Contemplations
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) If we are honest with ourselves, even though we know what Scripture says on the...
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) Natural man, as the progeny of Adam, is carnal and corrupt from conception. David explains, “Behold, I was shapen in iniquity;...
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 historical narrative presented in the first few chapters of Genesis is a...
Roasted in the Fire
“And I will make thee to pass with thine enemies into a land which thou knowest not: for a fire is kindled in mine anger, which shall burn upon you.” (Jeremiah 15:14) Fire is often used in Scripture to represent the wrathful judgment of God. One such example is our...
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...
God Sees You and Me
“For His eyes are on the ways of a man, and He sees all his steps.” (Job 34:21) Right now, this very moment, God sees you and me. While Christ has a glorified body, He is also like God the Father as an eternal spirit and as such He is infinitely and eternally...
The Omniscience of God
“And no creature is hidden from His sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.” (Hebrews 4:13) God sees and knows everything everywhere, for He fills both heaven and earth. He inhabits eternity – every space at every...
God’s Righteous Works
“…for the LORD our God is righteous in all the works that He has done.” (Daniel 9:14) Holiness is the essence of God’s nature, so much so that all God’s attributes are defined by it. He is said to have a holy anger, a holy justice, a holy love. And it is...
Giving Thanks for the Family of God
“But we ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers beloved by the Lord, because God chose you as the firstfruits to be saved, through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth.” (2 Thessalonians 2:13) As Paul considers what God has done in...
Awareness of God’s Providence
“He changes times and seasons; He removes kings and sets up kings; He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who have understanding.” (Daniel 2:21) Instead of being concerned with making a list of resolutions, the New Year is an excellent opportunity for a...
Born of a Virgin
“Therefore the Lord Himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call His name Immanuel.” (Isaiah 7:14) More than 700 years beforehand, Isaiah prophesied that Christ’s coming would be quite miraculous. And one of the most...
Greater Condemnation
"…who devour widows' houses and for a pretense make long prayers. They will receive the greater condemnation." (Mark 12:40) One of the most misunderstood aspects of God’s justice is how He punishes unrepentant sinners in hell with varying degrees of torment. Of...
Exalting God’s Holiness in Our Holiness
“Exalt the LORD our God, and worship at His holy mountain; for the LORD our God is holy!” (Psalm 99:9) One of our responsibilities as Christians is to continually evaluate whether or not our attitudes, intents, and actions exalt the holiness of God because, as...
Christ the True God
“And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know Him who is true; and we are in Him who is true, in His Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life.” (1 John 5:2) Though the term “Trinity” is not found in...
The Reason for Thanksgiving
“Oh, give thanks to the LORD; call upon His name; make known His deeds among the peoples!” (1 Chronicles 16:8) The countless hosts of angels, elders, and all living creatures who inhabit heaven continually do one thing, day and night – they give thanks, honor, and...
God Draws Near a Broken Heart
"The LORD is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit." (Psa. 34:18). People are in a state of grace who are truly contrite and broken because of sin. How do we know this? The Lord is near to them. He that is contrite (crushed in spirit) has...
Praise to the Lamb
“Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing!” (Revelation 5:12) The fifth chapter of Revelation begins by describing a heavenly court room… the Righteous Judge seated on the throne and in His...
Which Side Are You On?
“Then the King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.’ Then He will also say to those on His left, ‘Depart from Me, accursed ones, into the eternal fire which has...
God’s Enduring Covenant of Grace
"…just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love." (Ephesians 1:4) God’s covenant of grace runs as a singularly consistent thread throughout all of Scripture. Its glorious truth is...