Contemplations
The Gravity of God’s Name
“And afterward, saith the LORD, I will deliver Zedekiah king of Judah, and his servants, and the people, and such as are left in this city from the pestilence, from the sword, and from the famine, into the hand of Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon, and into the hand of...
Unparalleled Humility
“But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.” (James 4:6) In a world that applauds ambition and self-promotion, the call to humility stands as a radical counterpoint. Nevertheless, Romans 12:2 urges me not...
The Beauty of Graceful Speech
“Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers.” (Ephesians 4:29) Song of Solomon 4:3 likens the bride’s lips to “a thread of scarlet” and her speech to something...
The Everlasting Embrace of Christ
“And I will make an everlasting covenant with them, that I will not turn away from them, to do them good; but I will put my fear in their hearts, that they shall not depart from me.” (Jeremiah 32:40) The assurance of salvation, anchored in Scripture and secured in the...
Amazing Faith
“When Jesus heard these things, he marveled at him, and turned him about, and said unto the people that followed him, ‘I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel.’” (Luke 7:9) Faith in Christ is the foundation of our hope, the assurance of our...
By His Stripes
“…for I am the LORD, your healer.” (Exodus 15:26) You and I suffer from a fatal disease—one we inherited from our first parents, Adam and Eve. We were born under the curse of the law, guilty before a holy God, separated from Christ, and utterly without hope (Eph....
From Life to Death … and Back to Life
"And the commandment, which was ordained to life, I found to be unto death." (Romans 7:10) The Law of God is a reflection of His virtue, goodness, and holiness. When He gave it, it was designed to bring life. Adam, created in holiness, was given a commandment of...
Watch Your Heart
"Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life." (Proverbs 4:23) Like a fresh, pure spring brings life to all who drink from it, a heart that is pure before God produces godly attitudes and actions. But if that spring is polluted, if it is...
Christ Our Example
"Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ." (1 Corinthians 11:1) Paul’s statement to the Corinthian believers is bold, yet entirely humble. He does not present himself as the ultimate standard, but as one who follows the ultimate standard—Christ Himself. He...
Imitating Our Father
"Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children." (Ephesians 5:1) A good father is a treasure to his children. He protects, provides, instructs, and loves them, guiding them in truth and wisdom. And what child, blessed with such a father, does not desire to...
Alive in Christ
"For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive." (1 Corinthians 15:22) It was a dark and dreadful day when Satan, taking the form of a serpent, entered the Garden of Eden and deceived Eve into doubting the goodness of her Creator. Adam, following...
The Perfect Word of God
"The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul; the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple." (Psalm 19:7) Because God desires to be known by His people, He has revealed Himself through the holy Scriptures—His perfect and immutable Word. When we hear...
The Good Law of God
"But we know that the law is good, if a man use it lawfully." (1 Timothy 1:8) Weak Christians, as well as those who wish to appear Christian without having a true relationship with God, often misuse Scripture to excuse their sin. Romans 6:14 is one such passage...
Clean Hands and a Pure Heart
"Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God." (Matthew 5:8) It would be unthinkable to approach an earthly king without first ensuring that we are properly attired and in a presentable state. Yet, how often do we presume to enter the presence of the King of...
Looking to the God of 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) At the outset of Isaiah’s ministry, he was granted a vision of God in all His majesty, seated upon His throne, surrounded by seraphim...
Holiness Matters to God
"Her priests have violated my law and have profaned mine holy things: they have put no difference between the holy and profane, neither have they shewed difference between the unclean and the clean, and have hid their eyes from my sabbaths, and I am profaned among...
God is Our Shield
"Every word of God is pure: He is a shield unto those that put their trust in Him." (Proverbs 30:5) God’s people have always been strangers in a hostile land, yet the enemy cannot destroy us because God Himself is our shield (Psalm 28:7). He is our refuge and...
What It Means to Walk with God
"Enoch walked with God..." (Genesis 5:24) English clergyman Robert Bolton called walking with God “the crown of the Christian’s character.” This pattern of life can be observed in Scripture in men like Adam before the fall (Genesis 3:8), Enoch (Genesis 5:22), Noah...
Grace to Grow in Grace
"So then neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but God who causes the growth." (1 Corinthians 3:7 NASB) Have you ever considered how you receive grace daily or how you grow in grace as Peter exhorts us to do in 2 Peter 3:18? Grace is a divine...
Strength to Carry On
“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.” (Psalm 46:1 NASB) Paul opens his second letter to the church at Corinth with words of comfort and encouragement for what they were going through. That greeting must have been a welcome relief to those...
What is My Purpose, Lord?
"Give unto the Lord, ye mighty, give unto the Lord glory and strength. Give unto the Lord the glory due unto His name; worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness.” (Psalm 29:1-2) Do you ever find yourself asking, “Why am I here? What is my purpose?” These questions...
The Glory of God in Christ
"Give unto the Lord, ye mighty, give unto the Lord glory and strength. Give unto the Lord the glory due unto His name; worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness." (Psalm 29:1-2) At some point in life, every person asks: Why am I here? or What is my purpose? The world...
Witnessing Heavenly Glory
"Now Peter and his companions had been overcome with sleep; but when they were fully awake, they saw His glory and the two men standing with Him." (Luke 9:32 NASB) The transfiguration of Christ on the mountain was unlike anything Peter, James, or John had ever...
The Redemptive Work of the Trinity
"The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit, be with you all. Amen."(2 Corinthians 13:14) The doctrine of the Trinity, that God is one in essence (Isa. 44:6) and eternally exists as three distinct Persons—the Father,...
The Trinity Unveiled
"…baptizing them into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit." (Matthew 28:19) The doctrine of the Trinity is among the most profound and mysterious truths revealed in Scripture. How God is one in essence yet three distinct Persons surpasses the...
Invest in Forever
"As a deer pants for flowing streams, so pants my soul for You, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God." (Psalm 42:1-2) One of the greatest challenges we face in staying spiritually focused is that we are naturally drawn to the physical world. The demands...
The Eyes of God
"And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account." (Hebrews 4:13) Our eyes serve many purposes, but their most essential function is to keep us aware of our surroundings. Of course, God...
The Everlasting God
"Now unto the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God, be honor and glory for ever and ever. Amen." (1 Timothy 1:17) One of the most profound and insightful names for God is the one He declared to Moses in Exodus 3:14—"I AM"—which helps us realize some of...
God Our Preserver
“You alone are the Lord; You have made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their host, the earth and everything on it, the seas and all that is in them, and You preserve them all. The host of heaven worships You.” (Nehemiah 9:6) John Arrowsmith, a very astute...
God as Life-Giving
“The Spirit of God has made me, and the breath of the Almighty gives me life.” (Job 33:4) Contrary to the proponents of deism, God did not create the universe and then leave it alone. He continues to be actively at work in His world, intimately involved with you and...
God Our Governor
“But our God is in the heavens; He does whatever He pleases.” (Psalm 115:3) Suppose you’re an artist who paints a masterpiece. As the creator, you value your painting. You go to great measures to preserve your painting. And as the creator and owner, you alone have the...
God Our Source
"Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need." (Hebrews 4:16) The saints of God are needy people. And no one knows better than God Himself just how needy we are. In fact, Scripture compares us...
God Lives
"My soul thirsts for God, for the living God." (Psalm 42:2) God is eternal. There has never been—and there will never be—a time when God is not, because He is forever the "I AM," the timeless, eternally-existing God. Man, on the other hand, is mortal. We don’t like to...
The Infinite Power Behind God’s Providential Care
“It was not you that sent me here, but God.” (Genesis 45:8) The account of Joseph’s life is one of the most prominent displays of the providence of God in all of Scripture. Though the stories of such notable figures as Adam, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob fill the...
Mercy Is of God
“For he saith to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.” (Romans 9:15) The mercy of God is such a complex doctrine that several different Hebrew and Greek words are used in our English translation...
The God Who Dwells With the Lowly
“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 ones.” (Isaiah...
The Everlasting God
“Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God.” (Psalm 90:2) In this psalm Moses declares the eternality of God in order to position the soul for proper reverence, trust,...
The Glory of Grace
“Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will.” (Ephesians 1:5) The entire work and plan for our redemption... from beginning to end... is the result of an outpouring of God’s grace. Paul...
Christ Before Creation, God Over All
“Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? declare, if thou hast understanding. Who hath laid the measures thereof, if thou knowest? or who hath stretched the line upon it? Whereupon are the foundations thereof fastened? or who laid the corner stone...
The Danger of Falling After Receiving the Light
“And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day.” (Jude 1:6) The angels mentioned by Jude in this solemn passage were created holy, placed in a...
The God Who Created All Things
“In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.” (Genesis 1:1) Genesis opens with a simple sentence but a profound reality. God is and God acts. Everything that exists outside of God begins here, “in the beginning.” And not by accident, not by struggle, not by...
The Constraining Power of Christ’s Love
“For the love of Christ constraineth us; because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead.” (2 Corinthians 5:14) The love of Christ has a wonderfully powerful effect on the soul. In fact, in this passage Paul says that it “constrains” us, meaning...
Remembering God
“And they that escape of you shall remember me among the nations whither they shall be carried captives, because I am broken with their whorish heart, which hath departed from me, and with their eyes, which go a whoring after their idols: and they shall loathe...
The Unchanging God of Every Promise
“Now unto the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God, be honor and glory for ever and ever. Amen.” (1 Timothy 1:17) What a glorious doxology Paul shares with Timothy in this first epistle! God is declared to be the eternal King, untouched by time. He is...
The Everlasting Dominion of God
“Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God.” (Psalm 90:2) In this psalm Moses declares the eternality of God in order to position the soul for proper reverence, trust,...
The God Who Speaks Creation into Existence
“Praise ye him, all his angels: praise ye him, all his hosts. Praise ye him, sun and moon: praise him, all ye stars of light. Praise him, ye heavens of heavens, and ye waters that be above the heavens. Let them praise the name of the LORD: for he commanded, and they...
Convictions Without Conversion
“And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever. Forasmuch as thou...
Affliction Teaches True Wisdom
“And he returned to the man of God, he and all his company, and came, and stood before him: and he said, Behold, now I know that there is no God in all the earth, but in Israel: now therefore, I pray thee, take a blessing of thy servant.” (2 Kings 5:15) Many people...
The Will That Saved Us
“Wherefore when he cometh into the world, he saith, Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not, but a body hast thou prepared me: In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin thou hast had no pleasure. Then said I, Lo, I come (in the volume of the book it is written of me)...
The Weight of God’s Appointed Ordinances
“And thou, Capernaum, which art exalted unto heaven, shalt be brought down to hell: for if the mighty works, which have been done in thee, had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day. But I say unto you, That it shall be more tolerable for the land...
The Folly of Thinking God Is Indebted
“I will take no bullock out of thy house, nor he goats out of thy folds. For every beast of the forest is mine, and the cattle upon a thousand hills. I know all the fowls of the mountains: and the wild beasts of the field are mine. If I were hungry, I would not tell...
When Prosperity Is a Judgment
“Why dost thou shew me iniquity, and cause me to behold grievance? for spoiling and violence are before me: and there are that raise up strife and contention.” (Habakkuk 1:3) The righteousness of God’s providence cannot be judged by outward appearances, for His ways...
The Lord of Heaven and Earth
“God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands; Neither is worshipped with men’s hands, as though he needed anything, seeing he giveth to all life, and breath, and all things.” (Acts...
The Folly of Clinging to Sin
“And if thy hand offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter into life maimed, than having two hands to go into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched: Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched.” (Mark 9:43-44) In this passage in...