Contemplations
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...
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...
God’s Standard of Justice and Love
“The wicked borroweth, and payeth not again: but the righteous sheweth mercy, and giveth.” (Psalm 37:21) Human society has always been marked by greed, covetousness, and the endless pursuit of gain. Of course, Scripture confronts this reality head on, not only...
The Calming Assurance of Providence
“Because to every purpose there is time and judgment, therefore the misery of man is great upon him.” (Ecclesiastes 8:6) God’s providence is the bedrock of my faith for it assures me that every event, from the fall of a sparrow to the course of my life, is governed by...
Christ Accused of Blasphemy Before Pilate
“And the whole multitude of them arose and led him unto Pilate.” (Luke 23:1) According to the Law, blasphemy—the act of insulting or showing contempt or lack of reverence for God—was a capital offense: “He that blasphemeth the name of the Lord shall surely be put to...
Accused Before Pilate
“And the whole multitude of them arose, and led him unto Pilate.” (Luke 23:1) One of the greatest ironies in history is that the religious leaders familiar with Old Testament law and prophecy were the very perpetrators behind Christ’s arrest. Chief priests and...
He Did This For Me
“And the men that held Jesus mocked him and smote him. And when they had blindfolded him, they struck him on the face, and asked him, saying, ‘Prophesy, who is it that smote thee?’” (Luke 22:63-64) The events that ensued between Christ’s arrest in Gethsemane and His...
Despised and Rejected of Men
“And the men that held Jesus mocked him and smote him. And when they had blindfolded him, they struck him on the face, and asked him, saying, ‘Prophesy, who is it that smote thee?’” (Luke 22:63-64) The presence of the shepherd provides a feeling of safety and security...
Strength in Weakness
“Behold, the hour cometh, yea, is now come, that ye shall be scattered, every man to his own, and shall leave me alone: and yet I am not alone, because the Father is with me.” (John 16:32) Our dependence is in Christ because without Him and His sustaining strength, we...
Forsaken by All
“Behold, the hour cometh, yea, is now come, that ye shall be scattered, every man to his own, and shall leave me alone: and yet I am not alone, because the Father is with me.” (John 16:32) True friends multiply joy and lessen sorrow, for they “stick closer than a...
Do You See?
“Then took they him, and led him, and brought him into the high priest’s house. And Peter followed afar off.” (Luke 22:54) God often works contrary to human expectations, as Isaiah 55:8 reminds us, “His ways are not our ways.” This reality calls us to “bow to the...
The Silence of the Lamb
“Then they took him, and led him, and brought him into the high priest’s house. And Peter followed afar off.” (Luke 22:54) The last night Christ spent before His crucifixion was marked by quiet obedience, deep sorrow, and majestic restraint. In the same garden where...
The High Cost of Betrayal
“And while he yet spake, behold a multitude, and he that was called Judas, one of the twelve, went before them, and drew near unto Jesus to kiss him.” (Luke 22:47) The betrayal of Jesus by Judas in Gethsemane initiates one of Scripture's most tragic sequences. Matthew...
Christ Betrayed by a Kiss
“And while he yet spoke, behold a multitude, and he that was called Judas, one of the twelve, went before them, and drew near unto Jesus to kiss him.” (Luke 22:47) A combination of majesty and mercy make up the strongest guard against treason, as the position and...
Christ’s Great Drops of Sweat in Agony
“And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly: and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground.” (Luke 22:44) The agony Christ endured in Gethsemane produced an extraordinary physical manifestation, as His sweat became like great drops...
The Significance of Sweat and Blood
“And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly: and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground.” (Luke 22:44) Sweat and blood speak directly to labor and passion, doing and suffering. These are also two of the best representations, or...
The Wisdom of God
“The Lord by wisdom hath founded the earth; by understanding hath he established the heavens.” (Proverbs 3:19) God spoke creation into existence, a feat demanding infinite power (Genesis 1). Yet, His wisdom was equally vital in creation, as Proverbs 3:19 declares, “by...
A Joyous Wedding Feast
“Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honor to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready.” (Revelation 19:7) Weddings are joyous by nature, and rightly so. But even the most beautiful wedding on earth, filled with love, laughter,...
The Humiliation of Christ
“And at the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani? which is, being interpreted, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” (Mark 15:34) The humiliation of Christ reaches from His miraculous conception to His burial, a...
Answering the Call
“And such were some of you. But ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.” (1 Corinthians 6:11) Converted sinners are those who have answered the call of Christ by the power of the Spirit...
The Work of the Word
“So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.” (Isaiah 55:11) The Holy Scriptures cannot be compared to any other writings,...
Union with Christ
"While I was with them in the world, I kept them in thy name: those that thou gavest me I have kept, and none of them is lost, but the son of perdition; that the scripture might be fulfilled." (John 17:12) Union with Christ is the crown of all spiritual blessings. It...
All for God
“Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.” (Revelation 4:11) God stands as the first cause and final end of all creation, sovereign over every atom and event. All...
It’s God’s Choice
“Who shall lay anything to the charge of God’s elect? It is God that justifieth.” (Romans 8:33) To be counted among God’s elect is a privilege that cannot be measured, a mercy no man can deserve, and a title no man can earn. It is bestowed by God alone, freely,...
Can You Do Anything Without God?
“For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.” (Philippians 2:13) No Christian can produce such spiritual graces as faith, love, or godliness in their own power. Every godly virtue derives solely from God’s Spirit dwelling within the...
The Way Up is Down
“It is better to be of a lowly spirit with the poor, than to divide the spoil with the proud.” (Proverbs 16:19) Scripture abounds with examples of divine paradoxes, where God’s ways turn human expectations on their heads. On such paradox is Matthew 20:16, “So the last...
The Glory of Christ on the Saints of God
“To the end he may stablish Your hearts unblameable in holiness before God, even our Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all his saints.” (1 Thessalonians 3:13) The writer of Hebrews describes Christ as being “the brightness of God’s glory” (Heb. 1:3),...
Unspeakable Pardon
“And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses.” (Colossians 2:13) God is a righteous Judge. And as such, He requires just punishment for our sinful offenses. Yet in His...
Our Problem with God’s Holiness
“But Joshua said to the people, Ye cannot serve the LORD: for he is an holy God; he is a jealous God; he will not forgive your transgressions nor your sins.” (Joshua 24:19) What a solemn scene we’re invited to observe in this text. Joshua stands before the people of...
Reforming Known Sins for the New Year
“For I have told him that I will judge his house for ever, for the iniquity which he knoweth; because his sons made themselves vile, and he restrained them not.” (1 Samuel 3:13) Scripture makes it clear that God’s judgment falls heavily on those who are aware of their...
The Most Profound Proclamation
“Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will towards men.” (Luke 2:14) The entrance of Emmanuel into our world was first announced by an angel to humble shepherds, “I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is...
Christ Acquainted in All Things
“For the Father loveth the Son, and sheweth him all things that himself doeth: and he will shew him greater works than these, that ye may marvel.” (John 5:20) One of the most beautiful truths revealed in Scripture is the relationship between God the Father and His...
A Clean Conscience
“How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?” (Hebrews 9:14) From God's vantage point, no matter how good or respectable we may appear, our...
The Dimensions of God
“Canst thou by searching find out God? Canst thou find out the Almighty unto perfection?” (Job 11:7) The questions posed by Zophar in Job 11:7 are rhetorical in nature, but they serve to remind us that God is boundless in all His attributes. And indeed, any god who...
True Thankfulness
Unto thee, O God, do we give thanks, unto thee do we give thanks: for that thy name is near thy wondrous works declare.” (Psalm 75:1) God’s people are instructed in Psalm 50:14 to “Offer unto God thanksgiving; and pay thy vows unto the most High.” Just as the Lord...
Majesty on the Mountain
“And ye came near and stood under the mountain; and the mountain burned with fire unto the midst of heaven, with darkness, clouds, and thick darkness.” (Deuteronomy 4:11) The revelation of the majesty of Jehovah to His covenant people at Mount Sinai was a solemn and...
The Eternal and Immutable Christ
“Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and today, and forever.” (Hebrews 13:8) The foundation of our faith does not rest on the shifting sands of human promises or circumstances but is grounded in the immovable, eternal Christ who is unchanging in His nature, His purpose,...
The Depths of God
“Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and how inscrutable His ways!” (Romans 11:33) God is not like us. His thoughts are not our thoughts. His judgments are not open to examination, nor are His ways subject to...
Dangerous Business
“For I have told him, that I will judge his house for ever, for the iniquity which he knows: because his sons made themselves vile, and he restrained them not.” (1 Samuel 3:13) There is a holy severity to the ways of God that must never be disregarded. His name is...
Wisdom Fears God
“I perceived that whatever God does endures forever; nothing can be added to it, nor anything taken from it. God has done it, so that people fear before Him.” (Ecclesiastes 3:14) Whatever God does remains. And because He is immutable, all that flows from Him is also...
Jesus the Lord Most High
“… that they may know that You alone, whose name is the LORD, are the Most High over all the earth.” (Psalm 83:18) The true and rightful designation of Christ is “the Lord Most High,” for He is exalted far above all principalities, powers, thrones, and dominions....
Living Blessedly Forever
“And this is eternal life, that they know You the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.” (John 17:3) The Word of God teaches that eternal life is the opportunity believers have to live forever with Christ in glory under the gaze and favor of the living...
The Sweet Word of God
“How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth!” (Psalm 119:103) There’s a sweetness to God’s Word that surpasses all earthly pleasures. In fact, our text from the 119th Psalm describes it as honey from the comb, rich and nourishing. And the...
Precious Faith for a Precious Savior
“For it stands in Scripture: ‘Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone, a cornerstone chosen and precious, and whoever believes in Him will not be put to shame.’ So the honor is for you who believe, but for those who do not believe, ‘The stone that the builders rejected...
Kingdom Come
“Soon afterward He went on through cities and villages, proclaiming and bringing the good news of the kingdom of God. And the twelve were with Him.” (Luke 8:1) The phrase “kingdom of God” is central to the preaching of Christ. But what is meant by it? Generally...
God’s Covenant Blessing
“And I will establish my covenant between Me and you and your offspring after you throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your offspring after you.” (Genesis 17:7) Following God’s leading and obeying His directives often...
The Foundation of Assurance
“He who did not spare His own Son but gave Him up for us all, how will He not also with Him graciously give us all things?” (Romans 8:32) This passage stands as a towering pillar of divine assurance for every believer because it is established in the fixed, unchanging...
Absent Here, Present There
“But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope.” (1 Thessalonians 4:13) For the believer in Christ, death is not a fearful end but a blessed transition. It is not loss but...
Jealous Against Sin
“But Joshua said to the people, ‘You are not able to serve the LORD, for He is a holy God. He is a jealous God; He will not forgive your transgressions or your sins.’” (Joshua 24:19) Because God is both holy and jealous, He will not allow sin to pass without judgment....
Worship God Alone
And he said to him, “All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.”Then Jesus said to him, “Be gone, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God and Him only shalt thou serve.’” (Matthew 4:9-10, ESV) God alone is to be worshipped....
Divine Providence in Affliction
“My son, do not despise the LORD’s discipline or be weary of His reproof, for the LORD reproves him whom He loves, as a father the son in whom he delights.” (Proverbs 3:12) Affliction is no stranger to the Christian life, but it is never welcomed. Our heart recoils at...
Wisdom for Salvation
“… and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.” (2 Timothy 3:15) Paul commends young Timothy for having been trained in the Scriptures from childhood. That early...
Doing Good
“Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God.” (Hebrews 13:16) There is no such thing as a godly Christian who lives for himself, for the very nature of redemption places the believer into service to both Christ and to...
The Mission of the Church
“… so that through the church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places.” (Ephesians 3:10) The most significant institution in the world is the Church—the universal body of Christ of which every believer is...