Contemplations
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) It might surprise you to think in these terms, but the ultimate goal for every Christian should be to become a theologian, simply because the word theology literally means...
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) Both in the context of society at large, as well as in the local congregation, divisions and schisms between friends and families occur all too often. And so it has been...
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) Life presents us with a myriad of experiences, some positive and comforting and others difficult and challenging. Yet in the ebb and flow of...
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) Paul concludes his second epistle to the Corinthian believers with a benediction that is infinitely rich and full. His closing...
Ready to Pardon
“But you are a God ready to forgive, gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love...” (Nehemiah 9:17) The term pardon is a legal term meaning “to use executive power… to forgive a person convicted of a crime, thus removing any remaining...
The Lofty One
“Who is like the LORD our God, who is seated on high, who looks far down on the heavens and the earth?” (Psalm 113:5) Scripture describes God as the lofty One seated on high, and because of the exalted position He inhabits over His universe, comparatively He must...
The Fruit of Patience
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness.” (Galatians 5:22) One of the most wonderful gifts a child of God receives at the moment of salvation is the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit. The third person of the...
But God
“…but God shows His love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8) This verse in Romans demonstrates the greatness of the love, mercy and grace that is in God, as it is the fountain of salvation to all His elect, and this is seen...
The Worm That Never Dies
“…where their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched.” (Mark 9:48) Jesus represents the dreadful and endless torment of hell as a worm. Why a worm? In the torments of God’s hell there is a removal of all good that might make those there happy, and also...
Handling False Doctrine in the Church
“Yet this you have: you hate the works of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.” (Revelation 2:6) Just as disease infects and systematically destroys a healthy physical body, the disease of false doctrine infects and systematically undermines the spiritual health...
Caring For Those Under Your Charge
“Only take care, and keep your soul diligently, lest you forget the things that your eyes have seen, and lest they depart from your heart all the days of your life. Make them known to your children and your children's children.” (Deuteronomy 4:9) The preeminent...
The Son of Man in Glory
“When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on His glorious throne.” (Matthew 25:31) The final judgment is reserved for the great and glorious manifestation of the infinite holiness and righteousness, grace and mercy, wrath...
Love Your Enemies
“Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, ‘Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord,’” (Romans 12:19) This world is not the Christian’s home. It is enemy territory and we are only “strangers and pilgrims”...
The Eternal God
“But the LORD shall endure forever: He has prepared His throne for judgment. And He shall judge the world in righteousness, He shall minister judgment to the people in uprightness.” (Psalm 9:7-8) The word eternal is sometimes used, both in Scripture and in our...
The Great Judge
“Vengeance is mine; I will repay.” (Hebrews 10:30) God is infinitely and perfectly good and merciful and gracious… while being infinitely and perfectly holy and just. One of God’s attribute does not supersede any other; they are at once all completely consistent...
A Just God Does Justly
“…those who have done good to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil to the resurrection of judgment.” (John 5:29) Hell is an uncomfortable doctrine for most of us. But if we consider that Jesus talked about hell – with severe warnings and in...
Christ Our Righteousness
“For our sake He made Him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.” (2 Corinthians 5:21) Judgment Day is a reality all people from all time will experience. Paul tells us plainly in 2 Corinthians 5:10 that “…we...
The Incorruptible Word
“…since you have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God.” (1 Peter 1:23) In the simplest of terms, the Bible is a book. But this book is not like any other book, because its author is God. The...
No Shadow of Change
“Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.” (James 1:17) God never changes. This attribute of God is called His immutability. Louis Berkhof defined this...
The Immortal Spirit
“…who alone has immortality, who dwells in unapproachable light, whom no one has ever seen or can see. To Him be honor and eternal dominion. Amen.” (1 Timothy 6:16) As God is infinitely more glorious in every way than humanity can fathom, we only learn about Him...
The Light of the Lord
“Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD has risen upon you. For behold, darkness shall cover the earth, and thick darkness the peoples; but the LORD will arise upon you, and His glory will be seen upon you.” (Isaiah 60:1-2) ...
Begotten of God
“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.” (John 1:14) Jesus Christ is the only begotten Son of God. The truth that Jesus is completely unique, the only begotten of the...
New Obedience to God
“You have commanded Your precepts to be kept diligently. Oh that my ways may be steadfast in keeping Your statutes! Then I shall not be put to shame, having my eyes fixed on all Your commandments.” (Psalm 119:4-6) A radical change occurs in the heart of a...
The Supreme Lawgiver
“There is only one lawgiver and judge, He who is able to save and to destroy,” (James 4:12) No person on earth has authority to dictate to another’s conscience the morality of life. This would be to assume a position belonging to none other than the Supreme Lord...
Two Essential Covenants
“Every word of God proves true; He is a shield to those who take refuge in Him.” (Proverbs 30:5) Though evidences of God’s perfect law and His intervening grace are intertwined throughout the whole of Scripture, God’s Word to man is generally represented by two...
Where God’s Spirit Dwells
“…even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.” (John 14:17) In the “fullness of time,” God the Son (Immanuel, “God with us”) came to earth for a...
Strive for Peace
“I appeal to you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and create obstacles contrary to the doctrine that you have been taught; avoid them. For such persons do not serve our Lord Christ, but their own appetites, and by smooth talk and flattery they...
Rightly Handling the Word of Truth
“Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth.” (2 Timothy 2:15) Many Christians consider this verse in 2 Timothy in conjunction with pastors. That is the case specifically,...
Delight in God’s Word
“The law of your mouth is better to me than thousands of gold and silver pieces.” (Psalm 119:72) No one naturally delights in God or His Word. Instead, by nature, we follow the ways of the world and seek out our selfish desires (Eph. 2:1-3) because we are all...
The Mighty Power of God
“And they were all amazed at the mighty power of God.” (Luke 9:43) The period between the Old and New Testaments is commonly referred to as the silent years, a time when God’s involvement with and revelation to His people ceased temporarily. For the space of...
Christ the King
“Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel!” (John 12:13) No one would ever expect that a baby born to a peasant Jewish woman in a smelly barn on a cold night could ever be the king of anything. This lowly beginning is...
God’s Thoughts and Ways
“For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts,” (Isaiah 55:9) Astronomers have means of observing and measuring galaxies and planets. They can determine the parameters of our solar system. Yet...
Giving Glory to Christ
“And I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them, saying, ‘To Him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever!’” (Revelation 5:13) In God’s...
God’s Living and Active Word
“For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” (Hebrews 4:12) The sum and substance of the Gospel message...
God Does the Impossible
“For nothing will be impossible with God.” (Luke 1:37) Many years ago, the angel Gabriel appeared to Mary with a message from God that was quite hard to believe. On hearing the news, Mary responded, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?” Gabriel explains, “The...
Approaching an Unapproachable God
“…who alone has immortality, who dwells in unapproachable light, whom no one has ever seen or can see. To Him be honor and eternal dominion. Amen,” (1 Timothy 6:16). Though woefully insufficient by comparison, God set the sun in the sky as a daily reminder of what...
Blessed are the Forgiven
“And when Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, ‘Son, your sins are forgiven.’” Mark 2:5 Prior to healing the paralytic man, our Lord said to him, “Be of good cheer, your sins are forgiven,” (Matthew 9:2). This man’s physical disability moved those who...
God’s Will Abides
“Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father.” (Matthew 10:29) How concerned is an all-knowing God with the incidentals of your life? Matthew 10:29 gives us some insight on the answer. In this verse...
The Patience of Jehovah
“The LORD is slow to anger and great in power, and the LORD will by no means clear the guilty. His way is in whirlwind and storm, and the clouds are the dust of His feet.” (Nahum 1:3) One of the most difficult tests believers face is that of being patient and...
God’s Word for Life Now and Ever After
“But He answered, It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” (Matthew 4:4) Jesus’ public ministry began with His baptism by John in the Jordan River. But instead of going immediately to teaching and...
Our Helper
“But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.” (John 14:26) Perhaps the most often overlooked person of the Godhead is the Holy Spirit. And yet,...
Increasing in the Knowledge of God
“…so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to Him, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God.” (Colossians 1:10) One of the primary needs of a newborn is that of nourishment. A baby must receive nourishment every...
Patient Bearing of Affliction
“And now do not be distressed or angry with yourselves because you sold me here, for God sent me before you to preserve life.” (Genesis 45:5) Wars, famine, and pandemics alike are all orchestrated by God for His good purpose. That purpose often includes the...
Incomprehensible Power
“Behold, these are but the outskirts of His ways, and how small a whisper do we hear of Him! But the thunder of His power who can understand?” (Job 26:14) “The heavens have nothing to prop them up to sustain them in their height, and the earth has no basis to support...
Learning the Fear of the Lord
“Come, O children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the LORD.” (Psalm 34:11) One of the best ways to understand how to properly fear God is to consider how a wise son fears a good and honorable father. A son who respectfully fears his father wants to obey...
The Marriage of the Lamb
“Let us rejoice and exult and give Him the glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His Bride has made herself ready.” (Revelation 19:7) Marriage was originally established by God in the Garden of Eden between the first man, Adam, and his helpmate Eve,...
Do You Worship God in Vain or in Truth?
“…in vain do they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.” (Matthew 15:9) When comparing this verse in Matthew with John 4:24: “God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth,” it is clear there are two...
My One Lord
“…yet for us there is one God, the Father … and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we exist.” (1 Corinthians 8:6) The LORD our God is One LORD,” (Deut. 6:4) and yet His nature is divinely mysterious and infinitely unique...
Christ Our Deliverer
“…Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come.” (1 Thessalonians 1:10) Sin is an affront to God’s holiness and must justly be punished by His wrath. But in His infinite love and mercy, God offers deliverance from His wrath to all those who believe and...
Abounding in Knowledge
“And this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment.” (Philippians 1:9) Wisdom is a wonderful quality to possess. The ability to discern, to see beyond the obvious, to weigh a matter thoroughly so you can make...
Justified with Christ’s Righteousness
“…who was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification.” (Romans 4:25) Notice how your ears perk up when you hear someone say, “I’ve got some good news!” But do you have the same response when the gospel – or “good news” – of God is...
The Foundational Nature of God’s Covenant
“But God's firm foundation stands, bearing this seal: ‘The Lord knows those who are His,’ and, ‘Let everyone who names the name of the Lord depart from iniquity.’” (2 Tim. 2:19) The foundation of a thing is critical to its integrity, strength, and longevity. In...
Growing Through Prayer
"Attend to me, and answer me; I am restless in my complaint and I moan," (Psa. 55:2). Oppressed by enemies and deserted by friends, the writer of Psalm 55 cries out for help, “I mourn in my complaint.” C.F. Pfieffer said in his commentary on this passage, “In...
Reconciled to God
“And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, He has now reconciled in His body of flesh by His death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before Him.” (Colossians 1:21-22) Just how destitute is our condition...