Contemplations
The Magnitude of God’s Grace
“The LORD did not set his love upon you, nor choose you, because ye were more in number than any people; for ye were the fewest of all people: But because the LORD loved you, and because he would keep the oath which he had sworn unto your fathers, the LORD brought you...
Praise His Blessedness
“And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, I heard saying, ‘Blessing, and honor, and glory, and power, be unto him that sits upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and...
The Consequences of Disobedience
“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 fall of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden was the original and primary instance of...
Deliverance Through Christ
“…even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come.” (1 Thess. 1:10) As surely as night follows day, God’s wrath will most certainly and inevitably come upon sinners who choose to live and die in their sins. The reality of this truth ought to be of primary...
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 Sacred Kiss of Christ’s Word
“Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” (John 15:13) When Christ our Good Shepherd says, “I lay down my life for my sheep,” (John 10:15), He is promising to love us with the most exceptional love imaginable. For there is no...
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...
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...
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...
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...
The God of Marvelous Things
“As for me, I would seek God, and to God would I commit my cause, who does great things and unsearchable, marvelous things without number.” (Job. 5:8-9) People spend their lives pursuing a lot of things – at the top of the list are wealth, power, health, and...
My Dependency and His Sufficiency
“Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.”(James 1:17) The ebb and flow of the believer’s walk with the Lord is a dynamic interplay between attempts to...
Fortifying Faith
“And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work.” (2 Corinthians 9:8) The trials and difficulties believers encounter through the course of life are well-disguised opportunities...
Barriers to Salvation
“My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children.” (Hosea 4:6) God’s warning to His people...
The Christian Champion
“And the LORD your God, he shall expel them from before you and drive them from out of your sight; and ye shall possess their land, as the LORD your God hath promised unto you.” (Joshua 23:5) Joshua 23:5 declares God’s unwavering faithfulness to do for His people what...
Gifted the Oracles of God
“Much every way: chiefly, because that unto them were committed the oracles of God.” (Romans 3:2) In his letter to the Romans, Paul raises a poignant question: What truly sets the Jew apart from the Gentile? Amidst the debates and the pride of the Jewish community in...
Heard by God
“For thou, Lord, art good, and ready to forgive; and plenteous in mercy unto all them that call upon thee.” (Psalm 86:5) Life can often feel overwhelming, so the assurance that God hears us when we go to Him for help is immensely comforting. Scripture is rich with...
The Glorious Throne of Christ
“And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is...
The Burden of Sin and Shame Christ Bore for Me
“But I am a worm, and no man; a reproach of men, and despised of the people.” (Psalm 22:6) In ancient Hebrew texts, the idea of “bearing iniquities” is not about assuming the guilt for sin intrinsically but rather bearing the burden of its external debt and due...
When All Shall Be Made Right
“Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.” (1 John 3:2) The world we live in is marked by confusion and disorder, a result of the...
Liberating Grace
“For I perceive that thou art in the gall of bitterness, and in the bond of iniquity.” (Acts 8:23) The only key that can unlock the chains of iniquity (that bond of iniquity in Acts 8:23)—freeing us from the bondage and bitterness of sin—is God’s liberating grace...
The Secrets of God
“Hast thou heard the secret of God? And dost thou restrain wisdom to thyself?” (Job 15:8) The Old Testament book of Job depicts the historical narrative of a man whose faith stood firm against the onslaught of Satan’s attacks as well as the untenable accusations of...
The True Mirror for Sin and Salvation
“For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.” (Mark 10:45) In a world increasingly swayed by appearances, where mirrors can distort and flatter, our perception of self as well as our sin requires a...
Creator and Redeemer
“In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.” (Genesis 1:1) This amazing declaration in Genesis 1:1 introduces us to the true God, the Supreme Being who claims sovereignty over all creation. The earth is the Lord’s, and the fullness thereof (Psalm 24:1)....
Eternal Choices
“Paul, a servant of God, and an apostle of Jesus Christ, according to the faith of God’s elect, and the acknowledging of the truth which is after godliness.”(Titus 1:1) Of all the doctrines Christians struggle with, there may be none more misunderstood than the...
Waking and Walking in God’s Embrace
“Of old hast thou laid the foundation of the earth: and the heavens are the work of thy hands. They shall perish, but thou shalt endure; yea, all of them shall wax old like a garment; as a vesture shalt thou change them, and they shall be changed: But thou art the...
The Son Not Spared
“Behold, we count them happy which endure. Ye have heard of the patience of Job and have seen the end of the Lord; that the Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy.” (James 5:11) The depths of God’s mercy and justice were supremely displayed when He did not spare...
God’s Bountiful Gifts
“But thou, O Lord, art a God full of compassion, and gracious, longsuffering, and plenteous in mercy and truth.” (Psalm 86:15) This verse in Psalms beautifully showcases those attributes of God essential not only for our salvation but also for us to be able to enjoy...
A Right Response to Sin
“Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.” (Psalm 51:7) When a Christian has committed some notable sin, there immediately opens before him two dangerous gulfs ready to swallow him up: one is Despair, the other,...
Presuming Upon Grace
“For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ.” (Jude 1:4) Jude’s warning from our text is a...
The Majesty and Mystery of God’s Sovereignty
“Touching the Almighty, we cannot find him out: he is excellent in power, and in judgment, and in plenty of justice: he will not afflict.” (Job 37:23) God alone is sovereign, which means He is King and Lord, with power and rule over all. Nothing in the whole of His...
Fleeing Our Spiritual Egypt
“When Israel was a child, then I loved him, and called my son out of Egypt.” [1](Hosea 11:1) The theme of bondage and deliverance runs deep throughout the course of Scripture. As early as the first chapter of Exodus we begin reading of the physical oppression of God’s...
Illumination of Grace
“Wherefore is light given to him that is in misery, and life unto the bitter in soul.” (Job 3:20) The term light is often used in Scripture to describe how the Holy Spirit illuminates the magnificent grace of God and transformative power of His Word in the hearts and...
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...
Unshakable Oath
“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)...
God’s Standard of Justice and Love
“The wicked borroweth, and payeth not again: but the righteous sheweth mercy, and giveth.”(Psalm 37:21) In a society fueled by greed, covetousness, and the temptation to always be pursuing gain, it is essential that we understand both the scope and the spirit of the...
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) Scripture tells us that everything that happens, happens for a reason because God created His world, set it in motion, and has a plan for...
A Resolution Against New Year’s Resolutions
"And the Jews' passover was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem, And found in the temple those that sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the changers of money sitting: And when he had made a scourge of small cords, he drove them all out of the temple, and the sheep,...
What Is Different About This Baby?
“For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; And the government will rest on His shoulders; And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.” (Isaiah 9:6 NASB) Babies are born every day, and each one is a...
The Power to Perform Miracles
The Power to Perform Miracles "But lift up your rod and stretch out your hand over the sea and divide it. And the children of Israel shall go on dry ground through the midst of the sea." (Exodus 14:16) The Old Testament is filled with occasions where God demonstrated...
Evidence of God’s Infinite Power
"Great is our Lord, and mighty in power." (Psa. 147:5) Evidence of the power of Almighty God abounds all around us, as every aspect of creation we observe and enjoy in our world is a result of the counsel of His will and effect of His infinite power. God ascribes...
What Does It Mean to Know the Infinite God?
“Can you discover the depths of God? Can you discover the limits of the Almighty?” (Job 11:7 NASB). The questions Job poses in this passage are rhetorical, of course… so the answer is a resounding “No!” But in our pursuit to know God and understand more about His...
Where God Dwells
Where God Dwells "For this is what the high and lofty One says — He who lives forever, whose name is holy: I live in a high and holy place — but also with him who is contrite and humble in spirit; to revive the spirit of the humble and to revive the heart of the...
Why Be Thankful?
“In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you,” (1 Thess. 5:18). One of the greatest joys of parenting is the opportunity to structure circumstances in your child’s life that you know will stretch and challenge them to become...