made all things for His own glory, and mankind is no exception. “God’s life is his power of working all things according as seems good to himself after his own counsel...
God Rejoices and Creation Responds
“Let the glory of the Lord endure forever; Let the Lord be glad in His works.” (Psalm 104:31) Five times in Genesis 1 God pauses in the act of creation to declare His work “good” (Genesis 1:4, 12, 18, 21, 25). It is clear in the creation account that God takes delight...
Strange… and Yet Wonderful
“All Scripture is given by inspiration of God.” (2 Timothy 3:16) How many times have we read a passage of Scripture and walked away puzzled, wondering why certain verses were included in God’s eternal Word? Some texts may seem obscure to us, even strange, and yet Paul...
The Danger in High Places
“Asa did what was right in the eyes of the LORD, as did his father David… he removed Maachah his grandmother from being queen mother, because she had made an obscene image of Asherah… But the high places were not removed.”(1 Kings 15:11-14) Asa, king of Judah, was a...
A Jealous God
“You shall have no other gods before Me… For I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God.” (Exodus 20:3, 5) In man’s pursuit of happiness and meaning, the message of the world is clear—follow your heart, chase your dreams, fulfill your desires. But this idea runs in direct...
Real Freedom Isn’t Free
“It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery.” (Galatians 5:1) In a world full of opportunities, it's easy to be captivated by the allure of what many call “freedom”—financial freedom, time...
The Great Promise-Keeper
“If we are faithless, He remains faithful, for He cannot deny Himself.” (2 Timothy 2:13) When God makes a promise, He fulfills it perfectly. He is all-knowing and all-powerful, and nothing can stand in the way of His purposes. But what makes His promises all the more...