Contemplations
God Delights in Goodness
“…thou art a God ready to pardon, gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and forsakest them not.” (Nehemiah 9:17) Nehemiah 9:17 reveals the heart of God, a God who delights in goodness, mercy, and forgiveness. He is “ready to pardon, gracious and...
The Path to Sanctification
“Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry:”(Colossians 3:5) The believers in Colosse were young converts navigating the difficult terrain of...
The Believer’s Inner Struggle
“Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, envyings, murders, drunkenness, revelings, and such like: of the...
Choose Whom You Will Serve
“Wherefore, my dearly beloved, flee from idolatry.”(1 Corinthians 10:14) From the dawn of redemptive history, God has warned His people about the danger of idolatry. In the Ten Commandments, He declared with absolute clarity, “Thou shalt have no other gods before me”...
The Beauty of the Lord
“One thing have I desired of the Lord, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to inquire in his temple.” (Psalm 27:4) What makes a mountain vista or a morning sunrise beautiful...
Unrelenting Goodness
“The Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth.” (Exodus 34:6) One of the greatest errors Christians make is to forget that God is not like us. When we sit in traffic, we grow impatient. After a long day, we’re...
Resolving to Glorify God in 2018 and Beyond
“Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.” (1 Corinthians 10:31) We are bound to time, and our lives are often marked by the passing of years—births, milestones, transitions, and endings. When a new year begins, it’s natural...
God Never Lets Go
“I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand.” (John 10:28-29) At the height of Solomon’s...
Life, Liberty, and the Price of Freedom
“There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.” (Romans 8:1-2) The story of American...
The Word of God
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” (John 1:1) Though God in His infinite glory is beyond the grasp of our human senses, He graciously reveals Himself to us. From the majesty of the heavens to the pages of Scripture, and...
The Veil is Gone
“But now in Christ Jesus you who formerly were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.” (Ephesians 2:13, NASB) Before the cross, the veil hung heavy between man and God—a solemn reminder of our sin, our distance, and our unworthiness. The Most Holy...
Are You Missing the Message of the Cross?
“For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.” (2 Corinthians 5:21) When we think of the message behind the cross of Christ, most of us would agree that it speaks to the depths of God’s love for...
The Fit Adoration of God by Jonathan Edwards
How do you know you are not a hypocrite? "Therefore the Lord shall have no joy in their young men, neither shall have mercy on their fatherless and widows: for every one is an hypocrite and an evildoer, and every mouth speaketh folly. For all this his...
Redeemed by God by Stephen Charnock
Have you considered what it means to be redeemed? "Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers," (1 Peter 1:18). God has given us the...
Cause For Praise
Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name. For the Lord is good; His mercy is everlasting, and His truth endures to all generations. (Psalm 100:4-5, NKJV) Once we grasp an understanding of God that...
True Worship of the Most High God by Joshua Moodey
When men worship any other person or thing than the one only, living and true God, when they have and serve any other god before or besides the true God; and this is gross idolatry and a breach of the first commandment. When they worship the true God but...
How Should We Measure Ourselves?
“For through the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think more highly of himself than he ought to think; but to think so as to have sound judgment, as God has allotted to each a measure of faith.” (Romans 12:3, NASB) As a general rule, we...
Growing in Christ Through Prayer by J.I. Packer
"But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen." (2 Peter 3:18). J.I. Packer said, "Hallowing God’s name requires praise for the goodness and greatness of his redemptive work, with...
Christ Considered in Heaven by Charles Spurgeon
"Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them." (Heb. 7:25). Charles Spurgeon said, "Christ the King is gone from earth. He is seated at his table in heaven,...
Looking to Christ with a Pure Heart by Lewis Bayly
"Create in me a clean heart, O God, And renew a steadfast spirit within me." (Psa. 51:10). After you have received the Lord's Supper, the several duties which you must perform from your own soul:—First, you must be careful that forasmuch as Christ now...
Adore God’s Divine Power by Thomas Ridgley
"Great is our Lord, and mighty in power; His understanding is infinite." (Psa. 147:5). Christians must adore Christ as a God of infinite power. "Thine is the power," as the Lord's Prayer states. Thomas Ridgley said, "Dominion without power will not be...
Christ Adored by William Ames
"He who descended is also the One who ascended far above all the heavens, that He might fill all things." (Eph. 4:10). Christ ascended so that he might dispatch such other things that still remained to be done for us. Now such were his intercession, and...
Contemplating the Godly Who Adored God with Their Life by Thomas Manton
"Demetrius has a good testimony from all, and from the truth itself. " (3 John 1:12). Thomas Manton gave this account of a godly woman who exemplified her faith in walking with God: The duty I owe to the memory of a great sister in Christ obliges me to...
God Knows
The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it? (Jeremiah 17:9) We’re in a mess – a mess that carries major implications. For as much as we don’t like to hear it, we are deceivers by nature and have been ever since that...
The Psalms Useful for Adoring God by Thomas Ford
"Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing psalms." (Jam. 5:13). Thomas Ford said, "It is ignorance of a man’s self, and the ways of God, to think any Psalm is unsuitable to any man’s condition, if he is especially a...
Adoring God’s Providence by Matthew Mead
"Let all the earth fear the LORD; Let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of Him." (Psa. 33:8). Admiration and wonder is the Christian's delight! O how full of riddles and mystery are the providences of God! How few of the designs of his...
The Logos of God to be Adored by Louis Berkhof
"For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus," (1Tim. 2:5). The union of the two natures in one person is a mystery which we cannot grasp, and which for that very reason is often denied. It has sometimes been compared...
Religious Affections in Adoring God by Jonathan Edwards
"Oh, worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness! Tremble before Him, all the earth." (Psa. 96:9). The holy nature in the saints and angels in heaven (where the true tendency of it best appears) is principally engaged by the holiness of divine things. This...
Asking God for Great Things in Prayer by Samuel Rutherford
"He shall pray to God, and He will delight in him, He shall see His face with joy, For He restores to man His righteousness." (Job. 33:26). Samuel Rutherford once said, "We would, in seeking, asking, praying, in adoring God in Christ, enlarge our own...
Adoring God in Spiritual Worship by John Wilson
"Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, to God who alone is wise, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen." (1Tim. 1:17). John Wilson rightly said, "People often have misapprehensions of God, his nature, essence, and will." God is a most pure and...
True Knowledge of God by John Calvin
"...that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death," (Phi. 3:10). It is evident that man never attains to a true self-knowledge until he have previously contemplated the face of...
Adoring and Resting in God Through Prayer
"You shall worship the LORD your God, and Him only you shall serve." (Luke 4:8). Sometimes the soul of the Christian enters into what is called spontaneous praise. The Spirit of God so fill sup the heart and mind of the Christian, that their soul overflows...
Admiration and Adoration of God by David Clarkson
"Will not His excellence make you afraid, And the dread of Him fall upon you?" (Job. 13:11). David Clarkson said, "Get high adoring apprehensions of God, and by the sight and contemplation of his glorious excellencies, endeavor still to raise and advance...
Adoring God in the Canons of Dordt
"Knowing, brethren beloved, your election of God," (1 Thess. 1:4). Just as God is most wise, unchangeable, all-knowing, and almighty, so the election made by him can neither be suspended nor altered, revoked, or annulled; neither can God's chosen ones be...
Glorifying God Who Bought Us by Edward Reynolds
"You were bought at a price," (1 Cor. 7:23). We are not our own. We have been bought with a price, let us glorify him that bought us. How shall we do this? In adoring this great mystery brought about by the examination of the Son of God, and the humbling...
Adoring God in Spirit and Truth by John Wilson
"God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth," (John 4:24). It is the duty of the sons of men in these days of the Gospel to worship God in spirit and in truth. You should worship God in spirit because it is the will and...
Adoring God in Who He Is by William Strong
"For great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised: he also is to be feared above all gods," (1Ch. 16:25). The soul sees and observes this presence of God manifesting itself and beholds it. David says, “That I might dwell in thy house to behold the beauty...
Stir Yourself Up to Adore God by Thomas White
"Yes, I think it is right, as long as I am in this tent, to stir you up...." (2Pe. 1:13). As a Christian you ought always to encourage, and stir up yourself to the love and service of God. Thomas White said: "Come O my soul, let us be steadfast and...
Christ the Object of Adoration and Prayer by Louis Berkhof
"Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us," (Matt. 1:23). God instructs us to consider many things: the ant; the lilies of the field. Have you ever...
The Angels Adore Christ by William Greenhill
"The chariots of God are twenty thousand, even thousands of angels: the Lord is among them, as in Sinai, in the holy place." (Psa. 68:17). Christ is an object of admiration and adoration. We men or angels look upwards this is a token of admiration and an...
Adore God as Father by Thomas Watson
"He shall cry unto me, Thou art my father, my God, and the rock of my salvation." (Psa. 89:26). If God is our Father, let this cause in us a child-like reverence, Mal. 1:6, "If I be a Father, where is my honor?" Do you honor God as Father? Do you give God...
Worship is Due to God Alone by Francis Turretin
"Exalt the LORD our God, and worship at his holy hill; for the LORD our God is holy." (Psa. 99:9). Do you believe that worship is due to God alone? God is to be worshipped alone. Saints nor creatures should ever be worshipped. the Christian church has...
What is it to address God as Father? by Thomas Ridgley
"Grace to you, and peace, from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ." (Phm. 1:3). What is it to address God as Father? Have you ever thought about the presumption behind calling God your Father? To address ourselves to God as a Father; which relation...
What is Implied in Love to God? by Joseph Bellamy
"And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose," (Rom. 8:28). What is it to love God? What does it mean to love God? If one is to love God, true knowledge of God is implied; for this lays...
Adoring God in Quiet Time
"...prepare their heart unto thee," (1Chron. 29:18). Before you come into the sanctuary for worship, or into your closet for prayer, how do you prepare your heart? How are the hearts of the saints prepared to worship? Is our diligence greater to put our hearts in an...
Adore God in Prayer by Alexander Henderson
"For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth 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...
Love to Christ by Thomas Doolittle
"And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love," (1 Cor 13:13). Some graces are particularly suited to our present state of imperfection in this world. At the present time, we live by faith, repent and mourn for sin, live...
How to Get the Most from Reading Your Bible by Thomas Watson
"For it is not a vain thing for you; because it is your life: and through this thing ye shall prolong your days in the land, whither ye go over Jordan to possess it." (Deu. 32:47). The Christian should take time to get the most out of their bible reading....
The Importance of Divine Meditation by Nathanael Ranew
"But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night." (Psa. 1:2). Have you ever considered what it means to meditate on the word of God? Not the practice that New Age gurus do in yoga, or other false religions. But,...
Grace Breeds Delight by Thomas Watson
"Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart." (Psa. 37:4). Grace breeds delight in God, and delight breeds meditation. Godly meditation of the bible is a duty in which consists the essentials of religion, and which...
Address God with Reverence and Awe by Matthew Henry
"And their nobles shall be of themselves, and their governor shall proceed from the midst of them; and I will cause him to draw near, and he shall approach unto me: for who is this that engaged his heart to approach unto me? saith the LORD." (Jer. 30:21)....
Introduction to Adoration by Matthew Henry (1662-1714)
"Unto you, O Lord, do we lift up our souls," (Psalm 25:1) When the saints pray to the Lord, they must consider the first part of prayer. This is to address God and adore Him with suitable acknowledgements, professions, and preparatory requests. The God who is to be...