Contemplations
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...
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) In its most elemental form, sin is the transgression...
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) In Scripture, the torments of the damned are...
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;...
Christ in the Midst
“Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.” (Titus 2:14) At the heart of Christ’s earthly mission, as depicted in our text so beautifully, was His sacrificial act of pure love...
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) A passage of Scripture depicting the beauty of graceful speech in a metaphorical setting is that...
The Ultimate Ransom
“Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.” (Matthew 20:28) Matthew 20:28 beautifully captures the heart of Christ’s mission and the purpose of His first coming. And when we focus in on the...
Knowledge without Action
“I know ye not, depart from me all ye workers of iniquity.”(Luke 13:27) One of the greatest concerns among Christian communities today is the disproportionate level of knowledge to action… or rather what we might call resting in an acquired knowledge of God and His...
Sanctification to Holiness
“This is he that came by water and blood, even Jesus Christ; not by water only, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit that bears witness, because the Spirit is truth.” (1 John 5:6) In 1 John 5:6, the Apostle writes, “This is he that came by water and blood,...
The Assurance of Election
“Knowing, brethren beloved, your election of God.” (1 Thessalonians 1:4) In an attempt to understand the often overwhelming doctrine of election, we need not try to see it as God’s hidden will or a matter of uncovering His secret decrees. Rather, in seeking to know...
Obedience: The Heart of True Worship
“But he said, Yea rather, blessed are they that hear the word of God, and keep it.” (Luke 11:28) Tucked inside this simple statement of Christ lies the key to the abundant life He promised those who believe and follow Him (John 10:10). We are “blessed,” Christ said,...
The Residence of God
“In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him. Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.” (1 John...
Reverently Fearing God and His Goodness
“Examine me, O LORD, and prove me; try my reins and my heart.” (Psa. 26:2) Our God is omniscient, which means he holds an infinitely perfect, divine, all-seeing understanding of himself and all things. 1 Samuel 2:3 says, “For the Lord is a God of knowledge.” His...
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) Assurance of salvation that’s rooted in the truths of Scripture and...
Standing Firm Against Heresy
“I will worship toward thy holy temple and praise thy name for thy lovingkindness and for thy truth: for thou hast magnified thy word above all thy name.” (Psalm 138:2) At various times throughout church history heresies have surfaced within the church that challenge...
Helmet of Hope
“And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” (Ephesians 6:17) Beginning in verse 10 of Ephesians 6, Paul exhorts the believers at Ephesus to “be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.” And then he proceeds to...
The Glory of God’s Law
“These words the LORD spoke unto all your assembly in the mount out of the midst of the fire, of the cloud, and of the thick darkness, with a great voice: and he added no more. And he wrote them in two tables of stone and delivered them unto me.” (Deuteronomy 5:22)...
A Call to Celebrate God’s Promises
“Sing, O ye heavens; for the LORD hath done it: shout, ye lower parts of the earth: break forth into singing, ye mountains, O forest, and every tree therein: for the LORD hath redeemed Jacob and glorified himself in Israel.” (Isaiah 44:23) In Isaiah 44:23 we find a...
Chosen in Grace
“Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, to the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.” (Ephesians 1:5-6) This passage in Ephesians 1...
Born Anew to a Lively Hope
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.” (1 Peter 1:3) Peter begins his first epistle in praise to “the God and Father...
Finding True Peace
“Bless them which persecute you: bless, and curse not.” (Romans 12:14) The world defines peace as an absence of adversity or opposition. Based on that definition, however, peace can only be enjoyed periodically because we all know adversity is a reality of life. True...
A Superior Priesthood
“And inasmuch as not without an oath he was made priest: (For those priests were made without an oath; but this with an oath by him that said unto him, ‘The Lord swore and will not repent, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek’).” (Hebrews 7:20-21)...
The Assurance of Election
“Knowing, brethren beloved, your election of God.” (1 Thessalonians 1:4) The doctrine of election—that God has chosen certain individuals for salvation before the foundation of the world—offers believers a unique assurance. In 1 Thessalonians 1:4, Paul reminds the...
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...
Seeing God in the Rhythms of Nature
“Nevertheless he left not himself without witness, in that he did good, and gave us rain from heaven, and fruitful seasons, filling our hearts with food and gladness.” (Acts 14:17) When the demands of daily life overwhelm us, taking a moment to step outdoors and...
Man’s Journey from Innocence to Eternity
“Lo, this only have I found, that God hath made man upright; but they have sought out many inventions.” (Ecclesiastes 7:29) One of the more intriguing verses in Scripture is found in Ecclesiastes 7:29, “Lo, this only have I found, that God hath made man upright; but...
God’s Providential Governance
“Thou, even thou, art LORD alone; thou hast made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their host, the earth, and all things that are therein, the seas, and all that is therein, and thou preservest them all; and the host of heaven worships thee.” (Nehemiah 9:6) This...
The Power of God Over Spiritual Enemies
“The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in him, and I am helped: therefore my heart greatly rejoices; and with my song will I praise him.” (Psalm 28:7) The strength, the number, and the varied nature of our spiritual enemies can cause us to feel...
Children of God: Confirmed by Faith
“For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.” (Galatians 3:26) Though numerous verses of Scripture like this one in Galatians 3:26 assure us that we are children of God by faith, many still struggle with knowing for certain that they belong to Him....
The Unwavering Truth of Scripture
“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) In this tenth chapter of Daniel, the prophet describes his experience of a vision from God in which he...
Instruments of God’s Grace
“If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God; if any man minister, let him do it as of the ability which God giveth: that God in all things may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom be praise and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.” (1 Peter 4:11) In this...
Anchored in God’s Immutable Word and Oath
“That by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us.” (Hebrews 6:18) In Hebrews 6, the Apostle Paul draws the believer’s attention to God’s...
The Spotlight that Shines on Christ
“But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceeds from the Father, he shall testify of me.” (John 15:26) This “Comforter,” or “Spirit of truth” that Christ speaks of in this passage is, of course, the...
Evidence of Sanctification
“He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.”(1 John 2:4) Our text in 1 John 2:4 clearly outlines the difference between those who are true children of God and those who only appear to be godly by living a moral...
Led by the Good Shepherd
“For the word of the LORD is right; and all his works are done in truth.” (Psalm 33:4) People in Jesus’ day were well familiar with the pastoral image of the shepherd and his sheep, for shepherds and sheep were plentiful in the land of Israel in those days. So when...
The Importance of Remembering
“They kept not the covenant of God and refused to walk in his law; and forgot his works, and his wonders that he had shown them.”(Psalm 78:10-11) Among all the tribes of Israel, the biblical account of Ephraim’s journey emerges as a critical reminder of the dreadful...
Called to Charity
“That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.” (Matthew 5:45) Scripture urges believers to pursue purity and holiness—not only in our...
Justification – Our Divine Acquittal
“For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.” (Romans 5:10) The doctrine of justification is deeply rooted in Scripture, and due to the nature and significance of this...
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...
Seeking God
“He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?” (Micah 6:8) Multiple passages throughout Scripture urge us to seek the Lord. One such verse is found in 1...
A Fervent Zeal Against Wickedness
“And his disciples remembered that it was written, the zeal of thine house hath eaten me up.” (John 2:17) In John 2:17, after Jesus cleanses the temple, the disciples recall a passage from the Psalms: “The zeal of thine house hath eaten me up.” This verse reflects the...
Living Faith
“To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David, when Nathan the prophet came unto him, after he had gone in to Bathsheba.> ‘Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions’.” (Psalm...
The Condition of the Heart
“This is an evil among all things that are done under the sun, that there is one event unto all: yea, also the heart of the sons of men is full of evil, and madness is in their heart while they live, and after that they go to the dead.” (Ecclesiastes 9:3) Solomon,...
Grasping Grace
“Destruction and misery are in their ways.” (Romans 3:16) In regard to spiritual matters and the state of our soul, the dynamic relationship between divine sovereignty and human responsibility is clearly spoken to in Scripture. And central to this relationship is the...
Taste and See!
“O taste and see that the LORD is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him.” (Psalm 34:8) What a poetically beautiful description by the psalmist of how one who trusts in the Lord experiences His goodness, “O taste and see that the Lord is good: blessed is the...
Blameless Before God and Man
“For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. Neither is there any creature that...
The Blessing of Peace
“Thou hast heard, see all this; and will not ye declare it? I have shewed thee new things from this time, even hidden things, and thou didst not know them.”(Isaiah 48:6) A peaceful relationship is one characterized by a harmonious balance between two or more people...
The Unshakable Foundation of Christ’s Words
“The words of the LORD are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times.” (Psalm 12:6) The teachings of Christ (the whole bible) are the most infallible and certain truths known to humanity. But despite their undeniable clarity 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 Power of Prayer in Every Situation
“The LORD therefore hath performed his word that he hath spoken: for I am risen up in the room of David my father, and am set on the throne of Israel, as the LORD promised, and have built the house for the name of the LORD God of Israel.” (2 Chronicles 6:10) Christ...
The Eternal I AM
“And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you.” (Exodus 3:14) At the core of our faith lies the mystery and majesty of God’s everlasting nature, beautifully captured in His...
The Supremacy of Christ
“And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.”(Colossians 1:17) The perfectly faceted beauty, excellency, and supremacy of Christ does not simply flow from the reality that He is God, though He is. As John tells us in his gospel, “In the beginning was...
Exalted Above All
“For the Father judges no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son.” (John 5:22) One of the most beautiful passages in Scripture capturing the Person, Mission, and Position of Christ is that of Philippians 2:5-11: Let this mind be in you, which was also in...
Trusting God’s Faithfulness
“The works of his hands are verity and judgment; all his commandments are sure. They stand fast for ever and ever and are done in truth and uprightness.” (Psalm 111:7-8) God’s faithfulness to His people is unwavering, and His past mercies are a guarantee of His future...