Daily devotional

June 13 - Jesus’ better intercession (I)

“Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.” - Heb...

Daily devotional

June 12 - Jesus, the better Melchizedek

“For this Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of the Most High God, who met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings and blessed him.” - H...

Daily devotional

June 11 - Jesus, our better Isaac

“Saying, “Surely blessing I will bless you, and multiplying I will multiply you.”” - Hebrews 6:14 – Scripture reading: Hebrews 6:13-20 ...

Daily devotional

June 10 - Jesus supplies a better maturity

“And we desire that each one of you show the same diligence to the full assurance of hope until the end.” - Hebrews 6:11 Scripture reading: Heb...

Daily devotional

June 9 - Jesus, better than Aaron (II)

“For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin.” - Hebrews 4:14 Scripture reading: Hebrews 4:14-5:10 Jesus, unlike Aaron and every other Old Testament high priest, who was himself subject to weakness and sin (Heb 5:2), was nevertheless tempted and tried in all points like we are. But the difference is, He never sinned! You could of course object and say, well, if Jesus never sinned, would He be able to sympathize with us? Yes, because not only did He become a human being like us but, when Jesus was on earth, He received a thorough training on the job. How? His Father brought His Son through every form of inexpressible human suffering, so much so that He even offered up prayers with vehement cries and tears (Heb 5:7-9). Weeping tears! Loud cries! Deep anguish! Jesus knows what suffering is; listen to Him in Gethsemane! Listen to Him at the cross! This horrible suffering perfectly suits Him to be the sympathetic and compassionate High Priest that we need, when we find ourselves in suffering, difficulties and trials. Would you feel comfortable telling your sin, temptations, pain and troubles to someone who is aloof and looking down on you, and has no experience with it? Of course not! Jesus was tempted without sin. But He did experience the wrath of God over sin. So, He knows... He understands it better than any of us… He can sympathize like no one else! Therefore, come boldly to His throne of grace, and you will find help in your time of need, just at the right time! Suggestions for prayer There is a throne of grace! There is a wonderfully sympathetic High Priest! Come! Pour out your heart! Hold nothing back, sin, troubles, temptations. He can help and sympathize like no other! Rev. Pieter van der Hoek has been serving the Heritage Reformed Church of Hull, Iowa, since July 2023. Prior to that he served the Heritage Reformed Church of Burgessville, Ontario. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

June 8 - Jesus, better than Aaron (I)

“… So also Christ did not glorify Himself to become High Priest…” - Hebrews 5:5a Scripture reading: Hebrews 4:14-5:10 What a tragic moment in Israel’s wilderness wanderings it was. Consumed by fire, the earth opened up, and these 250 rebellious people tumbled straight into hell. What a shock! How awful! It had never happened before. Why? What did Korah, Dathan and Abiram do? They were proud! They had sinful ambition! They did not agree with the place God had given Aaron. They sought greater things for themselves. God had set Aaron and his sons apart, in an extensive ritual, for the priesthood (Lev. 8-9). To make God’s choice clear to the people, the rods of all the tribes had been laid before the Lord overnight. And the next day Aaron’s rod blossomed! God had chosen and set Aaron apart! And our text says: So also Christ did not glorify Himself to become a High Priest! Jesus, unlike us, had no sinful pride or ambition… This priestly task was given to Him by the Father. Psalm 2:7 and Psalm 110:4 are quoted to prove this (Heb 5:5-6). Jesus was set apart as the Son of God and the High Priest in Melchizedek’s order, to be a Priest forever, better than Aaron! That’s why He can be such a suitable High Priest for us! No weakness, no sin, no pride, only perfect submission that perfectly pleased His Father who appointed Him (cf. Heb 5:3,8). Do you at times struggle with pride? Do you sometimes struggle to submit? Jesus is the High Priest that you and I need. He is better than Aaron. His staff blossoms! Suggestions for prayer Thank God for Jesus’ perfect sinlessness and submission! His sinlessness can cover your sins of pride and selfish ambition. Ask the Lord to help you kill every last ounce of pride in you. Rev. Pieter van der Hoek has been serving the Heritage Reformed Church of Hull, Iowa, since July 2023. Prior to that he served the Heritage Reformed Church of Burgessville, Ontario. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

June 7 - Jesus’ rest better than Joshua’s (II)

“There remains therefore a rest for the people of God.” - Hebrews 4:9 Scripture reading: Hebrews 4:1-13 In this passage the author to the Hebrews stresses that the rest God offers is still for today. Although the Lord swore the oath negatively, yet, the opposite is true too. Those who believe will no doubt enter into God’s offered rest! Indeed, those who learn to mix the Word of God with faith, while they hear it, will find rest for their souls! Those who learn to rest from their own works, will enter into God’s rest. Although Joshua brought the people into the Promised Land, the people did not yet experience the final and full rest of God’s promises (vs. 8). You remember how the enemies had to be driven out, and were still in the land years later… No, Joshua didn’t bring perfect rest or peace. Five hundred years later David came. He wrote Psalm 95 and tells us that God has not given up on the idea of giving His people rest, but there again the rest was not final. What rest did God promise? Temporal rest? Physical rest in Israel? No! God promises spiritual rest, true sabbath rest, eternal rest! He promises Jesus’ rest, which is better than Joshua’s! He invites us to come and rest today: Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest (Mt. 11:28). This is the rest verse 9 talks about. A rest that points back to creation before the fall, and forward to the future, final and perfect rest in heaven, the glorious Promised Land. Suggestions for prayer Thank and Praise God for offering spiritual rest in Christ! Pray that you might enjoy more of this rest as you live by faith in the promises of God. Rev. Pieter van der Hoek has been serving the Heritage Reformed Church of Hull, Iowa, since July 2023. Prior to that he served the Heritage Reformed Church of Burgessville, Ontario. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

June 6 - Jesus’ rest better than Joshua’s (I)

“So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief.” - Hebrews 3:19 - Scripture reading: Hebrews 3:7-19 “But there are giants!... and we feel like grasshoppers! The land is amazing, we agree! The land is good! Yes! But we will never be able to overcome them! We will never be able to conquer the land! You should have seen those enormous walls! These people will swallow us up alive! If they all unite against us, we will have a huge problem!” That’s how the people of Israel responded, when they were just at the edge of the Promised land. Almost there! And yet, they did not enter… Why? Unbelief! What a horribly ugly sin, unbelief is. Verse 10 shows us that unbelief makes us go astray and keeps us from knowing God. Verse 12 shows unbelief comes from an evil heart that departs from the living God. Verse 13 shows unbelief hardens our heart and deceives us. The Lord hates unbelief. He swore an oath (Ps. 95) that unbelievers would not enter into His promised rest… This oath is still true today… In contrast, Joshua and Caleb responded in faith… They said: “Let us go up at once! We are well able to overcome it! It is an exceedingly good land! If the Lord delights in us, He will give it to us! The Lord is with us! Don’t fear!” What a beautiful gift of God, faith is. It makes us strong and courageous, it makes us realize that if God is for us, who shall be against us?! Have you found rest in God’s promises? Suggestions for prayer Pray that God will help you kill all remaining vestiges of unbelief in your life, and that the Lord will give you strong and courageous faith, that honors Him and doesn’t fear people and difficult circumstances. Rev. Pieter van der Hoek has been serving the Heritage Reformed Church of Hull, Iowa, since July 2023. Prior to that he served the Heritage Reformed Church of Burgessville, Ontario. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

June 5 - Jesus, better than Moses

“…And Moses indeed was faithful in all His house as a servant…” - Hebrews 3:5a Scripture reading: Hebrews 3:1-6 The Hebrews, who were te...

Daily devotional

June 4 - Jesus, lower yet still better than the angels

Daily devotional

June 3 - Jesus, better than the angels

“… having become so much better than the angels…” - Hebrews 1:4a Scripture reading: Hebrews 1:4-2:4 The Jews believed that one of the gr...

Daily devotional

June 2 - Jesus, better than the prophets

“…Who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person…” - Hebrews 1:3a Scripture reading: Hebrews 1:1-4 Jesus is b...

Daily devotional

June 1 - Introduction to Hebrews

The book of Hebrews is not an easy Bible book to understand but, when after diligent study it is opened up to us, we see it is worth the effort! The book of Hebrews was written to Jews who wanted to turn back to the Old Testament shadows and ceremonies. They found it easier – that kind of worship was more physical in nature – and you can easily go through the routines. But the author to the Hebrews (we don’t know for sure who wrote it) strongly warns his Jewish audience not to return to that kind of worship. Why? Because Jesus is better than anything they have in the Old Testament! Jesus is not only the fulfilment of them all, but if they have Jesus, they have so much more than what they used to have in the Old Testament! This month we are going to explore the book of Hebrews with the theme: Jesus is better! That little sentence sums up what Hebrews is all about. Jesus is better! Jesus was not just better for the Jewish audience to which this book was initially written. Jesus is better, for you and me. He is better than anything this world has to offer. His person is better, His glory is better, His salvation is better, His sympathetic heart is better, His sacrifice is better, His holiness is better. He is everything sinners and saints need! I invite you to come and see for yourselves that Jesus is better. The answers the book of Hebrews gives will show us the glory of God beaming from the face of Jesus! Let’s pray for eyes and hearts to see, believe, embrace and conclude: Jesus is better indeed! Jesus is all I need! Jesus, better than the prophets (I) “God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His Son…” - Hebrews 1:1-2a Scripture Reading: Hebrews 1:1-4 God spoke, God speaks and continues to speak. But the way God speaks to us has changed over time. In the opening verses of Hebrews, we are told that in the past, God spoke to the fathers and the prophets. Think about how often God appeared and spoke, for instance, in Genesis alone. He spoke to Adam, Eve, Satan, Cain, Noah, Abraham, Hagar, Jacob and Joseph, to mention a few. When He spoke, He spoke in various forms of communication. He used His voice, He used dreams and other ways. God spoke in the past to our fathers and by the prophets. But there is something special in the way God has spoken in these last days, the days in which we live. Not only because the canon is closed but, especially in the way He speaks! Because in these last days He speaks to us primarily by His very own Son: Jesus Christ! He is the Living Word! All of Scripture is about Him, and all of Scripture points to Him! He is God’s final Word to a sinful world! Yes, He speaks to us by His Son! Sinners hear the Gospel: of a perfect Savior, full of radiant glory and redeeming grace! The book of Hebrews is going to show us how Jesus fulfills all the Old Testament shadows and ceremonies, and of how Jesus is better than them all! Suggestions for prayer Thank God for the Bible, Jesus and for speaking to us. Pray that you would hear the voice of Jesus in your Bible reading and in study of the book of Hebrews this month. Rev. Pieter van der Hoek has been serving the Heritage Reformed Church of Hull, Iowa, since July 2023. Prior to that he served the Heritage Reformed Church of Burgessville, Ontario. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

May 31 - Without excuse

“For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.” - Romans 1:20 Scripture reading: Revelation 22:1-21; John 20:30, 31 Romans 1:20 makes it clear that the majesty of creation leaves us without excuse to acknowledge, trust, and live for God. We do so by saving faith in Christ, having great joy in this life and throughout eternity! But many others are separated from Christ, “having no hope and without God in the world” (Ephesians 2:12). Many are separated from Christ because “The god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers” (2 Corinthians 4:4). Many others hesitate to come to Christ in repentance and faith because of sins in their past and present. If that describes you, remember the lost son who squandered his inheritance on prostitutes and wild living. When he confessed his sin and returned to his Father, he was welcomed with open arms (Luke 15:11-24). God’s grace is greater than your sin! For many others “The cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word” and they fall away (Matthew 13:22). Still others, refusing to acknowledge God, are given over in their sin and reap sorrow in this life, and unless they repent, eternal sorrow (Romans 1:18-32). Instead of making excuses not to believe, take to heart the invitation of Revelation 22:17: “The Spirit and the Bride say, ‘Come.’ And let the one who hears say, ‘Come.’ And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who desires take the water of life without price” so that by believing you may have life in His name! (John 20:30, 31). Suggestions for prayer If by grace you have true saving faith in Christ, thank God for His wondrous works of creation, providence, and redemption! And, if you are on the outside looking in, pray that God would graciously give you a new heart and saving faith in Christ alone. Pastor Ted Gray is an emeritus minister of First United Reformed Church in Oak Lawn, Illinois. Before serving in Oak Lawn, Pastor Gray served Orthodox Presbyterian churches in Oregon and Florida, and Christian Reformed churches in Vermont and Illinois. He and his wife, Karen, reside in Crown Point, Indiana. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

May 30 - God’s timeline and our salvation

“Do not marvel at this, for an hour is coming when all who are in the tombs will hear his voice and come out, those who have done good to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil to the resurrection of judgment.” - John 5:28, 29 Scripture reading: Daniel 12:1-13 Daniel 12, in symbolic language, succinctly describes time and eternity and the destiny of all humanity, both the wicked and the righteous (2, 10). Throughout the Bible we read how God governs time for the specific purpose of saving His people from their sin. Consider that Jesus was born to redeem us at “the fullness of time” (Galatians 4:4, 5). Jesus also spoke about time when He described the apostasy, wickedness and false teaching that will overwhelm people toward the end of history as we know it. But even as He described the turmoil that will come upon people living in the last times, He gave this great encouragement in Matthew 24:22: “But for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short.” We see that same truth in Ephesians 1:10 which describes how God’s purpose for history will be put into effect when the times will have reached their fulfillment, for He has “a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.” We look at our world in all its depravity, hostility and immorality, and ask, “How long, O Lord?” And God’s answer is to wait for “the fullness of time” when Christ returns. Meanwhile, Scripture teaches us that now is the time of salvation. If you have never placed your faith in Christ, prayerfully seek Him, trusting His promise to freely pardon all who come to Him in humble repentance and true saving faith (Isaiah 55:6, 7). Suggestions for prayer Thank the Lord that He governs time so that sinners like ourselves have an opportunity to come to Him without delay, knowing that “now is the day of salvation” (2 Corinthians 6:2). Pastor Ted Gray is an emeritus minister of First United Reformed Church in Oak Lawn, Illinois. Before serving in Oak Lawn, Pastor Gray served Orthodox Presbyterian churches in Oregon and Florida, and Christian Reformed churches in Vermont and Illinois. He and his wife, Karen, reside in Crown Point, Indiana. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

May 29 - Grateful praise to our ascended Lord!

“For Christ has entered, not into holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true things, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf.” - Hebrews 9:24 Scripture reading: Hebrews 9:11-28 Did you notice how verse 24 points out that Jesus entered heaven “to appear in the presence of God on our behalf”? That phrase describes an amazing truth concerning the ascension. Jesus ascended into heaven to intercede eternally on behalf of those who by His grace have saving faith in Him alone “since he always lives to make intercession for them” (Hebrews 7:25). As He intercedes, He does so with great compassion for He has been tempted in every way as we are, yet is without sin (Hebrews 4:15). He knows the human experience completely. He has experienced hunger, thirst and conflicts from angry people. He has lived under ungodly political rulers. He knows what it is like to live in a fallen world and face the attacks of the evil one. And as the Mediator of the New Covenant, He has shed His blood to cover – propitiate – the sins of His people. Not only does the ascension assure us of our salvation through saving faith in Christ, but it also assures us that just as Jesus ascended bodily into heaven, so will we on the last day when He returns in glory (1 Corinthians 15:35-58; Philippians 3:20, 21). Most people don’t give much thought to the blessings that flow from the ascension. Yet the knowledge of our ascended Savior instills within us praise and adoration. Jesus Christ has entered heaven to intercede on our behalf! Our redemption is complete in Him! He is returning again to receive us to Himself! Alleluia! Suggestions for prayer Thank the Savior, Jesus Christ, for His perfect life of obedience, His sacrificial death, His resurrection, and His ascension into heaven to “appear in the presence of God on our behalf” (24). Pastor Ted Gray is an emeritus minister of First United Reformed Church in Oak Lawn, Illinois. Before serving in Oak Lawn, Pastor Gray served Orthodox Presbyterian churches in Oregon and Florida, and Christian Reformed churches in Vermont and Illinois. He and his wife, Karen, reside in Crown Point, Indiana. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

May 28 - Immeasurable love

“…Know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.” - Ephesians 3:19 Scripture reading:...

Daily devotional

May 27 - Eternal grace

“But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive togethe...

Daily devotional

May 26 - Mercy, grace, and steadfast love

“The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.” - Psalm 103:8 Scripture reading: Psalm 103:1-22 Three ...

Daily devotional

May 25 - Christ, our passover lamb

“Cleanse out the old leaven that you may be a new lump, as you really are unleavened. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed.” - 1 Cor...

Daily devotional

May 24 - The active obedience of Christ

“…So that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” - 2 Corinthians 5:21b Scripture reading: Zechariah 3:1-10 When Jesus, in His passive obedience, was crucified to cleanse us from our sins by shedding His precious blood, He did not leave us with a blank slate. Sometimes the redeeming work of Jesus is pictured as Him wiping off all the black marks on a white board so that nothing is left but the white board in all its purity. And that is an accurate illustration as far as it goes, for through saving faith in Christ we are thoroughly cleansed and are given this promise from the Lord: “…Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow…” (Isaiah 1:18). But Jesus not only removed the curse of our sin from us, He also imputes – credits – to us His perfect record in keeping the law. Consider that Jesus never used His Father’s name in vain. He never served false gods. He never killed, coveted, stole, or committed adultery. That defines His active obedience. His perfection in keeping the law wasn’t just outward, but inward. In other words, He did not look in lust at the woman at the well. He did not murder anyone in His heart by thoughts of anger and retaliation. Not even the Pharisees. Not even those who crucified Him. He kept the law perfectly, and after removing every transgression from the slate of your life and mine, He writes on that clean slate – the cleansed white board of your life – His perfect record of righteous obedience to every nuance of the law. Suggestions for prayer Sincerely thank God that by grace through saving faith your sins are covered by the shed blood of Christ, the filthy sin-stained rags of self-righteousness are removed, and He clothes you in His garments of glorious righteousness, just as portrayed in Zechariah 3:3-5. Pastor Ted Gray is an emeritus minister of First United Reformed Church in Oak Lawn, Illinois. Before serving in Oak Lawn, Pastor Gray served Orthodox Presbyterian churches in Oregon and Florida, and Christian Reformed churches in Vermont and Illinois. He and his wife, Karen, reside in Crown Point, Indiana. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

May 23 - The passive obedience of Christ

“For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin…” - 2 Corinthians 5:21a Scripture reading: Isaiah 52:13-53:12 In our electronic age, great sums of money can be transferred with the click of a mouse as one account transfers funds to another. But no transfer, even the billions of dollars transferred in corporate buyouts, compares to the transfer that 2 Corinthians 5:21 speaks about. It describes how the penalty for all your sins and mine – our sinful actions, our cruel words, our impure thoughts, as well as our innumerable sins of omission – was transferred onto Jesus at Calvary. There, on the cross the words of Isaiah 53 were fulfilled: “…He was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace…and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all” (Isaiah 53:5, 6). Theologians refer to that as the passive obedience of Christ. In His passive obedience Jesus became our substitute on the cross. He had the power to escape. He told Peter that He could call more than twelve legions of angels for His deliverance. But He added, “How then should the Scriptures be fulfilled, that it must be so?” (Matthew 26:54). By obediently submitting to death on the cross Jesus passively shed His blood, which propitiates the sins of all who have true saving faith in Him alone. To propitiate means to appease the wrath of someone – in this case God – and it is done by covering over that which has caused the wrath, which is our sin. So great is the love of Christ for His people! Suggestions for prayer Confess that your sins drove Christ to the cross. And then express awe and wonder, praise and adoration for the salvation Christ secured in His passive obedience as He covered our sin with His precious blood. Pastor Ted Gray is an emeritus minister of First United Reformed Church in Oak Lawn, Illinois. Before serving in Oak Lawn, Pastor Gray served Orthodox Presbyterian churches in Oregon and Florida, and Christian Reformed churches in Vermont and Illinois. He and his wife, Karen, reside in Crown Point, Indiana. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

May 22 - Redemption through the Son

“And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.” - John 3:14,15 Scripture reading: Numbers 21:4-9 The experience of the Israelites described in Numbers 21 seems far removed from us. Yet we have something in common: Each one of us has been bitten by the deadliest of serpents; we have within us the venom of sin. It is bad enough that we have been bitten by the serpent, but what is worse is that all of our sin, even when it is directed toward another human being, is ultimately against God. Did you notice verse 5? – “The people spoke against God and against Moses.” God, being just and holy, must punish sin. He sent fiery serpents among the people; they bit the people and many Israelites died (6). The wages of sin is death, and the Lord allowed these serpents in the camp to inflict the venom of death. But God is also merciful. He provides a way out from the wages of sin, from the fangs and the venom of the serpent. In verse 8 God graciously provided a means of salvation from the bite of the snakes. A bronze serpent was placed on a pole and when the people were bitten by snakes and looked at the bronze serpent, they lived (9) Jesus used this example to point us to Himself. He alone can save us from our sins (John 14:6; Acts 4:12; 1 Timothy 2:5). Although we are sinners stricken with the serpent’s venom, through saving faith in Christ we are spared, given new life from above, and adopted into God’s family. Suggestions for prayer Confess your sins, and then thank the Lord that although “…the wages of sin is death…the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23). Pastor Ted Gray is an emeritus minister of First United Reformed Church in Oak Lawn, Illinois. Before serving in Oak Lawn, Pastor Gray served Orthodox Presbyterian churches in Oregon and Florida, and Christian Reformed churches in Vermont and Illinois. He and his wife, Karen, reside in Crown Point, Indiana. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

May 21 - New life from the Spirit

“Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.” - 1 Corinthians 1:3 Scripture reading: John 3:1-15 Jesus emphasizes to us, as He did to Nicodemus, the necessity of the Holy Spirit’s work in our lives. None of us would have saving faith in Christ if it were not for the Holy Spirit. He regenerates us with life from above as we are “born again” and have a new heart and spiritual eyes to see what so many others miss (1 Corinthians 2:14). The Holy Spirit’s work is crucial for our salvation and our sanctification, that is, our growth in grace, knowledge, love, and service. Yet, have you noticed how often Scripture focuses on the Father and the Son but not on the Holy Spirit? Consider most of the greetings in the New Testament letters, such as 1 Corinthians 1:3. The Holy Spirit isn’t mentioned. The reason is that the Holy Spirit doesn’t seek attention, praise, and glory. Rather, He directs glory to the Son who in turn directs His glory to the Father (John 17:1; 1 Corinthians 15:28). In this way, the Holy Spirit serves – and delights to serve – as the spotlight on the cross. A former church had an illuminated cross that was highly visible at night. Many people asked if I pastored the church with the cross, but no one asked about the necessity, power,and importance of the spotlight that illuminated the cross. Without the spotlight no one would see the cross; without the Holy Spirit, no one would “see” Christ and be reconciled to the Father through saving faith in Christ alone. Suggestions for prayer Thank the Lord that by the Holy Spirit’s power we are given new birth, conviction of sin, assurance of pardon, growth in grace, power in prayer, adoption into God’s family and the guarantee of our salvation and eternal inheritance. Pastor Ted Gray is an emeritus minister of First United Reformed Church in Oak Lawn, Illinois. Before serving in Oak Lawn, Pastor Gray served Orthodox Presbyterian churches in Oregon and Florida, and Christian Reformed churches in Vermont and Illinois. He and his wife, Karen, reside in Crown Point, Indiana. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

May 20 - The electing love of the Father

“For we know, brothers loved by God, that he has chosen you, because our gospel came to you not only in word, but also in power and in the Holy Spir...

Daily devotional

May 19 - Only through Christ

“It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.” - Hebrews 10:31 Scripture reading: 2 Samuel 6:1-11 In 1 Samuel 6 we read...

Daily devotional

May 18 - Who is able to stand before this holy God

Daily devotional

May 17 - Providence in retrospect

“For I have become like a wineskin in the smoke, yet I have not forgotten your statutes.” - Psalm 119:83 Scripture reading: Psalm 119:81-88 ...

Daily devotional

May 16 - Providence and civil government

“The king’s heart is a stream of water in the hand of the LORD; he turns it wherever he will.” - Proverbs 21:1 Scripture reading: Exodus 2:1-10 The work of God’s providence reveals precise timing. Those who don’t know about the precise timing of the Lord’s providence might conclude that it was “a lucky break” that Pharaoh's daughter “just happened” to be at the riverbank when Moses came by. But those who know God’s hand of providence, are not surprised. Just as Esther was raised to power “for such a time as this” (Esther 4:14), so was Moses. The Lord spared the life of Moses from Pharoah’s heartless decree to kill all the male children of Israel. The one who would deliver God’s people would be prepared by the Egyptians themselves. Moses was given the finest education; he was prepared and provided for in the palace of Pharaoh, all of which shaped him into the leader who God would use to deliver Israel out of their bondage in Egypt. The same is true today. Although circumstances often look bleak for God’s people, God Himself is raising up the political leaders that He desires to be in place, for Romans 13:1 assures us that “There is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God.” The political leaders may bring about the needed reforms, or they may add to the godlessness of their culture. But, either way, God has a purpose and a plan for them, a purpose and plan that ultimately leads to the second coming of the Lord Jesus Christ, the ruler over all nations and all people. Suggestions for prayer Pray for those in authority over us (1 Timothy 2:1, 2) and express gratitude that Jesus Christ is the King of kings and Lord of lords who will correct all wrongs on the last Day (2 Thessalonians 1:3-12). Pastor Ted Gray is an emeritus minister of First United Reformed Church in Oak Lawn, Illinois. Before serving in Oak Lawn, Pastor Gray served Orthodox Presbyterian churches in Oregon and Florida, and Christian Reformed churches in Vermont and Illinois. He and his wife, Karen, reside in Crown Point, Indiana. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

May 15 - Providence and redemption

“Now the Syrians on one of their raids had carried off a little girl from the land of Israel, and she worked in the service of Naaman’s wife.” - 2 Kings 5:2 Scripture reading: 2 Kings 5:1-14 From a simple human perspective, the kidnapping of this little girl is a story of great tragedy. From our viewpoint it makes no sense. And in a wavering state of faith, we may be inclined to question why God in providence would allow such a thing to happen to a young girl who had a childlike faith in Him. But God allowed this kidnapping for a specific purpose. Just as it was not by chance that Joseph ended up in Potiphar’s household, or Daniel in the council of the king of Babylon, so too, it was not by chance that this young girl ended up in Naaman’s household as a servant to his wife. God allowed those events, as heart-wrenching as they were, to bring salvation to Naaman, a Gentile. His leprosy represents our sin; his cleansing in the Jordan River points to our cleansing in Christ. We see in this passage that the God of all grace often uses the most dire circumstances of life to bring people to Himself. It is true that sometimes, when His providence seems harsh, people blame God for their circumstances and turn from Him in bitterness. But for God’s elect, it is often the Lord’s providence in allowing the trials of life that brings them to saving faith in Christ. The passage also teaches us to have a childlike faith during the hard circumstances of life, which makes a powerful witness to others, as did the unnamed girl’s testimony that led Naaman to salvation. Suggestions for prayer Thank the Lord for cleansing us from sin through the fountain of Christ’s shed blood, prefigured and typified by Naaman’s cleansing in the Jordan River. And pray that your life would be a witness to that cleansing power of Christ. Pastor Ted Gray is an emeritus minister of First United Reformed Church in Oak Lawn, Illinois. Before serving in Oak Lawn, Pastor Gray served Orthodox Presbyterian churches in Oregon and Florida, and Christian Reformed churches in Vermont and Illinois. He and his wife, Karen, reside in Crown Point, Indiana. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

May 14 - Providential protection

“Keep me as the apple of your eye; hide me in the shadow of your wings…” - Psalm 17:8 Scripture reading: Psalm 91:1-14 Have you ever complained about being stuck in traffic, yet further down the road you see a tragic accident, a mangled mass of metal, and you wonder, “Did anyone survive?” And then you realize that if you had not been in the traffic jam that caused you to complain, you would have been in that horrific accident. God not only works for our good by what He does, but also by what He prevents. It is the “preventive providence” of God for which we often forget to thank Him. That is the providence Psalm 91:3 describes: “For He will deliver you from the snare of the fowler…” A snare is that unseen death trap that catches its prey unaware. How often have you been spared from snares you didn’t even see. But more important than physical protection, the Lord, with His eye on His people, gives spiritual protection. We pray about that in the Lord’s prayer when we pray: “And lead us not into temptation…” (Matthew 6:13). That petition is a prayer for strength in facing temptation, but also for the “preventive providence” of God. It includes asking the Lord to prevent circumstances that would lead us into temptation. Looking back on your life, even if you are young, you can undoubtedly see situations and circumstances where God intervened in unique ways to protect you from harm, to provide for you, and to guard you from further temptation. Why? Because He is the omniscient, loving God whose eye is always on His people. Suggestions for prayer Thank God for the many times He has spared you from tragedy and temptation, even though at the time you were unaware of the danger you faced. Pastor Ted Gray is an emeritus minister of First United Reformed Church in Oak Lawn, Illinois. Before serving in Oak Lawn, Pastor Gray served Orthodox Presbyterian churches in Oregon and Florida, and Christian Reformed churches in Vermont and Illinois. He and his wife, Karen, reside in Crown Point, Indiana. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

May 13 - Worry quelled by providence

“…The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” - Philippians 4:5-7 Scripture reading: Esther 5:9-6:14 God’s providence includes His sovereign guidance over all the circumstances of our lives. It was because of God’s providence that the king could not sleep (6:1) which shed light on Mordecai’s unrewarded protection of the king (6:2), and ultimately led to the demise of Haman, the ruthless enemy of God’s people (6:13). Because God works His providential care through everyday circumstances, we can be patient when things go against us, thankful when things go well, having full confidence that nothing can separate us from God’s love (Heidelberg Catechism, Lord’s Day 10). Those who trust in God’s providence have no reason to worry, though we often do. And although we trust God’s providence through the everyday events of our lives, we are still to make plans. As Ecclesiastes 11:6 teaches: “In the morning sow your seed, and at evening withhold not your hand, for you do not know which will prosper, this or that, or whether both alike will be good.” We are not to be idle like those in Thessalonica who, expecting the Lord’s imminent return, quit their jobs. The apostle had to remind them, “If anyone is not willing to work, let him not eat” (2 Thessalonians 3:10). But even though we plan, and work, and diversify as Ecclesiastes 11:6 tells us to do, we have no reason for worry. The same God who watched over and delivered Esther and Mordecai from Haman and his cruel edict is the God who watches over you and me. Suggestions for prayer Read, memorize, and pray back to the Lord Philippians 4:5b-7 and Matthew 6:25-34. Those passages quell the worry that rises up within each one of us. Pastor Ted Gray is an emeritus minister of First United Reformed Church in Oak Lawn, Illinois. Before serving in Oak Lawn, Pastor Gray served Orthodox Presbyterian churches in Oregon and Florida, and Christian Reformed churches in Vermont and Illinois. He and his wife, Karen, reside in Crown Point, Indiana. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

May 12 - Providence and reliance on God

“Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death. But that was to make us rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead.” - 2 Co...

Daily devotional

May 11 - The ultimate work of providence

“This Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men.” - Acts 2...

Daily devotional

May 10 - Not by chance

“The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the LORD.” - Proverbs 16:33 Scripture reading: 2 Chronicles 18:28-34 Not onl...

Daily devotional

May 9 - The new heavens and earth

“But according to his promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.” - 2 Peter 3:13 Scripture reading...

Daily devotional

May 8 - An unbreakable covenant

“While the earth remains, seed time and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night, shall not cease.” - Genesis 8:22 Scripture reading: Jeremiah 33:14-26; 2 Peter 3:8-13 Many “experts” predict that the world will end due to a great calamity from climate change or a meteor striking the earth. But the Lord assures us that the sun will rise and set each day until He fulfills His purpose in Christ. That was true for the first coming of Christ during His earthly ministry. And it will be true for His second coming, when every eye will see Him and every knee bow before Him, acknowledging He is Lord of all to the glory of God the Father (Philippians 2:10, 11). The earth won’t be destroyed by a great disaster. God’s promise is that the sun will rise and the sun will set, day after day, until the last Day – that great and glorious Day when Jesus returns and will end history as we know it. Then no longer will the sun be a mark for the day and the moon for the night, for as Revelation 21:23 tells us, “The city” – the heavenly Jerusalem, secured by the eternal kingship and priesthood of Christ – “has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and its lamp is the Lamb.” God will not allow His creation to be destroyed but will preserve it until Jesus returns. And in the meantime, we are to hasten the second coming of Jesus Christ by living holy and godly lives as we witness to those around us. Suggestions for prayer Thank the Lord for His unbreakable covenant, secured by Christ, of both salvation and the preservation of the world. And pray for God’s sanctifying grace in your life so that you are an increasingly legible “letter from Christ…known and read by all” (2 Corinthians 3:2, 3) to hasten the Lord’s return (2 Peter 3:11, 12). Pastor Ted Gray is an emeritus minister of First United Reformed Church in Oak Lawn, Illinois. Before serving in Oak Lawn, Pastor Gray served Orthodox Presbyterian churches in Oregon and Florida, and Christian Reformed churches in Vermont and Illinois. He and his wife, Karen, reside in Crown Point, Indiana. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

May 7 - New creations in Christ

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” - 2 Corinthians 5:17 Scripture reading: 2 Corinthians 5:1-6:2 Have you ever run across someone who you knew years ago, and when you see them again, they are totally different than they were in the past? Sometimes the changes are for the worse. The person you knew with so much potential turns out to be addicted to drugs, ensnared in immorality, or ruled by alcohol. But other times you meet people who have changed for the better. Sometimes those who were living apart from the Lord are transformed, as Saul of Tarsus was, and are clearly new creations in Christ. When God graciously gives us new life – salvation from sin through faith in Christ – a metamorphosis takes place. Just as a caterpillar is transformed into a beautiful butterfly, we are transformed into new creations in Christ. As new creations in Christ, our goal becomes to die to self and to live for Christ (15). We gain a transformed view of the world (16), and we become committed to the message of reconciliation (19, 20), motivated by the love of Christ which compels us to witness to others the wonderful truth that “For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (21). Our transformation is not instant (though our justification is), but our sanctification is a gradual yet definite growth in grace, knowledge and love for God and others; it is a result of God’s gracious work of spiritual growth within the life of every true believer. Suggestions for prayer If the Lord is graciously transforming your life, prayerfully thank Him and strive to live as a new creation in Christ. And if you are still resisting the Lord, like Saul of Tarsus, know that now is the day of salvation (6:2) and pray for God’s saving grace in your life. Pastor Ted Gray is an emeritus minister of First United Reformed Church in Oak Lawn, Illinois. Before serving in Oak Lawn, Pastor Gray served Orthodox Presbyterian churches in Oregon and Florida, and Christian Reformed churches in Vermont and Illinois. He and his wife, Karen, reside in Crown Point, Indiana. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

May 6 - Our place in the world

“What is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him?” - Psalm 8:4 Scripture reading: Psalm 8:1-9; Hebrews 2:5-9 If you have ever stood at the edge of the ocean, or watched a sunset over picturesque mountains, or stood in a meadow soaking in the sun’s rays while surrounded by a forest of trees, you can relate to David’s exclamation in verse 1. But as we soak in God’s creation, we can also relate to David’s question in verses 3 and 4. We are so insignificant compared to the vastness of creation! We are so temporary and frail compared to the longevity and power of the sea, mountains, plains and forests God has created. Yet the Lord, having created us in His image, crowns us with glory and honor, and gives us eternal significance, even “dominion over the works of (his) hands” (6) – not in ourselves – but in Christ. The author of Hebrews quotes from Psalm 8 in Hebrews 2:6-8, and then makes the remarkable observation that Christ, through Whom the world was created (Hebrews 1:2), was made a little lower than the angels for our sake (9). After quoting this Psalm, the author of Hebrews points out that at present we don’t see everything in subjection to Christ. Often it looks just the opposite to us, as though evil has dominion and the evil one rules. But by faith we know that Christ is now far above the angelic realm, “crowned with glory and honor” (Hebrews 2:9), because by His death and resurrection He has given life to all who by God’s grace have saving faith in Him alone. Suggestions for prayer Express deep and sincere gratitude to Christ that He was willing to subject Himself to humiliation – lower than the angels He created – to redeem sinners who trust in Him alone for their salvation. Pastor Ted Gray is an emeritus minister of First United Reformed Church in Oak Lawn, Illinois. Before serving in Oak Lawn, Pastor Gray served Orthodox Presbyterian churches in Oregon and Florida, and Christian Reformed churches in Vermont and Illinois. He and his wife, Karen, reside in Crown Point, Indiana. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

May 5 - God’s wisdom and knowledge in creation and providence

“By the word of the LORD the heavens were made, and by the breath of his mouth all their host.” - Psalm 33:6 Scripture reading: Psalm 33:1-22 When God created the universe, He did so with precision that is hard for us to grasp. For instance, although it seems as though we are standing still, the earth’s rotation at the equator is 1,037 miles per hour (1,670 kilometers per hour). And we should be thankful! The rotation of the earth gives us day and night. In addition, gravitational pull and inertia ensure that the earth revolves the exact distance from the sun to make it habitable, neither totally scorched nor totally frozen. It reminds us of the infinite wisdom of our Creator! As we move, we are tilted. It seems straight but in actuality, we are at a twenty-three-and-a-half-degree angle. Before trying to straighten up, be glad that the earth is on its axis at just the right angle. If it wasn’t, there would be no seasons of winter, spring, summer and fall. No wonder the account of creation, in Genesis 1, declares: “God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good” (Genesis 1:31). The Lord not only created the cosmos with perfection and precision, but He also carefully watches over His creation. He brings the counsel of nations to nothing (Ps. 3:10) and thwarts even the largest armies (16, 17). This knowledge of creation and providence should instill within us great joy in our daily walk (1-3), and firm confidence for the future, for He Who created the world “is our help and our shield” (20). Suggestion for prayer Thank God for His creation and His providential care for it. Ask forgiveness for taking for granted the unique and amazing way that the Lord created the heavens and the earth, and how He providentially watches over His creation. Pastor Ted Gray is an emeritus minister of First United Reformed Church in Oak Lawn, Illinois. Before serving in Oak Lawn, Pastor Gray served Orthodox Presbyterian churches in Oregon and Florida, and Christian Reformed churches in Vermont and Illinois. He and his wife, Karen, reside in Crown Point, Indiana. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

May 4 - Revealed in the world and the word

“The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork...The law of the LORD is perfect, reviving the soul; the testimony ...

Daily devotional

May 3 - Our Creator and our Helper

“Our help is in the name of the LORD, who made heaven and earth.” - Psalm 124:8 Scripture reading: Genesis 1:1-31 The creation of the enti...

Daily devotional

May 2 - Wonderful are your works!

“Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Tell me, if you have understanding.” - Job 38:4 Scripture reading: Psalm 104:1-35 ...

Daily devotional

May 1 - Introduction to God’s creation

Can you imagine an artist painting a picture without a plan or purpose for that picture? Even an abstract artist has a purpose for the abstract art th...

Daily devotional

April 30 - It is finished

“…they shall come and proclaim his righteousness to a people yet unborn, that he has done it.” - Psalm 22:30 Scripture reading: Ephesians 1:3-10 Martin Luther helps us here in his comment on the phrase, a people yet unborn. He says, What is this? What people is there that is not born? According to my understanding I think this is said for a reason – because the people of other kings are formed by laws, by customs, and by manners. But these are not the things by which you can move a man to true righteousness: it is only a fable of righteousness, and a mere theatrical scene or representation. For even the law of Moses could form the people of the Jews unto nothing but hypocrisy. But the people of this King are not formed by laws to make up an external appearance. They are made by water and the Spirit into a new creature of truth. How very true! The psalmist is taking a glimpse into the most glorious future. That’s why he wraps up this psalm with the word that answers the question he began it with. In verse 1, the suffering Servant cried out, My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? It was the deepest pit of despair – the situation of being so totally outside of God’s care. And now look at what we have here. The last word says that he has done it. And wasn’t this the last word of the cross as well? All of what the suffering Servant went through was for you. And it was enough. It is finished, Christ cried from the cross. He thereby proclaims His righteousness through all the ages of human history. By making the cross to Jesus the ladder leading up to heaven, God accomplished His saving plan for His people. Hallelujah! Suggestions for prayer Praise God for His love shown in His Son. Thank Him every day for the difference it makes until we are in heaven. Rev. Sjirk Bajema currently serves the RCNZ Oamaru, in Oamaru, New Zealand. Over the past thirty-eight years Rev. Bajema has been privileged to minister with four congregations in Australia and New Zealand. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

April 29 - Covenantal continuity

“Posterity shall serve him; it shall be told of the LORD to the coming generation…” - Psalm 22:30 Scripture reading: Psalm 78:1-8 It’s quite a scene! All over the world God’s Spirit is moving; all over the world the gospel is convicting and converting; just as the prophet said it would be. What this suffering Servant has gone through isn’t to be held down – for the people all over the world aren’t to be held back! The depth of this is brought out in verse 30. Posterity shall serve him, it says, it will be told of the LORD to the coming generation. Though the Church of Jesus Christ has gone through some tough times, times when it almost seemed that the light would be extinguished altogether, yet a remnant remained. And through that remnant the gospel has been passed down to children and grandchildren. It is nothing to be ashamed of the fact that our churches continue and grow through our children. It’s quite scriptural, in fact – Psalm 22:30 declares it! Through the ages and in different places this has always been the way the reign of the Lord Jesus takes effect in this world. And while there are still others who hear and respond to the good news, they themselves will teach it to their children. It is with the whole heart of this biblical faith that the psalmist concludes so decisively! He is leaving us in no doubt whatsoever! Suggestions for prayer Thank the Lord for the blessing of a covenant community. Thank Him for the heritage of those who have gone before us. Ask Him for guidance and strength to pass it on to the next generation. Rev. Sjirk Bajema currently serves the RCNZ Oamaru, in Oamaru, New Zealand. Over the past thirty-eight years Rev. Bajema has been privileged to minister with four congregations in Australia and New Zealand. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

April 28 - Every knee shall bow

“All the prosperous of the earth eat and worship; before him shall bow all who go down to the dust, even the one who could not keep himself alive.” - Psalm 22:29 Scripture reading: Philippians 2:1-11 Verse 29 begins with a contrast to verse 26. In verse 26 it had been the poor in Israel feasting with the Lord, and now it’s the rich of the world who are sitting down at that table. Those in the world who are so full of what they have and what they have done, have to put all that aside in joining the poor at this meal. That is truly humbling – that is when a king is so powerful all are worshipping him. And this King alone is that One, for this is the spiritual feast brought about by the mighty act of rescue God has done! It is no wonder those who are brought out of the dark pagan night embrace this so joyfully. Because it is good news – this is truly living! In the words of Robert Browning, Easter day breaks! Christ arises! Mercy every way is infinite! Earth breaks up; Time drops away; In flows heaven with its new day of endless life! How humbling it is for them, is accentuated in the rest of verse 29. It’s the rich and the poor, who see that they cannot keep themselves alive, who come to faith in Jesus Christ. Those brought to the overwhelming sense of their complete sinfulness are granted forgiveness. They have bowed the knee! Suggestions for prayer Plead with God that we would always be bending the knee in our walk with Jesus. Thank God that Jesus is King and there is no better Master. Rev. Sjirk Bajema currently serves the RCNZ Oamaru, in Oamaru, New Zealand. Over the past thirty-eight years Rev. Bajema has been privileged to minister with four congregations in Australia and New Zealand. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

April 27 - It’s on his head

‘All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to the LORD, and all the families of the nations shall worship before you. For kingship belongs to the LORD, and he rules over the nations.” - Psalm 22:27-28 Scripture reading: Psalm 22:22-26 It is all coming to a head. However, in complete contrast to earlier in this psalm when it all came upon the suffering Servant’s head, now we see what was on his head all along because he wears the crown! The suffering Servant is the King! The previous five verses have quite rightly raised up the thanksgiving of the congregation through the public worship of God’s people then – Israel. The suffering Servant is their ruler – He is ‘The King of the Jews’. Mark 15:26 tells us this was written upon the cross. Yet Christ was always much more than this. Verse 26 declares that he rules over the nations. The Hebrew word for His ruling here describes a king being exalted above others by virtue of His office. He is the King above all kings, he is the ruler of kings on earth, to quote Revelation 1:5. The suffering Servant expects that as a result of His rescue, the conversion of the nations will take place. So the work He has done, when it’s proclaimed throughout the nations, will mean many more coming to worship the Lord God through Him. How much wouldn’t that sound wrong to physical Israel! But how much doesn’t it make us right with God – we, the pagans spread throughout all the nations. This is what David prophesies here, for no other experience of suffering and divine deliverance, other than our Lord’s experience of the cross and resurrection, has had such a universal effect. Suggestions for prayer Thank Jesus for His victory over sin, death and hell, which is what we celebrate every Lord’s Day again. Ask for His Spirit’s help to live that truth out in our lives. Rev. Sjirk Bajema currently serves the RCNZ Oamaru, in Oamaru, New Zealand. Over the past thirty-eight years Rev. Bajema has been privileged to minister with four congregations in Australia and New Zealand. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

April 26 - The ends of the earth

“All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to the LORD, and all the families of the nations shall worship before you.” - Psalm 22:27 ...

Daily devotional

April 25 - Joyful affliction

“The afflicted shall eat and be satisfied; those who seek him shall praise the LORD! May your hearts live forever!” - Psalm 22:26 Scripture r...

Daily devotional

April 24 - A cloud of witnesses

“From you comes my praise in the great congregation; my vows I will perform before those who fear him.” - Psalm 22:25 Scripture reading: Hebrew...

Daily devotional

April 23 - Here is the lowest

“For he has not despised or abhorred the affliction of the afflicted, and he has not hidden his face from him, but has heard, when he cried to him.�...

Daily devotional

April 22 - Praise is the highest

“You who fear the LORD, praise him! All you offspring of Jacob, glorify him, and stand in awe of him, all you offspring of Israel!” - Psalm 22:23 Scripture reading: Revelation 7:9-17 The suffering Servant now doesn’t only call out from the midst of the congregation, as in verse 22, He also calls out to the congregation. To cry out to them to fear the LORD is to highly respect the God of Revelation. Charles Spurgeon writes of the expression stand in awe: The more we praise God the more reverently shall we fear him, and the deeper our reverence the sweeter our songs. So much does Jesus value praise that we have it here under his dying hand and seal that all the saints must glorify the Lord. It’s in His saints praising Him that God delights in so much. In fact, this is the activity he most loves us to do. While verse 23 ending with the call to revere the Lord may seem an unnecessary repetition for those who have just been commended for doing that, it’s actually the most important task we can always be encouraged to do more. Besides, aren’t the true saints always going to welcome such a reminder? It’s the unbelieving ones who will soon enough resent being nudged about this. For them once on Sunday is more than enough. In fact, you’ll find that worshipping on Christmas and Easter only suits them just fine! The suffering Servant, with an immediate response and together with the saints – His brothers and sisters in the faith – gives thanks. And let’s sing it out! Suggestions for prayer Pray that our praising God will have an added zeal. Thank Him that in His Son we know so much why it’s the very best thing. Rev. Sjirk Bajema currently serves the RCNZ Oamaru, in Oamaru, New Zealand. Over the past thirty-eight years Rev. Bajema has been privileged to minister with four congregations in Australia and New Zealand. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

April 21 - Expressing thanks

“I will tell of your name to my brothers; in the midst of the congregation I will praise you…” - Psalm 22:22 Scripture reading: Hebrews 2:8-18 The verse immediately before our text, verse 21, ended with the certainty of being answered. In fact, we saw that the best translation of the Hebrew says, You have answered me! And He was. And so He straightaway says, Thank you. This is the sense of this verse. And it’s no ordinary thanks. He reacts to what’s happened by doing what God requires for rare and special blessings, for He goes to no less a place than the sanctuary of the Lord Himself. There He bears solemn testimony to the grace He’s received. Here is no rote Thank you but a response coming from deep in his heart. When He says, I will tell of your name to my brothers, He’s being very involved in this. The reference to the name, is telling about who God is and what He’s done. So the suffering Servant declares the gospel. He proclaims that this is the electing work of God the Father, carried out through the work of God the Son. That’s what the Scriptures are all about! And it’s done exactly where His people are, for it’s in the congregation that he’s praising God. There’s no thought of any alternative to this – not on some mountain top, out on the ocean, or across the sweeping plain. If you’re really serious about worshipping the way which pleases God you will be where He tells you to be – with His church! Suggestions for prayer Praise God that we do praise Him where He loves us to be – in the Church of Christ. Plead with God that His Spirit would turn many others to do this. Rev. Sjirk Bajema currently serves the RCNZ Oamaru, in Oamaru, New Zealand. Over the past thirty-eight years Rev. Bajema has been privileged to minister with four congregations in Australia and New Zealand. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

April 20 - The vital hinge

“Deliver my soul from the sword, my precious life from the power of the dog! Save me from the mouth of the lion! You have rescued me from the horns of the wild oxen!” - Psalm 22:20-21 Scripture reading: Hebrews 9:11-14 To say my soul is to emphasize the uniqueness of this life. It is a one off, an unrepeatable, once only event. And it’s laid out in this prayer to the Lord to be saved from the sword, the dogs and the lions and the wild oxen. What a contrast – the life of this man, compared with these evil men and animals. Will He be yet another one killed by the hatred and brutality of mankind? Is what He came to do going to be wasted on the altar of greed and perversity? No way! This One is the Way, the Truth, and the Life – to use the words of John 14:6. And verse 21 ends exactly on this note, doesn’t it? True, it begins with a plea. There, for the fifth time, he cries out for rescue! But he ends up thanking the Lord. The Hebrew literally says, You have answered me! This helps to make this the vital hinge of the psalm. Here it turns from the oppression of darkness to the dispersal of joy. And that ties in with the fulfilment of these words in the New Testament. As Hebrews 5:7 says, In the days of the flesh, Jesus offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to him who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverence Christ’s sacrifice was acceptable – that’s why He arose. Suggestions for prayer Praise God for the perfect sacrifice of His Son and thus His fulfilling the Father’s will. Pray that we will live the resurrected life in all we do. Rev. Sjirk Bajema currently serves the RCNZ Oamaru, in Oamaru, New Zealand. Over the past thirty-eight years Rev. Bajema has been privileged to minister with four congregations in Australia and New Zealand. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

April 19 - Faith cries

“But you, O LORD, do not be far off! O you my help, come quickly to my aid!” - Psalm 22:19 Scripture reading: Psalm 22:9-18 This is where the text changes around. Verse 19 begins the way verses 3 and 9 began. While they said, Yet, and this said, But, it has the same meaning – it’s the same Hebrew word. This is a word which is a conjunction. It means, in spite of that, or, however. Now in the third and final time this word appears in Psalm 22 it is all coming to a climax. The severe afflictions of the verses 12 to 18 bring out here a series of urgent cries. And it’s clear who He’s crying to. It’s the God of the covenant – YAHWEH. This is about the special relationship God has with His people. And there’s another word David uses for the Lord here. O you my help, he calls Him. In the depth of his utter weakness, he confesses God as the idea of strength. He declares the Lord is everything he is not! That’s faith. That’s believing when I am weak, He is strong. In the words of John Calvin, As his miseries had reached the utmost height, and as he saw not even a single ray of hope to encourage him to expect deliverance, it is a wonderful instance of the power of faith, that he not only endured his afflictions patiently, but that from the abyss of despair he arose to call upon God. Suggestions for prayer Thank the Lord that He is always there, even when we are so much in despair. Pray for His guidance and strength to sustain you through it all. Rev. Sjirk Bajema currently serves the RCNZ Oamaru, in Oamaru, New Zealand. Over the past thirty-eight years Rev. Bajema has been privileged to minister with four congregations in Australia and New Zealand. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

April 18 - Who won what?

“...they divide my garments among them, and for my clothing they cast lots.” - Psalm 22:18 Scripture reading: John 19:23-27 Our text contain...

Daily devotional

April 17 - Seeing ourselves

“I can count all my bones – they stare and gloat over me…” - Psalm 22:17 Scripture reading: Isaiah 52:13-15 Someone able to count all hi...

Daily devotional

April 16 - Pierced

“For dogs encompass me; a company of evildoers encircles me; they have pierced my hands and feet…” - Psalm 22:16 Scripture reading: John 20...

Daily devotional

April 15 - A suffering all of its own

“...my strength is dried up like a potsherd, and my tongue sticks to my jaws; you lay me in the dust of death.” - Psalm 22:15 Scripture readi...

Daily devotional

April 14 - The only way we could die

“I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint; my heart is like wax; it is melted within my breast...” - Psalm 22:14 Scripture reading: Isaiah 53:10-12 The dreadful state of the Servant cast into the midst of infuriated wild animals continues here. He is all alone, and nailed upon the cross. Verse 13 has confirmed this with the description of a ravening and roaring lion. Amos 3:4 tells us this roaring is what lions do when they’ve caught their prey. Then verse 14 graphically tells us what they do. The Servant’s body which is being poured out like water shows all the liquid being sapped from His body. This is the liquid which, as water and blood, is vital for survival. In the same verse we read Him tell that “all my bones are out of joint”. This means they are being stretched out in a forcible and anguishing way. And in the same verse still, there is the heart being like wax. This speaks of His burning pain, the inflammation of His wounds, and the pressure of blood on the head and the heart. These three actions are a clear description of but one type of execution – that of crucifixion. This can only be about being nailed to a cross. Suggestions for prayer Thank Jesus for His sacrifice for us. Thank Him that he took it on willingly, exactly for us. And pray that we will follow His example in making our lives sacrifices because of what He has done. Rev. Sjirk Bajema currently serves the RCNZ Oamaru, in Oamaru, New Zealand. Over the past thirty-eight years Rev. Bajema has been privileged to minister with four congregations in Australia and New Zealand. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

April 13 - Walking right in

“Many bulls encompass me; strong bulls of Bashan surround me; they open wide their mouth at me, like a ravening and roaring lion.” - Psalm 22:12-13 Scripture reading: Matthew 21:1-11 The Triumphal Entry marks the beginning of Passion Week. This is the period where Christ’s sufferings come to a head and result in His being severely physically and psychologically punished, followed by the most cruel and cursed death upon a cross. You would not have thought of such an end when reading the account of His journey into Jerusalem, however. The future for Jesus could not have looked brighter. The Messianic expectation on the part of the Jerusalem population, inflated greatly by Jewish pilgrims from all over the known world, together with the crowd coming in with the Lord, proclaimed Him, shouting, “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!” But the bullies were waiting for Him. Throughout His ministry the Pharisees and Sadducees and even Herodians had been plotting against Him. And Jesus walks right into it… Or does He? For how could He ever honestly be deceived? He who knows all things, and He who fulfils all that was prophesied of old that He would do. Even down to the type and age of the animal transporting Him – an animal no other conquering king would want to be seen upon. But let’s reflect also upon the fulfilment of our text’s prophesy. The enemy is opening his mouth wide to devour Him. And, in the words of 1 Peter 5:8, he is like a roaring lion, seeking to devour especially Him. Suggestions for prayer Lay before the Lord all His own who are worshipping Him today, and are so looking forward to remembering again His doing and dying for us. Ask Him to help us resist the evil one. Rev. Sjirk Bajema currently serves the RCNZ Oamaru, in Oamaru, New Zealand. Over the past thirty-eight years Rev. Bajema has been privileged to minister with four congregations in Australia and New Zealand. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

April 12 - Facing the bullies

“Many bulls encompass me; strong bulls of Bashan surround me...” - Psalm 22:12 Scripture reading: 1 Peter 2:18-25 It is all coming a lot closer now for the suffering Servant. In fact, the enemy is already all around Him. And there’s a definite ‘pack’ mentality about them. You see, they are circling Him. Verse 12 uses the imagery of bulls. And they’re strong bulls – the bulls of Bashan. Bashan, now that’s an arrogant place! Amos 4:1 describes the people there as being quite full of themselves, because they certainly had no room for anyone else. Why would they? Their land was fertile, their crops and cattle made them rich, as Deuteronomy 32:14 testifies. And didn’t they let you know it! From their position of power they move to oppress the weak. Here are the bullies of that time – the bullies who find each other and in joining together become a mob. So, while previously the psalm has pictured, in verses 1 and 2, the suffering Servant being left alone by God, and in verse 6 to 8 undergoing intense psychological scorn, now it becomes physical. In the words of Charles Spurgeon: The mighty ones in the crowd are here marked by the tearful eye of their victim. The priests, elders, scribes, Pharisees, rulers, and captains bellowed around the cross like wild cattle, fed in the fat and solitary pastures of Bashan, full of strength and fury; they stamped and foamed around the innocent One, and longed to gore Him to death with their cruelties. Suggestions for prayer Thank God for the gift of His Son who bore it all for us. Ask for a Christ-like spirit to face the bullies of today as they try to have their way. Rev. Sjirk Bajema currently serves the RCNZ Oamaru, in Oamaru, New Zealand. Over the past thirty-eight years Rev. Bajema has been privileged to minister with four congregations in Australia and New Zealand. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

April 11 - There is always prayer

“Be not far from me, for trouble is near, and there is none to help.” - Psalm 22:11 Scripture reading: Luke 22:39-46 What we hear in verse 11, with the cry to God that trouble is near and there’s no one to help, is a man in prayer. In fact, verse 11 is the loudest cry for help thus far in this psalm. Here the words are very direct for the first time. You see, we were not made to be on our own. It is when we are so alone that we particularly realize this. However, you are never actually really alone. The Lord is always with you. He never lets you down. But we let him down. We accept that Jesus had to tread the winepress alone. Yet, how much it would have hurt Him that all His disciples had deserted Him. Mark 14:50 says that they all fled. Christ had laid it all in His Father’s hands, however. He confessed in verse 10 that he was completely dependent upon Him. In God’s time He knows He will be delivered. Let’s do the same. Let’s look to Him when trouble is near and seemingly there is no one there. But let’s also do this when it seems as if you do have everything you need here! Suggestions for prayer Ask the Lord that you will turn to him in prayer – real prayer. Not the quickly muttered and recited formulae, but with heartfelt and genuine words. And let’s pray for this in bad times – and good! Rev. Sjirk Bajema currently serves the RCNZ Oamaru, in Oamaru, New Zealand. Over the past thirty-eight years Rev. Bajema has been privileged to minister with four congregations in Australia and New Zealand. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

April 10 - True trust

“On you was I cast from my birth, and from my mother’s womb you have been my God.” - Psalm 22:10 Scripture reading: Matthew 6:25-34 Verse ...

Daily devotional

April 9 - Yet!

“Yet you are he who took me from the womb; you made me trust you at my mother’s breasts.” - Psalm 22:9 Scripture reading: Psalm 139:1-16 ...

Daily devotional

April 8 - Words do hurt

“All who see me mock me; they make mouths at me; they wag their heads; “He trusts in the LORD; let him deliver him; let him rescue him, for he del...

Daily devotional

April 7 - This pains because be belongs

“But I am a worm and not a man, scorned by mankind and despised by the people.” - Psalm 22:6 Scripture reading: Luke 23:13-25 We come here...

Daily devotional

April 6 - Where the past comes in

“In you our fathers trusted; they trusted, and you delivered them. To you they cried and were rescued; in you they trusted and were not put to shame.” - Psalm 22:4-5 Scripture reading: Hebrews 1:1-4 Notice how many times the word “trust” appears in the text. Three times! And then notice how this word is used. It is tied in with being saved. In verse 4 the result of trusting is being delivered. So trust and deliverance are juxtaposed as cause and effect. Trusting looks to being saved. Then in verse 5 it has a different sense. There trusting and being rescued, or being “not put to shame”, are in a reciprocal relationship; they go together. It’s this second sense which further confirms how Messianic this psalm is. With Christ being man and God, His human side was thoroughly Israelite, while the God of Israel is also the God of salvation. So He pleads upon the promises He Himself has given to His people. They are the promises which, throughout the Church’s history, Christ has kept. And so our text tells us we must plead this way with God. We remind the Lord of the love He’s shown to His own in the past. We beg Him to remain constant. Let’s also have this very much upon our hearts as we worship together today. We aren’t isolated pockets of people, but are part of the greatest movement throughout the ages. Suggestions for prayer Thank the Lord for this day He gives us – the Lord’s Day. Praise Him that we are part of those heading to eternity with Him. Rev. Sjirk Bajema currently serves the RCNZ Oamaru, in Oamaru, New Zealand. Over the past thirty-eight years Rev. Bajema has been privileged to minister with four congregations in Australia and New Zealand. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

April 5 - He looks up

“Yet you are holy, enthroned on the praises of Israel.” - Psalm 22:3 Scripture reading: Revelation 4:1-11 Verse 3 shows this sufferer’s changed perspective. Now he doesn’t plead for mercy to God. Instead, he acknowledges who God is! There is no desperate cry here. The alienation is set aside. Naturally you would think he would appeal to the compassion of God. Isn’t that what we see elsewhere in the psalms and throughout Scripture? Psalm 103:13-14 is but one example amongst many. Yet, it’s the highest ground of all that David reaches for here – the holiness of God. This is his next prayerful appeal. Can he do this, though? Doesn’t the theme of God as “holy” really bring out the biggest difference there could be between himself and God? Does it? Look again. For in the same line as “holy” there is also the name “Israel”. He who is the holy God is also the God who made a covenant with His chosen people. It would be impossible for an Israelite to think of God’s holiness without also considering that covenant relationship. In Leviticus 19:1 the Lord tells His people through Moses, “Be holy because I, the LORD your God, am holy.” And how much isn’t this vividly shown with the picture from heaven in our reading? I mean, how else would you know God thus? And how else would you even think to live this way? Suggestions for prayer Confess those times you have thought and said and did what was against what you should be in Christ. Praise the Lord that he forgives you and renews you. Rev. Sjirk Bajema currently serves the RCNZ Oamaru, in Oamaru, New Zealand. Over the past thirty-eight years Rev. Bajema has been privileged to minister with four congregations in Australia and New Zealand. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

April 4 - A type of grief

“My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, from the words of my groaning? O my God, I cry by day, but you do not answer, and by night, but I find no rest.” - Psalm 22:1-2 Scripture reading: Isaiah 53:1-3 The image of the child pleading for his parent continues here in verse 2. And not the nagging speech of a naughty child either! For here is a child who is quite lost. In the words of Derek Kidner, It is not a lapse of faith, nor a broken relationship, but a cry of disorientation as God’s familiar, protective presence is withdrawn. This is a pleading from the heart. We can equate what’s pictured here in verses 1 and 2 with a type of grief. There is tremendous sadness, a loss reaching to the very depths of his soul. However, this is no grief of the world. Indeed, this is not a sorrow without hope. In fact, after this world would have given up any thought of rescue ages ago, this man is still looking up. Right when it couldn’t get any deeper, he actually reaches for the highest rock of all! That’s faith. Moreover, in no one else is it more perfectly shown than in God’s Son – the Messiah Himself? David could only ever be a mere shadow of the substance. Suggestions for prayer Pray, confessing that it was your sin that meant God’s Son had to undergo this worst of all grief. Thank our dear Saviour that he did all this looking up perfectly to the Father. Rev. Sjirk Bajema currently serves the RCNZ Oamaru, in Oamaru, New Zealand. Over the past thirty-eight years Rev. Bajema has been privileged to minister with four congregations in Australia and New Zealand. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

April 3 - Why?

“My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, from the words of my groaning? O my God, I cry by day, but you do not answer, and by night, but I find no rest.” - Psalm 22:1-2 Scripture reading: Matthew 27:45-54 The word “why” is so compelling here. For here is no sigh of impatience and despair but instead it is a cry of alienation and yearning. The person saying this – the sufferer – feels himself utterly rejected by God. This is not the “why” of a sinful questioning of one whose heart rebels against this humbling, but rather the cry of the lost child who cannot understand why his father has left him. And he so desperately longs to see his father’s face again. He has lost God’s loving presence and thus he is undergoing divine wrath. Nevertheless, he’s not letting go! He calls out twice “My God” – three times when you add verse 2. He doesn’t think for a moment, ‘This is it’, for right behind the dark cloud he knows there’s the sunshine of God’s love. We realize that the imagery of “day” and “night” in verse 2 alludes to the literal day and night Jesus faced on the cross. This is what we read in Matthew 27:45, just before Jesus uttered the words of verse 1. While his situation is dark, the light couldn’t be brighter. Suggestions for prayer Thank God this being separated from His love is only what His Son could bear – and He did! Pray that we will trust in God, especially in our darkest moments. Rev. Sjirk Bajema currently serves the RCNZ Oamaru, in Oamaru, New Zealand. Over the past thirty-eight years Rev. Bajema has been privileged to minister with four congregations in Australia and New Zealand. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

April 2 - The psalm of the cross

“My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” - Psalm 22:1a Scripture reading: Psalm 22:1-8 These are words we all know. And we especially kno...

Daily devotional

April 1 - Introduction to the prophecies of the Messiah

Daily devotional

March 31 - The Father of lights who does not change

Daily devotional

March 30 - We have thought on your steadfast love

“Walk about Zion, go around her, number her towers, consider well her ramparts, go through her citadels, that you may tell the next generation that ...

Daily devotional

March 29 - God is good

“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 Scripture reading: Psalm 73:1-28 James literally says in verse 16, stop being deceived, my beloved brothers. In other words, these suffering Christians had already begun to doubt God’s goodness and wisdom. Maybe you’ve heard someone say, “Feed your faith, and your doubts will starve.” That’s good advice. The way to feed your faith is to take a long, hard look at God, as He shows Himself to you in the creation, in His Word, in Jesus Christ. James is saying in verse 17, Let’s look at God. Let’s think about who He is and how He deals with us. We believe that God is good. That’s at the very heart of everything that we believe about Him. But God’s goodness is greater and deeper than we imagine. It’s not as simple as, God is good, so He would never let His children suffer. God’s goodness includes loving discipline. Solomon says in Proverbs 3:11-12, “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.” Hebrews 12:8 adds, “If you are left without discipline, then you are illegitimate children, and not sons.” God’s record shows that His goodness is beyond all doubt. James tells us not to let our suffering raise doubts about His goodness. “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.” Suggestions for prayer Ask the Lord to help you to recognize and to trust in His goodness, so that you can submit to His discipline, knowing that He disciplines you because He loves you. Rev. Dick Wynia graduated from the Canadian Reformed Theological Seminary in 1986, and was ordained to the ministry in 1987. He has served four congregations, in Aylmer ON, Calgary AB, Wyoming ON and in Beamsville ON. After almost 37 years in active ministry, he recently became a minister emeritus. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

March 28 - Lured and enticed to our death

“Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death.” - James 1:15 Scripture reading: 1 John 2:15-25 James uses fishing as a way to teach us how temptation works. A fisherman uses a sharp hook with a barbed point to catch fish and once a fish is on the hook, it can’t get loose. But fishermen don’t just put a bare hook in the water and hope a fish will come along and swallow it. They put something on the hook that the fish like in order to attract the fish, and to hide the deadly hook. Then the fish come along, and eagerly swallow the very thing that’s going to kill them. James says sin is like the fisherman’s hook: it’s an instrument of death. Paul says in Romans 6:23 that the wages of sin is death. Sin brings about brokenness and sorrow in our relationships, and makes us feel ashamed and guilty. Those are not the accidental byproducts of temptation and sin. It’s what our spiritual enemies intend. When Satan tempted Eve to disobey God, he deceived her, and his intention was that she would die. He is a liar and a murderer. Our enemies disguise the deadly hook with things that promise to give us what we want: power, pleasure, freedom or wealth. Those are “the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul” (I Peter 2:11) designed to get us to swallow the very thing that will lead to our death. Your spiritual enemies are liars and murderers; they use your own desires to lure you to your death. Suggestions for prayer Confess to the Lord that sin is often attractive to you; ask Him to help you see its true nature and turn away from it with all your heart. Rev. Dick Wynia graduated from the Canadian Reformed Theological Seminary in 1986, and was ordained to the ministry in 1987. He has served four congregations, in Aylmer ON, Calgary AB, Wyoming ON and in Beamsville ON. After almost 37 years in active ministry, he recently became a minister emeritus. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

March 27 - Be watchful

“Desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death.” - James 1:15 Scripture reading: 1 Peter 5:6-11 James talks about desire and temptation as if they were a man and a woman. Temptation comes along, it meets your desire and when they get together, desire conceives a child, called sin. This is where our selfish and hateful words and actions come from. When God warned Cain in Genesis 4:7, He spoke about sin as if it were a predator: “If you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is contrary to you (or, for you).” Again and again, when it comes to dealing with temptation and sin, Jesus and His apostles repeatedly warn us to be watchful (e.g. Matthew 26:41, I Corinthians 16:13, Galatians 6:1, I Peter 5:8). That means that God gives us the responsibility for the choices we make. When your desire meets temptation and you give in, your desire conceives sin. What you do is what you chose to do. No one else, not even the devil, can “make you” sin. For all his power and his influence, he can’t make you do anything. It’s true, as we also confess in Lord’s Day 52, that “in ourselves we are so weak that we cannot stand even for a moment.” But God doesn’t leave us to face temptation on our own: “God is faithful, and He will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation He will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it” (I Corinthians 10:13). Suggestions for prayer Ask the Lord to help you to recognize that sin seeks to destroy you and to turn to Him in times of temptation so that you may remain faithful. Rev. Dick Wynia graduated from the Canadian Reformed Theological Seminary in 1986, and was ordained to the ministry in 1987. He has served four congregations, in Aylmer ON, Calgary AB, Wyoming ON and in Beamsville ON. After almost 37 years in active ministry, he recently became a minister emeritus. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

March 26 - Tempted in our suffering

“But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire.” - James 1:14 Scripture reading: Hebrews 4:14-5:10 Usually, when we think about temptation, we think of the temptation to do immoral things, to commit sexual sin, to steal something we want, or to cheat on a test or on our taxes. But we also face temptations when we suffer, when God doesn’t give us what we want. It’s not wrong to want our sick child to be healed, or to want our broken marriage or friendship to be restored, or to want relief from the heavy burdens that we carry. Many of the psalms are prayers for that kind of relief. But when those normal and good desires become demands, our desires are luring and enticing us, and leading us into sin. The temptation that we face when we’re suffering is discontentment, which is really unbelief. We then won’t accept God’s sovereignty in our lives, and that He really is allowed to do whatever He wants with us. It’s not enough for us that God promises that all things work together for good for those who love Him and that He will glorify Himself in our struggles. When you are tempted by discontentment, remember that you have a High Priest who stands at the right hand of God, to pray for you, a High Priest “who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need” (Hebrews 4:15-16). Suggestions for prayer Thank God for the gracious ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ on your behalf, and ask the Holy Spirit to help you believe that He has been tempted in every way as you have been, so that He can sympathize with your weaknesses. Rev. Dick Wynia graduated from the Canadian Reformed Theological Seminary in 1986, and was ordained to the ministry in 1987. He has served four congregations, in Aylmer ON, Calgary AB, Wyoming ON and in Beamsville ON. After almost 37 years in active ministry, he recently became a minister emeritus. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

March 25 - Lured and enticed by our own desires

“But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire.” - James 1:14 Scripture reading: Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23 Lord’s ...

Daily devotional

March 24 - Temptations make us exercise our faith

“Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God,” for God cannot be tempted with evil, and He Himself tempts no one.” - James 1...

Daily devotional

March 23 - We have thought on your steadfast love

“We have thought on Your steadfast love, O God, in the midst of Your temple.” - Psalm 48:9 Scripture reading: Psalm 103:1-8 The writer of Ps...

Daily devotional

March 22 - Trials and temptations

“Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God”” - James 1:13a Scripture reading: Ephesians 6:10-20 James said that God ...

Daily devotional

March 21 - Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth

“Like a flower of the grass he will pass away. For the sun rises with its scorching heat and withers the grass; its flower falls, and its beauty perishes. So also will the rich man fade away in the midst of his pursuits.” - James 1:10b-11 Scripture reading: Matthew 6:19-34 Wealth can be very deceptive. Because in this world, money is the measure of success and importance, and the key to security. Money is a key that opens many doors. And it can make you forget that you’re mortal. You’re going to die one day. We all tend to forget that, especially when we’re wealthy. Because everything seems to be within our reach, and so much seems to be under our control. But that’s an illusion. Jesus warns us in Luke 12, “Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.” James says, “You will pass away like a flower of the grass. The sun rises with its scorching heat, and withers the grass. Its flower falls, and its beauty perishes.” Everything that is alive today will one day be dead. It’s going to happen to us, too. How it will happen to each one of us, we don’t know. But it will, maybe because of sickness or old age or an accident. But, like a flower of the grass, even the rich man, who seemed so powerful and secure, will fade away in the midst of his pursuits. Jesus encourages us not to lay up treasures on earth, but to, “lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matthew 6:20). Suggestions for prayer Confess to the Lord that your heart is naturally inclined to put your trust in wealth and possessions, and ask Him to help you lay up treasures in heaven. Rev. Dick Wynia graduated from the Canadian Reformed Theological Seminary in 1986, and was ordained to the ministry in 1987. He has served four congregations, in Aylmer ON, Calgary AB, Wyoming ON and in Beamsville ON. After almost 37 years in active ministry, he recently became a minister emeritus. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

March 20 - We live by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord

“Let the … rich (boast) in his humiliation” - James 1:10a Scripture reading: Deuteronomy 8:1-20 We need food and a lot more besides that, to live. But when the Heidelberg Catechism is explaining why Christ taught us to ask God for our daily bread, it doesn’t say that it’s about physical survival, or even about having strength to do our work. Answer 125 says that Jesus taught us to ask God for our daily bread so that we learn to confess that He is the only fountain of all good. When God gives us material gifts, His purpose is to teach us to trust Him and to be thankful. In Deuteronomy 8, Moses explained to Israel why the LORD had let them hunger and then fed them with miraculous manna in the wilderness. He says, He was “testing you to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep His commandments or not. He humbled you and let you hunger and fed you with manna … that He might make you know that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD” (Deuteronomy 8:2b-3). Moses says the LORD used food and drink to discipline you the way a father disciplines his son. Discipline here means to train, to instruct, and this is God’s greatest purpose in giving us wealth: to teach us that we live by every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD. If we don’t learn that critical lesson, God’s good gifts can’t do us any good. Suggestions for prayer Ask the Lord to help you to learn the lesson that He wants to teach you in the material gifts He gives you, that you would learn that you live by every word that comes from His mouth. Rev. Dick Wynia graduated from the Canadian Reformed Theological Seminary in 1986, and was ordained to the ministry in 1987. He has served four congregations, in Aylmer ON, Calgary AB, Wyoming ON and in Beamsville ON. After almost 37 years in active ministry, he recently became a minister emeritus. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

March 19 - Thankfulness in poverty and in riches

“Let the lowly brother boast in his exaltation, and the rich in his humiliation.” - James 1:9-10a Scripture reading: Proverbs 30:1-9 By nature, when we’re poor, we tend to feel jealous of the rich. Jealousy is one of the most spiritually destructive things with which we have to struggle. By nature, when we’re rich, we tend to feel proud. We worked hard; we made the smart choices, and those poor people would be rich too, if they worked as hard or were as smart as we are. Pride is also one of the most spiritually destructive things with which we have to struggle. But the fact that those differences exist isn’t somehow wrong or sinful in itself. In His providence, God allows these kinds of differences; He even creates them. He says in Isaiah 45, “I bring prosperity and I create disaster.” So the differences in our circumstances are not the problem. The problem is that our flesh wants to take advantage of what God is doing or not doing in our lives to stir up feelings of jealousy and discontent, or to make us feel proud, to harden our hearts to the needs and the struggles of our brothers and sisters. If God hasn’t given you the things He’s given others, you have no reason to be jealous of anyone: you are God’s heirs, fellow heirs with Christ. And if God has given you things He hasn’t given to others, you have no reason to boast as if you earned them: they are God’s gifts to you. Rich or poor, we have every reason to be thankful and to be humble. Suggestions for prayer Confess to the Lord that you struggle with jealousy when others seem to have a better life than you do, and with pride when you compare yourself with those who haven’t received what you have, and ask Him to help you to be thankful and humbled because of His goodness towards you. Rev. Dick Wynia graduated from the Canadian Reformed Theological Seminary in 1986, and was ordained to the ministry in 1987. He has served four congregations, in Aylmer ON, Calgary AB, Wyoming ON and in Beamsville ON. After almost 37 years in active ministry, he recently became a minister emeritus. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

March 18 - Lowly believers boast in their exaltation

“Let the lowly brother boast in his exaltation.” - James 1:9 Scripture reading: Philippians 4:4-13 Some people suggest the lowly people James talks about are believers and the rich are unbelievers. That would have been very hard for his readers to understand and to accept: that God would let His people suffer and let their enemies prosper. But it doesn’t seem very likely that James would tell rich unbelievers to boast about their humiliation. He’s probably talking about differences that existed among the believers. Remember that some of these church members were refugees from Jerusalem, who may have come there with little more than the clothes on their backs, while other members had their homes, their jobs and their businesses. So there would have been poor members and rich members in the same congregation. That’s actually how things usually are. God deals differently with each one of us. Some are wealthy and others are not. Some are healthy and others experience a lot of sickness. Some people seem to have an easy time of things, and other people seem to have a lot of trouble of one kind or another. That presents a challenge to our contentment, to our joy and even to our faith. We naturally struggle with feelings of jealousy and discontent. But James urges us to see things from a different perspective: to remember that God also uses this trial to test our faith, leading us to spiritual maturity, and instead of becoming bitter, to rejoice in the high position we have, as the beloved children of God. Suggestions for prayer Ask the Lord to help you learn the secret of being content in any and every circumstance, trusting that you can do all things through Him. Rev. Dick Wynia graduated from the Canadian Reformed Theological Seminary in 1986, and was ordained to the ministry in 1987. He has served four congregations, in Aylmer ON, Calgary AB, Wyoming ON and in Beamsville ON. After almost 37 years in active ministry, he recently became a minister emeritus. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

March 17 - Faith is single-minded in its desire for Christ

Daily devotional

March 16 - The city of God is beautiful

“… the city of our God, which God will establish forever.” - Psalm 48:8 Scripture reading: Psalm 48:4-8; Matthew 16:13-20 We don’t kno...

Daily devotional

March 15 - Ask with no doubting

“Let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind.” - James 1:6 S...

Daily devotional

March 14 - The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom

Daily devotional

March 13 - We know God from his word and in Christ

“If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. But let him ask in faith… - James 1:5-6a Scripture reading: John 14:1-11 One of the hardest things for us to accept is the sovereignty of God over our lives. We confess it, especially when we talk about how God saves sinners. But when it comes to the way God directs the path of our lives, we’re not always ready to acknowledge and submit ourselves to His freedom to do whatever He pleases, and whatever He decides we need. But this belongs to the wisdom we need to count it all joy when we meet various trials. He’s God and we’re not. He’s not going to answer all our questions, or justify what He does in our lives. That’s hard for us, but the truth is that we don’t need to know why God is doing this to us and not to someone else. We don’t need to know what God is going to do in the future, or what the future is going to be like in order to be content. This is because we know God. The Bible is the record that shows us who He is and how He works, and what He’s like. Jesus says, “If you know Me, you know My Father. If you’ve seen Me, you’ve seen My Father” (John 14:7,9). It’s clear from God’s Word and in Jesus Christ that He loves us, and He’s committed to our salvation. Focusing on what God has revealed to us in Jesus Christ will give us the wisdom we need to count it all joy when we meet various trials. Suggestions for prayer Thank the Lord that you can be sure that you know Him as He is, because He has shown Himself to you in Jesus Christ. Rev. Dick Wynia graduated from the Canadian Reformed Theological Seminary in 1986, and was ordained to the ministry in 1987. He has served four congregations, in Aylmer ON, Calgary AB, Wyoming ON and in Beamsville ON. After almost 37 years in active ministry, he recently became a minister emeritus. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

March 12 - Asking God in faith

“If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. But let him ask in faith…” - James 1:5-6a Scripture reading: Isaiah 40:27-31 When we’re going through trials, we want to know, “Why? Why me and not them?” We think about sins we’ve committed and we start to wonder, “Is that why God is letting this happen to me – is He punishing me for what I did?” There are all kinds of hardships that we face as believers. Sometimes the future looks very dark, and there’s no reason to think that things are ever going to get better. It’s intimidating to realize that this is how your life is going to go, and there’s nothing you can do to change it. We want God to explain why bad things happen to us and not someone else. We want God to tell us what He’s going to do in our lives tomorrow, and how everything’s going to turn out. We want Him to promise us that He’s going to make our problems go away. But He doesn’t do that. We feel like there are things that we need to know, in order to have any kind of peace. We feel like we can’t find comfort or joy in Jesus Christ unless God answers our questions, and guarantees that our problems are going to go away. But faith believes what God promises us in His Word. In order for the testing of our faith to produce steadfastness, we have to stop insisting that we need to know what God doesn’t tell us, and focus instead on what He has told us. Suggestions for prayer Confess that it’s hard for you to trust Him when you don’t understand what He’s doing in your life, or in the lives of people you love, and ask Him to help you believe His promises. Rev. Dick Wynia graduated from the Canadian Reformed Theological Seminary in 1986, and was ordained to the ministry in 1987. He has served four congregations, in Aylmer ON, Calgary AB, Wyoming ON and in Beamsville ON. After almost 37 years in active ministry, he recently became a minister emeritus. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

March 11 - Ask God for wisdom

“If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.” - James 1:5 Scripture reading: Ephesians 1:15-23 It’s one thing for James to tell us to count it all joy when we meet trials of various kinds, but it doesn’t seem very realistic, does it? There are things that happen to people that cast dark shadows over their whole lives and their relationships. Some people have to endure awful sicknesses and pain; some live with the torment of mental illness. Others suffer because of war, or bitter conflict in their marriages or families. The pain of abuse, or injustice or betrayal, is just too great. We’d like to put some of those really hard situations in front of James and say to him, “Tell me how that person, in that situation, could ever count it all joy to be where they are, to go through what they have to go through?” It seems to us that some things that people have to go through are just too hard. James wouldn’t be surprised that we have questions about what he said. He knows that when we try to understand, and accept what’s happening to us on the basis of what we see, we’ll never be able to find any joy in our trials. When he tells us to ask God for wisdom, he isn’t promising that God will explain why you have to suffer as you do. He’s promising that God will give you the wisdom you need to trust Him on the basis of His promises, and of His track record of faithfulness and wisdom. Suggestions for prayer Ask the Lord to give you the wisdom which is born of faith, so that you can endure whatever trials He sends you. Rev. Dick Wynia graduated from the Canadian Reformed Theological Seminary in 1986, and was ordained to the ministry in 1987. He has served four congregations, in Aylmer ON, Calgary AB, Wyoming ON and in Beamsville ON. After almost 37 years in active ministry, he recently became a minister emeritus. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

March 10 - Do you need wisdom?

“If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God.” - James 1:5a Scripture reading: James 1:5-8 It might seem as if James has changed subjects all of a sudden. He was talking about trials and without explanation, he started talking about asking for wisdom. But when James says that we’re supposed to count it all joy whenever we meet trials of various kinds, we have to admit that we’re not sure that’s realistic. It seems to us that there are certain things that happen to people that make joy impossible. The pain of the abuse or injustice or betrayal they’ve experienced is just too great. That’s why James starts talking about wisdom here. Because if we’re going to count it all joy when we fall into various trials, so that the testing of our faith produces patience, we need wisdom. That means, we need to know and confess the truth about our trials. We need to understand them the right way, so that we deal with them the right way. That’s the wisdom that James is talking about. And that wisdom begins with the fear of the Lord (Proverbs 9:10). To put it very simply, when we meet trials, we need to remember who God is. That’s what it means to live by faith. It means that we consciously live our lives coram Deo, before the face of God. This is the wisdom that we need to ask God to give us: the wisdom of living our lives in the light of God’s Word, God’s promises, God’s character and God’s purposes. Suggestions for prayer Ask the Lord to help you live in the awareness that you live before His face, to fear Him and walk in the light of His Word. Rev. Dick Wynia graduated from the Canadian Reformed Theological Seminary in 1986, and was ordained to the ministry in 1987. He has served four congregations, in Aylmer ON, Calgary AB, Wyoming ON and in Beamsville ON. After almost 37 years in active ministry, he recently became a minister emeritus. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com. ...

Daily devotional

March 9 - The city of God is beautiful

“Within her citadels God has made Himself known as a fortress.” - Psalm 48:3 Scripture reading: Psalm 48:1-3 We confess (in Article 29 of th...

Daily devotional

March 8 - Who wants to be perfect

“…that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.” - James 1:4 Scripture reading: Colossians 1:24-29 I don’t know how much we ...

Daily devotional

March 7 - The full effect of steadfastness is perfection

Daily devotional

March 6 - Steadfastness in faith

“… you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.” - James 1:3 Scripture reading: I Peter 1:3-9 God the Father promises...

Daily devotional

March 5 - The good thing God is doing for you when you suffer

“… the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.” - James 1:3 Scripture reading: Deuteronomy 8:1-20 James says you know at least one good thing that God is doing when you face trials. He’s testing your faith. Sometimes when we have tests at school, it feels like the teacher wants us to fail. But when God tests our faith, that’s not His purpose. He’s proving your faith. James says that means exposing weaknesses, so that your faith can be purified and strengthened. We’re grafted into Jesus Christ by faith; that’s how we share in His life and in all His blessings. God wants our faith to be pure and strong, so that we take in everything that Christ has for us. But our faith is like gold. Gold has to be put through the fire to get rid of impurities. That’s why we should count it all joy when we meet trials of various kinds – because we know that God uses our trials to purify our faith. That doesn’t mean that we should pray that God will send trials into our lives. But, when they come, when we struggle and suffer, we have to believe God’s promise that He is at work in our trials. And the surprising thing is that when we hold onto His promises, even though life may be hard, we discover that our faith is growing. Even if we have questions that God doesn’t answer, still we feel the comfort of knowing that we belong to Christ in life and in death more deeply and truly than when all is going smoothly. Suggestions for prayer Ask the Lord to help you understand, and accept that your faith has to be tested by trials in order to be purified. Rev. Dick Wynia graduated from the Canadian Reformed Theological Seminary in 1986, and was ordained to the ministry in 1987. He has served four congregations, in Aylmer ON, Calgary AB, Wyoming ON and in Beamsville ON. After almost 37 years in active ministry, he recently became a minister emeritus. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

March 4 - Be on your guard against bitterness

“Count it all joy … when you meet various trials.” - James 1:2 Scripture reading: Hebrews 12:3-17 James promises us that God is working to purify our faith when we undergo trials. But our sworn enemies, the devil, the world and our own flesh are also eager to do their work when we suffer. They whisper words of doubt in our ears about God: What kind of Father can He be, to let His child go through this? Why do you have to suffer, and not those other people? They’re no better than you; in fact, they’re probably worse. But they seem to have it pretty easy. God’s not being fair. That’s often our first reaction when things go wrong: We get angry; we think God should justify what He’s doing to us. We wonder if God really loves us and if God is really looking after us. All we can see, all we can think about, is what should have happened and what shouldn’t have happened, and how we think our life is supposed to go. We feel like we can’t trust Him because He’s not giving us what we want, and He won’t tell us why He’s making us suffer. But that only makes us feel bitter. And bitterness stunts our growth and makes joy impossible. Then we don’t see God anymore as He shows Himself to us in Christ and throughout His Word. When you meet trials of various kinds, meditate on the gospel. Ask the Spirit to help you rejoice that God uses the testing of your faith to produce steadfastness. Suggestions for prayer Ask the Lord to forgive your anger or bitterness in times of trial and to strengthen your faith, so that you can rejoice at all times, even in suffering. Rev. Dick Wynia graduated from the Canadian Reformed Theological Seminary in 1986, and was ordained to the ministry in 1987. He has served four congregations, in Aylmer ON, Calgary AB, Wyoming ON and in Beamsville ON. After almost 37 years in active ministry, he recently became a minister emeritus. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

March 3 - God is at work for your good in all things

“Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.” - James 1:2-3 Scripture reading: Romans 8:18-30 James says that as believers, we know what’s really going on when we meet trials of various kinds, because we know that God uses trials to test our faith. When you confess that your trials have come to test your faith, you’re confessing that God is in control, that He directs every moment and every part of your life. You’re saying, “I know, I believe, that nothing just happens to happen in this world, or in my life.” We talk about accidents. We say, “This happened by accident,” or “I had an accident at work.” But when you think about what happened in the light of what God promises you in His Word, you know that there’s really no such thing as an accident. If you really believe that the Almighty Creator who still upholds and governs all things according to His eternal counsel is your Father for the sake of Jesus Christ, that makes all the difference in the way you think about your trials. Because you know that it is your Father in heaven who is bringing you through that hardship. And He does that for a reason, for a good reason. Paul says, “We know that in all things, God works for good for those who love Him” (Romans 8:28:a). Now the question is, Are those just words for you? Is that really what you think, what you confess about your problems? Then you can count it all joy when you meet trials of various kinds. Suggestions for prayer Ask the Lord to help you to truly trust His goodness and wisdom when He brings various trials into your life. Rev. Dick Wynia graduated from the Canadian Reformed Theological Seminary in 1986, and was ordained to the ministry in 1987. He has served four congregations, in Aylmer ON, Calgary AB, Wyoming ON and in Beamsville ON. After almost 37 years in active ministry, he recently became a minister emeritus. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

March 2 - The city of God is beautiful

“His holy mountain, beautiful in elevation, is the joy of all the earth.” - Psalm 48:1b Scripture reading: Psalm 48:1-3 In Psalm 46:4, it says, “There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God.” But the writer wasn’t talking about a literal river; He was talking about God. He’s saying, God Himself is the source of Jerusalem’s life; Jerusalem survives and flourishes because God lives there and pours out His blessings on His people. We find the same sort of thing in the opening verses of Psalm 48. Jerusalem wasn’t especially beautiful in terms of physical beauty, or architecture. Jerusalem wasn’t built on the highest mountain, nor was it admired by “all the earth”. The beauty and significance of Jerusalem for Israel and all the earth was not based on what anyone could see, on geographical facts, architectural excellence or political importance. You can only recognize the beauty and the glory of Zion when you see it by faith, when you know that God lives there and what God does there. “Within her citadels, God has made Himself known as a fortress.” (Psalm 48:3) God’s presence and saving work made Jerusalem beautiful and glorious. You can’t see the beauty and the glory of the congregation with which you gather today, or see the beauty and glory of her worship, unless you see with the eyes of faith. But by faith, you will see that God’s presence and God’s saving work make His people beautiful and glorious. Suggestions for prayer Ask the Lord to help you to recognize the beauty and the glory of His saving presence in the church to which you belong and with which you worship today. Rev. Dick Wynia graduated from the Canadian Reformed Theological Seminary in 1986, and was ordained to the ministry in 1987. He has served four congregations, in Aylmer ON, Calgary AB, Wyoming ON and in Beamsville ON. After almost 37 years in active ministry, he recently became a minister emeritus. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

March 1 - Introduction to James

The meditations for this month are based on James 1:1-18. James calls the people to whom he wrote, the twelve tribes of the dispersion. They were most...

Daily devotional

February 28 - The aftermath (II)

“Mordecai…sought the welfare of his people and spoke peace to all his people.” - Esther 10:3 Scripture reading: Esther 10:1-3 While Mord...

Daily devotional

February 27 - The aftermath (I)

“And all the acts of his power and might, and the full account of the high honor of Mordecai, to which the king advanced him are they not written in...

Daily devotional

February 26 - The restful reversal celebrated (II)

Daily devotional

February 25 - The restful reversal celebrated (I)

“The command of Esther confirmed these practices of Purim, and it was recorded in writing.” - Esther 9:32 Scripture reading: Esther 9:16-32 This passage reminds us much of Isaiah 57:19ff. “‘Peace, peace, to the far and to the near,’ says the LORD, ‘and I will heal him.’ But the wicked are like the tossing sea; for it cannot be quiet, and its waters toss up mire and dirt. ‘There is no peace,’ says my God, ‘for the wicked.’" A rest-filled festival marks the day when rest was given to the people in this last month of the calendar. Mordecai proclaims this peace to both far and near (9:30; 10:3). God’s people are to remember the peace won for them. At a time when no plunder was taken, gifts would now be given. A holiday of rest makes sense for a people who have been given rest from their labour. Generosity is appropriate for a people who, even though they take no plunder, have been given so much. Again, great reversal! This feast is supposed to take place because something transforming has taken place: this is to be done on the days on which the Jews received relief from their enemies, and in the month that had been turned for them from sorrow into gladness. Jesus Christ, according to Ephesians 2:17, proclaims peace to those who are far away and to those who are near. We will hear more tomorrow as to why that is important for us to know, but for now may we find ourselves as Christian believers taking joy in the everlasting peace that Christ has won for us. Suggestions for prayer Pray with thanks for the transforming work of Christ to bring rest to our souls. Pray with thanks that God has established peace between Him and you through Christ, and peace between you and others who share that grace of God with us in Christ. Rev. John Vermeer is Pastor Emeritus of Doon United Reformed Church in Doon, Iowa and is currently living in Cedar Lake, Indiana. He has served churches in Kansas, Iowa, and Illinois over the course of 34 years. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

February 24 - The restful reversal described (II)

“…on the very day when the enemies of the Jews hoped to gain the mastery over them, the reverse occurred: the Jews gained mastery over those who hated them.” - Esther 9:1 Scripture reading: Esther 9:1-19 Three times we read that no plunder was taken in this warfare. That is opposite of what the ancestor of Esther and Mordecai, King Saul, did with the enemy Agag in 1 Samuel 15. He was supposed to destroy the plunder, but he took some. Saul failed to see the holy battle he waged in the name of the Lord. Mordecai’s people took no plunder, for it belonged to God. God’s rest was sufficient for the people of God. King Saul and his sons knew about hanging, but now it is the sons of Haman of Agag who are hanged, no longer tormenting God’s people. Restful joy had already been given in principle in Chapter 8, but more unfinished business needed to be addressed to know the fullness of rest. In our day, when we come to faith in Jesus Christ, the rest that we receive from Him exceeds the rest in this chapter. Christ says to us, “Come unto me, all you who are weary and heavy laden and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn of me, for I am gentle and lowly of heart and you will find rest for your souls.” Jesus Christ as the true Prince of Peace, fulfills the rest found in Esther 9. We are to confess that Christ bore God’s forsaking, so that God would never forsake us. What peace to hear God say to us in Christ, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” Suggestions for prayer Pray with thanks that God is with you always in Jesus Christ. Pray that you may be sensitive to that presence with a peaceful and obedient heart. Rev. John Vermeer is Pastor Emeritus of Doon United Reformed Church in Doon, Iowa and is currently living in Cedar Lake, Indiana. He has served churches in Kansas, Iowa, and Illinois over the course of 34 years. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

February 23 - The restful reversal described (I)

“…on the very day when the enemies of the Jews hoped to gain the mastery over them, the reverse occurred: the Jews gained mastery over those who hated them.” - Esther 9:1 Scripture reading: Esther 9:1-19 A grand reversal happens. According to Haman’s edict, God’s people were not to know the rest of Ahasuerus (3:8), but instead of being destroyed, they came to know the rest from their enemies. In contrast to that rest, fear prevails with the opponents. No one could stand against the Jews; fear of them had fallen on them all. On the one side, God’s people have rest; on the other side, fear prevails. No peace for the enemies of God’s covenant people; their world is overturned. After The Flood, God in His covenant with Noah, spoke of the peace that His people would know as the creation would fear them (Genesis 9:2). When Israel left Egypt, fear had fallen upon the Egyptians as they sent the Israelites out from them (Exodus 12:33). Various leaders of God’s people, from Moses to Jehoshaphat, were viewed as those whom the nations dreaded (Deuteronomy 2:25; 11:25; Joshua 2:9; 1 Chronicles 14.17; 1 Chronicles 17:10). God, in His providence, was bringing about a peace like the Exodus-rest from those who would seek to destroy them. Here we have a new Moses in Mordecai, opponent to a new Pharaoh in Haman, the enemy of the Jews. By God’s providence, Mordecai would bring rest to God’s people who were threatened with extinction. They were kept for the sake of God’s promises that were ultimately fulfilled in Jesus Christ, who gives the true rest for our souls, and rest to us on this Lord’s Day so that we might worship Him well. Suggestions for prayer Pray with thanks that the Lord Jesus provides you the peace that only He can give you in this world, even though in this world we face trouble. Pray that more people may find their peace in Christ, so that they can be delivered from the chaos of unbelief. Rev. John Vermeer is Pastor Emeritus of Doon United Reformed Church in Doon, Iowa and is currently living in Cedar Lake, Indiana. He has served churches in Kansas, Iowa, and Illinois over the course of 34 years. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

February 22 - The second edict

“…the king allowed the Jews who were in every city to gather and defend their lives…” - Esther 8:11 Scripture reading: Esther 8:7-17 Haman’s edict caused the Jews trauma (3:18; 4:3); the new edict reversed that (8:15, 16). If Jews were attacked, the Jews could defend themselves. Holy war was permitted. People are offended by Old Testament holy war, yet it was God’s act against sin. It preserved His holy covenant purposes until Christ’s coming. Since The Fall, humanity has been under the edict of holy war, except God issued a counter-edict to deliver His people from destruction. If Haman’s edict stood, God’s promise to deliver a people from humanity through Abraham would break. Salvation can only come by the satisfaction of God’s wrath against evil. Old Testament holy war was necessary so that God’s promises against evil and for His people could be kept in Christ. Holy war is not an option today because Christ has come as the Great Holy Warrior, bearing God’s wrath for His people, and defeating evil completely on the cross. Holy war in the Old Testament only typified Christ’s holy war. Therefore, vengeance is illegitimate for us. We cannot add to the completed vengeance of Christ (John 12:31,32). 1 Peter teaches that, as Christians, our spiritual battle is within – sinful desires which war against our souls (2:11). Thankfully, Jesus Christ is our escape from the holy wrath of God, enabling us also to fight the good fight of faith, knowing vengeance is the Lord’s. Pray that the sword of the Spirit will cut to the heart of many to join the holy nation of God, the church of Christ. Suggestions for prayer Pray that the Lord will help you stand up for Christ without working against Him through vengeance. Pray that the word of God will work mightily in the hearts of many so they can know a turning point in their lives that makes an eternal difference. Rev. John Vermeer is Pastor Emeritus of Doon United Reformed Church in Doon, Iowa and is currently living in Cedar Lake, Indiana. He has served churches in Kansas, Iowa, and Illinois over the course of 34 years. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

February 21 - The second request of Esther

“…let an order be written to revoke the letters devised by Haman the Agagite…which he wrote to destroy the Jews….” - Esther 8:5 Scriptu...

Daily devotional

February 20 - The plea of Haman

“Haman stayed to beg for his life from Queen Esther, for he saw that harm was determined against him by the king.” - Esther 7:7 Scripture rea...

Daily devotional

February 19 - The plea of Esther

“Then Queen Esther answered, “If I have found favor in your sight, O king, and if it please the king, let my life be granted me for my wish, and m...

Daily devotional

February 18 - The exalted one is humbled

“If Mordecai, before whom you have begun to fall, is of the Jewish people, you will not overcome him but will surely fall before him.” - Esther 6:...

Daily devotional

February 17 - The humbled one is exalted (II)

“Thus shall it be done to the man whom the king delights to honor.” - Esther 6:9 Scripture reading: Esther 6:1-13 Haman tasted the bitterness of proclaiming honour to the one deserving it. Yet, we have the honour of confessing with the tongue, and bowing with the knee to the Lordship and salvation of Jesus Christ with a joyful heart – anticipating a day when, willingly or unwillingly, every knee shall bow and every tongue will confess Jesus Christ as Lord. With Mordecai, an oversight has been corrected. With Christ, the exaltation of which He is worthy, is His to know now at God’s right hand. In Him we also can experience a turning moment – no longer under the shame of our sin, but robed in Christ’s righteousness unto salvation. We are no longer children of wrath, but children of God. When we have known such a turning point, we can also look forward to others – to a sanctified and glorified life as those who already know a justified life. We not only know salvation today, but also that any suffering that we must yet undergo will all be righted one day. Compared to the glories that await, these trying times pale. For God exalts His own in His time; such an exaltation awaits the people of God. For the sake of the Seed of the Jews, Jesus Christ, God will be exalted; however, for the sake of God’s covenant, He also leads His people to glory. I hope it is with that faith, hope, and love that you can rejoice in such turning points for yourself in Christ. Suggestions for prayer Pray with thanksgiving if you have known God’s turning of your life through a profession of Christ. Pray that each day you may show forth what it means to have your life turned to serve your Saviour. Rev. John Vermeer is Pastor Emeritus of Doon United Reformed Church in Doon, Iowa and is currently living in Cedar Lake, Indiana. He has served churches in Kansas, Iowa, and Illinois over the course of 34 years. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

February 16 - The humbled one is exalted (I)

“And the king said, “What honor or distinction has been bestowed on Mordecai for ?” The king’s young men…said, “Nothing has been done for him.”” - Esther 6:3 Scripture reading: Esther 6:1-13 Mordecai’s contrast here in chapter 6 is threefold. First, he receives a reward when initially, no reward had been given to him for saving the king. Second, the Mordecai of chapter 6 with royal robes and honour are in stark contrast to the Mordecai of chapter 4 with sackcloth and ashes. Third, we have the contrast between what Haman wanted to do to Mordecai on the gallows, and what Haman was commanded to do with Mordecai by the king. A triple turning of events for Mordecai! The humbled is exalted. This is the man that the king delights to honour! Mordecai could not have imagined this. Esther knew nothing of it. Haman could not have dreamed it. Call it poetic justice, but God is at work. Years later others would taunt the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ: “He trusts in God. Let him deliver him, if he delights in him” (Psalm 22:8; Matthew 27:43). Society and self, crave the satisfaction of “getting what they have coming to them.” Think about Christ: He did not get what He had coming to Him right away. He who deserved all honour was well-pleasing to His Father, was humbled to the cross, naked before men for the glory of God and His peoples’ redemption. First, humiliation and suffering, then His glory. This is the Man that the Great King delights to honour! How Christ deserves our honour and praise this Lord’s Day! Suggestions for prayer Pray with thanksgiving for the privilege of worshiping the Lord on this Lord’s Day. Pray for the Christ-like perspective to see that God will work all things out for you in due time, so that the peace of God may be yours to know each day. Rev. John Vermeer is Pastor Emeritus of Doon United Reformed Church in Doon, Iowa and is currently living in Cedar Lake, Indiana. He has served churches in Kansas, Iowa, and Illinois over the course of 34 years. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

February 15 - The correction of an oversight

“And the king said, “What honor or distinction has been bestowed on Mordecai for ?” The king’s young men…said, “Nothing has been done for him.”” - Esther 6:3 Scripture reading: Esther 6:1-13 The book of Esther is full of feasts – ten! We are in the middle of them – and in the middle of the book, which carries a turning point. Turning points are often extraordinary. However, the turning point in our passage is ordinary; Ahasuerus cannot sleep! Sleepless nights are common, but God uses this one to turn destruction into deliverance. The sleepless king reads royal chronicles, and finds out that Mordecai rescued him, but was never honoured; that would not do. These events are not miraculous, but God makes extraordinary out of ordinary. God uses everything to serve His purposes in Christ. God weaves the events of history so that in the fullness of time He sends forth His Son, who dies for the ungodly at the right time. God uses the world’s rulers to bring Christ to the cross for the deliverance of His people. God saved through an extraordinary person, but did it with a Christ who obediently stayed on the cross, not by miraculously coming off it. Obedience can seem ordinary, but extraordinary things happen by God through ordinary obedience! How did you come to faith? It probably was not by some Damascus-Road experience, but by ordinary circumstances. You heard the gospel through parents, or a sermon, or from another Christian. Think about your children, or your vocation. Ordinary experiences! But what makes them extraordinary is how God uses those ordinary events as extraordinary turning points in your life, so you can serve God well. God uses the ordinary for extraordinary purposes. A blessed way to look at life! Suggestions for prayer Pray with thanksgiving for the ways that God has turned your life around in Christ – whether by ordinary or extraordinary means. Pray that the Lord will help you to serve Him well in ordinary ways of life, for to serve the Saviour is an extraordinary calling! Rev. John Vermeer is Pastor Emeritus of Doon United Reformed Church in Doon, Iowa and is currently living in Cedar Lake, Indiana. He has served churches in Kansas, Iowa, and Illinois over the course of 34 years. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

February 14 - Haman’s plan to destroy

““…tell the king to have Mordecai hanged upon .” This idea pleased Haman and he had the gallows made.” - Esther 5:14 Scripture reading: Esther 5:9-14 Haman enjoys temporary exaltation, but lacks complete satisfaction while Mordecai lives. His anti-Joseph ego shows in temporarily refraining from killing Mordecai. “Refrain” (5:10) is only used seven times in the Old Testament – twice with Joseph, who “refrains” before his brothers (43:31) and then cannot “refrain” anymore (45:1). At Pharaoh’s feast, the baker’s head is hung on a tree (Genesis 40:19). Zereth thinks Mordecai deserves this treatment too. Like other wives of biblical villains (Jezebel, Herodias and Pilate’s wife), Zereth offers her husband advice: “Hang Mordecai on a tree,” (literally). While Esther’s plans lead to a feast and blessing, Zeresh’s plans lead to a cursed tree. Long ago, the spirit of anti-Christ sought to curse Christ by hanging Him on a tree undeservedly: “Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree” (Galatians 3:13). Such plans worked into God’s gracious plans: “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us…so that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles….” (Galatians 3:13,14). Our culture still believes that life without Christ brings satisfaction. Scripture tells us that we should not be surprised if the world hates us when we profess Christ. Yet, true life is only known by those who know Christ as their Deliverer from sin. Trap-setters against Christ and Christians fall into their own traps. The counsel that is worthy of following, then, is not what leads to death, but that which leads to life in Christ. The Victorious Deliverer alone is worth following. Suggestions for prayer Pray with thanksgiving if you can say that Christ redeemed you from the curse of the law. Pray that the Lord will help us see the true satisfaction and life that only Christ can provide as we trust and follow Him. Rev. John Vermeer is Pastor Emeritus of Doon United Reformed Church in Doon, Iowa and is currently living in Cedar Lake, Indiana. He has served churches in Kansas, Iowa, and Illinois over the course of 34 years. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

February 13 - Esther’s plan to save (II)

“…let the king and Haman come to the feast that I will prepare for them, and tomorrow I will do as the king has said.” - Esther 5:8 Scriptu...

Daily devotional

February 12 - Esther’s plan to save (I)

“And when the king saw Queen Esther standing in the court, she won favor in his sight, and he held out to Esther the golden scepter that was in his ...

Daily devotional

February 11 - The response of Esther

“I will go to the king, though it is against the law, and if I perish, I perish.” - Esther 4:16 Scripture reading: Esther 4:15-17 For the ...

Daily devotional

February 10 - The challenge to Esther

“And who knows whether you have not come to the kingdom for such a time as this?” - Esther 4:14 Scripture reading: Esther 4:5-14 Esther fe...

Daily devotional

February 9 - The approach to Esther

“When Mordecai learned all that had been done, Mordecai tore his clothes and put on sackcloth and ashes…” - Esther 4:1 Scripture reading: Esther 4:1-11 Our passage begins with Mordecai, whom we have seen as a Joseph figure and therefore a type of Jesus Christ. He is found in humiliation a far cry from the Joseph of Genesis 41:42, clothed in fine linen. Mordecai is in this humbled state – because of the judgment of the king to destroy God’s covenant people. Esther, however, is ignorant about what is happening, just like people are ignorant that Esther is a Jew. She proposes a solution for Mordecai. She brings him clothes. Mordecai informs Esther that now is not the time for exaltation; it is time for humiliation. Mordecai knew the times; Esther did not. A humble approach to God was the timely response to those who saw judgement coming. Today – as always – impending judgment from the Lord is promised to an impenitent spirit. A perverse view of sin, self and God moves people to live in pride and impenitence. If we follow Scripture, we know the times and then we live in humility, rejoicing in the humble Christ who lived to redeem us, glorifying Him, the Father, and the Spirit with worship. We humble ourselves under the mighty hand of God that He may exalt us in due time (1 Peter 5:5). For Mordecai and Christ, a time of exaltation was coming, but humility comes before glory, which is why we are called to take up our cross and follow our Saviour. Part of the way that we do that is to worship the Lord each Lord’s Day. Suggestions for prayer Pray with thanksgiving if you can say by grace that God has helped you to understand the times in which you live. Pray that the Lord will continue to help you live humbly before Him, including the times when you hear the call to worship Him. Rev. John Vermeer is Pastor Emeritus of Doon United Reformed Church in Doon, Iowa and is currently living in Cedar Lake, Indiana. He has served churches in Kansas, Iowa, and Illinois over the course of 34 years. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

February 8 - The plot against the Jews

“So, as they had made known to him the people of Mordecai, Haman sought to destroy all the Jews, the people of Mordecai, throughout the whole kingdom of Ahasuerus.” - Esther 3:6 Scripture reading: Esther 3:1-15 Haman is an anti-Joseph figure in Esther 3. Haman advises the king to destroy the Jews; the king approves, takes off his ring, and gives it to Haman as a symbol of Haman’s power, second in command (verse 10). In Genesis 41:42, Pharaoh gives his ring of power to Joseph as second in command. Mordecai and Haman’s contrast is set; Mordecai is the Joseph figure and Haman is the anti-Joseph figure. Mordecai is poised to save God’s people, while Haman appears ready to destroy God’s people. Mordecai is not jealous of Haman; he simply refuses to bow to an anti-Christ, while every other knee bows. Haman uses chance to determine destruction’s date, proclaiming it on the 13th of Nisan, the first month of the year – Passover Eve (Exodus 12:18). Chance seems to have triumphed over God’s promises! What Haman did not realize is that while the lot is cast in the lap, its every decision is from the Lord (Proverbs 16:33). God’s people are not delivered to chance; God works all things for their good by His providence in Christ. Haman offers silver to annihilate God’s promises – to assure that every knee would bow to him. Haman differs from Jesus Christ, who offers neither silver nor gold, but His precious blood – not to annihilate God’s promise, but to fulfill it. Haman proclaims death to the world, but the gospel of Jesus Christ proclaims life to the world – to all who bend the knee and confess with the mouth that Jesus Christ is Lord. Suggestions for prayer Pray with thanksgiving that God does not hand us over to the whims of fate. Pray that the Lord will bring more people to a saving knowledge of Christ – a bend of the knee and a confession of the mouth. Rev. John Vermeer is Pastor Emeritus of Doon United Reformed Church in Doon, Iowa and is currently living in Cedar Lake, Indiana. He has served churches in Kansas, Iowa, and Illinois over the course of 34 years. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

February 7 - The plot against the king

“Bigthan and Teresh…became angry and sought to lay hands on King Ahasuerus. And this came to the knowledge of Mordecai…” - Esther 2:21-22 Scripture reading: Esther 2:19-23 Here is a parallel to the Joseph story in Genesis 40, which deals with the cupbearer and the baker. Like Joseph, Mordecai is left temporarily unrewarded. In fact, if we keep reading, the enemy of the Jews, Haman, is the promoted one. Because Mordecai points to Joseph, he also points to Christ. When justice is not immediately served, it bothers us – for Joseph and Mordecai, but also for Christ. What if God would have sent twelve legions of angels immediately to deliver Jesus at His arrest? (Matthew 26:53). What if Jesus would have shown Himself to be God’s Son by coming off the cross right away as people taunted Him to do? (Matthew 27:40). We sometimes wonder about God’s timing, but that is because we are not God. A day is like a thousand years and a thousand years like a day to Him. We want help and justice now. We want our dreams to come true now. Immediate gratification! This passage reminds us that God’s timing is not only sovereign, but also good for His glory and for His people. In the fullness of time God brought forth His Son. At just the right time, Christ died for the ungodly. At just the right time Christ is exalted. At just the right time Christ will return on the clouds of glory and vindicate His people. He will lift us up in due time as we cast our cares upon Him and humble ourselves in Christ under God’s mighty hand. Suggestions for prayer Pray with thanksgiving that God’s timing is never too early and never too late. Pray that the Lord would supply you the grace to exercise the patience that is needed when our sense of timing is not in sync with God’s good timing for us in Christ. Rev. John Vermeer is Pastor Emeritus of Doon United Reformed Church in Doon, Iowa and is currently living in Cedar Lake, Indiana. He has served churches in Kansas, Iowa, and Illinois over the course of 34 years. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

February 6 - The appealing candidate

“Now Esther was winning favor in the eyes of all who saw her.” - Esther 2:15 Scripture reading: Esther 2:5-18 In our passage, peace replaces unrest, a better bride fills the previous queen’s spot, a nobody becomes somebody, one humbled has been exalted, and the feast of Esther has begun. By God’s providence, the last has become first so God can save His people in Christ as a type of the salvation that Christ would one day accomplish. The greater purpose is the cause of Christ. This whole situation pictures Christ, foreshadowing His life. Because of the decree of a great king in Rome, Jesus Christ is born of humble beginnings in a manger. Because of the decree of the Roman governor, Pontius Pilate, Christ is crucified on the cross of shame. Yet by these political decrees, God brings glory to Christ; the last would become first; all authority is the Lord’s. If we know Christ through faith, we know that God has brought us high from humble beginnings through His Christ. We were dead in our trespasses and sin, unworthy to sit at His table of fellowship, but because of Christ, God sets a table before our enemies. He has anointed our head with oil, and our cups overflow as we fellowship with God through Christ, our great and good Shepherd-King. Every time we celebrate the Lord’s Supper, we are reminded that we have been brought from being slaves to sonship in Christ Jesus. We who were last have now become first. Now glory awaits those who are in Christ! We have rest for our souls! Suggestions for prayer Pray with thanksgiving that Christ’s humility to exaltation has provided you the greatest turn of events anyone can know – slavery from sin, to a place at Christ’s table. Pray that the Lord will help you even more to live with a gracious spirit that remembers how God has transformed your life in Christ. Rev. John Vermeer is Pastor Emeritus of Doon United Reformed Church in Doon, Iowa and is currently living in Cedar Lake, Indiana. He has served churches in Kansas, Iowa, and Illinois over the course of 34 years. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

February 5 - The advice that pleased the king

““And let the young woman who pleases the king be queen instead of Vashti.” This pleased the king, and he did so.” - Esther 2:4 Scripture...

Daily devotional

February 4 - The powerless edict

“He sent letters to all the royal provinces…that every man be master in his own household…” - Esther 1:22 Scripture reading: Esther 1:13-22...

Daily devotional

February 3 - God’s providence prevails over the shame

Daily devotional

February 2 - A shameful summons

“…the heart of the king was merry with wine…” - Esther 1:10 Scripture reading: Esther 1:10-12 The drunken king of worldly power summons ...

Daily devotional

February 1 - Introduction to the book of Esther

The book of Esther is well-known as the book in Scripture where the name of God is never mentioned, but where the providential hand of the covenant God is explicitly at work for the sake of His covenant promises to His people, fulfilled in Jesus Christ. Sermons on God’s providence have served to edify God’s people in Christ over the years—to know that while the wrong seems oft so strong, God is the ruler yet. The book of Esther does not disappoint us when it comes to providing that sort of providential consolation. At the same time, Esther challenges people who think they can scuttle the plans of God for His people in Christ, to heed the call to “Kiss the Son, lest He be angry” (Psalm 2:12), since those who seek to take counsel against God and His Christ take on such counsel in vain. The episodes of Esther remind us of the exploits and times of Joseph in Genesis. As they do, they will also remind us of Christ, who came in humility to deliver His people so that in Him they might find the rest of Christ, that the feast of Purim at the end of the book typifies. May this be a month of devotions that consoles you greatly as we focus on God’s saving and providential ways in Christ Jesus! Superficial splendour “…he showed…the splendour and pomp of his greatness for many days…” - Esther 1:4 Scripture reading: Esther 1:1-9 The Book of Esther opens with King Ahasuerus, who treasured his earthly power and wealth. These are trivial in comparison to the glorious riches and kingdom of God in Christ Jesus. It is easy to envy such worldly prowess. When we do, we follow Ahasuerus – we value the trivial. King Ahasuerus was big outwardly, but small inwardly. He was rich toward things, but not toward God. His kingdom was superficial, based on the temporary, not on the everlasting kingdom of Christ. Proper prioritizing is always challenging. We can value friends, family, work, or play more than God’s worship. In our society, community, gender, colour, and nationality come before Christ and His church. Pursuits and passions can be so misplaced; then we wonder why life becomes so chaotic. What our treasure should be is the kingdom of Christ – the pearl of great price. Nothing is more precious than to know that Christ’s blood was shed for our sin, and that we belong to Him in life and in death. While we might envy the world and what it owns, it is the world that should envy us, when we belong to Christ. We are to take joy in being part of the kingdom that never fades, and to produce fruits in the vine of Christ – fruit that will last for the King of kings who reigns forever. Suggestions for prayer Petition the Lord that He may help you daily to keep your Christian priorities straight and that more and more people may come to cherish what it means to belong to Jesus Christ in life and in death. Rev. John Vermeer is Pastor Emeritus of Doon United Reformed Church in Doon, Iowa and is currently living in Cedar Lake, Indiana. He has served churches in Kansas, Iowa, and Illinois over the course of 34 years. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

January 31 - Meeting the LORD

“Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord.” - 1 Thessalonians 4:17 Scripture reading: 1 Thessalonians 4:2-18 Today is the last day of the first month of the New Year. God has seen us safely though to this point in time. Before the month ends, it is good to reflect upon the fact that all earthly days shall end because the Lord Jesus will most certainly return. We do not know the time set by God the Father. Anyone who says he does is a liar. Our sure hope, however, is that the day shall come when we will meet the Lord. Think of that! You are going to meet the Lord Jesus. You will see the Son of God face to face. He will surely come as Judge of the living and the dead. Will He also come as your Saviour? The thought of meeting the Lord- does it fill your heart with fear or does it give you amazing comfort? There is an eternity of difference. Our calling, yours and mine, is to be ready and eager to meet the Lord, for by faith we know Him to be our Saviour. When we have the gift of true faith, and share it, we can encourage one another. So, Christian, be encouraged and comforted by this wonderful promise of God, which gives us hope and consolation. Remember: you shall surely meet the Lord. Are you ready? Those who are, can face future days serenely, because we await our Saviour, Whose return will bring us a joy that human words cannot describe. Suggestions for prayer May the prayer of your heart be: Return to us quickly, Lord Jesus. Ask God to make ready your heart and soul for the glorious return of Jesus. Rev. Gregg V. Martin was ordained to the Gospel ministry in 1977. In his years of service, he pastored a total of five congregations in three Canadian provinces. He also served for more than seven years in Latin America as a missionary providing leadership training in Reformed mission churches. He is presently retired and living in Toronto. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

January 30 - The great commission

““Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.” - Matthew 28:19-20 Scripture reading: Matthew 28:1-20 Jesus' command is to go and make disciples, to baptize and to teach. It is the Great Commission. Who can do this? Who is equal to this task? We are. We can. Why? Because we have Jesus' promise, “I am with you always.” In His power and with the guidance of His Spirit, we can fulfill our duty. To make disciples? It is the Spirit who changes hearts and lives, and creates disciples. Yet, He has chosen to do this through His people. There are countless examples of this. Christian parents, by word and with the Spirit's blessing, can make disciples of their children. Those called to ministry and missions can make disciples of those who hear the Gospel message from them, as the Spirit gives guidance. In the power of Christ, you, right where you are, can make disciples through your witness of Jesus. To baptize? It is Christ who gathers His church. It is not human hands that build the Kingdom, but God using such hands. By your prayers for and support of the church, you can participate in this endeavour, and by God's grace, men and women, boys and girls, can be added to the church and receive the sign and seal of His covenant, baptism. To teach? Jesus commands that all be taught. The church has its duty here, to teach through preaching, catechism instruction and Bible studies. Christian parents, by faithfully having family devotions, can do their duty too. Christian day schools are also an important means through which this command of Christ is obeyed. Suggestions for prayer Ask the Lord to give you opportunities to witness by word and deed, so that others may be gathered into the Kingdom. Pray for the ministries of the church and Christian schools too. Rev. Gregg V. Martin was ordained to the Gospel ministry in 1977. In his years of service, he pastored a total of five congregations in three Canadian provinces. He also served for more than seven years in Latin America as a missionary providing leadership training in Reformed mission churches. He is presently retired and living in Toronto. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

January 29 - The life giving Lord

“And so it is written, “The first man Adam became a living being.” The last Adam became a life-giving spirit.” - 1 Corinthians 15:45 Scripture reading: 1 Corinthians 15:35-49 Our inheritance from the first Adam is deeply flawed. Yes, we are living beings. We are descended from Adam and Eve. From them, we receive our human flesh and blood. We also receive a rational mind and an immortal soul. Our first father, Adam, the head of the human race by nature, can only give us a body, mind and soul, which though alive are corrupted by sin; and sin brings death. Jesus Christ came into this world. In His one Person are two natures: human and divine. He, God's Son, is the last Adam, Who came to re-found and re-establish in His people a new human race. He did this by His divine power, and He shares this with His people because He shares a human nature with us. Through His ministry, our Saviour became for us a life-giving spirit. By nature, we follow the first Adam. Sin and worldliness is the natural result. Sadly, multitudes simply accept this inheritance of nature and seek nothing more than to live out their earthly lives and at last die in the pattern of sin. Our calling, yours and mine, is to be a true child of the last Adam. We are to be disciples of Jesus Christ. In all the days of the year ahead, seek by faith to be such a disciple. Find in Jesus your covenant head, Who reforms and reshapes your nature to be conformed to the image of God. Suggestions for prayer Pray for grace to be found as one who inherits life from the last Adam. Ask God to continually work within your heart so that you will be conformed to His image. Rev. Gregg V. Martin was ordained to the Gospel ministry in 1977. In his years of service, he pastored a total of five congregations in three Canadian provinces. He also served for more than seven years in Latin America as a missionary providing leadership training in Reformed mission churches. He is presently retired and living in Toronto. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

January 28 - Unpopular judgement

“Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: ‘Behold, I will bring on this city and on all her towns all the doom that I have pronounced again...

Daily devotional

January 27 - Life in Christ

“He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it.” - Matthew 10:39 Scripture reading: Matthew 10:34-42 ...

Daily devotional

January 26 - Celebrating life eternal

“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing wit...

Daily devotional

January 25 - The victory

Psalm 16:10 For You will not leave my soul in Sheol, nor will You allow Your Holy One to see corruption. Scripture reading: Psalm 16:1-11 Tomorr...

Daily devotional

January 24 - Looking for life

“And as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly Man.” - 1 Corinthians 15:49 Scripture reading: 1 Corinthians 15:35-50 Last year saw massive migration movements of people around the world. No doubt this will be true in 2025 also. People are looking for safety, for economic opportunities, for a better life for themselves and their families. In their search many are willing to run great risks. What are you searching for this New Year? Christians seek to “bear the image of the heavenly man.” By nature we share in the image of Adam, the man of dust. We share his sinful nature. The glorious message of the Gospel, however, is that those made spiritually alive by the Spirit will, by grace through faith, share in the image of Christ Jesus, the heavenly Man. As the New Year unfolds, what sort of life are you looking for? Whose image do you seek to bear? Christ Jesus is the fountain of life, the risen Saviour. Let us seek to bear His likeness. In your life, hatred, anger, selfishness (characteristics of the man of dust) must be replaced by faith, hope and love, which are the blessed virtues of the heavenly Man. In the days ahead, seek to bear the image of the heavenly Man. Replace self-will with dependence on the Word of God, the Lord's revealed will. Replace time wasted on self with true devotion to the Lord and an active life in His church. Replace arguments and ill-will at home with the joy and peace of Christian family life. Seek to determine in practical ways in your own life how you can bear the image of the heavenly Man. Suggestions for prayer Ask the Lord to touch your heart and life now so that you will look to Him for the power to live a life that reflects the image of Christ Jesus: whole, complete, satisfying, joyful and new. Rev. Gregg V. Martin was ordained to the Gospel ministry in 1977. In his years of service, he pastored a total of five congregations in three Canadian provinces. He also served for more than seven years in Latin America as a missionary providing leadership training in Reformed mission churches. He is presently retired and living in Toronto. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

January 23 - The path of glory

“Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him.” - Romans 6:8 Scripture reading: Romans 6:1-11 Each of us, you too, have chosen a path on which to walk through 2025, as our life unfolds. Which choice have you made? It will make all the difference. There are many paths in this world, although all, except one, are on the wide highway that leads to destruction. Popular paths are that of selfishness, hatred, of spiritual carelessness, false religion and so many more. There is, however, only one path to the glory of living with Christ in eternity. This one path is the only route worth following, because God Himself has laid the course, and the destination of this one path is the Heavenly City. It is the path of true faith. Are you on it? Those who are, have been united by faith with Christ Jesus, our Saviour through which we share in the saving power of His atoning sacrifice. He gave His life a ransom for ours. By faith we die with Christ, and, says our text, if that is so, then we are united with Him by the bonds of love and faith. As this year carries us into the future, let us every day in every situation remember to stay on that one path, to follow the Word of God, which leads us in truth. Stay in close union with Christ through all of life's trials. Those on the path of dying with Christ and living in the power of His resurrection, will share forever in the joy of the Lord. We will live with Jesus forever, as our text promises us. Suggestions for prayer Pray for wisdom and perseverance to find and stay on that one sure path that leads to life. Thank God for the saving power of Christ's death on the cross and find your pardon there. Rev. Gregg V. Martin was ordained to the Gospel ministry in 1977. In his years of service, he pastored a total of five congregations in three Canadian provinces. He also served for more than seven years in Latin America as a missionary providing leadership training in Reformed mission churches. He is presently retired and living in Toronto. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

January 22 - How are you feeling?

“Therefore, since Christ suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same mind, for he who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin.” - 1 Peter 4:1 Scripture reading: 1 Peter 4:1-11 May God grant that you start this new year healthy and happy! Not everyone does, however. That is certainly true physically, and it is also true spiritually. As believers we often can think, “I wish I were a better person! I need to be more like Jesus!” We know how far we are from living a full, holy Christian life. This discourages some. It is a sad thing when a sincere person, who wants closer fellowship with Jesus, just can't seem to find it. Often such folks turn to this or that popular book or magazine. They travel from church to church endlessly seeking. They are always disappointed because they are no better off in the end than they were at the start. Let us not give in to that disappointment and emptiness. The answer is in our text: Christ suffered for us. He bore our sins. He endured suffering in order to give us, as a free gift of grace, salvation, righteousness and eternal life. Arm yourself by believing this, and then accept what suffering you are called to endure in this life. We must take up the cross of denying ourselves, of abandoning our stubbornness and of humbly accepting the leading of God's Word and Spirit. If we are willing to suffer now, then the power of sin, says our text, will be broken in our lives. We will enjoy a closer, dearer fellowship with God. We will learn to be more patient and loving with one another. Be a living sacrifice for the Lord! Suggestions for prayer Seek God's grace to bear whatever burden of physical or spiritual pain that you are dealing with right now. Ask for grace to see that our earthly sufferings point us to Christ, whose suffering won us salvation. Rev. Gregg V. Martin was ordained to the Gospel ministry in 1977. In his years of service, he pastored a total of five congregations in three Canadian provinces. He also served for more than seven years in Latin America as a missionary providing leadership training in Reformed mission churches. He is presently retired and living in Toronto. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

January 21 - Children of the Lord

“My covenant I will not break, nor alter the word that has gone out of My lips. Once I have sworn by My holiness; I will not lie to David: His seed shall endure forever.” - Psalm 89:34-36 Scripture reading: Psalm 89:19-37 Inspired by the Spirit, David knew that by nature our children, like we ourselves, are sinners. There are sad circumstances in which children turn their backs on their Christian upbringing and instruction. When that happens, God disciplines such covenant breakers now and in eternity. Thankfully, however, this does not overshadow the fact that God is faithful to those who with humble trust in Jesus keep covenant with Him. In his own family David experienced this. Some of his sons openly rebelled with disastrous consequences. David also experienced, however, the joy of seeing covenant keepers, like Solomon in his family, living in accordance with God's wonderful promise. As this new year begins, perhaps you must deal with similar circumstances in your family. May God give you strength! Do not, though, become fixated on the negative. As you look around and see family, friends and fellow Christians walking in fellowship with the Lord and His church, give glory to God for His covenant promise. We have an amazing assurance that those who are cleansed by the blood of the Lamb will endure in God's grace forever. Look to the Lord Jesus in prayer. Ask Him to restore the wandering ones and give Him heartfelt thanks for those around you who love and serve Him. Praise God for His promise of covenant faithfulness. Suggestions for prayer Intercede devotedly for those whom you know are wandering and have broken covenant with the Lord that they might be restored. Give thanks for family, friends and fellow Christians who are keeping covenant with the Lord. Rev. Gregg V. Martin was ordained to the Gospel ministry in 1977. In his years of service, he pastored a total of five congregations in three Canadian provinces. He also served for more than seven years in Latin America as a missionary providing leadership training in Reformed mission churches. He is presently retired and living in Toronto. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

January 20 - Jesus’ sheep

“Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.” - Psalm 23:6 Scripture ...

Daily devotional

January 19 - Jesus, our priest

“But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we...

Daily devotional

January 18 - The only Saviour

“Formerly, when you did not know God, you were slaves to those who by nature are not gods. But now that you know God—or rather are known by God—...

Daily devotional

January 17 - A King’s worth

“Of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end, upon the throne of David and over His kingdom, to order it and establish it with ...

Daily devotional

January 16 - Nobody is perfect

“For I was born a sinner— yes, from the moment my mother conceived me.” - Psalm 51:5 Scripture reading: Psalm 51:1-9 One of the most common excuses you will hear this year and which will fall from your lips too is: Nobody is Perfect. People constantly use this as an excuse for misdeeds, foul words and lack of concern for others. While it is certainly true that no one is perfect, this is not an excuse, rather it is an accusation. All people are sinners who have offended God and are in peril of punishment. As Christian people, enlightened by God's Word, we know that by nature sin affects and infects our whole being. No human excuse will be accepted. No surface remedy will cure the curse of sin. There is no person in this world, no created being in Heaven, no thought we can think, no deed we can do, that can remove the stain of sin. When we know this truth, we know our desperate need of our Saviour. Only Jesus can save! When at some point in this new year you hear the expression “Nobody is Perfect” remember how true that is. Remember it is not an excuse, but it is an accusation. By nature we are sinners in deeds, in actions and in words. People who are not perfect are worthy only of God's justice, of His punishment in this life and in the next. It is vital then, to have Jesus as your Saviour, because He alone is able to atone for all your sins, By God's grace, find in Jesus the One you need, because the truth is: you are not perfect, but He is! Suggestions for prayer Pray that the Spirit will enlighten you to recognize clearly that you are not perfect and that you need Jesus to be your Saviour. Pray for those around you (family, friends, co-workers, neighbours) who do not yet know their need for the Lord's salvation. Rev. Gregg V. Martin was ordained to the Gospel ministry in 1977. In his years of service, he pastored a total of five congregations in three Canadian provinces. He also served for more than seven years in Latin America as a missionary providing leadership training in Reformed mission churches. He is presently retired and living in Toronto. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

January 15 - The Lordship of Christ

“Serve the Lord with reverent fear, and rejoice with trembling. Submit to God’s royal son.” - Psalm 2:11-12 Scripture reading: Psalm 2:1-12 Today it is popular to speak of Jesus' love, of His example, of His concern for the suffering and needy. In orthodox, evangelical circles it is popular to speak of Jesus' sacrifice for our salvation. All these aspects of Jesus' ministry are good and we can back them up with Scripture. One aspect, however, is often missing in many hearts and in many churches: the Lordship of Jesus Christ. True Christians know Jesus by faith as Saviour and Lord. We owe Him our allegiance. We accept His rule over us. We confess that Jesus is our King. His Lordship requires our reverence, which is a rare commodity today. We submit to Him not just in outward deeds of service, but also in our hearts as we humble ourselves before Him. Our text for today, like so many other portions of Scripture, emphasizes the Lordship of Christ. That is a fact, but what difference does it make in your heart and life? What difference does it make in your home? What difference does it make in your relationship with God and others around you? If it makes no difference, if there is no heartfelt love for the Lord, no willing obedience, then you are not serving the Lord. Your allegiance must be to this world, and as the Psalm reveals, that is fatal. As 2025 unfolds, the Lord is seeking useful servants, people alive in faith, and disciples who are steady, dependable, and obedient. May that be a description of you, as you live out your faith in service and obedience. Suggestions for prayer Humbly pray that God will provide opportunities for service in His Kingdom, in your home, wherever are, so that you will show your wholehearted acceptance of Christ's lordship in your heart and life. Rev. Gregg V. Martin was ordained to the Gospel ministry in 1977. In his years of service, he pastored a total of five congregations in three Canadian provinces. He also served for more than seven years in Latin America as a missionary providing leadership training in Reformed mission churches. He is presently retired and living in Toronto. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

January 14 - Power over fear

“Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom.” - Luke 12:32 Scripture reading: Luke 12:22-34 So many in the world today begin this New Year with fear in their hearts. This life and the things of this world are all they care about and all they have. Consequently, they're afraid that their life might be ended by violence or that some criminal might steal their possessions. They worry and complain constantly. It's no way to live. To His little flock, His chosen ones, Jesus says: Do not be afraid. We can be sure that Jesus is not asking us to do the impossible. It can be done; we can live without fear. We can be delivered from the burden of worry. Those who know, by faith, that the Father has given them the kingdom know this deliverance. We can experience it when we turn to Jesus, Who was anointed to be our prophet, priest and king. The prophetic guidance of Jesus, revealed in Scripture, frees us from worry about our purpose and path in life. The priestly sacrifice of Jesus frees us from the fear of judgment and condemnation. The kingly rule of Christ encourages us as we feel His power defending us and His wisdom preserving us. As believers we rejoice to live in confidence, in hope and in trust. It is the good pleasure of the Father to give us these blessings through the blessed work of Christ, His Son. In your hour of struggle, in your moment of temptation, do not be enslaved by worry, for our Saviour says to us: Do not be afraid, little flock. Suggestions for Prayer Seek the Lord's blessing of a confident faith that overcomes the dark clouds of worry. Rev. Gregg V. Martin was ordained to the Gospel ministry in 1977. In his years of service, he pastored a total of five congregations in three Canadian provinces. He also served for more than seven years in Latin America as a missionary providing leadership training in Reformed mission churches. He is presently retired and living in Toronto. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

January 13 - Refusing Christ, refusing life

“…yet you refuse to come to me to have life.” - John 5:40 Scripture reading: John 5:30-40 If you have reached this point in our Nearer to God devotional booklet, then you have some good spiritual habits. Others must think of you as a genuinely religious person, and that's commendable. Our text, however, makes it clear that there are some dangers in the path of those who are religious. It warns that you can appear outwardly religious, go to church, live a moral life, read the Bible and this devotional booklet, and yet miss the mark and fail to obtain eternal life by refusing to come to Christ Jesus in faith. To know the Scriptures, but not the Christ of the Scriptures is fatal. To be outwardly religious, but inwardly without faith, is to be walking the path to destruction. If we harden our hearts, give in to doubts, and seek after the pleasures of the world, the light of the Gospel will not shine in our souls. It is not enough to merely search the Scriptures. We must search them with the proper end in view and with a prayer for the Spirit's work to apply the truth to our hearts. As this year unfolds, read and study the Scriptures with a believing heart. Come in faith to a sure knowledge of the truth. To have eternal life we must come to the risen Christ, revealed in the Scriptures. We must make sure that our religion, our spiritual commitment, is more than a habit. Dear reader, search the Scriptures this year. Do so to know the Christ revealed there, and, knowing Him, have eternal life. Suggestions for prayer Ask the Holy Spirit to guide, direct, and enlighten you as you search the Scriptures day by day. Rev. Gregg V. Martin was ordained to the Gospel ministry in 1977. In his years of service, he pastored a total of five congregations in three Canadian provinces. He also served for more than seven years in Latin America as a missionary providing leadership training in Reformed mission churches. He is presently retired and living in Toronto. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

January 12 - Jesus saves

“Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.” - Acts 4:12 Scripture ...

Daily devotional

January 11 - Powerful trust

“Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.” - Psalm 20:7 Scripture reading: Psalm 20:1-9 We...

Daily devotional

January 10 - Starting with hope

“Now may our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God our Father, who loved us and gave us eternal comfort and good hope through grace, comfort your heart...

Daily devotional

January 9 - The path ahead

“Thus says the Lord: “Stand by the roads, and look, and ask for the ancient paths, where the good way is; and walk in it, and find rest for your s...

Daily devotional

January 8 - The Lord’s will

“Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.”” - James 4:15 Scripture reading: James 4:13-16 For believers, God and His divine will should be so much a part of daily experience, that we consciously acknowledge it each step of life's way. Christians are to make a point of acknowledging the plan and power of God. This is true for our walk with God now and it is also true for the future, as a New Year stretches out before us. It's not merely a matter of saying, “If it is God's will.” Mere words are easily said and can be an empty habit. It is, rather, a matter of a heart which loves the Lord. It is the experience of a heart of faith that knows it is in God that we live and move and have our being. Living in that faith, we place our life, our hopes and plans for the future in God's hands. We humbly declare our wholehearted willingness to serve the Lord, trust and obey Him, and live in His will. As a New Year has begun, time stretches before us like a road into the distance. What kind of road will it be for us in 2025? We don't know, but God does. Christian, may God bless you in 2025 with a good life and crown your life with success. In all your living and in all your accomplishments, be humble and thankful to the Lord. By His will alone you are able to walk down the path He wants you to travel. Now and always, in all that you say, do and plan, seek God's will. Suggestions for Prayer Pray for true humility not just merely to accept, but rather to obediently live in God's will now and always. Rev. Gregg V. Martin was ordained to the Gospel ministry in 1977. In his years of service, he pastored a total of five congregations in three Canadian provinces. He also served for more than seven years in Latin America as a missionary providing leadership training in Reformed mission churches. He is presently retired and living in Toronto. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

January 7 - A new walk with Jesus

“The hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him.” - John 4:23 Scripture reading: John 4:7-26 In this Gospel account, we meet the Samaritan woman who was enslaved by a sinful past. The fact is, many of us today are chained to the past: old sins, old arguments, old angers, old resentments. It is not the Lord's will or intention to start the year by proving you right in your old, sinful ways. People who refuse a new walk with Jesus will only receive God's justice. Today, through the words of the Gospel, Jesus speaks to us as He did to the Samaritan woman at the well. He says: woman, man, boy, girl, young person (whoever you might be): Believe Me, the time is coming and is now here when your anger, your strong opinions, your human will shall count as nothing. If you cannot shut the door on past sins, then you will not be able to walk with Me or truly worship Me in the days ahead. The time is coming and now is- today- it's the perfect time to set the past in its place, to repent, to receive pardon for your past sins, and to stop reliving old hatreds and bitterness. The time is coming and now is- to get serious and do what is most important: worship God, not just in church on Sunday, but every day. Serve the Lord with faith and obedience and a life of Christian service. That's the person the Father seeks and it is that person who will have the joy of a new walk with Jesus each step of the year ahead. Suggestions for prayer Ask the Lord for wisdom to recognize when you are caught in old sins. Pray that the Lord Jesus will forgive those sins, and that the Spirit will guide you to become a person whom the Father seeks. Rev. Gregg V. Martin was ordained to the Gospel ministry in 1977. In his years of service, he pastored a total of five congregations in three Canadian provinces. He also served for more than seven years in Latin America as a missionary providing leadership training in Reformed mission churches. He is presently retired and living in Toronto. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

January 6 - Expecting the best

“…therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.” - Matthew 24:44 Scripture reading: Matthew 24:36-44 The Christian's heart is guided by faith, and is ready at all times for the blessed return of Jesus with glory on the clouds of heaven. Being well prepared for Jesus' return is essential in our walk with the Lord day by day. Surely, the return of our Lord is the best expectation we can have as a New Year begins. Christ Jesus may return this year, and we, as faithful servants, must be found ready. Our Christian homes, our church participation, our daily living should all be found in order. We know that we fall short, and our struggle against sin is very real, but Jesus is our Saviour and we are justified by faith, and have peace with God. Even if Jesus does not return in 2025, being well prepared by expecting the best will surely result in blessings. We will enjoy the blessing of a well-ordered, godly life in our homes, at church, at work, at school, or wherever life will take us in the New Year. We will appreciate the pardon that only Jesus provides, as we turn to Him in faith. We cannot read the future. We do not know what 2025 will bring. God, however, has given us a mind, heart and will, so that we can plan and look ahead. Let us as Christians expect the best. The best thing of all is that Jesus will come at the time of His choosing, to take us to Himself. Then we shall enjoy the wonderful blessing of perfect fellowship with our Saviour forever! Suggestions for prayer Make it your daily prayer that the Lord Jesus will return to us quickly. Pray that through faith you will be ready for that great day. Rev. Gregg V. Martin was ordained to the Gospel ministry in 1977. In his years of service, he pastored a total of five congregations in three Canadian provinces. He also served for more than seven years in Latin America as a missionary providing leadership training in Reformed mission churches. He is presently retired and living in Toronto. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

January 5 - Renewing our strength

“But those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength. They shall mount up with wings like eagles. They shall run and not be weary. They shall walk and not faint.” - Isaiah 40:31 Scripture reading: Isaiah 40:25-31 It's the Lord's Day, the New Testament Sabbath. All around the world church doors are open and worship services are held. It is the opportunity we need as a new week begins, to renew our spiritual strength through the preaching of the Word, prayer and Christian fellowship. Attending worship services at church is an essential opportunity for spiritual renewal. On this first Sunday of the New Year, let us consecrate and dedicate ourselves to “wait upon the Lord.” Let us not run ahead of God in fits of human passion. Let us not fall behind the Lord by clinging to human traditions and outward customs. Do not follow the wide highway of glorifying self or personal opinion, which is so common today, but rather let us “wait upon the Lord”. Today, wait quietly upon the Lord by carefully listening as God's Word is read and a sermon proclaimed. Listen with faith, confidence and obedience. By doing so, the Lord will surely bless you; He shall renew your strength! Look forward to a year in which God will renew you, body and soul, through faithful participation in the means of grace. Look forward to receiving from Christ the power that you need to overcome temptation and the comfort of His forgiveness. With God's help and strength, we shall surmount every trouble, every trial, as though we had eagle's wings. As we hasten down the path ahead in the days to come, we shall not be weary, we shall not fail, because those who “wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength.” Suggestions for prayer: Pray that the Spirit will use the means of grace, as you worship today, to strengthen and bless you. Seek wisdom to wait quietly upon the Lord. Rev. Gregg V. Martin was ordained to the Gospel ministry in 1977. In his years of service, he pastored a total of five congregations in three Canadian provinces. He also served for more than seven years in Latin America as a missionary providing leadership training in Reformed mission churches. He is presently retired and living in Toronto. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

January 4 - New wine

“And no one puts new wine into old wineskins; or else the new wine will burst the wineskins and be spilled, and the wineskins will be ruined. But ne...

Daily devotional

January 3 - New Year’s resolutions

“Again, a new commandment I write to you, which thing is true in Him and in you, because the darkness is passing away, and the true light is already...

Daily devotional

January 2 - A sanctified start

“So it was, when the days of feasting had run their course, that Job would send and sanctify them, and he would rise early in the morning and offer ...

Daily devotional

January 1 - Introduction to the new year!

For those of us who follow a calendar basically inherited from the ancient Romans, this month of January marks the start of the New Year. We Christian...

Daily devotional

December 31 - The Bride and Spirit in sync

“The Spirit and the Bride say, “Come.” And let the one who hears say, “Come.” And let the one who is thirsty come, let the one who desires take the water of life without price.” - Revelation 22:17 Scripture reading: Revelation 22:12-21 Here, at the end of the book, we are not in the vision any longer. The Spirit of God and the bride (not the Lamb’s wife) are together in their longing for the completion of the plan of God, where everything will be in submission to God, as Ephesians 1 talks about. In response to the vision, the body of believers, whom the Spirit has united in faith, longs for the coming of Jesus to make all things new, and to see the destruction of the wicked. We pray, “Thy Kingdom Come, Thy Will be Done!” Let this full salvation come quickly. Amid our longing, we extend with John the invitation. Anyone who is thirsty for the abundant and free life, whoever longs to know forgiveness and mercy and righteousness and love, let him drink the water of life without price. Christ has paid the price, and all may come to Jesus to find life. Free salvation is offered. Just believe that Christ has accomplished justification for confessing sinners on the cross. As the Heidelberg Catechism says, “All I need to do is accept this gift of God with a believing heart.” Jesus makes everything new. He makes us new creations. This whole creation will be renewed to the glory of God. All who long for this, who work for this, take heart. Jesus is coming soon. We invite all sinners to repent, believe and enjoy the abundant and eternal life found in Jesus. Amen. Come, Lord Jesus! Suggestions for prayer As you anticipate a new year, pray that your anticipation may, more importantly, be for the day of Christ’s appearing and the new creation! In this hope, purify yourself as He is pure (John 3:3) Rev. Calvin J. Tuininga was born in Grand Rapids Michigan, but as a PK grew up in different places, mostly in Canada. He served in four churches: Burdett Alberta (CRC), Telkwa, B.C. (CRC), Trinity St. Catharines, Ontario (CRC/URC) and Covenant URC in Pantego, North Carolina. He retired in September 2019, and he and his wife presently reside in Washington, North Carolina. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

December 30 - His reward is with him

“Behold, I am coming soon, bringing my recompense with me, to repay each one for what he has done.” - Revelation 22:12 Scripture reading: Revelation 22:6-21 Jesus is coming soon! Of course, we have been hearing that for almost 2000 years! But don’t let that make you dozy, for He will come on a day when you least expect. Any who continue to live in disobedience, who do not take holiness seriously, who live out of harmony and fellowship with God, refusing to live by faith, will suddenly find it too late for all the words of this prophecy will have come true. Then there will be no time to change. Today is a day of salvation! Jesus is coming, bringing His recompense (reward) with Him. Romans 2:6-11 says, He will render to each one according to his works, to those who by patience in well-doing seek for glory and honor and immortality, he will give eternal life; but for those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, there will be wrath and fury … God shows no partiality. Those who wash and make themselves clean will enter the city. But those who do not wash, those who love and practice falsehood, will go into the lake of fire. Jesus sent His angel to testify about these things for the churches. The word “you” in v. 16 is plural, meaning this is for all believers to hear and take to heart. Be comforted, He is the Christ, the root and offspring of David, the bright and morning star. Are you comforted in the coming of Jesus to reward each one? Suggestions for prayer Pray for strength to be awake and watching for the day of the Lord. Rejoice together in the certainty of His return to bring us into the fullness of our inheritance! Rev. Calvin J. Tuininga was born in Grand Rapids Michigan, but as a PK grew up in different places, mostly in Canada. He served in four churches: Burdett Alberta (CRC), Telkwa, B.C. (CRC), Trinity St. Catharines, Ontario (CRC/URC) and Covenant URC in Pantego, North Carolina. He retired in September 2019, and he and his wife presently reside in Washington, North Carolina. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

December 29 - Keeping the vision

“And behold, I am coming soon. Blessed is the one who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book.” - Revelation 22:7 Scripture reading: Revelation 22:6-21 At the beginning of the book of Revelation, we read, “Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear, and who keep what is written in it, for the time is near” (Revelation 1:3). Nearing the end of the book we find the thought repeated. We are reminded that these words are trustworthy and true. God sent His angel to communicate to us what must soon take place. How crucial then that we take note of this book and its message. What does it mean to keep the words of the prophecy? It means first to believe, to take to heart. These words are intended to comfort and strengthen us in the days ahead. And if we believe this vision, it also means that we shall live our lives focused on Christ, Who is shown as the conquering, victorious Lord of lords and King of kings. It means then that we shun evil and all that opposes Christ, that we guard ourselves against the dragon, the beasts and Babylon. It means, as we read in verse 14, that we wash our robes, that we clothe ourselves in righteous living even as we have been clothed in the righteousness of Christ. As He forgives, we forgive; as He loves, we love; as He shows mercy, we show mercy. It means we live focused on already being the new society that we shall be in the new heavens and earth. Let us so live. Suggestions for prayer Ask God for His Spirit to enable you to keep the words of this book, that this vision may shape your vision, and that Christ may be your Lord, and His bride your concern. Rev. Calvin J. Tuininga was born in Grand Rapids Michigan, but as a PK grew up in different places, mostly in Canada. He served in four churches: Burdett Alberta (CRC), Telkwa, B.C. (CRC), Trinity St. Catharines, Ontario (CRC/URC) and Covenant URC in Pantego, North Carolina. He retired in September 2019, and he and his wife presently reside in Washington, North Carolina. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

December 28 - His name on our foreheads

“They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads.” - Revelation 22:4 Scripture reading: Revelation 22:1-5 The blessedness of the paradise of God is also pictured in the words, “They will see His face, and His name will be on their foreheads.” As finite creatures, we will know Him in glory as fully as we are able. We shall see Him! So we shall be like Him! His name will be on our foreheads, marked as His, as the priests in the Old Testament were, with ‘Holy to the Lord’ written on their foreheads. We will all be priests of God, serving Him. Clearly, we will not be living a life of leisure. We say that our Sundays are a foretaste of eternal rest. This is not because they are idle days, because our Sundays are busy! We spend our Sundays in preparation for worship, worshipping God, enjoying fellowship with God and His people and in doing good deeds. This equips us for living all week long for our God, resting from our sinful ways as we do the work we are called to do. Our life in glory will be filled with constant service and worship. We will have a constant source of nourishment. In glory there will be no night, nothing to hinder our fellowship with God and each other. We shall see clearly, and God will reveal Himself clearly. And we shall reign with God forever! As prophets, priests and kings we will serve and enjoy our God forever! To Him be the glory! Abraham lived looking forward to the city whose builder and maker was God. Do you? Suggestions for prayer Pray for the Spirit’s empowerment to live now in anticipation of the day when sin shall be no more, but we freely live for the praise and full enjoyment of God. Rev. Calvin J. Tuininga was born in Grand Rapids Michigan, but as a PK grew up in different places, mostly in Canada. He served in four churches: Burdett Alberta (CRC), Telkwa, B.C. (CRC), Trinity St. Catharines, Ontario (CRC/URC) and Covenant URC in Pantego, North Carolina. He retired in September 2019, and he and his wife presently reside in Washington, North Carolina. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

December 27 - The trees of life

“Also, on either side of the river, the tree of life, with its twelve kinds of fruits, yielding its fruit each month. The leaves of the tree were fo...

Daily devotional

December 26 - The river of life

“Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb through the middle of th...

Daily devotional

December 25 - Christ, the light of the world

“And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives its light, and its lamp is the Lamb.” - Revelation 21:23 Sc...

Daily devotional

December 24 - A view of the city #2

“And I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb.” - Revelation 21:22 Scripture reading: Revelation...

Daily devotional

December 23 - A view of the city #1

“ showed me the holy city Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God, having the glory of God, its radiance like a most rare jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal.” - Revelation 21:10b-11 Scripture reading: Revelation 21:9-21 We see the city, the bride of the lamb, as it is coming down out of heaven from God. This is the Church that was built by Christ, whose inheritance is kept in heaven with Christ, and He shall bring it to completion on the glorious day. It is filled with the glory of God, a radiant, clear crystal. The church has been made pure and perfectly radiates the glory of God! This city is a perfect cube, 1380 miles in every direction. Traveling 55 miles per hour it would take 24 hours to cross the city, which stretches the approximate distance from Nags Head, NC, to Salina, Kansas, from Southern Maine to North Florida, and then as high. The church is immense, a number we cannot count. John is not seeing a literal city, but a symbol of the victorious church, the Lamb’s wife. The church does not live in the city, but the city is the church who dwells in perfect harmony with God. The beauty of the church here is our perfect fellowship with the Triune God. As Revelation 21:3 says, “Now the dwelling of God is with men, and He will live with them. They will be His people, and God Himself shall be with them and be their God.” No more tears, death or pain. All will be new. On earth we are the bride, but we will be the lamb’s wife, perfectly reflecting the glory of our Transcendent God. Suggestions for prayer Praise God for His work in bringing His church to completion. Thank Jesus for coming in humility to take away our sins, so that we may look forward to the glory that shall be ours when He comes again. Rev. Calvin J. Tuininga was born in Grand Rapids Michigan, but as a PK grew up in different places, mostly in Canada. He served in four churches: Burdett Alberta (CRC), Telkwa, B.C. (CRC), Trinity St. Catharines, Ontario (CRC/URC) and Covenant URC in Pantego, North Carolina. He retired in September 2019, and he and his wife presently reside in Washington, North Carolina. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

December 22 - The vision of the bride

“Come, I will show you the Bride, the wife of the Lamb.” - Revelation 21:9b Scripture reading: Revelation 21:9-27 When the Queen of Sheba came to see Solomon, she found that the reality of his splendour was far beyond anything she had been told. What we are going to see about the bride, also called the New Jerusalem, is shown in ways we can understand, but when we get to heaven itself, we shall agree with the Queen of Sheba, saying that the half has not been told to us. There will be blessings such as no eye has seen, no ear has heard, nor man has ever imagined. The angel who shows John the vision is one who had a bowl of the seven last plagues. This connects us with what took place in Revelation 15-16, but here in contrast. There John had seen the vision of the great prostitute, who sought to allure us from Christ as if she had something more worthwhile to offer. But she led to death. Now we see the Lamb’s wife. Her glory is in sharp contrast to the prostitute’s doom. John was brought into the wilderness to see the prostitute, but here is brought to a high mountain. And as the Harlot was a picture of Babylon, the city of man in rebellion against God, the bride here is Jerusalem, the city where God dwells with His people, His church. We will see spiritual things in symbolic, physical ways, to help us understand the spiritual beauty and glory that awaits. This is crucial to understand as we look at the New Jerusalem. Suggestions for prayer Ask for the Spirit’s guidance as we begin to look at the New Jerusalem. This Christmas season we can be easily distracted by other things, but need help to focus on what is true and eternal. Rev. Calvin J. Tuininga was born in Grand Rapids Michigan, but as a PK grew up in different places, mostly in Canada. He served in four churches: Burdett Alberta (CRC), Telkwa, B.C. (CRC), Trinity St. Catharines, Ontario (CRC/URC) and Covenant URC in Pantego, North Carolina. He retired in September 2019, and he and his wife presently reside in Washington, North Carolina. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

December 21 - Trustworthy and true words

“It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give from the spring of the water of life without payment. The one who conquers will have this heritage, and I will be his God and he will be my son.” - Revelation 21:6-7 Scripture reading: Revelation 21:1-8 The Apostle Peter says that the inheritance of believers is incorruptible, undefiled and unfading, kept in heaven for us (1 Peter 1:4). By God’s power believers are guarded through faith for a salvation that will be revealed in the last time. This is trustworthy and true. When Christ returns, we will have a place in the New Heavens and Earth, in the New Jerusalem, a place of eternal blessing with Jesus. This is so certain that in verse 6, we read that it is accomplished! These are the words of God, the One on the throne, Who is the beginning and the end, The Alpha and the Omega. Jesus is faithful and true. He was before all things, made all things, and all things exist for Him. In Him, all things have their purpose. He is the sovereign Lord through Whom and for Whom and unto Whom are all things. So what He says is reliable and trustworthy! Notice, however, what is trustworthy and true. Those who seek after God, who are faithful unto the end will enjoy this inheritance. But for unbelievers, those who live for themselves and this world as it is under the curse, their portion will be in the lake of fire and sulphur, that is, eternal death! Those who thirst for Christ and rest in peace in Him are freely given the water of eternal life. “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied”(Matthew 5:6). Suggestions for prayer Thank God for His words revealed in this vision, for they are trustworthy and true. Pray for the day when you shall see Christ face to face and be like Him since you shall see Him as He is. Rev. Calvin J. Tuininga was born in Grand Rapids Michigan, but as a PK grew up in different places, mostly in Canada. He served in four churches: Burdett Alberta (CRC), Telkwa, B.C. (CRC), Trinity St. Catharines, Ontario (CRC/URC) and Covenant URC in Pantego, North Carolina. He retired in September 2019, and he and his wife presently reside in Washington, North Carolina. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

December 20 - The new heavens and the new earth II

“Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more.” - Revelation 21:1 Scripture reading: Revelation 21:1-8 What will the new heavens and earth be like? We are not told much. That there is no sea is a picture meaning no more turmoil of the nations. It will be a place of peace with God and each other. God will wipe away every tear from our eyes, and there will be no more death or mourning or crying, for the old things have passed away (not to be remembered; Isaiah 65:17). Everything will be made new. The creation will be refined by fire, as it once was by water. Out of the great cleansing fire emerges a whole new earth, reshaped in righteousness and purity; the same earth, but gloriously reshaped with no evidence of the curse. Even our bodies will be renewed like Christ’s glorious body. Everything will be in harmony under Christ. Ephesians 1:9ff says He will, when the times will have reached their fulfillment “unite all things in Him, things in heaven and things on earth.” This echoes Colossians 1:19-20, “For in Him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through Him to reconcile all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of the cross.” The sufferings of this present age are not worth comparing with the glory to be revealed in us. Of this glory 1 Corinthians 2:9 says, “No eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love Him.” What a glorious hope. Lord Jesus, come quickly! Suggestions for prayer Praise God for the hope we have in Christ. Pray for the Spirit to prepare us for the day of His glorious return. Rev. Calvin J. Tuininga was born in Grand Rapids Michigan, but as a PK grew up in different places, mostly in Canada. He served in four churches: Burdett Alberta (CRC), Telkwa, B.C. (CRC), Trinity St. Catharines, Ontario (CRC/URC) and Covenant URC in Pantego, North Carolina. He retired in September 2019, and he and his wife presently reside in Washington, North Carolina. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

December 19 - The new heavens and the new earth I

“Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more.” - Revelation 21:1 ...

Daily devotional

December 18 - Day of judgement

“Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it … And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were op...

Daily devotional

December 17 - The destruction of Satan

“…the devil, who had deceived them, was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur where the beast and the false prophet were, and they will be torme...

Daily devotional

December 16 - The victorious in Christ

“Blessed and holy is the one who shares in the first resurrection.” - Revelation 20:6 Scripture reading: Revelation 20: 4-6 Now John sees ...

Daily devotional

December 15 - The binding of Satan

“Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, holding in his hands the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain. And he seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years.” - Revelation 20:1 Scripture reading: Revelation 20:1-6 The book of Revelation is a book of comfort, assuring us of our victory in Christ. The book gives us a look behind the scenes of what takes place in our world to encourage us to be faithful. It doesn’t give us a timetable, but pictures to assure God's sovereignty and justice in all things. In 2 Corinthians 4:4, we read that “the god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ.” Satan at that time was free. He was the prince of the world who was deceiving the nations and often the covenant people. Thus the Old Testament period was one of darkness. God had promised a light would come to shine, revealing sin, but also destroying all darkness. Christ came into the world, as 1 John 3:8 says, to destroy the devil’s work. And in His ministry He said, upon hearing that the demons were subject to the gospel, “I saw Satan falling like lightning from heaven.” This was the beginning of the binding of Satan that will last until close to the end of time, when he will be loosed again. This is what John sees here in a vision. While at times it seems like Satan reigns supreme (some think he is loosed again!) remember that Christ is proclaimed and worshipped throughout the world, and is sovereign over the nations. Trust Him and be strong. Suggestions for prayer Thank God for assuring us that Jesus is victorious. Satan is subject to His authority, and those who believe share in the victory of Christ. Those who die in the Lord are reigning with Him! Rev. Calvin J. Tuininga was born in Grand Rapids Michigan, but as a PK grew up in different places, mostly in Canada. He served in four churches: Burdett Alberta (CRC), Telkwa, B.C. (CRC), Trinity St. Catharines, Ontario (CRC/URC) and Covenant URC in Pantego, North Carolina. He retired in September 2019, and he and his wife presently reside in Washington, North Carolina. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com. ...

Daily devotional

December 14 - The great feast

“Then I saw an angel standing in the sun, and with a loud voice he called to all the birds that fly directly overhead, “Come, gather for the great supper of God.”” - Revelation 19:17 Scripture reading: Revelation 19:11-21 Christ is coming to meet all who are opposed to Him. He is going to tread the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty. All His enemies have gathered to defeat Him and those with Him. But the angel calls the birds of heaven to come feast on the bodies of the mighty men, as well as all men, both slave and free, small and great. Any who follow the devil and his minions will be defeated! Thus we read in verse 20 that the beast was captured as well as the false prophet who had deceived so many. Here is the fulfillment of Isaiah 63:1-3: “Who is this who comes from Edom, in crimsoned garments. “It is I, speaking in righteousness, mighty to save.” Why is your apparel red…? “I have trodden the winepress alone … in my anger…; their lifeblood splattered on my garments…” Notice that He defeats His enemies by the sword of His mouth, His Word. His Word is not just ancient writings, but the very power of God unto salvation for all who believe, and death for His enemies. As II Thessalonians 2:8 says, “Then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will kill with the breath of his mouth.” We must hold fast to the word of Truth. God’s Word always accomplishes what He intends. We who ride with Him will share in the victory. The beast and the false prophet are destroyed. They are thrown into the lake of fire. Believe the Word. Suggestions for prayer Thank God for the assurance that all worldly power and those who proclaim lies will be destroyed, as well as those who serve them. Pray for the Spirit that we may faithfully follow Jesus, Whose word provides life for all who believe. Rev. Calvin J. Tuininga was born in Grand Rapids Michigan, but as a PK grew up in different places, mostly in Canada. He served in four churches: Burdett Alberta (CRC), Telkwa, B.C. (CRC), Trinity St. Catharines, Ontario (CRC/URC) and Covenant URC in Pantego, North Carolina. He retired in September 2019, and he and his wife presently reside in Washington, North Carolina. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

December 13 - The rider on the white horse

“Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse! The one sitting on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he judges and makes war.” - Revelation 19:11 Scripture reading: Revelation 19:11-21 The groom stands in front of the church, anticipating the moment the doors of the church swing open and he sees his bride. And the bride anticipates seeing her groom waiting for her. We anticipate seeing Christ coming, but as heaven opens, we see Him dressed as a warrior, crowned, yet His robes dipped in blood. Behind Him is a whole army, but they are white and pure on their white horses. This is because Christ is the One Who fights our battles and defeats our enemies. He is the word of God that fells our enemies. He is the King of kings and Lord of lords. In the order of Revelation, the prostitute is destroyed. But before we see the final victory the Spirit reassures us of the destruction of the two beasts, the antichrist and the false prophet, and the dragon. He takes us back briefly to the last battle of Armageddon, when all the world is posed to destroy the church. We anticipate the wedding feast, but first must come a feast of a different sort! Jesus is coming in victorious judgment to make all things new. He does not come with vicious bloodlust, but with justice, as Psalm 96:13 says. No sin goes unpunished, no one will be judged too harshly. Notice His eyes, like a flame of fire. Nothing is hidden from Him. As Revelation 2:23 says, He “searches out mind and heart” and will “give to each as their works deserve.” Suggestions for prayer Ask God for patience as we long for the day of Christ’s appearance as the victorious Lord. Yet ask Him to come, defeat His enemies, establish His Kingdom, and take us home. Rev. Calvin J. Tuininga was born in Grand Rapids Michigan, but as a PK grew up in different places, mostly in Canada. He served in four churches: Burdett Alberta (CRC), Telkwa, B.C. (CRC), Trinity St. Catharines, Ontario (CRC/URC) and Covenant URC in Pantego, North Carolina. He retired in September 2019, and he and his wife presently reside in Washington, North Carolina. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

December 12 - The marriage supper of the Lamb

“And the angel said to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.” And he said to me, “These are the true words of God.”” - Revelation 19:9 Scripture reading: Revelation 19:6-10 The word Hallelujah is often used in music and movies to portray ecstasy. But here in Revelation 19 our hearts soar with the fall of the prostitute and the victory of Jesus, and all believers join in the majestic Hallelujah chorus. Yet, there is further reason to praise God, for we have longed not only for the defeat of our enemies, but for everything to be in submission to God. “Hallelujah! For the Lord our God, the Almighty reigns.” Further we rejoice “…and exult and give him the glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come and the Bride has made herself ready – it was granted her to clothe herself with fine linen, bright and pure.” All because we are clothed in the righteousness of Christ! Oh, how blessed are those who are invited to the wedding feast of the Lamb. Yes, the church is now the bride. From heaven He came and sought us to be His holy bride; with His own blood He bought us and for our life He died. In anticipation we ready ourselves. How blessed we are, for we do not share in the curse of the prostitute, but rather an eternity with our God. The angel reminds us that “these are the true words of God.” Let us not grow weary, but encourage each other as the day of the Lord draws near. Let us be faithful in our worship of God, for His promises are true and our union with Him is certain. Suggestions for prayer Pray for faith to believe the word, the testimony of our Lord and the spirit of prophecy. Pray for strength to live in anticipation, always ready for the wedding feast of the Lamb. Rev. Calvin J. Tuininga was born in Grand Rapids Michigan, but as a PK grew up in different places, mostly in Canada. He served in four churches: Burdett Alberta (CRC), Telkwa, B.C. (CRC), Trinity St. Catharines, Ontario (CRC/URC) and Covenant URC in Pantego, North Carolina. He retired in September 2019, and he and his wife presently reside in Washington, North Carolina. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

December 11 - Rejoicing in heaven

“Hallelujah! Salvation and glory and power belong to our God for his judgments are true and just, for he has judged the great prostitute who corrupt...

Daily devotional

December 10 - The fall of Babylon

“Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great!” - Revelation 18:2 Scripture reading: Revelation 18:1-24 As fascinating and wonderful as our civiliz...

Daily devotional

December 9 - The beast with seven heads

“I will tell you the mystery … of the beast with seven heads and ten horns that carries her.” - Revelation 17:4 Scripture reading: Revelation...

Daily devotional

December 8 - The great prostitute and the beast #2

Daily devotional

December 7 - The great prostitute and the beast #1

“And he carried me away in the Spirit into a wilderness, and I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast that was full of blasphemous names, and it had seven heads and ten horns.” - Revelation 17:3 Scripture reading: Revelation 17:1-18 The Spirit isolates John so he can see the Great Prostitute and the Beast on which she sits. She is gloriously arrayed. She is the great city that has dominion over the kings of the earth (v.18). In other words, she is human civilization, not in submission to Christ, but in harmony with the beast. She is a picture of any ungodly civilization: people working and living together in business, commerce, labour, entertainment, arts, education, theology, etc., but all apart from God. This civilization is seen as a prostitute because, while looking attractive, she leads people away from God to serve created things. This is adulterous. When God’s people were taken in by this world, Isaiah exclaimed, “See how the faithful city has become an adulteress (Isaiah 1:21). The prostitute is always the insolent and idolatrous society (Tyre in Isaiah 23:16, Nineveh in Nahum 3:4) that seeks to lead even God’s people astray. Civilization here is a whore, not an adulteress. Babylon is a prostitute, never the lamb’s wife. She sits on many waters, or many peoples that are opposed to God. She is also on the beast out of the waters, which is any ungodly human power or authority. Civilization cannot exist apart from human government, so she is seen here dependent on the beast. Tomorrow we will see why we should not be taken in by her, but remain as we are, redeemed to be a holy nation, a royal priesthood, a people set apart unto the Lord. Suggestions for prayer Although the society in which we live is very enticing, her music and art, work and science beautiful, pray that we may remain a distinct and holy people for God’s glory. Rev. Calvin J. Tuininga was born in Grand Rapids Michigan, but as a PK grew up in different places, mostly in Canada. He served in four churches: Burdett Alberta (CRC), Telkwa, B.C. (CRC), Trinity St. Catharines, Ontario (CRC/URC) and Covenant URC in Pantego, North Carolina. He retired in September 2019, and he and his wife presently reside in Washington, North Carolina. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

December 6 - The final three bowls

“Then I heard a loud voice from the temple telling the seven angels, “Go and pour out on the earth the seven bowls of the wrath of God.” - Revelation 16:1 Scripture reading: Revelation 16:10-21 Many insist on believing the lie instead of the truth. God sends messengers or disasters to call them to repentance, but they refuse to repent. Such people will suffer God’s wrath. In the fifth bowl, the great deceiver and his followers face eternal judgment. All his followers will be plunged into deep spiritual darkness. They will be in anguish and distress, but not repent, like Pharaoh in Egypt. Many are taken in by the pleasures of this life, yet do not find lasting joy and peace, but rather agony and anguish. For this they will curse God. The sixth bowl pictures a way made for the enemies of the church to attack her. It is a picture of the forces of the antichrist gathering for the great battle of the last day. The Old Testament speaks of the great terrible day of the Lord (Joel 2:11) when God will gather the nations together for final judgment (Joel 3:2). Here they think they are going to destroy the church, but God will destroy them. The seventh bowl introduces us to the final day of judgment. A voice from heaven cries, “It is done!” Here is a picture of the final defeat of the kingdom of the evil one, which will be expanded on later in the next chapters. God will use all creation to accomplish His purposes. Though this world with devils filled should threaten to undo us, rejoice! Jesus is coming to judge the world in righteousness. Suggestions for prayer Since you long for the day when all things shall be made new, pray that God may come quickly. But until then pray that we may be used to call all to repentance before the day of final and complete darkness. Rev. Calvin J. Tuininga was born in Grand Rapids Michigan, but as a PK grew up in different places, mostly in Canada. He served in four churches: Burdett Alberta (CRC), Telkwa, B.C. (CRC), Trinity St. Catharines, Ontario (CRC/URC) and Covenant URC in Pantego, North Carolina. He retired in September 2019, and he and his wife presently reside in Washington, North Carolina. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

December 5 - The first four bowls

“Then I heard a loud voice from the temple telling the seven angels, “Go and pour out on the earth the seven bowls of the wrath of God.” - Revelation 16:1 Scripture reading: Revelation 16:1-9 All creation speaks of God, and the gospel goes forth daily throughout the world. Yet, many suppress the truth and refuse to believe God and His Christ, or listen to the Spirit. God sends tragedies and disasters as warning calls to all men to repent. Yet, for many these disasters are final judgments, since they refuse to repent, but harden their hearts against God. In the bowls, we see similar judgments as in the trumpets (Chapters 8-9), yet with intensification. The seals spoke of 25 % destruction, the trumpets of 33%, but here the bowls speak of total destruction. The earlier series are calls to repentance. The bowls are not a completely different series of events, but similar events seen from a different perspective, namely, how for the unrepentant these disasters are the point of no return. Here we see the effect of disasters on those who, suppressing the truth and hardened in sin, are facing their final judgment. The second, third and fourth bowl are disasters on the sea, lakes and rivers, and sun. These disasters are total in the sense that they lead not to repentance, but are judgments on those who curse the name of God, and do not repent and give glory to God. Therefore, the angel in charge of the waters sings in verses 5-7 of the justice of what God is doing here. God in His mercy gives us this vision, calling us to repent and believe while we can before some disaster comes and it is too late. Suggestions for prayer While God sends warning judgments calling all men to repentance through various trials and disasters, pray that God gives us true repentance and faith, that we may always be ready when He calls. Pray that the nations may not harden their hearts on the day of trouble. Rev. Calvin J. Tuininga was born in Grand Rapids Michigan, but as a PK grew up in different places, mostly in Canada. He served in four churches: Burdett Alberta (CRC), Telkwa, B.C. (CRC), Trinity St. Catharines, Ontario (CRC/URC) and Covenant URC in Pantego, North Carolina. He retired in September 2019, and he and his wife presently reside in Washington, North Carolina. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

December 4 - Seven angels coming with final plagues

“Then I saw another sign in heaven, great and amazing, seven angels with seven great plagues, which are the last, for with them the wrath of God is finished.” - Revelation 15:1 Scripture reading: Revelation 15:1-8 In Revelation 14, we were given three pictures calling us to endure in the faith. God, in Revelation 15:2-4, assures us of victory. But the end is not yet. The wrath of God is not yet complete! John sees a great and amazing sign. The last time this phrase is used was when the great dragon began his war against the church, calling the two beasts to help. Now we see a great and amazing vision of the final wrath of God to be poured out. Seven angels stand with the last judgments. In Revelation 8-11, we see how throughout history, God has sent warning judgments calling all to repentance and faith. In this chapter we see judgment on those who refuse to repent. The seven angels are ready to do their work. They come from the sanctuary, that is, from the presence of God. The clothing of the angels signifies they come with royal authority, with divine justice. They receive bowls of wrath from one of the four living creatures around the throne. These bowls were full of incense in chapter 5, representing the prayers of God people. Here in response to our prayers of “Thy Kingdom Come” the angels are given bowls full of wrath. God, in His glory (the temple is filled with his glory), gives many warnings for all to flee from the wrath to come. Today is the time to repent and put our trust in Jesus for salvation. Do not harden your heart like those in this chapter. Suggestions for prayer Amid the trials and disasters that come in this life, thank God that He hears our prayers, and though many refuse to repent, praise Him for His mercy in Christ for those who repent and trust in Him. Rev. Calvin J. Tuininga was born in Grand Rapids Michigan, but as a PK grew up in different places, mostly in Canada. He served in four churches: Burdett Alberta (CRC), Telkwa, B.C. (CRC), Trinity St. Catharines, Ontario (CRC/URC) and Covenant URC in Pantego, North Carolina. He retired in September 2019, and he and his wife presently reside in Washington, North Carolina. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

December 3 - Reason for optimism

“And I saw what appeared to be a sea of glass mingled with fire – and also those who had conquered the beast and its image and the number of its n...

Daily devotional

December 2 - The harvest of the earth

“So He who sat on the cloud swung his sickle across the earth and the earth was reaped.” - Revelation 14:16 Scripture reading: Revelation 14:14...

Daily devotional

December 1 - Introduction to Revelation

In December of 2022, I did a series of devotions on Revelation 1-14:12. I was asked to do a follow-up series on the rest of the book of Revelation. I ...

Daily devotional

November 30 - Reckless zeal

“...for in just a little while I will punish the house of Jehu for the blood of Jezreel, and I will put an end to the kingdom of the house of Israel...

Daily devotional

November 29 - The Lord’s madman

“Rejoice with Him, O heavens, bow down to Him, all gods, for He avenges the blood of His children and takes vengeance on His adversaries. He repays those who hate Him and cleanses His people's land.” - Deuteronomy 32:43 Scripture reading: 2 Kings 9:1-37 With the anointing of Jehu as king over Israel, God's promise to Elijah, in 1 Kings 19:10, to cleanse His people of idolatry is fulfilled. As God promised, Jehu will put to death any who escape the sword of Hazael, and Elisha will put to death any who escape the sword of Jehu. Elisha has been anointed, and so has Hazael. Now it’s time to anoint Jehu who would be let loose as a consuming fire to annihilate the house of Ahab and destroy the godless. Thus, one of the sons of the prophets is commissioned to anoint Jehu, the commander of Israel's army as king. So he does, with the commission to wipe out Ahab's entire family in order to avenge the blood of God's prophets and servants spilled by Ahab and Jezebel. Like a madman, Jehu first slays Joram, son of Ahab. In his fervour, he also executes Ahaziah, king of Judah, a grandson of Jezebel. With the death of Joram, Elijah's prophecy regarding God's revenge on Naboth, was fulfilled (v. 26; see 1 Kings 21:21-4). This prophecy is further fulfilled by Jehu's execution of Jezebel. We see that the Lord is a jealous and avenging God Who will not tolerate the breaking of His covenant nor the murdering of His children. We also see the reliability of the promises and threats of the word of God as they are fulfilled against the House of Ahab. So Israel was led to repent and trust in the Lord, alone. So must we. Suggestions for prayer Pray that in the face of so much injustice, we may repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to what is honourable in the sight of all (Romans 12:17). For at the judgment seat of Christ all will be made right. Rev. Barry Beukema is a graduate of Calvin College and Westminster Theological Seminary, Philadelphia. He has pastored the Christian Reformed Churches in Burdett, Alberta and Smithers, British Columbia. He then pastored the URCNA churches of Smithers, BC, Thunder Bay, ON, Lacombe, AB, Neerlandia, AB, and is now pastoring the United Reformed Church of Taber, Alberta.Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

November 28 - Life and death

“I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse. Therefore choose life, that you and your offspring may live, loving the LORD your God, obeying His voice and holding fast to Him, for He is your life....” - Deuteronomy 30:19-20 Scripture reading: 2 Kings 8:1-15 At the close of Elisha's ministry and the beginning of God's judgment upon Israel, we are shown the necessity of trusting in the Lord. We see the contrast between God's gracious dealings with the Shunammite woman, and the judgment He would bring upon Israel, by Hazael. In the first event we see life and blessing. In the second we see death and the curse. In the seven year famine, by which God was chastening Israel to return to Him, Elisha called the Shunammite woman to leave to find sustenance elsewhere. Obeying Elisha's warning, we see that the Word of the Lord was active not only in judgment, bringing death and the curse, but blessing for those who trust in Him. At the end of the seven years, she returns to implore King Joram to restore her house and land at just the moment Gehazi is there to attest that she is the woman whose son Elisha raised from the dead. As a result, the king restores both her land and the income she lost during her absence. This woman and her son were a living witness of the power of God's word to give life, prosperity and blessing. Yet, Joram continued to walk in the ways of his father, Ahab with terrible consequences. For now Elisha was called to anoint Hazael, as king of Syria, to wreck devastation upon Israel for all her sins. Unlike Israel, we must choose life in our Lord Jesus Christ, not death, as we listen to, and live by, His life giving Word. Suggestions for prayer Ask the Lord to show you where you have failed to put His Word into practice in your life, that you would know the blessing of owning Him as God alone. Rev. Barry Beukema is a graduate of Calvin College and Westminster Theological Seminary, Philadelphia. He has pastored the Christian Reformed Churches in Burdett, Alberta and Smithers, British Columbia. He then pastored the URCNA churches of Smithers, BC, Thunder Bay, ON, Lacombe, AB, Neerlandia, AB, and is now pastoring the United Reformed Church of Taber, Alberta.Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

November 27 - Unsolicited grace (II)

“And my God will supply every need of yours according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.” - Philippians 4:19 Scripture reading: 2 Kings 6:24 - 7:20 God again shows Himself to be the God of unrequested grace. Due to Israel's idolatry, Ben-hadad's siege of Samaria has brought upon her the curses of Deuteronomy 28 (see verse 53 ff.). Yet, King Jehoram, refuses to repent. Instead, he blames the Lord and His prophet for this calamity, and comes to kill Elisha - an all too familiar response when faced with the consequences of sin! But, amazingly, God proclaims, through Elisha, that the very next day, famine ravished Samaria would enjoy an abundance of food. Here is unsolicited (unasked for) grace! Here we see Romans 5:20 demonstrating that where sin increased, grace increased all the more. Who could believe that such could be possible? Certainly not Jehoram's captain, who mocked such a thing. So Elisha says to him, You shall see it with your own eyes, but you shall not eat of it. That night, God caused the Syrians to hear an imagined threat and flee in terror. Four lepers, facing death, decided to leave the city and cast themselves upon the mercy of the Syrians. Finding their camp abandoned they gorged themselves on the food left behind. Realizing they were sinning by not announcing this good news to the starving city, they declared this great salvation. The city was saved. But the captain was trampled by the people pouring out of the gates, and did not get a taste of this salvation. Like those lepers, we must tell the world of the Good News of Jesus, who as the Living Bread, gives eternal life to the world. Suggestions for prayer Ask that we may see our sins, and repenting of them, know the blessing of God, And pray that like those lepers, we may tell the Good News of salvation to others through faith in Jesus, our Lord. Rev. Barry Beukema is a graduate of Calvin College and Westminster Theological Seminary, Philadelphia. He has pastored the Christian Reformed Churches in Burdett, Alberta and Smithers, British Columbia. He then pastored the URCNA churches of Smithers, BC, Thunder Bay, ON, Lacombe, AB, Neerlandia, AB, and is now pastoring the United Reformed Church of Taber, Alberta.Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

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June 5 - Jesus, better than Moses

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June 3 - Jesus, better than the angels

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June 2 - Jesus, better than the prophets

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June 1 - Introduction to Hebrews

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May 31 - Without excuse

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May 30 - God’s timeline and our salvation

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May 29 - Grateful praise to our ascended Lord!

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May 28 - Immeasurable love

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May 27 - Eternal grace

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May 26 - Mercy, grace, and steadfast love

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May 25 - Christ, our passover lamb

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May 24 - The active obedience of Christ

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May 23 - The passive obedience of Christ

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May 22 - Redemption through the Son

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May 21 - New life from the Spirit

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May 20 - The electing love of the Father

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May 19 - Only through Christ

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May 18 - Who is able to stand before this holy God

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May 17 - Providence in retrospect

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