Contemplations
The Supremacy of Christ
“And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.” (Colossians 1:17) The beauty, excellency, and supremacy of Christ does not simply flow from the reality that He is God, though He is. For as John tells us in his gospel, “In the beginning was the Word, and...
The Unfailing Mercies of God
“And refused to obey, neither were mindful of thy wonders that thou didst among them; but hardened their necks, and in their rebellion appointed a captain to return to their bondage: but thou art a God ready to pardon, gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of...
The Eternal Comfort of Forgiveness
“And the LORD passed by before him, and proclaimed, The LORD, The LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty;...
The Divine Demand for Righteousness
“And mine eye shall not spare thee, neither will I have pity: but I will recompense thy ways upon thee, and thine abominations shall be in the midst of thee: and ye shall know that I am the LORD.”(Ezekiel 7:4) Much can be learned from history if we take the time to...
Embracing God’s Reforming Word of Life
“Holding forth the word of life; that I may rejoice in the day of Christ, that I have not run in vain, neither labored in vain.” (Philippians 2:16) Before the congregation ever gathers, before a single psalm is sung or a prayer is lifted, the heart must be prepared to...
Christ the King Over His Church
“But I will shew thee that which is noted in the scripture of truth: and there is none that holdeth with me in these things, but Michael your prince.” (Daniel 10:21) We’re reminded throughout Scripture that the governance of the Church is not left to human speculation...
Finding Beauty in Divine Providence
“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) Life unfolds under the sovereign hand of God as a series of providential...
The Unchanging Promise of Christ
“For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who was preached among you by us, even by me and Silvanus and Timotheus, was not yea and nay, but in him was yea.” (2 Corinthians 1:19) In his second epistle to the Corinthian church, Paul reminds his readers that the message he and...
Anchored in God’s Sovereign Will
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16) One of the most staggering truths of Scripture is that an all-sufficient, all-knowing God chose from eternity...
The Christian’s Wardrobe
“For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.” (Romans 8:29) The Christian life may be pictured as a progression of garments—each one symbolizing a vital stage of the...
Power in Faith’s Assurance
“For though he was crucified through weakness, yet he lives by the power of God. For we also are weak in him, but we shall live with him by the power of God toward you.” (2 Corinthians 13:4) The greatest biblical definition of faith stands over the entrance to Hebrews...
Growing in Grace through the Means of Grace
“What is my reward then? Verily that, when I preach the gospel, I may make the gospel of Christ without charge, that I abuse not my power in the gospel.” (1 Corinthians 9:18) In eternity past, God intricately designed the path by which fallen man might be reconciled...
The Glory of Christ’s Redemption for Us
“These words spoke Jesus, and lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said,Father, the hour is come; glorify thy Son, that thy Son also may glorify thee.” (John 17:1) In the grand narrative of redemption that reaches beyond time, there is perhaps no moment more pivotal than...
Unchanging Promises, Unending Love
“And Samuel said unto the people, Fear not: ye have done all this wickedness: yet turn not aside from following the LORD but serve the LORD with all your heart; And turn ye not aside: for then should ye go after vain things, which cannot profit nor deliver; for they...
The Eternal Gospel
“And after three days and a half the Spirit of life from God entered into them, and they stood upon their feet; and great fear fell upon them which saw them.” (Revelation 11:11) The timeless truths of the Gospel serve as an unbreakable link between the pages of time...
Atonement Ultimately Fulfilled by The Lamb
herefore have ye not eaten the sin offering in the holy place, seeing it is most holy, and God hath given it you to bear the iniquity of the congregation, to make atonement for them before the LORD?”(Leviticus 10:17) We know from multiple passages of Scripture that in...
Implications and Evidences of the Fall
Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned.” (Romans 5:12) Down through the ages mankind has grappled with this most significant question: Why do we bear the burden of Adam’s...
The Healing Stripes of Christ
“But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.”(Isaiah 53:5) In all of human history, the spotless life and sacrificial death of Christ is untouched and...
How to Rest in Eternal Certainties
“And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.”(Revelation 20:10) Our ever-changing world leads to a number of concerns and...
Do You Enjoy a Vital Union with Christ?
“If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.” (John 15:6) There’s a magnificent beauty in the simplicity of nature. Consider, for example, the splendid display of...
The Burden of Sin and Shame Christ Bore for Me
“But I am a worm, and no man; a reproach of men, and despised of the people.”(Psalm 22:6) In ancient Hebrew texts, the idea of “bearing iniquities” is not about assuming the guilt for sin intrinsically but rather bearing the burden of its external debt and due...
The True Mirror for Sin and Salvation
“For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto,but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.”(Mark 10:45) In a world increasingly swayed by appearances, where mirrors can distort and flatter, our perception of self as well as our sin requires a...
Waking and Walking in God’s Embrace
“Of old hast thou laid the foundation of the earth: and the heavens are the work of thy hands. They shall perish, but thou shalt endure; yea, all of them shall wax old like a garment; as a vesture shalt thou change them, and they shall be changed: But thou art the...
Embracing the Life of Christ in Me
“I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ lives in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.” (Galatians 2:20) In Galatians 2:20 Paul explains the...
Faith That Exhibits Christ Above All
“But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD.”(Genesis 6:8) In the cacophony of life’s demands and the many temptations it presents, there is an enduring truth that calls out to every believer’s heart. This truth, timeless and unwavering, reminds us of a...
Do You Possess Unwavering Faith?
“For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world;but that the world through him might be saved.”(John 3:17) John 3:17 shows us that God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world as there was no need for that; the world was already...
A Guide to True Christian Affection
“Thou shalt not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people, but thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself: I am the LORD.” (Leviticus 19:18) Abiding love is at the heart of the Christian faith: love for God and love for others. Both loves are...
Is the Aim of Your Christian Walk in Line with God’s Grand Design?
“Thy righteousness is like the great mountains; thy judgments are a great deep: O LORD, thou preservest man and beast.” (Psalm 36:6) God’s creation operates with breathtaking precision, every element moving in harmony with His divine purpose. From the smallest...
The Wonders of God’s Promises
“And the LORD did not set his love upon you, nor choose you, because ye were more in number than any people; for ye were the fewest of all people: But because the LORD loved you, and because he would keep the oath which he had sworn unto your fathers, hath the LORD...
How Well Do I Know God?
“For I am the LORD, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.” (Malachi 3:6) The pursuit of knowing God is the highest calling and greatest privilege of every believer. Which is to say that theology — described by William Perkins as having “two parts:...
Is Christ Lord of All to Me?
“And he shall reign over the house of Jacob forever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.” (Luke 1:33) Christ is revealed in Scripture as the Prophet, Priest, and King of His people. These three offices embody the fullness of His divine role in the redemption and...
Have I had a Life-Altering Vision of God’s Holiness?
“And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory.” (Isaiah 6:3) Isaiah’s vision of God in His temple — seated on a throne high and lifted up with the train of His robe filling the sacred space,...
Transforming Treasures Reserved for God’s Elect
“I charge thee before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, and the elect angels, that thou observe these things without preferring one before another, doing nothing by partiality.” (1 Timothy 5:21) In a world where many spend their life pursuing material wealth,...
The Lord’s Eternal Name: Remembering Jehovah in the New Year
“Even the LORD God of hosts; the LORD is his memorial.” (Hosea 12:5) The prophet Hosea calls our hearts to reflect on the majesty and faithfulness of our God by referencing His eternal nature and identity as the Lord of Hosts and Jehovah. These names speak to God’s...
A Year in Perspective
“Examine me, O LORD, and prove me; try my reins and my heart.” (Psalm 26:2) Our God is omniscient, which means He holds an infinitely perfect, divine, all-seeing understanding of Himself and all things, including the innermost thoughts and intents of each heart. “For...
Is Christ My Lord?
“Which in his times he shall show, who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of lords.” (1 Timothy 6:15) The recognition of Jesus as “My Lord” is far more than a mere label. It is a profession of faith that defines my life and informs my...
The Sacred Kiss of Christ’s Word
“Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” (John 15:13) Christ the Good Shepherd declares, “I lay down my life for my sheep” (John 10:15). In this promise He reveals the highest form of love known to heaven or earth—the...
Fleeing Our Spiritual Egypt
“When Israel was a child, then I loved him, and called my son out of Egypt.” (Hosea 11:1)[1] The exodus of Israel from Egyptian bondage is a beautiful picture of redemption. Four hundred years of slavery under Pharaoh left Israel helpless. But God, by His mighty arm,...
Jesus is the Bridge over the Chasm of Division
“And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness.” (Colossians 3:14) Division has plagued humanity since the fall, when sin destroyed the harmony between God and man in Eden, setting brother against brother, tribe against tribe, and nation...
Is God the Source of My Grace?
“And enter not into judgment with thy servant: for in thy sight shall no man living be justified.” (Psalm 143:2) Scripture repeatedly declares that no one can stand before God on the strength of their own righteousness, for divine judgment based on human merit...
Do I Experience the Infinite Grace of Christ?
“The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Ghost, be with you all. Amen.” (2 Corinthians 13:14) Every Christian experiences these divine gifts at salvation—Christ’s grace (Eph. 2:8), God’s love (John 3:16), and the Spirit’s...
Does the Seed of God Dwell in Me?
“Whosoever is born of God does not commit sin; for his seed remains in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.” (1 John 3:9) The doctrine of regeneration lies at the heart of the Gospel. To be born again is not a matter of personal reform or behavioral...
Am I Reborn?
“Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” (John 3:3) Nicodemus, a Pharisee and ruler of the Jews, sought out Christ under cover of night. Though well versed in ritual, law, and...
Can I Earn Grace?
“Ho, every one that thirsts, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.” (Isaiah 55:1) God’s grace, freely offered to the undeserving, is the heart of the Gospel, as Isaiah...
The Intertwined Mystery of Divine Grace and Our Will
“For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.” (Philippians 2:13) In this passage Paul reveals a truth so mysterious that it both humbles us and calls us to worship. God Himself, by His Spirit, dwells within His people and...
No Surer Foundation
“And when the Gentiles heard this, they were glad, and glorified the word of the Lord: and as many as were ordained to eternal life believed.” (Acts 13:48) God’s grace shines brilliantly in Acts 13:48, demonstrating His sovereign, loving plan to redeem those He chose...
The Only Grace That Ignites True Faith
“No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day. It is written in the prophets, And they shall be all taught of God. Every man therefore that hath heard, and hath learned of the Father, cometh unto me.”...
The Magnitude of God’s Grace
“The LORD did not set his love upon you, nor choose you, because ye were more in number than any people; for ye were the fewest of all people: But because the LORD loved you, and because he would keep the oath which he had sworn unto your fathers, the LORD brought you...
Grace: The Gift Beyond Measure
“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.” (Ephesians 2:8-9) Paul makes it clear in Ephesians that no amount of labor nor virtue of our own can earn salvation and acceptance...
No Pleasure in Sin
“For thou art not a God that hath pleasure in wickedness: neither shall evil dwell with thee.”(Psalm 5:4) Though sin offers momentary pleasure (Heb. 11:25), it is a direct affront to God’s holiness, as Psalm 5:4 declares. His pure eyes cannot endure evil (Hab. 1:13),...
From Wrath to Redemption
“Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.” (Ephesians 2:3) Sin, at its core, is the transgression of God’s law,...
Suffering God’s Eternal Vengeance
“Even as Sodom and Gomorrah, and the cities about them in like manner, giving themselves over to fornication, and going after strange flesh, are set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire.” (Jude 1:7) Hell is described in Scripture with words so...
Only Through Christ
“Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12) As the offspring of Adam, man is corrupt from the point of conception. David confesses, “Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and...
The Drama of the Covenant and Fall
“So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden cherubim, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life.” (Genesis 3:24) The opening chapters of Genesis detail a profound drama of creation, covenant, and...