Daily devotional

October 21 - Does the Lord not see?

“But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he was angry. And he prayed to the LORD and said, "O LORD, is not this what I said when I was yet in my co...

Daily devotional

October 20 - Does the Lord not see?

“This is evidence of the righteous judgment of God, that you may be considered worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you are also suffering- since...

Daily devotional

October 19 - The righteous sufferer

“So Jesus also suffered outside the gate in order to sanctify the people through his own blood. Therefore let us go to him outside the camp and bear...

Daily devotional

October 18 - From desire to death

“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. But each person ...

Daily devotional

October 17 - Carrying the cross for Christ

“And he said to them, "Truly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or wife or brothers or parents or children, for the sake of the kingdom of God, who will not receive many times more in this time, and in the age to come eternal life."” - Luke 18:29-30 Scripture reading: Luke 14:25-33 Clearly our Lord Jesus calls us for a whole-souled commitment. He demands that we reorder our loves (v. 26), release our lives (v. 26), recount the costs (vv. 28-32), and relinquish our grip on our possessions (v. 33). This is what it means to be his disciple. Have we done that? Have we given up our cherished desires, even for legitimate things, for the sake of Christ? Are we willing to give up time and money and energy and reputation and comfort to serve our Redeemer? Are you ever uncomfortable for the gospel’s sake? Christ is not necessarily asking us to sell everything and go to Nepal as a missionary. Though it would be great if we sent out more missionaries! But he is asking us to give more of our time for prayer and our money for missions. He’s asking us to forego visiting with family some Sundays so we can be a blessing to those in the congregation who are unlike ourselves. He’s asking us to show hospitality, to visit the elderly, and to witness to unbelievers despite our discomfort. He wants you to speak to the visitor at church even though you are quiet and introverted. He is calling children to serve their parents and siblings. He is calling us to be uncomfortable for Him. Sound restrictive? Not if you see it as service to the Saviour. At the end of a long life of suffering for the Lord Jesus, the great missionary, David Livingstone, said his hardships were ‘nothing when compared with the glory which shall be revealed in and for us. I never made a sacrifice.’ Suggestions for prayer Ask the Lord to teach us where we might serve Him as Christ’s disciples. Pray that God would raise up ministers and missionaries to go to the ends of the earth with the gospel of life. Reverend John van Eyk began his ministry in Cambridge, Ontario as Church Planter and Minister of the Riverside Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church. After 13 years there he served almost 10 years in the Tain/Fearn congregation of the Associated Presbyterian Churches in the Scottish Highlands. John currently serves as Senior Pastor of Trinity Reformed Church (United Reformed) in Lethbridge, 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

October 16 - Joyfully serving Christ

“For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works.” - Titus 2:11-14 Scripture reading: 1 Kings 19:19-21 Well, that was a surprise! Elisha is plowing on his family's farm and suddenly Elijah throws his cloak on him. Somehow Elisha knew what that meant and joyfully responds. He runs after Elijah, eager to do God's work. He bids farewell to his parents, kissing them goodbye. He slaughters his oxen and burns the yokes, indicating that he was making a complete break both with his former work and future inheritance. And he celebrates his call to service with his friends. Elisha eagerly responds to God’s call. That's a good word for us, isn't it? Our service to God is too often bare duty. We serve in Church office because the congregation elected us. We care for our elderly parents because it is the right thing to do. We attend worship because God calls us to. We resist sin because it is against God’s law. It is right to do things because our Master places these obligations upon us, but shouldn’t there also be delight in our doing? These obligations are opportunities to do something for Christ. And shouldn’t joy saturate our service? It wasn’t going to be easy for Elisha. He was leaving a large farm and an affectionate family. Farming was just becoming fun again now that the drought was over. And the life he was going to lacked security and promised hardship. And notice, he was called to be Elijah’s assistant. Hardly glamorous. By the grace of God, he heeded God's call. Should not Christ’s service to us win our service to Him? Shouldn’t the grace of God make us zealous for good works? Suggestions for prayer Ask that God would forgive us for our, at times, begrudging obedience. Pray that the Holy Spirit might conform us to the image of Christ who said, ‘I delight to do your will, O my God; your law is within my heart.’ Reverend John van Eyk began his ministry in Cambridge, Ontario as Church Planter and Minister of the Riverside Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church. After 13 years there he served almost 10 years in the Tain/Fearn congregation of the Associated Presbyterian Churches in the Scottish Highlands. John currently serves as Senior Pastor of Trinity Reformed Church (United Reformed) in Lethbridge, 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

October 15 - The voice of grace and judgement

“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. Matthew 25:41 Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.’” - Matthew 11:28-30 Scripture reading: 1 Kings 19:9-18 So what does God think of Elijah's accusations? He agrees. Israel deserves judgement. When Moses was on the mount (Exodus 34) God passed by him giving Moses a revelation of Himself. Here in the mount, God reveals Himself to Elijah with four different manifestations: wind, earthquake, fire, and a low whisper. Notice that the first three are destructive, the last one is calm. What does this mean? The three correspond to the three judgements that God will unleash on His people through Hazael, Jehu, and Elisha (verses 15-17). But judgement is not God's only Word. Seven thousand will be reserved as true worshippers. Nor is judgement God's preferred Word. I get this from the contrast between the three and the one. He was not in the three, but He was in the one. That is, though God will bring judgement, he delights to show mercy. Some years later we find Elijah on another mountain with Moses and Jesus (Luke 9:28-36) discussing Jesus’ departure, His coming death, which was God’s Word of judgement against Jesus. Weren’t there also rocks splitting and an earthquake at Jesus’ death? His death was for His people’s failure to keep covenant and to worship God faithfully. And then a cloud enveloped them and a voice spoke. Was it a low whisper? The voice said, “This is my Son, my Chosen One; listen to him.” Jesus is the voice we must listen to. Today His voice speaks grace and invites us to come. One day it will speak judgement and will command us to depart. Listen to Him! Now. Suggestions for prayer Adore God that the Lord Jesus was willing to take our judgement so that we might hear His voice of grace. Pray that through our personal evangelism and the ministry of Christ’s Church many would come to Jesus instead of bowing knees to idols and kissing false gods. Reverend John van Eyk began his ministry in Cambridge, Ontario as Church Planter and Minister of the Riverside Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church. After 13 years there he served almost 10 years in the Tain/Fearn congregation of the Associated Presbyterian Churches in the Scottish Highlands. John currently serves as Senior Pastor of Trinity Reformed Church (United Reformed) in Lethbridge, 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

October 14 - Covenant prosecution

“Working together with him, then, we appeal to you not to receive the grace of God in vain. For he says, “In a favorable time I listened to you, and in a day of salvation I have helped you.” Behold, now is the favorable time; behold, now is the day of salvation.” - 2 Corinthians 6:1-2 Scripture reading: 1 Kings 19:9-14 The first thing to notice is that Elijah is at Horeb/Sinai on covenant business. Horeb is where God met Moses to commission him to lead Israel out of Egypt in faithfulness to His covenant promises. Horeb/Sinai is where the covenant of God with Israel was given. Horeb/Sinai is where the covenant was broken when Israel worshipped the golden calf. Elijah is at covenant mountain, a place of both grace and judgement, to transact covenant business. When God asks, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”, God the Judge is inviting Elijah to state his case against Israel. Elijah is the covenant prosecutor laying charges against his own people for their failure to keep covenant with the LORD. Elijah doesn’t mince words: ‘For the people of Israel have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword.’ You might think Elijah should speak for Israel rather than against them. Moses often did. But that's not what all the prophets do, nor are they only ministers of grace. Jeremiah accuses God's people of unfaithfulness and God forbids him to intercede for them (Jeremiah 7:16). Instead, he must announce God's rejection of them (Jeremiah 7:29). Elijah's return to Mount Sinai marks the end of one era, one characterized by Divine patience, and the beginning of another, one characterized by Divine purification. The temptation for covenant people is to think God's patience lasts forever. That is simply not true which means that today is always the optimal day to seek the grace and mercy of God in Jesus Christ. Suggestions for prayer Pray that God by His Spirit would protect us from receiving the grace of God in vain and that we would do the work of God which is to believe in Him Whom He has sent. Reverend John van Eyk began his ministry in Cambridge, Ontario as Church Planter and Minister of the Riverside Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church. After 13 years there he served almost 10 years in the Tain/Fearn congregation of the Associated Presbyterian Churches in the Scottish Highlands. John currently serves as Senior Pastor of Trinity Reformed Church (United Reformed) in Lethbridge, 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

October 13 - Discouraged

“Behold, my servant whom I have chosen, my beloved with whom my soul is well pleased. I will put my Spirit upon him, and he will proclaim justice to...

Daily devotional

October 12 - Effective prayer

“...I, Daniel, perceived in the books the number of years that, according to the word of the Lord to Jeremiah the prophet, must pass before the end ...

Daily devotional

October 11 - Showers of blessing

“The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working. Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed fervently that it might ...

Daily devotional

October 10 - The contest

“I am the Lord; that is my name; my glory I give to no other, nor my praise to carved idols.” - Isaiah 42:8 Scripture reading: 1 Kings 18:19-40...

Daily devotional

October 9 - Divided hearts

“No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.” - Matthew 6:24 Scripture reading: 1 Kings 18:17-22 Ahab pulls one of the most common tricks guilty people use. He tries to shift blame. ‘Not I,’ said Adam, ‘but you, God, and Eve are to blame.’ ‘Not I,’ says Ahab, ‘but you, Elijah, you are the troubler of Israel. Elijah rebukes him. He had simply announced God’s judgement; Ahab’s abandonment of God had earned it. Israel was experiencing God’s promise for disobedient people (see Deuteronomy 28:15, 23). And notice Ahab’s response. Not an outright rejection of the Word of God. He obeys Elijah and summons the prophets to Carmel. Having confronted the king, Elijah addresses the people and asks them why they will not give wholehearted devotion to their covenant God. They are wavering. They do not want to forget the Lord nor do they wish to reject Baal. They want both. This is a temptation we all face. For a variety of reasons—fear, peer pressure, boredom—we don’t give unwavering devotion to Christ. But he calls us to. If we confess the Lord is God, which we unfailingly do, then we must follow Him. We must let nothing—money, pleasure, reputation—capture our affections. A jealous God is looking for exclusive devotion. The Bible tells us the people did not answer Elijah’s confrontation though it doesn’t tell us why. What is your response to this call to commitment? Only the conviction of both the futility of other gods and the destruction of those who serve them and the surpassing greatness of having Jesus Christ as Lord will compel us to respond with, ‘We will take up our cross and follow Christ.’ Suggestions for prayer Pray that the Lord would teach us His way that we may walk in His truth, that He would unite our hearts to fear His name (Psalm 86:11). Ask that God, by His Word and Spirit, might capture our affections by showing us the Prince of Glory so that we would gladly give our souls, our lives, our all. Reverend John van Eyk began his ministry in Cambridge, Ontario as Church Planter and Minister of the Riverside Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church. After 13 years there he served almost 10 years in the Tain/Fearn congregation of the Associated Presbyterian Churches in the Scottish Highlands. John currently serves as Senior Pastor of Trinity Reformed Church (United Reformed) in Lethbridge, 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

October 8 - The king and his servants

“But it shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many.” - Mark 10:43-45 Scripture reading: 1 Kings 18:1-18 Ahab and Jezebel are opposed to God and His Church. Jezebel, aggressively so. That wicked woman cuts off the prophets of the Lord as she seeks to eradicate God’s worship. We wouldn’t do that, of course, but we need to guard against a more sophisticated way of killing the Lord’s prophets, like listening to preaching without submitting to it. Then there is King Ahab. He ignores the plight of his people, but cares for his animals of war, trusting in them for victory rather than in the Lord. He also ignores his soul. He pursues grass and not the grace that would remove God’s wrath and bring blessing to his parched soul and realm. Too many within the church imitate him, giving their best energy to pursue what will wither rather than God’s enduring blessings. They care more about grass than grace. And how stubborn Ahab is! Repentance would bring blessing to him, his people, and his animals. But how the human heart resists repentance. God has His own amidst the apostasy of His Church. There is Elijah and at least 100 other prophets hidden by God’s faithful servant Obadiah. Rather than suggesting that Obadiah compromised to be employed by an enemy of the Church, the passage highlights his devotion to the Lord. Admittedly, Obadiah does hesitate to go public with his devotion but finally agrees when Elijah reminds him of the big God they serve, the Lord of hosts. Aren’t you grateful that Christ cares more for His subjects than Ahab did and is willing to bear God’s wrath for their blessing? And doesn’t this spur you on to serve Him faithfully, whatever the cost? Suggestions for prayer Give thanks for our servant King, the Lord Jesus and ask God that by His Spirit we would be faithful servants of Christ and not exhibit the characteristics of the enemies of the gospel. Reverend John van Eyk began his ministry in Cambridge, Ontario as Church Planter and Minister of the Riverside Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church. After 13 years there he served almost 10 years in the Tain/Fearn congregation of the Associated Presbyterian Churches in the Scottish Highlands. John currently serves as Senior Pastor of Trinity Reformed Church (United Reformed) in Lethbridge, 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

October 7 - Resurrection life

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead…” - 1 Peter 1:3 Scripture reading: Luke 7:11-17 When hundreds of years after Elijah you read of a prophet raising a dead son to life and giving him back to his mother, who is a widow, you are encouraged to link Elijah’s miracle with that story. Though written by many writers, the Bible has one divine Author and through the similarities between the stories, the Holy Spirit is alerting us that 1 Kings isn’t just about Elijah but about a greater than Elijah, the great Prophet Who has arisen among us, God, Who has visited His people. That is, the Old Testament is about Jesus Christ. So, in reading about Elijah, we should learn about Jesus. In this New Testament counterpart to yesterday’s reading, we learn of Jesus’ compassion for the needy. He is willing to enter enemy territory. By touching the bier, Jesus demonstrates that He shares our uncleanness. He bears our sins and enters our death by experiencing God’s curse on the cross. He engages in conflict with the devil and triumphs. The risen Christ is the victor over sin, death, hell, and Satan. His resurrection life revives our spiritually dead souls and He takes us and presents us to the Father, saying, ‘See, Your son/daughter lives.’ If they glorified God in Nain because they saw the Lord Jesus’ miracle as an evidence of God’s visitation, how much more ought we to glorify God for the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Himself and His resurrection power that raises the spiritually dead. Surely, God has visited us. Suggestions for prayer Pray that God would visit us and bring to life the spiritually dead in our church and nation and praise Him that He has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. Reverend John van Eyk began his ministry in Cambridge, Ontario as Church Planter and Minister of the Riverside Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church. After 13 years there he served almost 10 years in the Tain/Fearn congregation of the Associated Presbyterian Churches in the Scottish Highlands. John currently serves as Senior Pastor of Trinity Reformed Church (United Reformed) in Lethbridge, 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

October 6 - Revive us again

“There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” - Romans 8:1 Scripture reading: 1 Kings 17:17-24 How painful! It isn’t just that her son died. That is hard enough. Some of you know this firsthand. He was taken after such a miraculous intervention that spared his life. That makes it particularly poignant. What kind of God had this widow just been introduced to? Does he sustain life just to snatch it? Even Elijah appears flummoxed by this providence (v. 20). In her confusion, she accuses God of being against her and treats this providence as punishment for her sin (v. 18). This is worth probing. Sometimes we feel this way in hard times because there actually is unconfessed sin in our life and the Holy Spirit is convicting us to repent. But at other times we feel this way because, prodded by the devil, we entertain harsh thoughts of God. More than a few Christians are always waiting for something bad to happen in their lives. They haven’t grasped sufficiently the sheer grandeur of grace. Tragedy isn’t God’s punishment for His dear children. We need to say to this woman (and each other), “Your son doesn’t die for your sin. God’s Son dies for your sin!” This is the blessing of the Lord’s Day as we are reminded again of God’s astonishing grace. God does graciously correct her misapprehension. Elijah takes the child and God’s resurrecting power revives him. Through that kindness her spiritual life revives too, and she boldly confesses the truth spoken by the man of God. This trial, like all trials sent by a gracious Father, is for the strengthening of faith. Behold the grace and wisdom of our God. Suggestions for prayer Pray that God would protect us from improper thoughts concerning Himself so that we would neither think Him too soft (that we continue in sin) or too hard (that we despair of forgiveness). Pray that He would keep the cross of our Lord Jesus fixed in our hearts and minds. Reverend John van Eyk began his ministry in Cambridge, Ontario as Church Planter and Minister of the Riverside Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church. After 13 years there he served almost 10 years in the Tain/Fearn congregation of the Associated Presbyterian Churches in the Scottish Highlands. John currently serves as Senior Pastor of Trinity Reformed Church (United Reformed) in Lethbridge, 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

October 5 - Marveling at his grace

“Note then the kindness and the severity of God: severity toward those who have fallen, but God’s kindness to you, provided you continue in his ki...

Daily devotional

October 4 - Not by bread alone

“And he humbled you and let you hunger and fed you with manna which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that he might make you know that ma...

Daily devotional

October 3 - God’s gracious judgement

“Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance?...

Daily devotional

October 2 - God’s man

“Now Elijah the Tishbite, of Tishbe in Gilead, said to Ahab, “As the Lord, the God of Israel, lives, before whom I stand, there shall be neither d...

Daily devotional

October 1 - Introduction to the word of God

The word of God is living and active. It is not only something we study, it studies us. As the Bible reveals truths about itself, it also, simultaneously, reveals truths about us. That's what you will discover as we work our way through the sacred account of the greatest of the Old Testament prophets, Elijah. From his sudden appearance before Ahab to his surprising disappearance before Elisha, his successor, these studies will highlight the astonishing grace of God to his people in his Son, Jesus Christ, the greatest of all prophets and the final Word of God. In the lead up to Reformation Day, and in light of the Synod of Dort, we will end the month looking at the five main points of doctrine in dispute in the Netherlands in the early 1600s, not so much for disputation, as for celebration. Hope in dark days “. . .according to the word of the Lord” - 1 Kings 16:34 Scripture Reading: 1 Kings 16:29-34 There were dark days in Israel when Ahab came to the throne and they only became darker. It was bad enough that Ahab sanctioned the breaking of the second commandment by worshipping God through the golden calves. He also promoted the worship of Baal, the nature god of the Canaanites. Ahab bears responsibility for this because, contrary to God’s gracious command, he married the pagan Jezebel who had an evangelistic zeal to supplant the Lord‘s worship with Baal’s. Ahab further demonstrated his contempt for God’s Word by rebuilding Jericho, the ruins of which were a monument to God’s grace and judgement. Ahab wants to worship God and Baal. Would to God that this sin of syncretism, attempting to serve two masters, were only a past malady in Christ’s Church. Alas, we see those same Ahabian tendencies when we limit the Lordship of Christ to specific areas of our lives. Christ is Lord, we confess, but I will marry whom I will. I will not let that confession interfere in maximizing profits in my business or His Lordship dictate what will entertain me. He is as Lord as I make Him Lord. Syncretism. But if the sons of Hiel die according to the Word of the Lord (Joshua 6:26) doesn’t that encourage us to believe that other promises of God will be fulfilled too, including the promises to destroy the serpent, to forgive syncretistic sinners, and to sanctify His people? Indeed it does! Suggestions for prayer Ask that God would unite your heart to fear His name (Psalm 68:11) and praise Him that none of His promises fail, neither His promises of judgement nor of blessing. Reverend John van Eyk began his ministry in Cambridge, Ontario as Church Planter and Minister of the Riverside Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church. After 13 years there he served almost 10 years in the Tain/Fearn congregation of the Associated Presbyterian Churches in the Scottish Highlands. John currently serves as Senior Pastor of Trinity Reformed Church (United Reformed) in Lethbridge, 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

September 30 - We shall be like him

“Beloved, we are God's children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is.” - 1 John 3:2 Scripture reading: 1 John 3:1-3, 16-18; 1 Corinthians 13:1-13 We can replace the word love with the name of Christ in 1 Corinthians 13:4-8: “ is patient and kind; does not envy or boast; is not arrogant or rude. does not insist on own way; is not irritable or resentful; does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. love never ends.” And we all say, “Amen!” Do that with your name or anyone else’s name and no one says, “Amen!” If we are honest, we all fall far short of this portrait of love. But thanks be to God that we see Christ, our Saviour, in this portrait! And we can say, “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me” (Galatians 2:20). Here is an amazing truth: One day, in the new creation, we will be able to put our names in vv. 4-8, because one day we will be perfectly like Christ (1 John 3:2). We will love God and each other perfectly. Isn’t that amazing?! What a day that will be! If you long for that day, then strive to walk in love more and more by God’s Spirit, as you behold the glorious love of Christ in the Gospel (2 Corinthians 3:18). Suggestions for prayer Thank God that He, “shows His love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). Thank God that Christ loved you to the end (John 13:1). Pray that the Spirit would produce Christ-like love in your life this day and thank God that one day you will be perfectly like Christ. Rev. Brian Cochran is ordained in the United Reformed Churches in North America and has served as the pastor of Redeemer Reformation Church in Regina, SK, for 14 years. This month he starts a new call to Grace URC in Torrance, CA. 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

September 29 - The character of the God we worship

“For the LORD is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations.” - Psalm 100:5 Scripture reading: Psalm 100:1-5 Who is the LORD that we worship? “The LORD is good” (v. 5). “The LORD is good to all, and his mercy is over all that he has made” (Psalm 145:9). But above all we see His goodness in our redemption. “The goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared…He saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy.” And because of Christ, our Savior, we are “justified by grace” and “heirs according to the hope of eternal life” (Titus 3:4-7). Truly the Lord is good! Even more, “His steadfast love endures forever “(v. 5). God is love. And His covenant love for His people endures forever. It’s permanent. It doesn’t fluctuate, like our love so often does. It’s a loyal, eternal love. And it’s supremely demonstrated in the cross of Christ. “God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8). Amazing love! Even more, “His faithfulness to all generations” (v. 5). Our God is a promise-keeping God. He always follows through on His Word. We can bank on His promises. If God said He’s going to do it He WILL do it. As Charles Spurgeon put it, “As our fathers found Him faithful, so will our sons, and their seed forever…Our heart leaps for joy as we bow before One who has never broken His word or changed His purpose.” Suggestions for prayer Pray that God would impress His goodness, love, and faithfulness upon your heart and the hearts of those who gather with you for worship today. Pray that you all would worship God with wholehearted thanksgiving today. Rev. Brian Cochran is ordained in the United Reformed Churches in North America and has served as the pastor of Redeemer Reformation Church in Regina, SK, for 14 years. This month he starts a new call to Grace URC in Torrance, CA. 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

September 28 - Faith, hope, love: The greatest is love

“So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.” - 1 Corinthians 13:13 Scripture reading: Romans 8:18-24; 1 Corinthians 13:8-13 Faith, hope and love are marks of all true believers. But why is love the greatest? Because now we walk by faith, but at Christ’s return we will walk by sight (2 Corinthians 5:7). If faith continues in eternity in some form, we certainly won’t have faith in the same way that we have faith now. Now our faith is dependent on hearing God’s Word. But in heaven we will see the Word of God in the flesh when we see Christ face to face. Similarly, hope vanishes when what we hope for comes firmly into view (Romans 8:24). Our blessed hope is the appearing of Christ (Titus 2:13). When Christ appears, hope will either fade away or be experienced differently in heaven. But we will continue to love in the same way for all of eternity. Love will continue to be patterned after the self-giving love of Christ in the Gospel. In glory, we will love our Triune God and each other perfectly, without any taint of sin. What a glorious thought! Furthermore, faith and hope do not make us like God, but love does. God does not possess faith or hope. But God loves, for He is love (1 John 4:8). And “God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit” (Romans 5:5). Let us then “be imitators of God, as beloved children and walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us” (Ephesians 5:1-2). Suggestions for prayer Pray that God would help you to know in greater measure His love for you in Christ. Pray that, as a beloved child of God, you would imitate your Heavenly Father today by walking in Christ-like, self-giving love. Give thanks that one day you will love perfectly! Rev. Brian Cochran is ordained in the United Reformed Churches in North America and has served as the pastor of Redeemer Reformation Church in Regina, SK, for 14 years. This month he starts a new call to Grace URC in Torrance, CA. 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

September 27 - Then I shall know fully

“Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known.” - 1 Corinthians 13:12 Scripture reading: Romans 8:28-39; 1 Co...

Daily devotional

September 26 - Seeing a mirror dimly vs. face to face

Daily devotional

September 25 - The age of childhood vs. the age of adulthood

Daily devotional

September 24 - We know in part

“For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away.” - 1 Corinthians 13:9-10 Scripture readin...

Daily devotional

September 23 - Love never ends

“Love never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away.” - 1 Corinthians 13:8 Scripture reading: Romans 5:1-8; 1 Corinthians 13:1-8 Paul says climactically, “love never ends.” More literally, love never falls down or falls apart. It doesn’t fall to pieces in hardship. It has no expiration date. Remember, Paul is in the midst of a discussion on spiritual gifts. The Corinthians were enamoured with the gifts of prophecy, tongues, and knowledge. But as Sinclair Ferguson puts it, “Gifts are secondary; love is primary. Gifts are tools. What matters is how a person employs them.” And Paul says that these gifts will pass away. Anthony Thiselton writes, “how can preachers and prophets have anything to say when the last judgment not only reveals, but evaluates and pronounces judgment upon, everything. The sermons of prophets and the ‘knowledge’ of theologians are rendered redundant, while the character and fruit of love does not fall apart. To prophecy would be like switching on a in the full light of the noonday sun.” When Christ returns and ushers in the glories of the age to come, these gifts will no longer be needed. Some were even part of the foundation laying era of the apostles and prophets (Ephesians 2:20). But love never ends. Indeed, Christ’s love for us never fell apart in hardship. Christ loved us all the way to the cross and will love us for all of eternity. And His “love has been poured into our hearts by the Holy Spirit who has been given to us” (Romans 5:5). Therefore, let us walk by the Spirit in Christ-like, never-ending love! Suggestions for prayer Give thanks to God for the never-ending, never-failing, love of Christ. Pray for the Holy Spirit to fill you with a Christ-like love that never ends. Rev. Brian Cochran is ordained in the United Reformed Churches in North America and has served as the pastor of Redeemer Reformation Church in Regina, SK, for 14 years. This month he starts a new call to Grace URC in Torrance, CA. 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

September 22 - Enter his gates with thanksgiving

“Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise! Give thanks to him; bless his name!” - Psalm 100:4 Scripture reading: Psalm 100:1-5 We are called to worship God with thanksgiving. Why? Because “He made us, and we are His” (v. 3). God is our Creator and Redeemer. We owe Him thanksgiving for creating and sustaining us, and for the manifold gifts that He gives us in creation. Has not God given you good gifts like food, clothing, shelter, transportation, music, art, technology, movies, books, board games, family, friendships and more? Enter His gates with thanksgiving! Even more, God has ransomed us, not with silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ (1 Peter 1:18-19). Christ is the Good Shepherd who laid down His life for us and gives us eternal life (John 10:11, 28). “Christ…suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God” (1 Peter 3:18). It is by grace alone, through faith alone, because of Christ alone that we can say, “we are His people, and the sheep of His pasture” (v. 3). And because of the blood of Christ we not only enter God’s courts with praise, we also “have confidence to enter the holy places” (Hebrews 10:19). In the Old Covenant only the High Priest could enter the holy of holies, and only once a year on the Day of Atonement. But now in Christ, we can confidently enter the holy of holies and draw near to the throne of grace (Hebrews 4:16). How can we not enter God’s presence with thanksgiving today and every Lord’s Day? Suggestions for prayer Confess your ingratitude for the many blessings of creation and redemption and rest in God’s promise of forgiveness in Christ (1 John 1:9). Pray that God would grant you and the other worshippers grateful hearts as you enter His presence with singing and His courts with praise. Rev. Brian Cochran is ordained in the United Reformed Churches in North America and has served as the pastor of Redeemer Reformation Church in Regina, SK, for 14 years. This month he starts a new call to Grace URC in Torrance, CA. 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

September 21 - Love endures all things

“Love…endures all things.” - 1 Corinthians 13:7 Scripture reading: Hebrews 12:1-2; 1 Corinthians 13:7 Love endures through the good times and the bad times. Love doesn’t forsake people when life is hard and one’s energy is zapped. Love never tires of supporting the other person for their good. Love perseveres through hardship, pain, suffering and misfortune. Love doesn’t love only when it’s convenient. Love is inconvenienced for others. Love bears and endures all things. How can we love like this? Well, again, with us it’s impossible. We cannot muster it up from within. We must look to Christ and pray that the Spirit would fill us with Christ-like enduring love. Jesus is the one who came to save us from all our sins. Jesus is the one who “bears all things…endures all things” in our salvation. He loved us to the very end and gave Himself for us on the cross (John 13:1; Galatians 2:20). Even now He continues to endure with us and serve us in love as our Great High Priest at the Father’s right hand (Hebrews 7:25). “Therefore…let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God” (Hebrews 12:1-2). Let us look to Christ for the mercy and grace we need, not only for forgiveness, but also for the strength to endure with others in love. Suggestions for prayer Ask God for forgiveness for the times you’ve given up on loving others when life has become difficult, or they have become difficult. Rest in God’s love and forgiveness in Christ and pray for the Spirit to empower you with a Christ-like love that endures through the good times and the bad times. Rev. Brian Cochran is ordained in the United Reformed Churches in North America and has served as the pastor of Redeemer Reformation Church in Regina, SK, for 14 years. This month he starts a new call to Grace URC in Torrance, CA. 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

September 20 - Love hopes all things

“Love…hopes all things.” - 1 Corinthians 13:7 Scripture Reading: Ephesians 2:1-10; 1 Corinthians 13:7 The idea here is that love hopes for the best in others. Why? Because we believe in the God who raises the dead. God is able to take spiritually dead people and resurrect them spiritually (Ephesians 2:5). He’s able to regenerate their hearts, forgive them of their sins, and transform them by His Spirit. Indeed, “nothing will be impossible with God” (Luke 1:37). Are you the type of person who just assumes that others will never change for the better? Turn away from such thinking and put on love for others. For love, there are no hopeless cases. Paul modelled this in how he treated the Corinthians. When you read 1 Corinthians you are tempted to think that if there was ever a hopeless case of a church, it’s the church in Corinth. But Paul perseveres with them in love. He hopes in God’s power to change them by the Spirit, through the Gospel. And so, he continues to address them as saints in Christ, to preach the Gospel to them, and to call them to walk in a manner worthy of the Gospel. So too, let us not give up on one another. Remember that you were once dead in your sins and trespasses, but God mercifully and powerfully made you alive in Christ (Ephesians 2:4-5). And all who are in Christ are “His workmanship” (Ephesians 2:10). Therefore, let us always have hope that God is able to change others for the better. Suggestions for prayer Confess your lack of faith in God’s power to change the hearts of others. Rest in God’s love and forgiveness in Christ and ask Him to grant you the love that hopes for the best in others because of the immeasurable greatness of His power toward us who believe (Ephesians 1:19-20). Rev. Brian Cochran is ordained in the United Reformed Churches in North America and has served as the pastor of Redeemer Reformation Church in Regina, SK, for 14 years. This month he starts a new call to Grace URC in Torrance, CA. 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

September 19 - Love believes all things

"Love…believes all things" - 1 Corinthians 13:7 Scripture reading: Psalm 15:1-5; 1 Corinthians 15:7 The idea here is not that love believes ...

Daily devotional

September 18 - Love bears all things

“Love bears all things.” - 1 Corinthians 13:7 Scripture Reading: 1 Peter 2:22-25; 1 Corinthians 13:7 The word “bears” has the idea of �...

Daily devotional

September 17 - Love rejoices with the truth

“Love…rejoices with the truth” - 1 Corinthians 13:4-6 Scripture reading: Ephesians 4:17-25 Love rejoices with the truth. Love rejoices whe...

Daily devotional

September 16 - Love does not rejoice at wrongdoing

Daily devotional

September 15 - Come into his presence with singing

“Come into his presence with singing!” - Psalm 100:1 Scripture reading: Psalm 100:1-5; Ephesians 5:18-20 Not only is it a great privilege to come into God’s presence by the blood of Jesus (Hebrews 10:19-22), it’s also a great privilege to come into His presence with singing. God commands His people to sing in worship throughout the Old Testament. When we come to the New Testament, it’s no different. Colossians 3:16 says, “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly…singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.” Music is a great gift from God! It’s a powerful means of impressing the truth of God’s Word deep within our hearts and stirring up our affections for God in worship. And when we come into His presence with singing let us remember that we are not only addressing our songs to God, but also to each other (Ephesians 5:19). Even more, as Dietrich Bonhoeffer put it, “It is the voice of the Church that is heard in singing together. It is not you that sings, it is the Church that is singing, and you, as a member of the Church, may share in its song…Thus all singing together that is right, must serve to widen our spiritual horizon, make us see our little company as a member of the great Christian Church on earth, and help us willingly and gladly to join our singing, be it feeble or good, to the song of the Church.” Let us delight to come into God’s presence with singing today! Suggestions for prayer Pray for yourself and those with whom you will gather for worship today, that the Word of Christ would dwell in you richly as you sing “psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.” Pray that the Spirit would fill you with reverence and awe, and with joy and gratitude for the grace and glory of God. Rev. Brian Cochran is ordained in the United Reformed Churches in North America and has served as the pastor of Redeemer Reformation Church in Regina, SK, for 14 years. This month he starts a new call to Grace URC in Torrance, CA. 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

September 14 - Love is not resentful

“Love…is not…resentful.” - 1 Corinthians 13:4-5 Scripture reading: Matthew 18:21-35; Luke 23:32-34 The word for “resentful” has the idea of keeping records of wrongs with a view to paying back injury. Paul is saying that love keeps no record of wrong-doing. It doesn’t keep tabs and harbour bitterness, always ready to bring up past offences. Perhaps you yourself struggle with resentment towards someone. How can we be free from resentment? Only the Holy Spirit can set us free as we meditate deeply on the love and forgiveness of God in Christ. Psalm 130 says, “If you, O LORD, kept a record of sin, O LORD, who could stand? But with you there is forgiveness.” God remembers our sins no more! (Jeremiah 31:34). That doesn’t mean that he literally forgets them. It means that he won’t remember them against us. Instead, He removes our sins as far as the east is from the west (Psalm 103:12). He casts them into the depths of the sea (Micah 7:19). No one ever had more reason for resentment than Jesus. But He did not come into the world to pay back. Instead, His surprising mercy and sacrificial love led to the cross that “cancelled the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands” (Colossians 2:14). His sacrifice covers all our sins and has the power to dissolve our resentment. Therefore, by the Spirit of Christ who dwells within us, let us put away all bitterness and resentment. Let us forgive one another, as God in Christ has forgiven us (Ephesians 4:31-32). Suggestions for prayer Confess your sins of resentment; know that God is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9). Pray for the Spirit’s power to forgive others, as God in Christ has forgiven you. Rev. Brian Cochran is ordained in the United Reformed Churches in North America and has served as the pastor of Redeemer Reformation Church in Regina, SK, for 14 years. This month he starts a new call to Grace URC in Torrance, CA. 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

September 13 - Love is not irritable

“Love…is not irritable.” - 1 Corinthians 13:4-5 Scripture reading: 1 Peter 2:21-25; Romans 8:28 Are you ever irritable? Maybe at certain times of the day (e.g. in the morning before you’ve had your coffee)? Maybe around certain people who annoy you? Maybe in certain circumstances (e.g. waiting in traffic)? Love is not irritable. If anything exposes our sin, it’s this. Let us repent of our irritableness! And in those moments when we feel irritable, let us pray for the Lord’s strength to love others with patience and gentleness. Let us remember how patient and slow to anger God is with us in Christ. Let us remember that “nothing comes to us by chance, but by His fatherly hand” (Heidelberg Catechism, Q&A 27). He has a good purpose behind all the irritating circumstances and people we encounter (Romans 8:28). That doesn’t mean we can’t try to change our circumstances. But, as Sinclair Ferguson puts it, “Only when we have yielded to the sovereign will of God, knowing that He will work everything together for our good, do we learn a healthy spiritual detachment from the irritations of life…The remedy for my irritability, therefore, will not be found in a determination to be less irritable, but only in a sense of the love of God for me, and in the trust in Him it produces.” Jesus encountered many irritating people and circumstances. Yet, there was no irritability in Jesus. Thanks be to God that He never sinned, and died to save us from all our sins! Let us patiently love others in gratitude! Suggestions for prayer Confess your sins of irritableness to God and rest in the complete forgiveness of all your sins in Christ. Pray for the Spirit to produce the character of Christ in you so that you trust God’s good and sovereign will and are patient and loving towards others. Rev. Brian Cochran is ordained in the United Reformed Churches in North America and has served as the pastor of Redeemer Reformation Church in Regina, SK, for 14 years. This month he starts a new call to Grace URC in Torrance, CA. 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

September 12 - Love does not insist on its own way

“Love…does not insist on its own way.” - 1 Corinthians 13:4-5 Scripture reading: Philippians 2:1-8; 2 Corinthians 5:14-15 Do you insist on your own way in the church? Perhaps you rationalize that your way is better and will benefit others. Sometimes that might be true. But to insist on it and ram your way through, when it’s not a matter of sin, is to make it into an idol. It’s selfishness. It’s harmful to others and creates discord in the church. If the Bible is indifferent on something, we have to be careful not to insist on our own way. Our sinful tendency is to elevate our personal preferences and cultural traditions to the level of moral requirement and a place of superiority over others. We might not put it in these terms, but functionally this is what we are doing. We need to remember that love does not insist on its own way. Rather, it invites a conversation on matters upon which the Bible is indifferent. It doesn’t insist, “THIS is the way it SHOULD be done,” end of conversation. The song of our hearts should be “Have Thine own way Lord” not “Have mine own way, Lord.” As Paul writes elsewhere, “the love of Christ controls us” for He died, “that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised” (2 Corinthians 5:14-15). And so, “Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 2:4-5). Suggestions for prayer Confess your sins of insisting on your own way. Rest in Christ, who died for your sins of insisting on your own way. Pray that the love of Christ would control you so that you no longer live for yourself but for Christ and His interests, for the good of others. Rev. Brian Cochran is ordained in the United Reformed Churches in North America and has served as the pastor of Redeemer Reformation Church in Regina, SK, for 14 years. This month he starts a new call to Grace URC in Torrance, CA. 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

September 11 - Love is not rude

“Love…is not…rude.” - 1 Corinthians 13:4-5 Scripture reading: Matthew 11:28-30; Titus 3:1-8 A Christian man once told me that he didn�...

Daily devotional

September 10 - Love is not arrogant

“Love…is not arrogant.” - 1 Corinthians 13:4 Scripture reading: Proverbs 16:5; Philippians 2:3-8 Arrogance is another word for pride or be...

Daily devotional

September 9 - Love does not boast

“Love does not…boast.” - 1 Corinthians 13:4 Scripture reading: 1 Corinthians 1:26-31 The Corinthians struggled with boasting in their gift...

Daily devotional

September 8 - Serve the Lord with gladness

“Serve the LORD with gladness!” - Psalm 100:2 Scripture reading: Psalm 100; Hebrews 10:19-25 The command to “serve the LORD” has in mi...

Daily devotional

September 7 - Love does not envy

“Love does not envy.” - 1 Corinthians 13:4 Scripture reading: Philippians 2:3-8 Paul returns to negatives. Here he says that love does not envy. He mentioned in 1 Corinthians 3:3 that there was “jealousy/envy” among them. When we are overly focused on our own gifts, especially in comparison to the gifts of others, we can easily fall into envy, wishing we could have what others have. But we must put to death the envy in our hearts. Envy can make our bones rot and leave a bitter taste in our mouths (Proverbs 14:30; James 3:14). And it leads to competition, strife and division in the body of Christ. How can we die to envy and grow in contentment? We must remember that God is infinitely wise, just, good and gives each of us the gifts, resources and opportunities that we have, according to His perfect plan to glorify Himself and bless His people. We must remember that we are one body and we all benefit from each other’s gifts (1 Corinthians 12:14-26). We must look to Christ “who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant” (Philippians 2:5-7). Behold the beautiful love, humility, and contentment of Christ in our salvation, and strive to be more and more like Him in gratitude. Pray for the Spirit to grant you contentment for it will only come by His strength (Philippians 4:11-13). Suggestions for prayer Who or what are you tempted to envy? Pray that God would help you to resist the sin of envy and to be content with the gifts, resources, and opportunities that He has given to you, according to His infinite wisdom and goodness. Pray that you’d be “content to fill a little space, if Thou be glorified” (Anna L. Waring). Rev. Brian Cochran is ordained in the United Reformed Churches in North America and has served as the pastor of Redeemer Reformation Church in Regina, SK, for 14 years. This month he starts a new call to Grace URC in Torrance, CA. 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

September 6 - Love is kind

“Love is patient and kind.” - 1 Corinthians 13:4 Scripture reading: Ephesians 2:1-10; Titus 3:4-8 Kindness flows out of patience. Kindness is the positive manifestation of patience. In the words of Gordon Fee, “The Spirit not only empowers us to endure the hostility or unkindness of others; He also enables us to show kindness to them actively, to pursue their good. If longsuffering means not to “chew someone’s head off” (see Gal. 5:15), kindness means to find ways of binding up their wounds.” This is motivated by the fact that God not only withholds wrath from us but also shows eternal kindness towards us in Christ (Ephesians 2:1-7). Jerry Bridges describes kindness as, “a sincere desire for the happiness of others.” How can you show kindness to those in your home? At church? At work? In your neighborhood? To your enemies? “So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith” (Galatians 6:10). If you are weary of doing good, remember God’s kindness to you in Christ. In Christ, God’s kindness toward you is saving, merciful, life-transforming, generous and eternal (Titus 3:4-7). If God has been so kind to us in Christ, let us walk by the Spirit in Christ-like kindness toward others. Suggestions for prayer Pray that the Spirit would make you sensitive to the opportunities in your family, church, and society, in order to show kindness. Pray for the Spirit to enable you to walk in those good works, “which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” (Ephesians 2:10). Rev. Brian Cochran is ordained in the United Reformed Churches in North America and has served as the pastor of Redeemer Reformation Church in Regina, SK, for 14 years. This month he starts a new call to Grace URC in Torrance, CA. 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

September 5 - Love is patient

“Love is patient.” - 1 Corinthians 13:3 Scripture Reading: Exodus 34:5-7; James 1:19-21 Having addressed the necessity of love, Paul now describes the character of love, starting with patience. The word he uses here means “to be long-tempered.” We have the word short-tempered in our dictionary, but, interestingly, you won’t find the word long-tempered. Perhaps that’s because being long-tempered is so rare. We are all too easily provoked, quick to anger and short-tempered. We need to be long-tempered by the Spirit. Jerry Bridges put it this way, “This kind of patience does not ignore provocations of others; it simply seeks to respond to them in a godly manner. It enables us to control our tempers when we are provoked and to seek to deal with the person and his provocation in a way that tends to heal relationships rather than aggravate problems. It seeks the ultimate good of the other individual rather than the immediate satisfaction of our own aroused emotions.” How can we grow in patience? It doesn’t come naturally to us. But we can grow in patience, by the Spirit, as we remember that God has a good plan behind all our circumstances (Romans 8:28). And we can be patient with difficult people because we know they are created in God’s image (Genesis 1:26). As we think deeply about the patience of God towards us in Christ, it compels us to be patient with others. “Beloved, if God so loved us , we also ought to love one another” (1 John 4:11). Suggestions for prayer Who is God asking you to be more patient with this week? In what circumstances are you usually irritable? Pray that the Spirit would remind you of God’s patience in Christ towards you and produce the fruit of patience in your life. Rev. Brian Cochran is ordained in the United Reformed Churches in North America and has served as the pastor of Redeemer Reformation Church in Regina, SK, for 14 years. This month he starts a new call to Grace URC in Torrance, CA. 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

September 4 - Nothing without love (II)

“And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing.” - 1 Corinthians 13:2-3 Scripture reading: Philippians 3:7-9; Hebrews 13:20-21, 1 Corinthians 13:2-3 In vv. 2-3, Paul is speaking of these gifts in the greatest way we can imagine them: “if I…understand ALL mysteries and ALL knowledge…have ALL faith…give away ALL I have…” When you add up the various gifts and services he mentions here, can you think of anyone greater than this from a human perspective? Surely this is Time Magazine’s “Person of the Year!” This is the most gifted, most “spiritual” person you can imagine. Any church would be dying to get this person as a member. But Paul looks at this person and says, “they’re nothing.” What does Paul mean? The guy who just got all this person’s wealth might beg to differ! Well, Paul means, this person is nothing in God’s eyes, because God looks on the heart. What is the motivation of your heart as you use your gifts? Is it to boast or to get something from others? If so, Paul says you are nothing in God’s eyes. Where then is our hope of pleasing God when selfishness taints even our best works? Our hope is in Christ alone. Christ loved God and others perfectly and died for our sins so that we might be pleasing to God, through faith in Christ. Now we are free to love, not to gain something from others, for we’ve already gained everything we ultimately need in Christ. Let us then look to Christ by faith and love others from the heart, for the glory of God. Suggestions for prayer Pray that God would assure you that you are a beloved child in Christ. Pray that the Spirit would enable you to walk in love, as Christ loved you and gave Himself up for you (Ephesians 5:1-2). Rev. Brian Cochran is ordained in the United Reformed Churches in North America and has served as the pastor of Redeemer Reformation Church in Regina, SK, for 14 years. This month he starts a new call to Grace URC in Torrance, CA. 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

September 3 - Nothing without love (I)

“If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.” - 1 Corinthians 13:1 Scripture r...

Daily devotional

September 2 - A more excellent way: Love

“But earnestly desire the higher gifts. And I will show you a still more excellent way.” - 1 Corinthians 12:31 Scripture reading: 1 Corinthians...

Daily devotional

September 1 - Introduction to the love chapter of the Bible

Daily devotional

August 31 - Farwell

“I, Paul, write this greeting with my own hand. Remember my chains. Grace be with you.” - Colossians 1:18 Scripture reading: Colossians 4:7-1...

Daily devotional

August 30 - A new humanity: The Christian in the world

“Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving. . . Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time.” - Colossians 4:2,5 Scripture reading: Colossians 4:2-6 As the Apostle begins to wrap up his letter to the Colossians, perhaps you noticed how Paul ends his letter where he began – namely with the necessity of prayer. Paul recognizes that while most of his readers are not going to be ministers, they are going to be engaging in a whole manner of activities in the world. And knowing that the world is always watching, Paul wants us to recognize that we have an opportunity to bear witness to the Lord Jesus. It may well be the case that you will be the only exposure to the gospel of Christ that your neighbour or your co-worker ever has. If those around us perceive that the Gospel has not really changed us, then they’ll assume that it’s because the Gospel doesn’t have the power to do so. Therefore, we must show by our lives that Christ is our all in all and our everything. When Paul calls us to walk in wisdom toward outsiders, what he’s getting at is that we should be “walking Bibles” as it were – not in the sense that we are always quoting Scripture all the time, but in the sense that by our very lives, we should show something of who Christ is, what Christ has done, and that Christ is indeed a Saviour worth living for. Suggestions for prayer Pray we would be the light of the world and the salt of the earth in everything we do. Pray that God would indeed open to the church a door for the Word, to declare the mystery of Christ. Rev. Bryce De Zwarte is a native of Pella, Iowa and a graduate of Dordt University and Mid-America Reformed Seminary. Rev. De Zwarte has been serving as the pastor of the Adoration URC in Vineland, Ontario since April of 2020. 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

August 29 - A new humanity: The Christian at work

“Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ.” - Colossians 3:23-24 Scripture reading: Psalm 90:12-17 & Colossians 3:22-4:1 In our passage today, we are both encouraged and challenged with a Protestant notion that many of us probably take for granted – and that’s the notion that regardless of our respective callings, we are serving the Lord Christ. What Abraham Kuyper said was spot on – “There is not one square inch of the whole domain over our spiritual existence over which Christ, who is sovereign overall, does not cry, “MINE!” Whether you work in the field with your hands or in the study with your mind – you are serving the Lord Christ, which means that your calling has inherent dignity and honour to it, regardless of what the world may or may not say about it. In those years leading up to the Protestant Reformation, there was a great divide between the sacred and secular, between the clergy and the laity. But when Martin Luther rediscovered the priesthood of all believers, he also rediscovered the biblical notion of vocation. And in that glorious rediscovery, a real sense of gospel purpose and meaning was restored to the believer, no matter how “ordinary” his/her life may have been. You don’t have to live in the limelight to serve the Lord Christ. You don’t have to do something flashy or extraordinary for Jesus to say on the last day, “Well done, good and faithful servant.” Suggestions for prayer Pray that God would be glorified in our labour. Ask Him to give us all a strong sense that we are serving Him with the work of our hands. Rev. Bryce De Zwarte is a native of Pella, Iowa and a graduate of Dordt University and Mid-America Reformed Seminary. Rev. De Zwarte has been serving as the pastor of the Adoration URC in Vineland, Ontario since April of 2020. 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

August 28 - A new humanity: Christian fathers

“Fathers, do not provoke your children, lest they become discouraged.” - Colossians 3:21 Scripture reading: Deuteronomy 6:4-9 & Hebrews 12:3-11 It is, no doubt, safe to say that Paul’s words here certainly have application for mothers, too. Mothers are instrumental in bringing children up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord. As a Christian man and as a Christian minister, I am beyond indebted to the Christian instruction and example that I received from my mother. But Paul singles out the fathers. And he does so in light of the fact that husbands and fathers are the head of the home. Therefore, the primary responsibility falls on the father. From Colossians 3 and Ephesians 6, we learn that fathers are to do two things. Negatively, fathers are to be careful that they do not provoke their children to anger. And positively, they are to bring their children up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord. To be sure, discipline must be given, but it must be done carefully and consistently. Any form of discipline that is not modelled off the heavenly Father’s discipline is bound to provoke and discourage. Parents need to remember that they don’t discipline their children simply because they want their lives to be easier or to run more smoothly. But parents discipline their children in order that they might respond to God in faith and in subsequent obedience to his commandments, which this obedience is best nurtured by love and encouragement, not by shame and fear. Suggestions for prayer Pray for all the parents in your congregation. Ask God to give them wisdom teaching their children to love the Lord and to keep His commandments. Rev. Bryce De Zwarte is a native of Pella, Iowa and a graduate of Dordt University and Mid-America Reformed Seminary. Rev. De Zwarte has been serving as the pastor of the Adoration URC in Vineland, Ontario since April of 2020. 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

August 27 - A new humanity: Christian children

“Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord.” - Colossians 3:20 Scripture reading: Proverbs 1:8-19 & Luke 2:41-51 The Apostle recognizes that children are part of God’s covenant family (1 Corinthians 7:14). And Paul wants the children to know that everything he has said so far in his letter about Christ and the transforming power of His glorious gospel pertains also to them. This is one of the reasons why we do not send our children away from the worship service for so-called “children’s church.” Because even though they might squirm and struggle to sit in the pew, God’s Word – and the preaching of God’s Word – pertains to our children as much as it pertains to parents. And it is a means of grace as much for them as it is for adults. We believe that when the Word of God is faithfully preached, Christ’s sheep hear His voice. This is true not only for the seasoned sheep in the congregation, but also for the little lambs. Jesus has a word – a word of gospel instruction – for our children: He calls them to obey their parents in everything. And He motivates them to that end with the promise that, in so doing, they will please the Lord just as their Saviour pleased the Father by submitting to Joseph and Mary. Suggestions for prayer Pray that covenant children would come to embrace both the promises and the obligations of the covenant. Pray that their obedience to their parents would bear witness to the power of God’s saving grace. Rev. Bryce De Zwarte is a native of Pella, Iowa and a graduate of Dordt University and Mid-America Reformed Seminary. Rev. De Zwarte has been serving as the pastor of the Adoration URC in Vineland, Ontario since April of 2020. 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

August 26 - A new humanity: Christian husbands

“Husbands, love your wives, and do not be harsh with them.” - Colossians 3:19 Scripture reading: Ephesians 5:25-33 & 1 Peter 3:7 In Ep...

Daily devotional

August 25 - A new humanity: Christian wives

“Wives, submit to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord.” - Colossians 3:18 Scripture reading: Ephesians 5:22-24 & 1 Peter 3:1-6 Your...

Daily devotional

August 24 - A new Humanity: Mirroring my Saviour

“Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience.” - Colossians 3:12 ...

Daily devotional

August 23 - A new humanity: Mortifying my sin

“Put to death therefore what is earthly in you…” - Colossians 3:5 Scripture reading: Colossians 3:5-11 Do you love Christ enough to kill f...

Daily devotional

August 22 - A new humanity: The Christian’s new destiny

“When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.” - Colossians 3:4 Scripture reading: 1 John 3:1-3 & Colossians 3:1-4 By nature, we were destined for death and destruction. But, in Christ, we are destined for glory. In contrast to those who set their minds on earthly things, “Our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself” (Philippians 1:20-21). How amazing it is for us to recognize that in this world of death and decay, where everybody dies and where our culture seems at times to be rotting from the inside-out, we have a living Saviour and a lasting promise. In Christ, we have a glorious guarantee: that even as He was always destined for glory, we, too, are destined for glory. As we confess in Lord’s Day 19 of the Heidelberg Catechism, “In all distress and persecution, with uplifted head, confidently await the very judge who has already offered Himself to the judgement of God in place and removed the whole curse from . Christ will cast all his enemies and into everlasting condemnation, but will take and all his chosen ones to himself into the joy and glory of heaven.” Suggestions for prayer Give praise to God for a new destiny in Christ Jesus. Pray that He would grant to us all an earnest longing for Christ’s appearing. Rev. Bryce De Zwarte is a native of Pella, Iowa and a graduate of Dordt University and Mid-America Reformed Seminary. Rev. De Zwarte has been serving as the pastor of the Adoration URC in Vineland, Ontario since April of 2020. 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

August 21 - A new humanity: Hidden with Christ in God

“For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.” - Colossians 3:3 Scripture reading: Colossians 3:1-4 The Apostle is drawing out the further implications of what he has already said in the previous chapter. In Verse 12 of Chapter 2, Paul said that “You have been buried with Christ in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the powerful working of God, who raised him from the dead.” Paul has reminded his readers of that which was emblematic of their baptism – that when they came as families and individuals to be baptized, their old lives were left behind, and who they were going to be from that point forward was to be determined by the Lord Jesus. When God sees you, he no longer sees you for who you used to be; for the old you has died. When God sees you, he no longer sees you in light of all your sins and your failures. But when God sees you, He sees His own dear Son, in Whom you have been hidden. And what a great source of encouragement this should be for us here and now. Whatever sins may have marred your identity in the past are now covered by perfect righteousness of the Lord Jesus Christ. Your spiritual bank account is filled with His righteousness, and you are so secure in God’s heart that He has already granted you Christ’s heavenly status. Suggestions for prayer Thank the Lord for the reality that your life is now hidden with Christ in God. Seek His grace to live before Him in the confidence of this truth. Rev. Bryce De Zwarte is a native of Pella, Iowa and a graduate of Dordt University and Mid-America Reformed Seminary. Rev. De Zwarte has been serving as the pastor of the Adoration URC in Vineland, Ontario since April of 2020. 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

August 20 - A new humanity: The Christian’s new mentality

“Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.” - Colossians 3:2 Scripture reading: Philippians 3:12-21 & Colossians 3:1-4 In his work on Spiritual Mindedness, the Puritan Pastor and theologian John Owen, asks his readers the question: “What do you think about when you are thinking about nothing in particular?” To state his question another way: What is the default setting of your mind? When you’re driving home from work, and the traffic is light – when you’re just cruising along – Where does your mind most immediately go? How we answer that question says a great deal about us, doesn’t it? And what the answer to that question probably says for many of us is that our hearts and our minds are fixed on earthly things when they should be fixed on heavenly things. Now, there are some who might raise the objection at this point and caution against this notion by saying, “Those who are so heavenly minded are of no earthly good.” And yet, if you read on into the rest of the chapter, what you’ll soon discover is that those who are heavenly minded do the most earthly good. For if your head is in heaven, that’s going to have an extraordinary impact on the use of your hands and your feet on the earth. If your head is in heaven – if the affections of your heart and the thoughts of your mind are fixed upon Christ and governed by Christ, the blessedness of that will bleed into every area of your life. Suggestions for prayer Ask God to forgive our earthly-mindedness. Ask Him to grant us heavenly-mindedness. Rev. Bryce De Zwarte is a native of Pella, Iowa and a graduate of Dordt University and Mid-America Reformed Seminary. Rev. De Zwarte has been serving as the pastor of the Adoration URC in Vineland, Ontario since April of 2020. 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

August 19 - A new humanity: Raised with Christ

“If then you have been raised with Christ” - Colossians 3:1a Scripture reading: Colossians 2:16–3:4 In Colossians 3:1-4, Paul sets before us the gospel pathway to spiritual security and maturity. Having just addressed the paths that lead only to ruin: the paths of empty philosophy (2:8-15) and legalistic piety (2:16-23), Paul now sets before our eyes the path that leads to glory. But in so doing, Paul not only seeks to remind his readers of where they’re going, but he also seeks to remind them of who they are. Whoever the false teachers in Colossae were, they were not only seeking to rob the Colossian believers of their security, but also of their status. Their insistence on various rites and rituals and religious experiences was causing some in the church to feel as though they were lesser. But in Chapter 2:20, Paul assured them, saying, “If with Christ you died to the elemental spirits of the world, why as if you were still alive in the world, do you submit to regulations?” And by asking that question, what Paul was essentially saying to them was – “Don’t you know who you are? Don’t you know that you have died with Christ, and that since you have died with Him, you’ve also been set free in Him?” Paul was reminding them of their new status in Christ. And this is the thread that Paul is going to pick up in Chapter 3: our new status and the implications of it in the Christian life. Suggestions for prayer Give thanks to God for the freedom that we have in Christ. Pray for the grace to live in light of the reality that we have not only died with Christ, but that we have also been raised with Christ. Rev. Bryce De Zwarte is a native of Pella, Iowa and a graduate of Dordt University and Mid-America Reformed Seminary. Rev. De Zwarte has been serving as the pastor of the Adoration URC in Vineland, Ontario since April of 2020. 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

August 18 - “He disarmed the rulers and authorities”

Daily devotional

August 17 - Nailed to the cross

“This he set aside, nailing it to the cross.” - Colossians 2:14 Scripture reading: 1 Corinthians 1:18-21 & Colossians 2:11-15 Do you r...

Daily devotional

August 16 - Paul’s pastoral warning

“See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit.” - Colossians 2:8 Scripture reading: Psalm 16:1-11 & Colossians ...

Daily devotional, Uncategorised

August 15 - Walking in Christ

“Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him.” - Colossians 2:6-7 Scripture reading: Psalm 1:1-6 & Colossians 2:6-15...

Daily devotional

August 14 - Paul’s mission

“Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ.” - Colossians 1:28 Scripture reading: Colossians 1:28-2:5 The Apostle finally makes perfectly clear what he’s been alluding to all along. Paul is a man on a mission. And his mission is to present everyone mature (or complete) in Christ. For this Paul toiled with all his might, according to the measure of strength which the Lord Jesus had graciously worked within him. As Paul pours out his prayers on the Colossians’ behalf, his desire is that they would grow up into spiritual maturity. For we never graduate from the school of the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. There is always more to learn and more to grasp more fully. And because our faith is often so weak, we need to be reminded of Christ, of who He is, what He has done, and what He is now doing at God’s right hand, again and again and again. And we are to grow in Him. Paul writes with a view toward Christ’s second coming, but until that day comes, all of Paul’s energy is going to be channelled into this one thing: presenting his readers mature in Christ. Suggestions for prayer Pray that God would continue to mature you and the members of your local congregation in the faith. Ask for grace to make the best use of the means of grace that God has given us with this goal in view. Rev. Bryce De Zwarte is a native of Pella, Iowa and a graduate of Dordt University and Mid-America Reformed Seminary. Rev. De Zwarte has been serving as the pastor of the Adoration URC in Vineland, Ontario since April of 2020. 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

August 13 - Paul’s model

“Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake.” - Colossians 1:24a Scripture reading: 1 Peter 3:8-13 & Colossians 1:24-27 Just as Christ came into the world to endure much pain and suffering for the sake of the Church, so, too, Paul has placed himself in this mold of the cross for the sake of Christ’s body, that is, the church. One of the questions that this model raises for us is whether God might be using our own suffering in a similar way. Sometimes trials come our way and we wonder, “Why am I going through this?” “How can God possibly be working this thing for my good?” Those aren’t always bad questions to ask. After all, Paul assures us in Romans 5 that “Suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame.” But rather than asking, “How can God possibly be working this for my good?” Perhaps we should be asking, “How might God be using my suffering for the good of someone else?” That’s likely a more searching question. But it’s a good question, because it causes us to look away from ourselves, and it produces within us a sense of self-forgetfulness for the sake of others who might be going through something similar. Suggestions for prayer 1 Peter 2:21 tells us that Christ suffered for us, leaving us an example that we might follow in His steps. Pray for grace to follow in His steps willingly when sufferings and trials come your way. Rev. Bryce De Zwarte is a native of Pella, Iowa and a graduate of Dordt University and Mid-America Reformed Seminary. Rev. De Zwarte has been serving as the pastor of the Adoration URC in Vineland, Ontario since April of 2020. 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....

Dimly lit courtroom with serious looking judge.

Daily devotional

August 12 - Christ’s gracious purpose in reconciliation

“…in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him.” - Colossians 1:22b Scripture reading: Zephaniah 3:14-20 & Colossians 1:21-23 The purpose of Christ’s reconciling work is clearly stated in the latter part of Verse 22. The word that Paul uses here for present is a word that was typically used when a person was being presented in court. The point that Paul is making here is that the believer can know in the present what the verdict will be in the future when he stands before God on the last day. As Article 37 of the Belgic Confession puts it, on the last day, God’s people will “receive the fruits of their labor and of the trouble they have suffered. Their innocence will be openly recognized by all. . . And their cause, as present condemned by the world, will be acknowledged as the cause of the Son of God.” We live in a world that mocks and reviles the church of the Christ. The world celebrates what God calls evil, and the world despises what God calls good. And to the world, we’re all fools for following Christ. But on the last day, they’re all going to acknowledge that our cause was the cause of the Son of God. We shall stand vindicated – presented holy and blameless and above reproach before Him. There will be no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. Suggestions for prayer Thank the Lord for rendering us righteous in Christ. Consider the persecuted church and pray that this coming day of vindication would be a great consolation to them as they endure the mockery of the world. Rev. Bryce De Zwarte is a native of Pella, Iowa and a graduate of Dordt University and Mid-America Reformed Seminary. Rev. De Zwarte has been serving as the pastor of the Adoration URC in Vineland, Ontario since April of 2020. 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....

Sun coming up over mountains with the word reconciled centred.

Daily devotional

August 11 - A personal Saviour

“And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death.” - Colossians 1:21-22a Scripture reading: Ephesians 2:11-22 & Colossians 1:21-23 Here we see that Paul wants his readers to know that the supreme Saviour is also a personal Saviour. In verses 15-20, Paul took his readers into the stratosphere of Biblical truth. He pulled back the veil, as it were, and he gave us a glimpse of the glory and the majesty of Christ. But Paul would not have his readers conceive of themselves as mere spectators or onlookers only. It’s not just that we are spectators of Christ’s transcendent glory, but we ourselves have become partakers of it. The very same Christ through Whom God has begun to reconcile all things unto Himself has also reconciled you unto Himself. You’ll notice the shift in Paul’s language. Whereas in Verses 15-20, Paul spoke in the third person, here in Verses 21-23 he now speaks in the second person. He says, “And you!” “And you who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, he has now reconciled.” No longer are we God’s enemies, but in Christ, we have been made His friends. Indeed, there is great power in the blood of Christ – great power to remove the enmity between us and God. This is what Christ accomplished for us at the cross. “But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.” (Ephesians 2:13) Suggestions for prayer Reflect on the wonder of the cross and on what it means to be a friend of God. Pray for the grace to live as such. Rev. Bryce De Zwarte is a native of Pella, Iowa and a graduate of Dordt University and Mid-America Reformed Seminary. Rev. De Zwarte has been serving as the pastor of the Adoration URC in Vineland, Ontario since April of 2020. 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....

Background mountains with sun coming up behind a cross in the foreground.

Daily devotional

August 10 - Jesus: our King and friend

“For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making ...

Dusk with sunset and church with steeple and lights in the foreground.

Daily devotional

August 9 - And He is the head of the body

“And he is the head of the body, the church.” - Colossians 1:18 Scripture Reading: Revelation 1:9-20 & Colossians 1:15-20 Here in Coloss...

Daily devotional

August 8 - In him all things hold together

"And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together." - Colossians 1:17 Scripture Reading: Colossians 1:15-20 Abraham Kuyper onc...

Daily devotional

August 7 - Christ is the image of the invisible God

Daily devotional

August 6 - Transferred

“He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.” - Colossians 3:13-14 Scripture Reading: Revelation 7:9-17 Having considered Paul’s petition in Verses 9-12, we also do well to ask the question, “On what basis has Paul made such a request to God?” How can Paul be sure that he has not been praying into thin air? Here we discover that the power of Paul’s prayer rests in the person and work of Jesus Christ through Whom God has graciously delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of light. Do we recognize that Satan’s kingdom is a dark kingdom? Satan’s kingdom is a kingdom of enslavement to sin. Satan’s kingdom is the dead-end kingdom. It is full of empty promises, disappointment, and misery. It’s a kingdom that’s run by a tyrant, for Satan is not our friend, but our adversary. But God has transferred us out of the kingdom of darkness and into the glorious kingdom of His beloved Son. And what a glorious kingdom this is. God’s kingdom is ruled by an eminently gracious king in Whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of all our sins. Suggestions for prayer Give thanks to the Lord for delivering you from the domain of darkness. Pray for the conversion of those who still belong to that kingdom. Pray that God would be gracious to deliver them from it through the preaching of the gospel. Rev. Bryce De Zwarte is a native of Pella, Iowa and a graduate of Dordt University and Mid-America Reformed Seminary. Rev. De Zwarte has been serving as the pastor of the Adoration URC in Vineland, Ontario since April of 2020. 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

August 5 - The purpose of Paul’s prayer

“So as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him.” - Colossians 1:10 Scripture reading: Psalm 1:1-6 & Colossians 1:9-12 As we saw yesterday, Christians need to be filled with the knowledge of God in all spiritual wisdom and understanding. But to what end? We find the answer here in Colossians 1:10: so that we might walk in a manner worthy of the Lord. But what does this walking look like? In the first place, walking worthily of the Lord involves bearing fruit in every good work – not as a means of gaining God’s approval, but bearing fruit in every good work in gratitude for His saving and transforming grace. In the second place, walking worthily of the Lord involves increasing in the knowledge of God. Paul wants us to see the vital connection between spiritual knowledge and spiritual action. The Christian life is not a stagnant life. But the Christian life is a growing life. In the third place, Paul describes this walking worthily of the Lord as being characterized by “being strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy.” And here Paul assures us that this walking worthily of the Lord is never done in our own strength, but it is only in God’s strength. And then in the fourth place, walking worthily of the Lord is expressed in thanksgiving. A worthy walk is a thankful walk. For God Himself has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints. Suggestions for prayer Pray for grace and spiritual strength to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord. Seek God’s forgiveness for where you have fallen short. Rev. Bryce De Zwarte is a native of Pella, Iowa and a graduate of Dordt University and Mid-America Reformed Seminary. Rev. De Zwarte has been serving as the pastor of the Adoration URC in Vineland, Ontario since April of 2020. 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

August 4 - Paul’s petition

“That you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding.” - Colossians 1:9 Scripture reading: 2 Peter 3:14-18 & Colossians 1:9-12 Here in Colossians 1:9, Paul moves from thanksgiving to supplication. And his petition dovetails with the overall burden of his letter. Paul prays that the Colossians would be filled, not with the wisdom of the world, or with some secret knowledge available only to a select few as the Gnostic heretics were asserting, but Paul prays that they would be filled with the knowledge of the will of God. The same word of truth, through which the Colossians were first brought to faith in Christ is the very same word through which they must continue to grow up in Christ. Paul never ceases to pray for this because being filled with the knowledge of God’s will is something that we can never get enough of. Yes, the Colossians, like us, had come to know God in the Lord Jesus Christ. And they had come to know His will. But they needed to grow in it more and more. They needed to understand it more fully. They needed to be filled up with it. And the same is true for us today. Suggestions for prayer Pray that the Lord would fill His people with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding. Give thanks to God that the knowledge of His will is not hidden from us, but that it has been revealed to us in His Word. Rev. Bryce De Zwarte is a native of Pella, Iowa and a graduate of Dordt University and Mid-America Reformed Seminary. Rev. De Zwarte has been serving as the pastor of the Adoration URC in Vineland, Ontario since April of 2020. 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

August 3 - The word of truth has come to us

“Of this you have heard before in the word of the truth, the gospel, which has come to you, as indeed in the whole world it is bearing fruit and increasing.” - Colossians 1:5b-6 Scripture reading: Psalm 22:22-31 & Colossians 1:5b-8 Paul reminds us here that Christian hope is based upon the word of truth, the gospel. It is based upon an announcement of something that God has done in the Lord Jesus Christ. In His grace and mercy, God spoke to the Colossians in the gospel of His Son through the ministry of Epaphras, and their lives were never again the same. And this is what God has done in our own lives as well: God has spoken to us in the gospel, and He has changed our lives forever. No word in all the world is as powerful as the gospel word! It’s a word that transcends human cultures, ethnicities and languages. It’s a word that demolishes human pride and arrogance. It’s a word that has the power to save all men because it answers the need that all men have, namely, to be made right in God’s sight. This is why the very same message that bore fruit and increased so long ago continues to bear fruit and increase as the message of salvation goes out into all the world. Indeed, “The ends of all the earth shall hear and turn unto the Lord in fear; all kindreds of the earth shall own and worship Him as God alone.” Suggestions for prayer Give thanks to God that the word of truth has come to us. Pray that this word would continue to bear fruit and increase, both in the world and in our own lives as well. Rev. Bryce De Zwarte is a native of Pella, Iowa and a graduate of Dordt University and Mid-America Reformed Seminary. Rev. De Zwarte has been serving as the pastor of the Adoration URC in Vineland, Ontario since April of 2020. 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

August 2 - Thankful to God

"We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you...

Daily devotional

August 1 - Introduction to the book of Colossians

The Apostle Paul wrote to the Colossians in order that he might present every one of them mature (or complete) in the Lord Jesus Christ (Colossians 1:...

Daily devotional

July 31 - Grace be with you

“I, Paul, write this greeting with my own hand. Remember my chains. Grace be with you.” - Colossians 4:18 Scripture reading: Colossians 4:18 ...

Daily devotional

July 30 - Fulfill your ministry

“And say to Archippus, "See that you fulfill the ministry that you have received in the Lord."” - Colossians 4:17 Scripture reading: Colossians...

Daily devotional

July 29 - Sharing the treasure

“And when this letter has been read among you, have it also read in the church of the Laodiceans; and see that you also read the letter from Laodicea.” - Colossians 4:16 Scripture reading: Colossians 4:16 What were the sermons about yesterday? Can you remember? Was there something that struck you? Was something preached that moved you and challenged you? Did you hear about Christ and Him crucified? Was it good to be in the household of God? Was the sermon good to share with someone else? Sermons are like that. People will ask me if I heard a sermon by a preacher that I should listen to. People are excited and want to share the Word. That, too, is part of the communion of the saints. I can respect that Paul, by the Spirit, understands that the letters he wrote to the Colossians and Laodiceans should be shared. (We do not have the letter addressed to Laodicea) The Colossians and Laodiceans needed both these letters. We need only the Colossian letter. Paul, from prison, was still productive and active in his ministry, no matter the circumstances. And we are blessed because as the letter was read in Laodicea, we have also been able to read and reflect upon it. The wonder of Scripture is its timelessness and effectiveness. We read these letters some 1900 years later, and they still seem fresh and applicable. That is Christ at work. He who died for us, keeps us nourished through the Spirit and Word, through preachers and preaching, pastors and pastoral care. What a friend we have in Jesus! Maybe there is someone who needs to hear what you heard yesterday! Pass on the preaching and watch what Christ will do. Suggestions for prayer Pray for a briefing on the preaching yesterday for the hearers. Ask a blessing for your pastor as he begins preparing for next week's sermons. Pray for someone you may be working with and sharing sermons and the good news. Pastor Al Bezuyen is married to Sanya and has been blessed with six children and two grandchildren. He is a Mid-America Reformed Seminary graduate serving at the Zion United Reformed Church of Sheffield, 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

July 28 - The communion of the saints

“Luke the beloved physician greets you, as does Demas. Give my greetings to the brothers at Laodicea, and to Nympha and the church in her house.” - Colossians 4:14-15 Scripture reading: Colossians 4:14-15 Sometimes, I bring some of our Young People when I preach at a church plant or preaching station. At first, I did that so that they would see the work of church planting or worship with smaller numbers, but often in an intense way. I hope some of our young men might be moved to pursue that kind of work. It is always interesting to see what God is doing and the body of Christ at work. But there was something I did not expect, and that was how the church plant congregation received us. There were greetings and questions. Sometimes, those who have been raised in the church wish for a more dramatic experience of conversion, but often, those who were not raised in the church, wish that they did not have to live their previous life of darkness. The communion of the saints is a fantastic thing. We also learned how important it is for church plants to realize they are part of something bigger. It is nice to know that churches collect, pray and intercede for them. The Colossians knew that Paul was concerned, and Luke and Demas were too. There was a communion of saints at Nympha's house. All of that is the work of Christ in the community and worldwide. So, let me challenge you as you go to church today. If a church plant is nearby, perhaps try to attend there- letting your elders know, of course- and bring greetings. The communion of the saints is another blessing of going to church! Suggestions for prayer Ask the Lord to bless your day of rest, the congregation, the preaching and worship and remember yours and the congregations worldwide. Pastor Al Bezuyen is married to Sanya and has been blessed with six children and two grandchildren. He is a Mid-America Reformed Seminary graduate serving at the Zion United Reformed Church of Sheffield, 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

July 27 - The praying pastor

“Epaphras, who is one of you, a servant of Christ Jesus, greets you, always struggling on your behalf in his prayers, that you may stand mature and fully assured in all the will of God. For I bear him witness that he has worked hard for you and for those in Laodicea and in Hierapolis.” - Colossians 4:12-13 Scripture reading: Colossians 4:12-13 We do not know too much about Epaphras. It is likely that Paul, while he spent his three years in Ephesus, worked closely with Epaphras to have the gospel preached in Colosse. After first being a faithful preacher, he became a diligent pastor. When he saw the difficulties of Jewish formalism mixed with the oriental mysticism and the false religions and vain philosophies surrounding the young church, he went to see Paul while in prison in Rome. There, he worked with Paul to understand the truth and learn how to apply it and defend it in light of the heresies attacking the church. There are times when pastors go through challenging times. There are times when wise speech or godly rebukes are not always met with the kind of change of thinking or behaviour we hope for in the Church of Jesus Christ. What, then, is the pastor left with? Looking at Paul and us, we see it is prayer. In difficult times, nothing is left but for your pastor to go to the ground before almighty God, begging, pleading and interceding because there are things that only God can do. If it's true that the Lord sends forth reapers for the harvest, he also sends shepherds for the sheep. This is what the church needs. Praise God if you have that kind of shepherd and elders who love and care for you, and are wrestling before the throne of God for the well-being and maturity of the people of God in your congregation. Suggestions for prayer Pray that your congregation and you will make the burdens of the elders and pastor as light as possible and that they will have time for prayer and care of the flock. Pray that your pastor's work for the Lord's Day tomorrow will be blessed. Pastor Al Bezuyen is married to Sanya and has been blessed with six children and two grandchildren. He is a Mid-America Reformed Seminary graduate serving at the Zion United Reformed Church of Sheffield, 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

July 26 - Men of the ministry

“These are the only men of the circumcision among my fellow workers for the kingdom of God, and they have been a comfort to me.” - Colossians 4:11 Scripture reading: Colossians 4:8-11 The church sings: "Lord of harvest, send forth reapers!" The devil must have figured he had put a stop to the Great Commission work of Jesus. He had the number one man, humanly speaking, behind bars. The churches in Philippi, Ephesus, and Colosse were rattled because their beloved Paul was in chains and perhaps facing execution. Yet Paul writes, "I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has served to advance the gospel so that it has become known throughout the imperial guard and to all the rest that my imprisonment is for Christ. And most of the brothers, having become confident in the Lord by my imprisonment, are much bolder to speak the word without fear" (Philippians 1:12-14). Look at the list of men, Jews and Gentiles that are mentioned now to the Colossians and us. What great hope! Jesus Christ, the head of the church, firstborn of the creation, and image bearer of the invisible God, cannot be stopped; the Gates of Hades cannot prevail. Even in prison, where Paul looks for an opportunity to speak the truth to the prison guard, we see the hand of God. The work of Jesus continues today with brave men on the mission field, both abroad and at home. Preachers bring the word faithfully from week to week here and worldwide. Please do not miss what God is doing and continue to sing and pray: "Lord of harvest, send forth reapers! Suggestion for prayer Pray the hymn, “Far and near the Fields are Teeming” Pastor Al Bezuyen is married to Sanya and has been blessed with six children and two grandchildren. He is a Mid-America Reformed Seminary graduate serving at the Zion United Reformed Church of Sheffield, 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

July 25 - The pastor’s love

“Tychicus will tell you all about my activities. He is a beloved brother and faithful minister and fellow servant in the Lord. I have sent him to yo...

Daily devotional

July 24 - Speech seasoned with salt

“Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person.” - Colossians 4:6 Scriptur...

Daily devotional

July 23 - Walk in wisdom

“Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time.” - Colossians 4:5 Scripture reading: Colossians 4:5 Right after askin...

Daily devotional

July 22 - Praying for the preacher

“At the same time, pray also for us, that God may open to us a door for the word, to declare the mystery of Christ, on account of which I am in pris...

Daily devotional

July 21 - Continue in prayer

“Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving.” - Colossians 4:2 Scripture reading: Colossians 4:2 Paul continues his staccato directions about love in the church, family and household. He also speaks to our hearts when he calls us to continue praying. Interestingly, we need reminding of that. Yet, I think it is true for many of us that we are not consistently steadfast in prayer. Particularly when things are going well, the habit of worship continues, but that steadfastness is not persistent. Then, when trials and struggles hit, we are on our knees. But is it for the Kingdom of God or relief for us? We are called to continue steadfastly in prayer. Today, we start fresh, head to worship and look forward to the week ahead. When taking this command seriously for the church, elders and pastors typically have set times in worship for prayer. John Calvin adds that our singing is part of how we pray. We have already been called to minister to one another in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs from the heart of thanksgiving. The Heidelberg catechism places the Lord's prayer in the gratitude section. Today, we take a break from our work and rest in the finished work of the Lord Jesus. We are reminded of His time in prayer and the prayers He taught us. Remember to be steadfast and watchful in prayer with thanksgiving. Let us assemble ourselves today and all the more because the Day of the Lord is approaching. Let us worship, pray and thank God with our hearts, souls and voices. Suggestions for prayer Ask for the Spirit's guidance for today's pastor and church's prayers. Ask for the blessing of maturing in your prayer life so that you may grow in thankfulness and joy. Pastor Al Bezuyen is married to Sanya and has been blessed with six children and two grandchildren. He is a Mid-America Reformed Seminary graduate serving at the Zion United Reformed Church of Sheffield, 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

July 20 - Work for the Lord

“Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ.” - Colossians 3:23-24 Scripture reading: Colossians 3:22-4:1 Paul draws us to one last aspect of home life: the relationship between masters and servants. How does one in Christ treat their employees, and how does one in Christ behave as an employee? The optimum would be for a Christian man (who loves his wife and children because he is in Christ and puts on the clothing of love and the bond of peace) to relate reasonably towards his servant, a brother or sister in Christ. They know their roles in the church community and realize them in the Kingdom of God and the family. When godly leaders lead godly workers, the name of Christ is promoted. Here, we see the body becoming a team working together in the work setting, which causes the light of love to shine. Workers demand their rights in a world without Christ's love, and businesses and managers assert theirs. The love of money drives us to contentious workplaces. Often, Christian bosses have to show love and leadership to non-Christians, and Christian employees must serve non-Christian bosses. Frequently, there is unfairness, yet we all have roles rooted in Christ's sacrificial service to us. We must work from the heart of gratitude and for the honour of our Lord Jesus. He gives the blessings and the inheritance that is eternal and glorious. We realize that our work is part of how Jesus builds His Kingdom, and He will bring His reward in due time. Suggestion for prayer Pray that God will bless the workplaces of Christian business owners and that you and the members of your congregation will be blessed with work and be able to fulfill their tasks to the glory of Jesus. Pastor Al Bezuyen is married to Sanya and has been blessed with six children and two grandchildren. He is a Mid-America Reformed Seminary graduate serving at the Zion United Reformed Church of Sheffield, 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

July 19 - Fathers and children

“Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord. Fathers, do not provoke your children, lest they become discouraged.” - Colossians 3:20-21 Scripture reading: Colossians 3:20-21 The man clothed with Christ not only loves his wife, but his children, too. Children who put on Christ reveal Christ when they obey their parents in everything. Paul turns our attention to family unity because it is also part of the church community, characterized by love, peace and thankfulness. When the church has a family in crisis, it has a crisis of witness and effectiveness. Paul, the Shepherd, also tends to these needs of the flock. It has been an interesting past decade of unrest. It makes sense considering the trajectory of the so-called sixties revolution anti-establishment discord. Parents have become frustrated and the youth, miserable. Raising children as if they were morally sound and needing but minor guidance, we have a rebellious and unhappy generation raising the next. But Christ, through Paul, directs us to the better way of raising our children in love, in the fear of the Lord for the glory of the Lord. Christ, the Great Shepherd, knows the way of happiness and liberty and gives us the path for blessings for the family that will be a blessing for His Kingdom and church. We note that call to the fathers to be in Christ by loving their wives and children. Fathers are warned against bitterness. Here is the way to compelling masculinity, which is vital to the church. As Christ laid down His life in love, so ought the men of the congregation. Suggestions for prayer Pray for a blessing for your own family and the families of the church so that children will see their call to obedience, that the fathers will love, and that parents will guide the children of the covenant. Pastor Al Bezuyen is married to Sanya and has been blessed with six children and two grandchildren. He is a Mid-America Reformed Seminary graduate serving at the Zion United Reformed Church of Sheffield, 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

July 18 - Husbands and wives

“Wives, submit to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord. Husbands, love your wives and do not be bitter toward them.: - Colossians 3:18-19 Scripture reading: Colossians 3:18-19 And in whatever you do, be thankful! Put on love as the bond of perfection. Sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. That is what life in a church looks like and it starts at home. Wives and husbands, be thankful and love one another. Strive for peace. Christ shows us the way now. He calls us to our gender roles. There are two in marriage, male and female, each with a specific task. If a woman loves Christ more than her husband, she will submit to Christ's will and love her husband by becoming a helpmate fit for him. She sees herself in a new union with her husband to serve Christ as a forgiven sinner who puts on Christ. Husbands, too, must be patient. Being the head and representing Christ is challenging. For mere human men, it is also impossible. But he must be forgiving as he has been forgiven. When trials and struggles come, as Christ, who never becomes bitter against the church, the husband representing Christ will minister in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs in thankfulness for redemption and for his wife. He will minister to her for her well-being and benefit. He reminds her of the sacrifice of Christ and the peace we have in Him. If the marriage is broken, the church has strife, but we recall the blessings of God upon unity. Husbands and wives should reflect the image of the invisible God through love and submission to Christ and let peace rule in their hearts. Suggestions for prayer If you are married, pray for a loving, unified marriage rooted in Christ and His love. If you are single, pray for these kinds of marriages in the church. If you hope for a partner, pray for one who, with you can live out of these commands and blessings. Pastor Al Bezuyen is married to Sanya and has been blessed with six children and two grandchildren. He is a Mid-America Reformed Seminary graduate serving at the Zion United Reformed Church of Sheffield, 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

July 17 - Put on love

“But above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection.” - Colossians 3:14 Scripture reading: Colossians 3:14-17 Put on ...

Daily devotional

July 16 - Clothing ourselves with Christ

“Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering; bearing with one another, and...

Daily devotional

July 15 - Conversion

“Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old man with his deeds, and have put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to ...

Daily devotional

July 14 - Put to death the old man

“Therefore put to death your members which are on the earth:” - Colossians 3:5a Scripture reading: Colossians 3:5-7 With the Heidelberg Ca...

Daily devotional

July 13 - Set your mind on things above

“If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, our life, appears, you will also appear with Him in glory.” - Colossians 3:1-4 Scripture reading: Colossians 3:1-11 Where is Jesus? We have been thinking about Him here on earth and on the cross. But He is alive and on the right hand of God, directing events for the saving of the elect, the church's work and the rule of the Kingdom of God here on earth. We glimpse His glory when we read the first chapter of Revelation. We get a taste of His compassion when Steven looks and sees Him standing there in heaven as the stones rained down on the good deacon. Christ is in heaven. In time, the saints will be with Him there. He taught us that. We must set our hearts on the things of heaven. The rituals we spoke of yesterday were a way for the heretics to keep us caught up in this world, trying to save ourselves. But where Christ is, we will be, for by His work, we are set free. He is alive, and where He is, we will be. What glory will that be? We can taste it here on earth when we go to church. Today is our day of worship preparation. Let us set our minds on the things above. That does not mean we will be so heavenly-minded that we will be of no earthly good. What better thing can we do for our communities than to gather with the congregation tomorrow and worship the King? To be with the communion of saints gives us a little glimpse of the glory that waits for us. Suggestions for prayer Pray about the things of heaven and the glory of Christ. Pray for a good time of worship tomorrow, and pray that the Lord will bless Sunday worship worldwide. Pastor Al Bezuyen is married to Sanya and has been blessed with six children and two grandchildren. He is a Mid-America Reformed Seminary graduate serving at the Zion United Reformed Church of Sheffield, 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

July 12 - Let no one judge you

“So let no one judge you in food or drink, or regarding a festival or a new moon or sabbaths, which are a shadow of things to come, but the substance is of Christ.” - Colossians 2:16-17 Scripture reading: Colossians 2:16-23 Paul now commends the Colossians for what they have in Christ. He is their head and she is His bride. Still, some excluded the Colossian Christians from the body of Christ because they were not practising the rituals of Judaism or paganism. We are not positive what heresy was being practiced in Colosse. The Colossians were being criticized and were in danger of giving in to the vain philosophy and false religions that were being merged with the pure truth of the Gospel. Added to that was a legalistic pietism. What precisely was the heresy about angels, is difficult to ascertain. Whatever the case, Paul says we need Christ; in Him is all the substance and glory of true religion. You know that that was what the Reformation was all about in those days when the Roman Church elevated the rituals and obscured the Redeemer. The rituals of the Old Testament were, in a manner of speaking, pregnant with the reality of Christ, but when Christ came, their message continued in Him, but the symbolism and practice were no longer necessary. Christ had died on the cross, and the spiritual and material were joined. Paul teaches them that they have matured in Christ and moved on from the principles of this world. In Christ, we are freed from human doctrine and self-willed religion. In Christ, we are free indeed. In Christ, we have the substance, and in Him, we have all we need. Suggestions for prayer Pray for the protection of the church and the purity of her religion. Pray that nothing would obscure the pure gospel in the church. Pastor Al Bezuyen is married to Sanya and has been blessed with six children and two grandchildren. He is a Mid-America Reformed Seminary graduate serving at the Zion United Reformed Church of Sheffield, 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

July 11 - You he made alive

“And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses,” - Colossians 2:13 Scripture reading: Colossians 2:11-15 How did we receive Christ? Through the preaching of the Word. Paul is consistent! Using this letter to the Colossians, he keeps preaching Christ. He appeals to the truth of circumcision, pointing to the need of shedding blood for the forgiveness of sins. But we need more than just cutting away some flesh that can cause infection. We need the heart to be cleaned. We need soul cleansing, which only the blood of Jesus can accomplish. We need to die with Christ and be raised to a new life. We can only actively walk with Christ when He activates us. Baptism reminds us of our need for the blood of Jesus and the Holy Spirit to walk with the Lord. When Jesus died on the cross, all the guilt of that law of God that damned us was wiped out. In Christ, God remembers our sins no more. As the song goes, "My sin not in part but the whole is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more. It is well with my soul. Paul preaches Christ, Him crucified, and then connects us to Him, reminding us of our baptism and what circumcision means. Think about your baptism more often. It points to the cross of Jesus and opens for us the beauty of the good news—we are sinners forgiven by the grace of God. Suggestions for prayer Pray for the good news to penetrate deeply into your heart. Take some time to praise and thank God for the beautiful gift of salvation and Christ's beauty, and I hope it will be well with your soul. Pastor Al Bezuyen is married to Sanya and has been blessed with six children and two grandchildren. He is a Mid-America Reformed Seminary graduate serving at the Zion United Reformed Church of Sheffield, 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

July 10 - Walk in Christ

“As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him,” - Colossians 2:6 Scripture reading: Colossians 2:6-10 It is challenging sometimes to appreciate preaching because we hear so much of it. Our criticism of it can be so much about the length, how interesting it was or the gifts or lack thereof of the preacher. It is easy to get distracted from the message. It is true that if preachers are not doing their job, the preaching is pointless. If Christ is not preached, we cannot receive Him, and if not, how can we walk with Him? But if we are receiving Christ, no matter the style or length of the sermon, we have what we need for faith and faithfulness. In Him, we can be established and grow. Do you think we are so critical of preaching the Word because of the vain philosophy of the world? Today, modern thinkers accentuate the positive, making us feel good about ourselves while leaving us on our way to hell and hopelessness in the same way the heretics did in Paul's era. We need to hear about the completeness we have in Christ. For the Greeks, it was repulsive to think that the Godhead existed in human form. How could the perfect divine live in the corrupt physical? Yet God accomplished just that, which now destroys the philosophy of the Greeks and leaves us with the hope that the divine and human are reconciled. Paul urges us to walk in the Christ we have received. If you have received Him by preaching of the Word, be careful of criticism, but glad and thankful. Suggestions for prayer Pray for your preachers that they will preach what we need to receive. Ask for an open heart to accept Jesus and walk with Him in joy and thankfulness. Pastor Al Bezuyen is married to Sanya and has been blessed with six children and two grandchildren. He is a Mid-America Reformed Seminary graduate serving at the Zion United Reformed Church of Sheffield, 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

July 9 - Paul’s shepherd’s heart

“Though I am absent in the flesh, I am with you in spirit, rejoicing to see your good order and the steadfastness of your faith in Christ.” - Colo...

Daily devotional

July 8 - Rejoicing in suffering for preaching

“I now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up in my flesh what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ, for the sake of His body, which is th...

Daily devotional

July 7 - The gospel preached to you

“…if indeed you continue in the faith, grounded and steadfast, and are not moved away from the hope of the gospel which you heard, which was preac...

Daily devotional

July 6 - The head of the church

"And He is the head of the body, the church, the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence. For it please...

Daily devotional

July 5 - Christ the firstborn over all creation

“He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by Him, all things were created in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were made through Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist.” - Colossians 1:15-17 Scripture reading: Colossians 1:15-17 Paul goes on to teach us more about our Redeemer, Jesus Christ. He is the image of the invisible God. I enjoy that language. How can Jesus be the image of the invisible? Later, in Colossians 3, Paul teaches us that we are being renewed after Christ's image, which entails a new way of a holy and God-pleasing living. Christ was as Adam once, and even more so because though Adam was created, everything was created in Christ, Who was not made. He is one with God. As John writes in his Gospel, Christ, the Word was with God, was God and all things were created by Him and through Him, and now we know too that the creation was made for Him! Because He is God, He alone could bear our sins, conquer death, and ensure the victory of the Kingdom of God. This past week, Canada and the US celebrated their national holidays. But how many, even acknowledging some god, recognize the Lord Jesus Christ as ruler of our nations? How often do we live as if Jesus were not the firstborn over the creation? In a world with trouble and trials, in our day and age of polarizing politics and election years ahead, we rest in the truth that Jesus Christ has been given dominion because He is the new image bearer. His Spirit renews us, making us new creations. Let us "live for Jesus, the life that is true." Suggestion for prayer Pray for a deeper understanding of the Lordship of Jesus Christ. Pray that He will bless His Kingdom and thank God for the redemption we have in Him. Pastor Al Bezuyen is married to Sanya and has been blessed with six children and two grandchildren. He is a Mid-America Reformed Seminary graduate serving at the Zion United Reformed Church of Sheffield, 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

July 4 - Our independence

“He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the Kingdom of the Son of His love, in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins.” -Colossians 1:13-14 Scripture reading: Colossians 1:13-14 Today, Americans celebrate the Declaration of Independence. In that declaration, the founding fathers declared: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed, by their Creator, with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness." But where does a man find life, liberty, and happiness? As North America flounders as a society without God, the church, as the society of God in Christ, declares our freedom from sin, death and hell because of the grace and peace we have from God the Father in Jesus Christ. We think of our freedom in Christ because of His work on the cross. His suffering brought us peace with God. By His resurrection, we are raised to a new life that brings us new, lasting happiness. We know that of ourselves we have no rights, but in Christ, we have grace, peace and access to God. Paul told the Philippians that our citizenship is in heaven, and Jesus prayed that we would be left in the world to be salt and light in the world. Paul prays for the church in Colosse and, by extension, for our churches too, that we would persevere as a church, always faithful and convinced of the work of Jesus Christ. In Him, we rejoice and celebrate, and I hope our prayers and celebration are far more powerful and beautiful than pageants and parades of the day. May all hear from us today: "Hallelujah! What a Saviour!" Suggestions for prayer Thank God for our freedom. Pray that the people of the United States and all countries would embrace the great truths of God's Word and the wonder of Christ and glorify the Father. Pray for the church's witness today. Pastor Al Bezuyen is married to Sanya and has been blessed with six children and two grandchildren. He is a Mid-America Reformed Seminary graduate serving at the Zion United Reformed Church of Sheffield, 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

July 3 - Praying for our church

“For this reason, we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you,” - Colossians 1:9 Scripture reading: Colossians 1:9-12 As an apostle, Paul is a shepherd of the flock in Colosse. Like a good father, he prays for the children who have come to the Lord Jesus through the work of Epaphras, and Paul wants to encourage that work so that the children there may be strong, healthy and energetic for their calling as the flock of Christ and the children of God. Later in the letter (3:17), Paul writes, "And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him." He praises God, asking for the thankful heart for what He has done and hopes he will continue to do. It is with regret, too often, that ministers frequently feel as if there is not enough time to pray and give thanks for our flocks. As mentioned yesterday, as church members, we can be too quick to see the broken, not the good. Yet, seeing the brokenness, are we a praying church? True, we are not apostles like Paul, but we are members of that inheritance Christ, through His death and resurrection, has won for us. We know our Redeemer prays for us at the right hand of God. As the body of Christ, let us be a praying people, devoted to the great Shepherd and His flock so that we might grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. Suggestions for prayer Pray from the words of Paul's prayer in Colossians 1:9-12. Pastor Al Bezuyen is married to Sanya and has been blessed with six children and two grandchildren. He is a Mid-America Reformed Seminary graduate serving at the Zion United Reformed Church of Sheffield, 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

July 2 - Thankful for our church

“We give thanks to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you” - Colossians 1:3 Scripture reading: Colossians 1:3-8 A few commentaries note that too many pastors neglect to thank God for their congregation and Christ's work in them. That may also be true for those in the congregation. Trouble hits, and it glares; we can easily be offended and distracted by the sin in the church, miss the mighty work of God the Father by the Son through the Holy Spirit. But Paul does not. The thanksgiving is not so much for what the Colossians have done or are doing, but from amazement at God's work in the church's growth in Asia Minor. Let's not miss that, beloved. Are we thankful for what Christ does in our church and the churches around us? Do we see the blessings of the preaching of the Gospel, the comfort of the sacrament of baptism and the strength and joy of celebrating communion together? Can we not see the gift of faith among us? Have we not stood by the hospital bed, at funerals, through broken relationships, loved ones walking away from the faith, betrayal and yet brought hope to one another and our community? Is that only a thing that was true in Colosse? There could be no faith in Colosse or our communities, unless the Holy Spirit sent believers into that community to live out of and share the good news. Yes, we have troubles and trials in the church, but don't miss what God in Christ is doing in our churches and thank Him. Suggestion for prayer Consider whether you are thankful for your congregation. If not, or sometimes not, ask forgiveness. List the good things in your congregation, thank God for them, and ask for His continued blessings for your church. Pastor Al Bezuyen is married to Sanya and has been blessed with six children and two grandchildren. He is a Mid-America Reformed Seminary graduate serving at the Zion United Reformed Church of Sheffield, 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

July 1 - Introduction to Colossians

The meditations for this month are based on Paul's letter to the Colossians. Much like his letter, written from prison, to the Ephesians, the first pa...

Daily devotional

June 30 - Jesus with thy church abide

“Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy, to the only God, ou...

Daily devotional

June 29 - Sickening compromise

“They said to you, “In the last time there will be scoffers, following their own ungodly passions.”” - Jude 18 Scripture reading: Nehemia...

Daily devotional

June 28 - Definite conversion

“Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord.” - Romans 12:11 Scripture reading: Nehemiah 13:1-3, Deuteronomy 23:3-8 Be...

Daily devotional

June 27 - Sing Choirs of new Jerusalem

“And they offered great sacrifices that day and rejoiced, for God had made them rejoice with great joy; the women and children also rejoiced. And the joy of Jerusalem was heard far away.” - Nehemiah 12:43 Scripture reading: Nehemiah 12:31-47 Sometimes on a Sunday, I will briefly stop singing and take in the words being sung by people in the pews. It warms my heart. Singing is often connected with God’s great works. There will be singing in heaven. When the apostle John had a vision in Revelation 15, the saints in heaven were singing the song of Moses. Song is a natural response to the work of God in our hearts and lives. This occasion in Nehemiah was like none other. Two great choirs were trained and ready. Starting at the bottom of the city, one choir went one way on the wall around the city, and the other the opposite way. They encircled the city, singing of God’s mercies and faithfulness, perhaps Psalm 48 or 122. Those in the city would hear voices echo back and forth until they met in the Temple Courts for the final stanzas of praise. Amazing! Glorious! The city was filled with song, sounding out from Mount Zion and was heard far away. Remember the disgrace recorded in chapter 1 that caused Nehemiah to weep? A generation prior, the book of Ezra records a mixture of joy and weeping that could be heard far away (Ezra 3:13). Now there are shouts of great rejoicing. They could not sing this way in a foreign land; they did much weeping over the years. But now they rejoice in song. God promises this to us. You might go out weeping, but wait on the Lord, and you will return with songs of joy. Suggestions for prayer Pray for those going through dark times where songs of praise are difficult. Pray for the Lord’s ongoing work in your heart, that your heart may be tuned to sing His praise and long for the glories of the New Jerusalem. Rev. Simon Lievaart currently serves Bethel United Reformed Church of Smithers BC. Prior to this, he served the United Reformed Church in Doon, IA. Rev. Lievaart grew up in southern Alberta, attended Redeemer University College and Mid-America Reformed Seminary. 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 26 - Preparing for worship

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. 18 All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation.” - 2 Corinthians 5:17–18 Scripture reading: Nehemiah 12:27-30 The walls are complete. The people of Israel are ready to praise the Lord with a celebration. But first, both the people and the walls were purified. The only way we can offer acceptable worship to God is through the cleansing He gives. The Israelites had cleansing ceremonies which steadily reminded them (and we must know this too) that our sin creates a barrier between God and His people. On this day, the walls were purified. The walls cannot save them, only the Lord can. The ceremony was like a statement saying, “May it please the Lord to use these walls for His purpose of preserving His people and for proper worship.” We remember that these walls were not built by experts; they reused old stones blackened by the fires. The walls carried marks, which were like scars reminding Israel of their foolish past. Only by the cleansing of God do they become worthy of God. Think about the things the Lord has done for you. And think of all the mistakes in your own past. Are there things in your life that remind you of the times you failed to trust God and rebelled against His Word? That is real, isn’t it? But there is cleansing. We can belong to the Lord and be worthy of bringing worship to God though the cleansing and renewal given in Jesus Christ. May we daily seek our life in Christ Jesus. Suggestions for prayer Confess your recent sins and the sins you have not wanted to confess. Repent and ask the Lord to cleanse you from your sin, that you may offer to God worship that is pleasing to Him. Rev. Simon Lievaart currently serves Bethel United Reformed Church of Smithers BC. Prior to this, he served the United Reformed Church in Doon, IA. Rev. Lievaart grew up in southern Alberta, attended Redeemer University College and Mid-America Reformed Seminary. 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 25 - From one generation to the next

“The Lord records as he registers the peoples, “This one was born there.”” - Psalm 87:6 “But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose.” - 1 Corinthians 12:18 Scripture reading: Nehemiah 12:1-26 It’s time to test your commitment to reading the assigned Scripture. Did you read through the names that God placed in His Word? What about yesterday? The Bible often has lists and genealogies, and it takes a special patience to read through them. Especially when many of the names are the same from one chapter to the next. While I admit that I don’t love reading out loud the lists of names, I do love the fact that they are there. I am comforted by such lists for two wonderful reasons. First, God knows them by name, and He gives them a place in His kingdom. Each of these names and clans have registered and seek to serve. We see this in the church as well. The church is not some mishmash of spare parts. We might wonder at times what the Lord is doing, but God is at work bringing together a congregation and each part, like every one of our body parts has a place and a role. Second, in these lists we notice that family lines are traced. We see the faith of fathers handed down to the children. Parents raised their children in the fear and instruction of the Lord, and the children embraced it. This list is, in part, the fruit of the prayers of a mother praying for her rebellious child and of a father teaching his children what the Scriptures and the covenant means. Through ordinary families and relationships the Lord works, restoring a people for the glory of God. Suggestions for prayer Thank the Lord that He knows you by name and for the place He has for you in His Kingdom. Ask the Lord to restore the wayward and bring in others who previously did not know Him, that by many more the Lord may be praised. Rev. Simon Lievaart currently serves Bethel United Reformed Church of Smithers BC. Prior to this, he served the United Reformed Church in Doon, IA. Rev. Lievaart grew up in southern Alberta, attended Redeemer University College and Mid-America Reformed Seminary. 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 24 - Gathered by the Lord

“Now the leaders of the people lived in Jerusalem. And the rest of the people cast lots to bring one out of ten to live in Jerusalem the holy city, while nine out of ten remained in the other towns.” - Nehemiah 11:1 Scripture reading: Nehemiah 11:1-36 In chapter 7, we were told that the walls were built, yet the city was empty. The city must be filled, but who will go? The people cast lots, and 1 of 10 would go. Imagine this: for every person there was a 10% chance that they would pack up and move to a vacant lot in Jerusalem. Not easy. Jerusalem had walls, but the city was despised by many neighbours. Many people had been putting down roots in their villages. They would have to leave neighbours they trust, vineyards they built, and family nearby. A move involves sacrifice. But they know their faith, hope and future are in the Lord. They will not neglect the temple. Why were lots used? Because while not everyone needed to move, the responsibility was on them all. We read in verse 2 that those selected went willingly with the blessing of the people. What do we see here? The temple will not be neglected, and the ministry of knowing and worshipping God will be supported. For us today, the time of the temple has been fulfilled. Now the Spirit goes out, and each believer is a temple. The church is the hub of God’s work. Today the calling of every believer is to be a prophet, priest, and king in this world. This means we don’t value our location or vocation above the work of God. Those things are temporary and God’s work is eternal. May we see how the Lord Jesus is gathering us and may we serve Him joyfully. Suggestions for prayer Thank the Lord that you can belong to Him and to the body of believers. Ask the Lord to help you live more and more attached to Him and His work and not to the temporary things of this world. Rev. Simon Lievaart currently serves Bethel United Reformed Church of Smithers BC. Prior to this, he served the United Reformed Church in Doon, IA. Rev. Lievaart grew up in southern Alberta, attended Redeemer University College and Mid-America Reformed Seminary. 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 23 - O Jesus I have promised

“Join with their brothers, their nobles, and enter into a curse and an oath to walk in God’s Law that was given by Moses the servant of God, and t...

Daily devotional

June 22 - The peace of knowing who we are

“And we indeed justly, for we are receiving the due reward of our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong.” - Luke 23:41 Scripture...

Daily devotional

June 21 - The assurance of knowing who we are

“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 4:16 ...

Daily devotional

June 20 - The humility of knowing who we are

“For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh.” - Romans 7:18a Scripture reading: Nehemiah 9:1-8 When the law was read in...

Daily devotional

June 19 - The joy of knowing who we are

“And all the assembly of those who had returned from the captivity made booths and lived in the booths, for from the days of Jeshua the son of Nun to that day the people of Israel had not done so. And there was very great rejoicing.” - Nehemiah 8:17 Scripture reading: Nehemiah 8:13-18, Leviticus 23:39-43 Does your family have any summer traditions? My parents got married in July and went camping for their honeymoon. When I was young, every July our family would go camping, and now I make it a priority to take my family camping each summer. Wonderful memories are made. The Feast of Booths was about much more than a family tradition or a break from work. The feast had been forgotten, but now it would be revived to teach and connect the people with their God and His care for them. They would stay in the booths to remember that their God provided for their fathers in the wilderness for 40 years. During the feast, they would spend time with friends and family, feasting, learning the stories of how God cared for His people and that this is theirGod who is strong and mighty and faithful. This is our God, too. We are still pilgrims, travellers, passing through this world, looking forward to the New Jerusalem to come. We still look to our God to provide for us all we need in the wilderness of life. This is what Jesus taught. When it was the Feast of Booths and the people were thinking of how God, through Moses, brought water from the rock, then Jesus declared in a loud voice, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink.” God has provided for His people. He continues to provide for His people, and will provide for us until our weary days are done and we are home. Rejoice in this! Suggestions for prayer Ask God to make you keenly aware of His past, present and future care for you. Pray that God will give you joy, even on the days you feel weary and alone. Rev. Simon Lievaart currently serves Bethel United Reformed Church of Smithers BC. Prior to this, he served the United Reformed Church in Doon, IA. Rev. Lievaart grew up in southern Alberta, attended Redeemer University College and Mid-America Reformed Seminary. 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 18 - The joy of the Lord is your strength

“You shall no more be termed Forsaken, and your land shall no more be termed Desolate, but you shall be called My Delight Is in Her, and your land Married; for the Lord delights in you, and your land shall be married.” - Isaiah 62:4 Scripture reading: Nehemiah 8:1-12 If chapter 3 is my very favourite, then chapter 8 is my second. The wall is done. Fathers are coming back to the city with their families. They are not coming to admire the walls, but to listen to the law of God. Old Ezra, the faithful priest, is brought before the huge gathering, and he reads the law. I picture Ezra reading a section of Deuteronomy, and the leaders of the people meeting with families and small groups, answering questions and ensuring they understand. And then another section is read. All day they read and learn from the law. The law convicted the people. They knew they were sinners and worthy of punishment. They weep, but they are told not to weep. The law is wrapped in grace. Remember the great work which God has begun - the law was not read to condemn the people, but to teach them to live as those who have received God’s love. They are told, “The joy of the Lord is your strength.” That changes things! What does it mean that God delights in you and that he joyfully invests in you? Hebrews 12:2 tells us that for the joy set before Him, Jesus endured the cross. This means, in spite of our sin, we are not a pain to God. Yes, God delights in dwelling with us and working in our lives. And so may that be our strength. How can we apply the law of God? What is our motivation? It is knowing God loved us first. Suggestions for prayer Thank the Lord for what He has done in the past and for patiently teaching us His ways. Ask the Lord to help you understand His Word and apply it daily. Rev. Simon Lievaart currently serves Bethel United Reformed Church of Smithers BC. Prior to this, he served the United Reformed Church in Doon, IA. Rev. Lievaart grew up in southern Alberta, attended Redeemer University College and Mid-America Reformed Seminary. 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 17 - To glorify God

“And of Zion it shall be said, “This one and that one were born in her”; for the Most High himself will establish her.” - Psalm 87:5–6 Scripture reading: Nehemiah 6:17-7:73 The walls were not for show. Gatekeepers were charged to keep corruption and compromise out. In our lives, too, we need to stand firm against corruption and compromise. But that is not the end. The goal is that sinners may worship God. But how does one know they really can dwell in the city where God makes His name to dwell and where they worship God at the temple? I have known people who are happy to come on a Saturday and help with church cleaning or to serve at a soup kitchen, but they feel they can’t come into the sanctuary on a Sunday and worship with God’s people. To encourage the people that this is indeed their city too, Nehemiah pulls out the records of genealogy that had been recorded years before (compare with Ezra 2). As family names are read, the people are reminded this is about more than a wall; they have been brought back from exile so that they may worship God. The list of names reminds the people that this is part of the inheritance promised to them, and they have a calling to live as those who belong to the city of Jerusalem and the work of God. What happens when you think of what God has done in your life? What people and events came together so that you came to know the Lord? Let this encourage you that God is indeed at work in your life and calling you to live a life that worships Him. Suggestions for prayer Ask the Lord to fill your heart with thankful praise. Pray that as we turn from sin, we give more and more glory to God. Rev. Simon Lievaart currently serves Bethel United Reformed Church of Smithers BC. Prior to this, he served the United Reformed Church in Doon, IA. Rev. Lievaart grew up in southern Alberta, attended Redeemer University College and Mid-America Reformed Seminary. 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 16 - A refuge of worship

“So the wall was finished on the twenty-fifth day of the month Elul, in fifty-two days. And when all our enemies heard of it, all the nations around us were afraid and fell greatly in their own esteem, for they perceived that this work had been accomplished with the help of our God.” - Nehemiah 6:15–16 Scripture reading: Psalm 48:1-14 The wall was up! It took just over seven weeks. Long weeks enduring opposition and strife of all sorts, but they persevered and suddenly the walls were raised. Remember Sanballat saying they would never do it? Remember Tobiah saying that when a fox climbs on the wall it will crumble? Reflect and see: this is the work of God done with the help of God. We think of the church today, too; how many despise the church and mock the church. Maybe people say you are a fool for going to church, or they say your church is a joke because people sing off-key, or you don’t have nice programs, and certain people are not very polished. Take comfort. Since the beginning, God’s work has been ridiculed and persecuted. But this is God’s work. Do you see the goodness? Today you might be tempted to dwell on the trouble that the church faces. I encourage you to think about this as the beautiful work of God and a place where God meets with His people. In the New Testament the church is called the bride of Christ. She is despised by the world, but to God she is cherished and beautiful. Not because she is so amazing in herself, but because God bought her with Jesus’ blood. See this and joyfully serve the Lord, and in the end the enemies will see, and they will fear and one day bow before Christ. (Heads up: Tomorrow’s Scripture reading is a long one. If you are typically rushed on a Monday, take some time to read chapter 7 today). Suggestions for prayer Consider where God has been at work in your life and in the church, and praise God. Ask the Lord to open your eyes to the good things He has done. Rev. Simon Lievaart currently serves Bethel United Reformed Church of Smithers BC. Prior to this, he served the United Reformed Church in Doon, IA. Rev. Lievaart grew up in southern Alberta, attended Redeemer University College and Mid-America Reformed Seminary. 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 15 - What if God’s servant lies?

“Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world.�...

Daily devotional

June 14 - Conspiracy!

“Blessed be the Lord, my rock, who trains my hands for war, and my fingers for battle.” - Psalm 144:1 Scripture reading: Nehemiah 6:1-9 Jesu...

Daily devotional

June 13 - Grace-filled leadership

“And whoever would be first among you must be your slave, even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ranso...

Daily devotional

June 12 - Trouble at home

“But if anyone has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God’s love abide in him?” - 1 Jo...

Daily devotional

June 11 - Doing the hard work

“Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.” - Philippians 2:12b–13 Scripture reading: Nehemiah 4:21-23 I grew up on a farm where working long days was common in the busy seasons. Now, much of that was spent in the cab of a tractor. I could not imagine laying bricks from dawn to dusk and sleeping with work clothes still on and a sword still strapped to my side. I wonder how many thought, “Really, if this is the work of the Lord, why is it so hard?” Doing the things the Lord calls us to do is often hard, tiring work. For some reason, the attitude of many today is that there should not be too much sacrifice, and the fight against sin should be only a little bit difficult. When people are serving and sacrificing, some might say, “Relax, for God loves you either way.” If that was the approach Nehemiah and the builders took regarding the wall, the wall would never have been built and the children would not know the Lord. So what does that mean for us? Why should someone work on their marriage – it is going to be hard? Why should we set the alarm so we can do devotions? Why should we bother guarding our tongues? And the answer is because this is what God has called us to do. This is what Jesus is equipping us for. This is how we will glorify the Lord and how we bless those around us. Suggestions for prayer Thank the Lord Jesus for making the ultimate sacrifice that you may know salvation. Confess where you have refused to serve the Lord and ask the Lord to conform your will to His. Rev. Simon Lievaart currently serves Bethel United Reformed Church of Smithers BC. Prior to this, he served the United Reformed Church in Doon, IA. Rev. Lievaart grew up in southern Alberta, attended Redeemer University College and Mid-America Reformed Seminary. 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 10 - Armed and ready

“Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world.” - 1 Peter 5:8–9 Scripture reading: Nehemiah 4:15-20 Sometimes soldiers go off to war, fighting at the front, hundreds of miles away from home. Sometimes war comes to us. We think of life for those in Ukraine. Suddenly no place is safe and every civilian must also be a soldier. The threat of an attack on Jerusalem came down a degree. The building could continue, but everyone had to be their own bodyguard. Those going to get supplies had the supplies in one hand and a weapon in the other. Those on the wall continued the work, carrying their sword and trowel. What a lesson for us in the Christian life. We must be always ready, always watchful, always prayerful. When we are on the road, at the worksite, in town and out of town, we need to have our weapons ready against the attacks of the enemy. Satan wants to contaminate godliness and destroy growth. Satan will attack us when and where we are vulnerable. We need to be always ready to stand firm in the faith and fight off the attacks. And what are the weapons we must have ready for our spiritual battles? It is the Word of God, the truth of God. It is the shield of faith and steadfast prayer. A life of serving the Lord will be attacked by Satan. But we know the One Who is greater. Trust the Lord. As James 4:7 says, “Resist the devil and he will flee from you.” Suggestions for prayer Thank the Lord for equipping you for the battle. Confess where you have been careless, and ask for watchfulness and discernment, so you can recognize the schemes of the devil and stand firm when tempted. Rev. Simon Lievaart currently serves Bethel United Reformed Church of Smithers BC. Prior to this, he served the United Reformed Church in Doon, IA. Rev. Lievaart grew up in southern Alberta, attended Redeemer University College and Mid-America Reformed Seminary. 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 9 - Halfway there (living on a prayer)

“And we prayed to our God and set a guard as a protection against them day and night.” - Nehemiah 4:9 Scripture reading: Nehemiah 4:6-14 Whoever said good fences make good neighbours was not thinking about Nehemiah. The wall was raised. They were halfway there. Israel now had angry neighbours in every direction, threatening to attack Jerusalem, and no allies. Artaxerxes might defend them, but it would take months for an army to get there. The people of God needed (again) to pray. Never undervalue prayer. We feel weak or overwhelmed, helpless and alone, but John 4:4 reminds us, “He who is in you is greater than He who is in the world.” Call out to God for mercy, for support. The Israelites were overwhelmed. The work was stalled because the workers had to become soldiers standing guard. They weren’t trained for war. Why does God's work have to be so hard? Verse 14 says they were reminded to not fear, but to remember the Lord Who is great and awesome. Do we think about how great our God is? (Sunday helps us to do that.) When we worry about what the world might do, or feel weak against the temptations of the flesh and fear we cannot withstand whatever trial might come, can we remember how much greater and more awesome our God is? We have a long way to go, and there are real enemies around us. Continue in prayer, trusting in the Lord. 1 Peter 5:10 comforts us saying, “After you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen and establish you.” Suggestions for prayer Ask God to help you to remember that He is great, and He is with us in grace. Pray that in the times of trial and temptation, we may fight, knowing the Lord Almighty is our God. Rev. Simon Lievaart currently serves Bethel United Reformed Church of Smithers BC. Prior to this, he served the United Reformed Church in Doon, IA. Rev. Lievaart grew up in southern Alberta, attended Redeemer University College and Mid-America Reformed Seminary. 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, Uncategorised

June 8 - A fool’s errand?

“…looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted.” - Hebrews 12:2–3 Scripture reading: Nehemiah 4:1-5 Do you have unfinished projects that you started long ago? On my shelf I have paint, wood and supplies for a project I have not gotten around to doing. Beginning a task is easy, but persevering in a task is not. This is especially true when everyone tells you that what you are doing is foolish. Sanballat and Tobiah, in the presence of the army of Samaria (today they would be backed by the media and masses), made all sorts of accusations, intending to make the Israelites feel that this wall-building is a bad idea and sure to fail. The mockery was destroying the courage in their hearts. But the believer goes by faith, not by sight. Take these troubles by prayer to God, Who sees His people striving at the work, and sees the enemies trying to tear it down. God made a promise to Abraham that He would bless those who bless him and curse those who curse him. The Israelites could rightly ask God to repay their enemies for the wrong they are doing. This reminds us: what matters is not what the world says, but what God says. The mockers will answer to God and so must we. What is done with faith in Jesus Christ will be given the reward Christ has earned, and the enemies will be given the reward every sinner deserves. We must persevere in the Christian life. Think of Noah – the world called him a fool, and he persevered, finishing his project of building the ark. He had no regrets. Suggestions for prayer Thank the Lord Jesus for enduring mockery so that we can be accepted. Ask God to help us live this life knowing we must give account to God for how we live. Rev. Simon Lievaart currently serves Bethel United Reformed Church of Smithers BC. Prior to this, he served the United Reformed Church in Doon, IA. Rev. Lievaart grew up in southern Alberta, attended Redeemer University College and Mid-America Reformed Seminary. 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 - The body of Christ

“Then Eliashib the high priest rose up with his brothers the priests, and they built the Sheep Gate. They consecrated it and set its doors. They con...

Daily devotional

June 6 - Through the thresher

“Do good to Zion in your good pleasure; build up the walls of Jerusalem.” - Psalm 51:18 Scripture reading: Psalm 122:1-9 What is so import...

Daily devotional

June 5 - Troublemakers

“But when Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the Ammonite servant and Geshem the Arab heard of it, they jeered at us and despised us and said, “Wha...

Daily devotional

June 4 - Examining the damage

“Then I arose in the night, I and a few men with me. And I told no one what my God had put into my heart to do for Jerusalem. There was no animal wi...

Daily devotional

June 3 - Prayers answered

“And the king granted me what I asked, for the good hand of my God was upon me.” - Nehemiah 2:8b Scripture reading: Nehemiah 2:1-8 Nehemiah spent about four months in fasting and prayer, asking that God would give him success in the presence of the king. Then one day the opportunity came. King Artaxerxes asked Nehemiah why he was so troubled. Nehemiah wasn’t sure of what he should say; he did not want to come across as a traitor to Artaxerxes and the kingdom of Persia, but his heart was in the work of God, in Jerusalem. When the king asked Nehemiah what he wanted, Nehemiah knew God was working in Artaxerxes’ heart. One more prayer to the “King of kings who reigns in heaven”, and Nehemiah brought the entire shopping list of things he would like King Artaxerxes to provide. Artaxerxes had nothing to gain by funding this endeavour, but it pleased him to give even more than Nehemiah had asked. Proverbs 21:1 says, “The king’s heart is a stream of water in the hand of the Lord: he turns it wherever he will.” We face a new week. Living as citizens of heaven in this world seems like an impossible task. But take comfort, for God will not neglect His work, nor His people. We feel small and powerless, but will we cling to the God of heaven, the King of all kings? We don’t always know if our plans will succeed, and we do not know what the Lord will do. But take comfort that the hand of God is good, and it will not fail. Suggestions for prayer Pray that the Lord will work in the hearts of leaders and those in authority over us. Pray that you can boldly serve the Lord with grace and truth, knowing His hand upon you. Rev. Simon Lievaart currently serves Bethel United Reformed Church of Smithers BC. Prior to this, he served the United Reformed Church in Doon, IA. Rev. Lievaart grew up in southern Alberta, attended Redeemer University College and Mid-America Reformed Seminary. 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 1 - Introduction to Nehemiah

In the year 539 BC, the prophet Daniel was an old man serving in the courts of Babylon, receiving visions from the Lord of kingdoms rising and falling. Persia conquered Babylon, and Cyrus sat on the throne. A year later, Cyrus issued a decree that the Jews could go back to Jerusalem and rebuild the temple. We read this account in the book of Ezra. Ezra returned to Jerusalem around the year 458 BC, and they began the rebuilding with limited success. Nehemiah was 13 years later. Nehemiah will be the focus of our devotions this month. Nehemiah will do the Lord’s work in spite of swarms of opposition, and we see again and again that his help, his strength, his joy, and his hope is in the Lord and in trusting and obeying the Word of God. As you read through the book of Nehemiah and consider this devotion that accompanies it, I pray that you will be encouraged in your service to the Lord and in living for the Lord. We are always tempted to go the easy way, to compromise, to just let sin be in our lives. Nehemiah shows how the Lord is at work with His people so that His people (like us) can live, not like the nations, but for the Lord. Perhaps you have great changes you need to make in your life. Perhaps you need encouragement to press on in the faith. May God’s Word guide and refresh you day by day. Priorities of the heart “Let my tongue stick to the roof of my mouth, if I do not remember you, if I do not set Jerusalem above my highest joy!” - Psalm 137:6 Scripture reading: Nehemiah 1:1-4 How do you live in the world and not let the comforts and pleasures of the world cause you to lose sight of the eternal? Do you love your position or certain comforts more than the Lord and His work? Nehemiah had a position in a palace. As cupbearer, people would think he is living the dream. But Nehemiah knew his position was temporary. Nehemiah’s passion was to see the exiles returned and Jerusalem restored as the place where God dwells with His people, and where the Lord is rightly worshipped by His people. This is why Nehemiah was anxious to hear news of Jerusalem and of the exiles that had returned. When Hanani told him that Jerusalem was in disgrace, Nehemiah was heartbroken. Through the prophets, God had promised He would restore the people to Jerusalem and dwell with them there. The work had begun in the days of Ezra, but now it seems no one cares enough to carry on with it – disgraceful! For us today, God’s dwelling is not in the temple, but in the hearts of true believers. Are we prioritizing the work of the Lord in our hearts and lives? Or have we become careless? Also today, central to the Lord’s work is the local church. Do we care about the state of the church? Do we grieve sin and long to see the kingdom of Christ furthered, that more and more God may be known and worshipped? Suggestions for prayer Pray that God will help us to never forget what it means to belong to Him. Pray for hearts that deeply long to see the work of God furthered in our hearts and in the world around us. Rev. Simon Lievaart currently serves Bethel United Reformed Church of Smithers BC. Prior to this, he served the United Reformed Church in Doon, IA. Rev. Lievaart grew up in southern Alberta, attended Redeemer University College and Mid-America Reformed Seminary. 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 2 - Start with prayer

“Let your ear be attentive and your eyes open, to hear the prayer of your servant that I now pray before you day and night for the people of Israel your servants, confessing the sins of the people of Israel, which we have sinned against you. Even I and my father’s house have sinned.” - Nehemiah 1:6 Scripture reading: Nehemiah 1:4-11 Perhaps your life, marriage, family, or your business is in shambles. When everything is a disgrace, where do you start? Start with and persist in prayer. Nehemiah got the distressing news of Jerusalem. Why did he fast and pray? Because he knew the LORD would hear his prayers, and was and is able to do more than we can imagine. Nehemiah calls God great and awesome and covenant-keeping. What a reminder for us! God works wonders, not because the person who prays is worthy, but because He is able and He cares. God has promised to hear the prayers that His children bring in humble faith. Nehemiah’s confession is a striking example for us. You are (I hope) going to church today; don’t come to God pretending you have no sin and are worthy of God’s blessing. No, we must own our sins, all of them: individual sins, corporate sins, and sins of neglect. The years that Judah heaped up punishment from God was before Nehemiah’s time, but Nehemiah did not make excuses; he owned the wrong, confessed the guilt, and asked God to do what He promised: hear the prayers and redeem His people. Nehemiah came with confidence because He had the covenant promises. Believers today have the covenant and the Redeemer, Jesus Christ. So where do we start when all is a mess? Seek the Lord in faith and prayer. In this book we will see how God answers Nehemiah’s many prayers. Will you persist in humble prayer, seeking the Lord to help you serve Him today? Suggestions for prayer Praise God that His greatness and kindness toward us does not depend on our worthiness. Confess your sin, and ask for the Lord’s blessing where it is needed most. Rev. Simon Lievaart currently serves Bethel United Reformed Church of Smithers BC. Prior to this, he served the United Reformed Church in Doon, IA. Rev. Lievaart grew up in southern Alberta, attended Redeemer University College and Mid-America Reformed Seminary. 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 - Let us be stable and studious

“You therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand, take care that you are not carried away with the error of lawless people and lose your own stability. But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.” - 2 Peter 3:17-18 Scripture reading: Isaiah 46:8-13 To become mature and stable believers we must “grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.” We began these devotionals by recognizing ‘the Importance of Correct Knowledge.’ And we said then that because Peter was soon to die, he wanted believers to have his letters, written down in black and white, that they could keep reading as an aid to faith and godly living. Because there will always be false teachers, we need to go back, again and again, to the reliable and trustworthy Word of God. That is why we have repeatedly talked in these devotionals about the importance of preaching and Bible study, participating and reading Christian books. But notice also that Peter speaks of knowing a person, the Lord Jesus Christ, and His grace. So, while knowledge must be about facts and doctrine, like the certainty of the return of Jesus, it must also be personal and emotional, and about relationship and obedience. Do you have this type of knowledge? Are you growing in the knowledge of the grace of Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour? If you are, then you will burst out in praise, just like Peter did at the end of his letter: “To Him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity.” You will be so thankful for salvation and the prospect of eternal life with Him, that you will love to praise Him and love Him whom you praise! Suggestions for prayer Thank the Lord for 2 Peter. Pray that His Spirit would deepen your knowledge of salvation, such that you long for the return of Christ, and strive, daily, to grow in knowledge and to live for Him. Rev. Andre Holtslag is a graduate of Mid-America Reformed Seminary in Dyer, Indiana (2007). At the present time he serves the Reformed Church of Avondale, which is in the city of Auckland, New Zealand, and is one of the Reformed Churches in New Zealand (RCNZ). 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 - Of pots and kettles

“Just as our beloved brother Paul also wrote to you according to the wisdom given him, as he does in all his letters when he speaks in them of these...

Daily devotional

May 29 - A call to evangelism

“And count the patience of our Lord as salvation.” - 2 Peter 3:15a Scripture reading: Matthew 28:16-20 In relation to the return of Chri...

Daily devotional

May 28 - We can hasten the coming of the day of God!

Daily devotional

May 27 - The new heavens and new 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 26 - “What sort of people ought you to be?”

“Since all these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness … Therefore, beloved, since you are waiting for these, be diligent to be found by Him without spot or blemish, and at peace.” - 2 Peter 3:11-14 Scripture reading: Psalm 15:1-5 In Matthew 25, Jesus describes the separation of all humanity into the sheep and the goats. When the sheep ask Him why they are welcomed into the eternal kingdom, He said, “For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.'” In other words, all that we do out of love and thankfulness for Him and for our salvation, we did to Him. Thus, every ounce of effort we put into growing in obedience and sexual purity and being content, and not giving in to anger and lust and greed, etc, survives the burning and is rewarded. Now, the way that the words holiness and godliness are written in Greek is in the plural. So, literally, Peter is saying, “It is necessary for you to live in holinesses and godlinesses.” Think back to chapter 1 where the believer is told to “make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue … knowledge … self-control … steadfastness … godliness … brotherly affection … love.” Therefore, waiting for the coming day of the Lord is not about sitting on our hands and staring at the clock. There are all sorts of holinesses and godlinesses that we must busy ourselves with. In the work and example of Christ, we have every reason to “make every effort.” Suggestions for prayer Praise God for His holiness. Thank Him for ministers who properly apply His Word to our lives, that we may become more like Christ. Ask Him to cause you to grow, by His Word and Spirit, in holinesses and godlinesses. Rev. Andre Holtslag is a graduate of Mid-America Reformed Seminary in Dyer, Indiana (2007). At the present time he serves the Reformed Church of Avondale, which is in the city of Auckland, New Zealand, and is one of the Reformed Churches in New Zealand (RCNZ). 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 25 - The patience of God

“The Lord is not slow to fulfill His promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.” - 2 Peter 3:9 Scripture reading: Psalm 130:1-8 When God was about to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah, Abraham ‘argued’ God down to not doing so if just ten righteous persons could be found in the cities. These were extremely wicked cities! This is an illustration of God’s patience with sinners. He is able to be patient and merciful because He has dealt with our sins by putting them on His Son, and punishing Him, on the cross. This is the glorious gospel! It is why God is free to not treat us as our sins deserve and to remember our sins no more. We might wonder, though, how this verse relates to the doctrine of election. For, if God has only chosen some to salvation, then how does that stack up with the statement here that He does not wish that “any should perish, but that all should reach repentance”? Well, notice who it is that Peter is speaking to. It says that God is “patient toward you.” And who are you? 2 Peter is addressed to those “who have obtained a faith of equal standing with .” In other words, Peter addressed his letter to believers, to all God’s elect, including those who had not yet been born. So, this verse is not saying that God really wants every single person to repent, but that the return of Christ will only come when all those whom God has chosen to salvation have come to repentance and faith, and not a day before! Suggestions for prayer Thank the Lord for His electing mercies. Pray that He would soon bring the full number of His elect ones to faith in Christ. Rev. Andre Holtslag is a graduate of Mid-America Reformed Seminary in Dyer, Indiana (2007). At the present time he serves the Reformed Church of Avondale, which is in the city of Auckland, New Zealand, and is one of the Reformed Churches in New Zealand (RCNZ). 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 24 - This verse is not about the days of creation!

“But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.” - 2 Peter 3:8 Scripture reading: Psalm 90:1-17 If you have participated in a debate about the days of creation, you will surely have heard this verse raised as ‘proof’ that the days of creation need not be taken as ordinary or literal 24-hour days. Well, Genesis 1 makes it abundantly clear that the days are ordinary days, with the reference to evening and morning, and first, second and third days, etc. The connection made in the Fourth Commandment between our seven-day week and the seven days of creation week would be nonsense if the days of creation were not ordinary days. Peter’s point here is to remind us that God’s relationship to time is different than ours. He is quoting Psalm 90, which contrasts the eternal God with time-bound mankind. What we need, therefore, is a more mature relationship to time. Unlike the little child who thinks Grandpa and Grandma are never coming if they are three minutes late, we need to be like mature adults who know that three minutes is nothing. And as this relates to the promise of Jesus to return ‘quickly’ or ‘soon,’ we must have this mature attitude. Some may think that 2000 years is forever! But for God, it is like a nanosecond! He is not sitting in heaven counting the days and years, as they roll by, waiting. He is not under time. He exists in eternity. But Christ will come! Suggestions for prayer Thank the Lord for all those who taught you to believe the Bible’s account of creation. Praise God for His eternal majesty and glory and goodness and grace. Rev. Andre Holtslag is a graduate of Mid-America Reformed Seminary in Dyer, Indiana (2007). At the present time he serves the Reformed Church of Avondale, which is in the city of Auckland, New Zealand, and is one of the Reformed Churches in New Zealand (RCNZ). 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 - Judgment day

“But by the same word the heavens and earth that now exist are stored up for fire, being kept until the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly … But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed.” - 2 Peter 3:7-10 Scripture reading: Matthew 25:1-13; 31-46 People today have the idea that Jesus was all about love and acceptance. However, a plain reading of the Gospels reveals that the topic He spoke about most, was the coming Day of Judgment and the need to repent and believe. Acts 17:31 says, God “has fixed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom He has appointed; and of this He has given assurance to all by raising Him from the dead.” 2 Corinthians 5:10 says “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil.” On the day of His return, we will all stand before the judgment throne of Christ. Matthew 25 describes Judgment Day as a great separation – the sheep are placed on His right and the goats on His left. The sheep are then welcomed into the eternal kingdom, while the goats are banished to eternal punishment. The parable of the foolish virgins represents all who profess faith in Christ. The oil represents the Holy Spirit, and half of the virgins did not possess Him. There will be some/many on Judgment Day who were self-deluded, but to whom Jesus will say, “I never knew you.” This is a sobering warning. Have you truly repented of your sins and believed in Christ for the forgiveness of your sins? And does this reveal itself in that you are living for Jesus? Suggestions for prayer Thank the Lord for showing you His grace in Christ. Pray that He would convert any in your congregation who do not yet truly know Him as Saviour and Lord. Rev. Andre Holtslag is a graduate of Mid-America Reformed Seminary in Dyer, Indiana (2007). At the present time he serves the Reformed Church of Avondale, which is in the city of Auckland, New Zealand, and is one of the Reformed Churches in New Zealand (RCNZ). 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 - For scoffers will come

“… knowing this first of all, that scoffers will come in the last days with scoffing, following their own sinful desires. They will say, "Where is...

Daily devotional

May 21 - Peter’s much-needed reminder

“This is now the second letter that I am writing to you, beloved. In both of them I am stirring up your sincere mind by way of reminder, that you sh...

Daily devotional

May 20 - The dangerous activity of false teachers (part 2)

Daily devotional

May 19 - The dangerous activity of false teachers (part 1)

Daily devotional

May 18 - The warped personality of false teachers (part 2)

“They have followed the way of Balaam, the son of Beor, who loved gain from wrongdoing, but was rebuked for his own transgression; a speechless donkey spoke with human voice and restrained the prophet's madness.” - 2 Peter 2:10-16 Scripture reading: Numbers 22:15-35 Peter continues his identikit sketch of false teachers with a biblical illustration. The illustration he uses is Balaam. Balaam was offered great riches by the king of Moab if he would come and curse the people of Israel. Initially, Balaam flat-out refused to go and did not curse Israel. However, the king sent more men and a bigger offer. And Balaam, probably with hands rubbing together and his bank account details ready to hand out, asked the Lord, again, if he might go – please, please, please??? Oh how dangerous is the love of money (1 Timothy 6:10). A New Testament equivalent of Balaam is Demas. Described in Colossians and Philemon as a “fellow worker” of Paul’s, in 2 Timothy 4:10 we read that “Demas, in love with this present world, deserted and gone to Thessalonica.” Demas loved money more than he loved Christ and was either backslidden or apostate. 1 Timothy 3 tells us that an elder should not be a “lover of money.” 1 Peter 5 offers a similar warning to elders against desiring “shameful gain.” So, watch out for office-bearers, both those in your church, but also those on TV or online, who constantly talk about money. For this is a sure sign that their motives are mixed at best. But give thanks also for office-bearers who serve willingly, eagerly, and as examples to the flock. Suggestions for prayer Thank the Lord for elders who serve willingly, eagerly, and as examples to us all. Ask the Lord to keep them from a desire for shameful gain and/or a domineering spirit. Rev. Andre Holtslag is a graduate of Mid-America Reformed Seminary in Dyer, Indiana (2007). At the present time he serves the Reformed Church of Avondale, which is in the city of Auckland, New Zealand, and is one of the Reformed Churches in New Zealand (RCNZ). 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 17 - The warped personality of false teachers (part 1)

“Bold and willful, they do not tremble as they blaspheme the glorious ones … They count it pleasure to revel in the daytime. They are blots and blemishes, reveling in their deceptions, while they feast with you. They have eyes full of adultery, insatiable for sin. They entice unsteady souls. They have hearts trained in greed. Accursed children! Forsaking the right way, they have gone astray.” - 2 Peter 2:10-15 Scripture reading: 1 Timothy 4:1-8 When a crime has been committed, police sometimes issue an identikit sketch. It is a drawing of the main features of the person who committed the crime. In this part of Peter’s letter, he is providing his readers with an identikit sketch of false teachers. The chief characteristics that he identifies are insolence and insatiability. To be insolent is to be rude and disrespectful. It is described here as ‘blasphem the glorious ones.’ Jude uses the same description of false teachers. This is a much-debated phrase. It could be a reference to angels. The other possibility is the apostles and office-bearers of the church. On balance, the latter option seems to fit the context better. So, these false teachers had no hesitation criticizing and rejecting the authority of those whom the Lord had called to bless His church. Another character flaw was their insatiability. To be insatiable is to be constantly greedy for more. One area where this came out was sensuality, as we see in verses 13-14. And this was no secret or hidden passion; it was all done “in the daytime.” Another passion of theirs was money. They wanted to be rewarded, handsomely, for what they taught. Money was a constant topic of their conversation. And church history is littered with many examples of false teachers with these personality traits. But we have now been warned – watch out for teachers who display insolence and insatiability! Suggestions for prayer Ask the Lord to preserve our leaders from these attitudes and behaviours. Thank Him for the godly men He has placed over us. Rev. Andre Holtslag is a graduate of Mid-America Reformed Seminary in Dyer, Indiana (2007). At the present time he serves the Reformed Church of Avondale, which is in the city of Auckland, New Zealand, and is one of the Reformed Churches in New Zealand (RCNZ). 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 16 - Glimpses of grace!

“if He did not spare the ancient world, but preserved Noah, a herald of righteousness, with seven others … and if he rescued righteous Lot, greatly distressed by the sensual conduct of the wicked … then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials,” - 2 Peter 2:5-10 Scripture reading: Ephesians 2:1-10 Throughout the three portraits of the wicked condemned, there are glimpses of grace. For while millions or a billion drowned, eight were preserved alive on the ark. And although tens of thousands likely died in Sodom and Gomorrah, Lot and his two daughters were rescued and preserved. It’s not many; it’s just eleven. But in Matthew 7:13-14, we read these words of the Lord Jesus: “Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.” Notice also that Noah is described as a “herald of righteousness” and Lot as having a “righteous soul.” Do you know what Noah did after he had come out of the ark? He got drunk and naked, which led one of his sons to sin. And do you remember Lot’s offer to the men who wanted to engage in sodomy with his angelic guests? He offered them his virgin daughters, telling the men they could do with them as they pleased!!! Do you see the grace on view here? Neither Noah nor Lot were righteous in and of themselves. They were undeserving sinners, like you and me. By faith, they believed in God’s promise to send the Messiah, and were credited with the perfect righteousness of Jesus Christ (2 Corinthians 5:20). They also called on people to repent and believe. Suggestions for prayer Praise God that we are saved by grace alone. Thank Him for His abundant mercy and patience with sinners, for He has dealt with our sins on Calvary’s cross. Rev. Andre Holtslag is a graduate of Mid-America Reformed Seminary in Dyer, Indiana (2007). At the present time he serves the Reformed Church of Avondale, which is in the city of Auckland, New Zealand, and is one of the Reformed Churches in New Zealand (RCNZ). 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 - The wicked condemned - Portrait three

“if by turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah to ashes He condemned them to extinction, making them an example of what is going to happen to the ungodly;” - 2 Peter 2:6 Scripture reading: Genesis 19:1-26 The third portrait of the condemned wicked that Peter reveals is of the people of Sodom and Gomorrah. The account in Genesis 19 makes for an uncomfortable read. Two whole cities, plus the surrounding villages, with the men, women and children inside, utterly destroyed by “sulphur and fire from the Lord.” The particular sin that is identified in Genesis 19 is the sin of homosexuality. And in Ezekiel 16:49-50, we read of Sodom and Gomorrah that they “had pride, excess of food, and prosperous ease, but did not aid the poor and needy. They were haughty and did an abomination before me.” And that brings Peter’s warning of judgment really close to home, doesn’t it? For this is an exact description of the Western world today: Pride, excess of food, prosperous ease, does not aid the poor and needy, haughty, and full of the abomination that is homosexuality. Peter’s point, again, is that God is not blind to wickedness. He has judged it in history in the past, and He will continue to judge it until Christ returns. Sin brings consequences. It is the plain message of Romans 1. But beyond this life is eternal hell. And wickedness will certainly be judged there. If we wonder what hell will be like, we are told in verse 6 that it will be like the fire and sulphur that burned Sodom and Gomorrah, but it will never end; it is eternal fire. God does judge wickedness. Suggestions for prayer Thank the Lord for the forgiveness of sins through faith in Christ. Confess sin in any areas identified in this devotion. Ask Him to cause the truth of judgment and hell to be faithfully proclaimed. Rev. Andre Holtslag is a graduate of Mid-America Reformed Seminary in Dyer, Indiana (2007). At the present time he serves the Reformed Church of Avondale, which is in the city of Auckland, New Zealand, and is one of the Reformed Churches in New Zealand (RCNZ). 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 - The wicked condemned - Portrait two

“if He did not spare the ancient world, but preserved Noah, a herald of righteousness, with seven others, when He brought a flood upon the world of ...

Daily devotional

May 13 - The wicked condemned - Portrait one

“For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell and committed them to chains of gloomy darkness to be kept until the judg...

Daily devotional

May 12 - The tactics of false teachers

“But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, ev...

Daily devotional

May 11 - “There will be false teachers”

“But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you…” - 2 Peter 2:1 Scripture reading: Matthew ...

Daily devotional

May 10 - The authority of scripture

“And we have something more sure, the prophetic word, to which you will do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts, knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone's own interpretation. For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.” - 2 Peter 1:19-21 Scripture reading: Jeremiah 1:1-10 These words, together with 2 Timothy 3:16, are cornerstone texts for the doctrine of the inspiration of Scripture. They make it clear that the Holy Spirit guided what the prophets and apostles wrote, so that the Bible is the very Word of God. Peter’s point here is that the birth, life, death, resurrection and ascension of Jesus are all in the Old Testament, but they are hidden or shadowy or hinted at or there by way of types and anti-types, and promises and prophecies. They have become plain with the New Testament. In this way, then, the coming of Jesus and the Gospel accounts more fully confirm the prophetic word. Peter’s particular focus is the Second Coming of Christ and the Day of Judgment. They are spoken of in Daniel 7, Isaiah 13, Psalm 2, and Psalm 110. But they are made plain by passages like Matthew 24:30, 26:64, Acts 1:11, Acts 17:31, 1 Thessalonians 4:16, and 1 Corinthians 15. So, believer, do not be persuaded by anyone who teaches otherwise. Christ will come down to earth from heaven, and He will receive His bride to Himself, for all eternity! So, do pray: “Come Lord Jesus!” And friends, if you have not yet received Christ and believed in Him as your Saviour and Lord, know that He is coming, maybe today! And then comes judgment. So, take hold of Him, now! Suggestions for prayer Confess that we often do not live as though we expect Jesus to return. Give thanks that we have the very Word of God on the pages of Scripture! Ask Him to help us warn others to be ready for Christ’s return. Rev. Andre Holtslag is a graduate of Mid-America Reformed Seminary in Dyer, Indiana (2007). At the present time he serves the Reformed Church of Avondale, which is in the city of Auckland, New Zealand, and is one of the Reformed Churches in New Zealand (RCNZ). 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 9 - The mount of transfiguration

“For we did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of His majesty. For when He received honor and glory from God the Father, and the voice was borne to Him by the Majestic Glory, "This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased," we ourselves heard this very voice borne from heaven, for we were with Him on the holy mountain.” - 2 Peter 1:16-18 Scripture reading: Matthew 17:1-8 Myths – made up stories – can be entertaining and even instructive. This is true of Ancient Greek myths, Aesop’s Fables and the myths of pagan cultures. But all they are is made up stories. They lack a factual, historical basis. One accusation levelled at Christianity is that the Bible is just a collection of myths and fables. The false teachers of Peter’s day were teaching that the Second Coming was a myth; that Jesus was not going to return and that there would not be a Day of Judgment. Therefore, how you lived did not matter. Peter’s response to this false teaching is his reminder to his readers that he and the other apostles were eyewitnesses of the majesty of Jesus Christ. They had seen Him transfigured right in front of their eyes. They had seen Moses and Elijah with Him. They had heard the voice of God speak from heaven. This event really happened. Why this event is important will become plain in verses 19-21, but the key point here is that the reminder to remain established in the truth and to make every effort to live a godly life is based on fact – an actual, historical, literal, physical, real event. Peter and James and John witnessed it! What we must do is believe it. And remember the words of Christ: “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed" (John 20:29). Suggestions for prayer Thank the Lord for the gift of faith. Thank Him for giving us His Word that we might know Christ through the testimony of prophets and apostles. Ask Him for wisdom and courage to tell others the good news about salvation in Jesus Christ. Rev. Andre Holtslag is a graduate of Mid-America Reformed Seminary in Dyer, Indiana (2007). At the present time he serves the Reformed Church of Avondale, which is in the city of Auckland, New Zealand, and is one of the Reformed Churches in New Zealand (RCNZ). 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 8 - A much-needed reminder

“Therefore I intend always to remind you of these qualities, though you know them and are established in the truth that you have. I think it right, as long as I am in this body, to stir you up by way of reminder, since I know that the putting off of my body will be soon, as our Lord Jesus Christ made clear to me. And I will make every effort so that after my departure you may be able at any time to recall these things.” - 2 Peter 1:12-15 Scripture reading: Psalm 19:7-14 When parents go out and leave the children at home, there is usually a pre-departure reminder: Don’t do these things and be sure to do these things. Parents do this because children so easily forget what they are supposed to do. There are many pre-departure reminders in Scripture. Moses and Joshua, before they died, reminded the people of Israel about what the Lord expected of them. Even the Lord Jesus gave His disciples a pre-departure reminder (John 13-17; Matthew 28:19-20). The Apostle Paul did the same with the Ephesian elders (Acts 20). Our passage is Peter’s pre-departure reminder. We see in verses 13-14 that the Lord had revealed to Peter that he was soon to die. So, he was determined to write his reminder down so that the Lord’s people could read it and re-read it. He wanted believers to be “established in the truth.” Each one of us probably knows someone who once professed faith who has turned away from the Lord. So, we need a regular diet of preached and read truth that we may not fall away (verse 10). The written Word of God is also what the Spirit uses to “stir you up” to the Christian growth we have talked about in recent days. Let us be thankful then for easy access to the written word of God and let us make good use of that access. Suggestions for prayer Thank the Lord for easy access to the Word of truth. Pray for Bible translators and publishers and distributors. Ask the Lord to impress His will upon your heart as you read His Word. Rev. Andre Holtslag is a graduate of Mid-America Reformed Seminary in Dyer, Indiana (2007). At the present time he serves the Reformed Church of Avondale, which is in the city of Auckland, New Zealand, and is one of the Reformed Churches in New Zealand (RCNZ). 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 - “Make your calling and election sure”

“Therefore, brothers, be all the more diligent to make your calling and election sure, for if you practice these qualities you will never fall. For in this way there will be richly provided for you an entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.” - 2 Peter 1:10-11 Scripture reading: Philippians 2:1-13 One of the most precious, but also most difficult doctrines is the doctrine of election. I say difficult only because it is beyond our full comprehension. But it is what the Bible plainly teaches (Ephesians 1:4 and Romans 9); it reveals God’s sovereign loving glory, and it is the only trustworthy foundation for the assurance of salvation. It has led many believers, though, to wonder how they can know for sure if they are one of the elect? Well, Peter explains that practicing the qualities that we have been looking at is how we can confirm our calling and election. That word confirm is most important. Peter addressed his first letter to “elect exiles.” He called them “chosen and precious.” In this second letter, he addressed “those who have obtained faith.” So, what he says here is about how we confirm our calling and election. If you have made an online purchase, you probably received a confirmation email. That email is not the purchase. That email does not secure the purchase. It is just extra confirmation of the purchase that has been made. It gives you a deeper assurance or certainty about your purchase. Similarly, God elects and calls. The basis for your election and calling is His sovereign and unchangeable love for the Son and for you (John 17 and Ephesians 1:4). That cannot change. But there is a way of living that confirms your calling and election. These verses describe it! Suggestions for prayer Thank the Lord for His electing love. Praise Him for His grace to you in Christ. Ask Him to deepen your assurance of your calling and election, and for His help to “practice these qualities.” Rev. Andre Holtslag is a graduate of Mid-America Reformed Seminary in Dyer, Indiana (2007). At the present time he serves the Reformed Church of Avondale, which is in the city of Auckland, New Zealand, and is one of the Reformed Churches in New Zealand (RCNZ). 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 - What is at stake

“For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. ...

Daily devotional

May 5 - The ‘qualities’ we must cultivate

“For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue … knowledge … self-control … steadfastness … godliness … bro...

Daily devotional

May 4 - The believer’s privileged position

“His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us to His own glory and e...

Daily devotional

May 3 - The importance of correct knowledge

“May grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.” - 2 Peter 1:2 Scripture reading: Hosea 4:1-6 When ...

Daily devotional

May 2 - Our glorious position in Christ

“To those who have obtained a faith of equal standing with ours by the righteousness of our God and Saviour Jesus Christ.” - 2 Peter 1:1b Scripture reading: Romans 8:1-17 This letter is addressed to all who have put their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Romans 10:9 says, “If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” The sermons in Acts describe this as repenting of your sins and believing in Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. Have you done this? If you have not, will you do so, today? If you have, then Peter tells you that you have obtained “a faith of equal standing with ”! They saw Jesus with their own eyes and heard Him teach. But Jesus said, “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed” (John 20:29). That includes us! But the key point is that we are as much children and heirs of God as the Apostles were. This glorious position is a gracious gift of God. Peter says that we have obtained this faith “by the righteousness of our God and Saviour Jesus Christ.” It has its origins in “the calling and election” of God, as we shall see later in this chapter. And it is something that the Holy Spirit has worked within us (Ephesians 2:8-9). As the hymn-writer so beautifully expressed it: ‘Tis not that I did choose Thee, for Lord that could not be; this heart would still refuse Thee, hadst Thou not chosen me. Suggestions for prayer Thank the Lord for the gift of faith and our standing in His sight. Ask the Spirit to work the gift of faith in others through our words and deeds. Rev. Andre Holtslag is a graduate of Mid-America Reformed Seminary in Dyer, Indiana (2007). At the present time he serves the Reformed Church of Avondale, which is in the city of Auckland, New Zealand, and is one of the Reformed Churches in New Zealand (RCNZ). 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 1 - Introduction to arguing, defending, attacking, warning, and pleading

When you are given incorrect directions, you will not arrive at your desired destination. And surely the most important destination that exists is heaven. But how do we get there? Are there many ways to heaven, or just one? And can we know for certain that we are headed in the right direction? 2 Peter warns us about the danger of those who give the wrong directions (false teachers). It also provides us with reliable and trustworthy directions for the journey to heaven. R. Kent Hughes has helpfully summarized the key theme of each of the three chapters of 2 Peter in this way: Can someone come to know God without knowledge of Jesus as God’s Son? Can one know God and abandon or ignore the rigorous life that the apostles required of those who profess Christ. Can you know God and reject the notion that Jesus will come back to judge the living and the dead? As we consider answers to these questions, we will see that correct knowledge is very important. But while this includes doctrine, it must also be spiritual and experiential knowledge. This means that by the power of the Holy Spirit at work within us, these doctrines are true in relation to us, personally, and they affect how we live. 2 Peter will take us back to creation and forward to the new heavens and new earth. It offers us wonderful encouragement. Yet, the overall tone of 2 Peter is polemical. That means there is arguing, defending, attacking, warning, and pleading. So, there will be arguing, defending, attacking, warning, and pleading in these devotions. May the Lord use them to help you “confirm your calling and election” (2 Peter 1:10). You’ve got to love Peter! “Simeon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ.” - 2 Peter 1:1a Scripture reading: Matthew 16:13-19 The author of the letter is the disciple of Jesus, called Simon, to whom Jesus gave the extra name Peter, which means ‘rock’ (John 1:42). Simeon is the Hebrew version of Simon. As a man, Peter was a real ‘mixed bag.’ Many have described Peter as someone who suffered ‘foot in mouth disease,’ because of his often hastily spoken words. But he was also the disciple who answered Jesus’, “Who do you say that I am?” question with the wonderful profession of faith: “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” And it was because of these words that Jesus said to him, “You are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” And this is why you gotta love Peter! For we are so like him. We also truly believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God. But we also, at times, deny Him, by what we do or say or think, or fail to do or say or think. We are mixtures of belief and unbelief, of obedience and disobedience, of faith and failure. But Simeon Peter, warts and all, was loved by Jesus and used, powerfully and wonderfully, as an Apostle, and then received into glory. That should be, to each of us, a source of great encouragement! If Christ can love and use Simeon Peter, then He can love and use me! Suggestions for prayer Thank the Lord for how He uses ‘mixed-bag’ humans like Simeon Peter. Ask Him to strengthen your faith, and to use you to encourage, edify and exhort others. Rev. Andre Holtslag is a graduate of Mid-America Reformed Seminary in Dyer, Indiana (2007). At the present time he serves the Reformed Church of Avondale, which is in the city of Auckland, New Zealand, and is one of the Reformed Churches in New Zealand (RCNZ). 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 30 - The Spirit and the Bride

“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 22:1-21 All who are in Christ Jesus, who’ve been redeemed and washed by His blood, are in the church and indwelt with the Holy Spirit. In Ephesians 5, Paul points out that the church is the bride of Christ and that husband-and-wife relationships are analogies of that blessed reality. Christ is the groom and the church is His bride. But this is brought out more fully in the book of Revelation. Revelation is a comforting book written to encourage the militant church as we struggle in this world against our enemies, against the forces of evil. God hears our prayers, sees our tears, and has given us His Spirit. Christ is on the throne and His victory is assured. And He is governing in the interest of His church, His bride. He will come again to take us to Himself where we will enjoy the “marriage supper of the Lamb.” We will live with Him forever in the new heavens and the new earth. In the final chapter of Revelation Jesus promises that He is coming. Three times He says, “I am coming soon” (vv. 7, 12, 20). It’s not surprising that the church, the bride, longs for Jesus’ return. The bride therefore says, “Come.” And we’re also told that the Spirit says, “Come.” In fact, I think it is fair to say that the Spirit moves the bride to say, “Come.” What a comfort to know that our longing to be with Jesus is the Spirit’s longing as well! And no wonder. The Spirit of God is the Spirit of Christ, and that Spirit dwells in you! Suggestions for prayer Give thanks again that the Holy Spirit has made His home in you. Join the Spirit in praying, “Come, Lord Jesus, come quickly.” Rev. Derrick Vander Meulen was born and raised in California and has been an ordained minister of the Gospel for nearly 33 years. He is now serving as pastor of Coram Deo Reformation Church (URC) near Denver, Colorado. He is also the General Editor of the Trinity Psalter Hymnal. 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 - The fruit of the Spirit - Self-control

“A man without self-control is like a city broken into and left without walls.” - Proverbs 25:28 Scripture reading: Galatians 5:16-24 As we come to the last on Paul’s list of the fruit of the Spirit, we’ve seen that they are all interconnected and closely tied together. Not simply one, but all exist to some degree in every believer. And the ninth fruit is self-control. Having self-control is the ability to keep oneself in check. It is the power to restrain one’s passions and appetites. It’s helpful to understand that being self-controlled is actually being Spirit-controlled. Proverbs 25:28 compares a man without self-control to a city without walls. He’s defenceless and open to attack from the devil, the world, and his own flesh. In fact, in Galatians 5 Paul has another list which he calls the “works of the flesh.” Included in that list are “sexual immorality,” sensuality,” “strife,” “jealousy,” “fits of anger” and “drunkenness.” The one lacking self-control has no defence against such things. And when Paul describes to Timothy what people will be like in the last days, which he calls “times of difficulty” he says they will be without self-control- dangerous and defenceless. No wonder he adds, “avoid such people” (c.f. II Timothy 3:1-5). But when the Holy Spirit makes His dwelling in you, such passions and desires are restrained and changed. Jesus taught us to pray to our heavenly Father, “deliver us from the evil one.” God answers that prayer by sanctifying us by His Holy Spirit and growing this fruit of self-control. Suggestions for Prayer Pray that the Holy Spirit will increase the fruit of self-control in you. Pray that God would draw to Himself your loved ones who are not in Christ. Rev. Derrick Vander Meulen was born and raised in California and has been an ordained minister of the Gospel for nearly 33 years. He is now serving as pastor of Coram Deo Reformation Church (URC) near Denver, Colorado. He is also the General Editor of the Trinity Psalter Hymnal. 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 - The Holy Spirit and worship

“And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.” - Acts 2:42 Scripture rea...

Daily devotional

April 27 - The fruit of the Spirit - Gentleness

“Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience.” - Colossians 3:12 Scripture ...

Daily devotional

April 26 - The fruit of the Spirit - Faithfulness

“…Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life.” - Revelation 2:10 Scripture reading: Revelation 2:8-11 God is a faithful...

Daily devotional

April 25 - The fruit of the Spirit - Faithfulness

“It was to show His righteousness at the present time, so that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.”- Romans 3:26...

Daily devotional

April 24 - The fruit of the Spirit - Faithfulness

“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” - 1 John 1:9 Scripture reading: 1 John 1:1-10 The seventh fruit of the Spirit is faithfulness. This fruit pertains to loyalty, trustworthiness and dependability. Today we will focus on the faithfulness of God, and then later discuss this fruit in the believer. I’m sure you’ve read and heard 1 John 1:9 many times. As a pastor I refer to this passage often to comfort and assure the congregation that in Christ, their sins are forgiven. Have you thought about why John says that God is “faithful and just to forgive us our sins”? We can be assured of forgiveness because of the faithfulness and justice of God. But what does this mean? God had promised to forgive sins. To sinful Israel and Judah, whom God called a “sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity” (Is. 1:4), God said, “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool” (Is. 1:18). Later, Isaiah will prophecy of the coming Suffering Servant: “He was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities…the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all” (Is. 53:4-6). So when John says that God is “faithful” to forgive us our sins, he is pointing out that what God had promised, from Adam and Eve and on throughout history, God has fulfilled. He is trustworthy and dependable. As Paul had said, “All the promises of God find their yes in Him.” (II Corinthians 1:20). God is faithful. Oh, praise Him. Suggestions for prayer Give thanks today for the faithfulness of God. Be assured that because God is faithful, your sins are forgiven. Rev. Derrick Vander Meulen was born and raised in California and has been an ordained minister of the Gospel for nearly 33 years. He is now serving as pastor of Coram Deo Reformation Church (URC) near Denver, Colorado. He is also the General Editor of the Trinity Psalter Hymnal. 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 23 - The fruit of the Spirit - Goodness

“The saying is trustworthy, and I want you to insist on these things, so that those who have believed in God may be careful to devote themselves to good works. These things are excellent and profitable for people.” - Titus 3:8 Scripture reading: Titus 3:1-11 Every now and then I get to watch a movie or read a story with my grandchildren. Near the beginning of the story, as we’re learning about the characters, my six-year-old grandson will inevitably ask, “Is he a good guy or a bad guy?” In the passage above, Paul instructs Titus to remind his congregation to be ready for every good work. And he grounds that instruction in what God had done for them. “But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Saviour appeared, He saved us…” (vv. 4-5). Because of God’s goodness in our salvation, we are called to goodness. Christians are to be the good guys and gals. And goodness is the sixth fruit of the Spirit. We don’t do good in order that the Spirit would dwell in us, we do good because the Spirit dwells in us. Goodness has to do with morality and spiritual excellence. It is closely related to kindness because the evidence of goodness is so often seen in how we relate with kindness to one another. If we have been the recipients of God’s goodness and kindness, then we ought to show the same to others. As we’ve already noted, we are living in dark days with so much hatred, division, anger and violence. Jesus said that we are the light of the world (Matthew 5:14). Don’t hide that light. Rather, those in whom the Spirit dwells have the opportunity to be shining lights of goodness in this evil, dark world. Suggestions for prayer Pray for the second coming of Christ. Pray that in the meantime you will shine brightly with goodness in this dark world. Rev. Derrick Vander Meulen was born and raised in California and has been an ordained minister of the Gospel for nearly 33 years. He is now serving as pastor of Coram Deo Reformation Church (URC) near Denver, Colorado. He is also the General Editor of the Trinity Psalter Hymnal. 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 22 - The fruit of the Spirit - Kindness

“Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience…” - Colossians 3:12 Scripture reading: Colossians 3:1-17 Paul is writing to the church in Colossae, and begins chapter 3 saying, “If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is…” These words, then, are not only for Colossae, but for all who have been raised with Christ, for all believers. After telling us the things we are to put off, he turns to those things we are to put on. For Paul, to seek the things that are above includes putting on compassionate hearts, kindness, and the like. The fifth fruit of the Spirit is kindness, and like the others this is a communicable attribute of God. God is kind, and when God the Holy Spirit dwells in you, it follows that you too will be kind. In Romans 2:4 Paul points out that God is patient and kind, and we should not presume or take His kindness for granted. It is meant to lead us to repentance. Kindness is having good will toward others. It's inner quality, a warm and tender-heartedness that expresses itself when we are friendly, considerate, compassionate, and generous. Ephesians 4:32 expresses it well: “Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.” Love is patient, love is kind. Does that describe you? Are you kind? Suggestions for prayer Pray that the Holy Spirit would so work in you, that others will know you as a kind person. Ask forgiveness for those times when you were not kind to others. Rev. Derrick Vander Meulen was born and raised in California and has been an ordained minister of the Gospel for nearly 33 years. He is now serving as pastor of Coram Deo Reformation Church (URC) near Denver, Colorado. He is also the General Editor of the Trinity Psalter Hymnal. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. It is also available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

April 21 - The fruit of the Spirit - Patience

“Be patient, therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord…” - James 5:7 Scripture reading: James 5:7-11 Patience is one of the attributes of God. The Bible often speaks of God’s patience toward Israel, or toward sinners, or all humanity. He is “long-suffering” and “slow to anger.” Peter instructs us to think about God’s patience and to “count the patience of our Lord as salvation” (II Peter 3:15). Jesus was patient with his disciples and others. He also patiently endured the sufferings of His humiliation, incarnation and the cross. The word Paul used in his fruit-of-the-Spirit list for patience in Galatians 5 is makrothumia, literally “long-suffering.” As you worship today, consider the patience and long-suffering of God toward you. Like love, the patience of God is what we call a “communicable” attribute, meaning an attribute that God shares with human beings to some degree. It is therefore not surprising that when the Spirit of God dwells in a person, that person will grow in the fruit of patience. But just like fruit on trees, the fruit of the Spirit takes time to grow, ripen and mature. For some of us, it seems that this fruit of patience takes the longest. Are you patient? We’ll continue to see that these Spiritual fruits are very closely tied together. Paul tells us that “love is patient, love is kind…” And if you think about it, one can hardly be loving, or joyful, or at peace with others without being patient (or kind, gentle, etc.). Suggestions for prayer Pray that the Holy Spirit will conform you to the image of Christ. Pray for patience. Rev. Derrick Vander Meulen was born and raised in California and has been an ordained minister of the Gospel for nearly 33 years. He is now serving as pastor of Coram Deo Reformation Church (URC) near Denver, Colorado. He is also the General Editor of the Trinity Psalter Hymnal. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. It is also available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

April 20 - The fruit of the Spirit - Patience

“And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to His purpose.” - Romans 8:28 ...

Daily devotional

April 19 - The fruit of the Spirit - Peace

“You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You.” - Isaiah 26:3 Scripture reading: Isaiah 26:1-9 Isai...

Daily devotional

April 18 - The fruit of the Spirit - Peace

"For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life....

Daily devotional

April 17 - The fruit of the Spirit - Joy

“I will take joy in the God of my salvation.” - Habakkuk 3:18b Scripture reading: Habakkuk 3:1-19 When the Bible speaks of our joy, we disco...

Daily devotional

April 16 - The fruit of the Spirit - Joy

“But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it—the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God…” - Romans 3:21-23 Scripture reading: Romans 3:9-26 I don’t know anybody who doesn’t want to be joyful. Yesterday we saw that Jesus is the source of true joy, and that we will bear much fruit, including the fruit of joy, if we abide in Him. But what does this mean? The Heidelberg Catechism is a summary of biblical teaching and begins by asking the question, “What is your only comfort in life and in death?” The answer can be summarized: “That I belong to Jesus.” But notice what the second question asks: “What must you know to live and die in the joy of this comfort?” Then it lists three things. That is, if you desire (as I do) to live in joy and to die in joy, you need to know and understand these things: First, that I am a sinner. And not only am I a sinner, but I have no hope of earning or meriting God’s favour on my own. Because I am a sinner, I deserve only God’s punishment. Second, that God in love sent His only begotten Son to save sinners like me. There is no other Saviour but Jesus Christ and I am trusting in His salvation. Third, that my gratitude is the inevitable response to God’s grace in Christ. This gratitude is not only a feeling but shows itself in a life of obedience to God’s will. When you know, understand and believe those three things, you will have joy. Suggestions for prayer Pray for a deeper appreciation for the gospel. Pray that the gospel will be the pillar and foundation of your church’s ministry. Rev. Derrick Vander Meulen was born and raised in California and has been an ordained minister of the Gospel for nearly 33 years. He is now serving as pastor of Coram Deo Reformation Church (URC) near Denver, Colorado. He is also the General Editor of the Trinity Psalter Hymnal. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. It is also available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

April 15 - The fruit of the Spirit - Joy

“These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.” - John 15:11 Scripture reading: John 15:1-11 Joy is the possession of every child of God. The triune God is a God of joy and the source of joy to all who trust in Him. In Deuteronomy 16:15, Moses told the children of Israel: “The Lord your God will bless you in all your produce and in all the work of your hands, so that you will be altogether joyful.” And the second fruit of the Spirit listed in Galatians 5 is “joy.” This means that those in whom the Holy Spirit dwells will possess, to some extent, joy. Jesus instructed His disciples (and you) in the upper room so that His joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full. He said this after saying that He is the Vine and we are the branches, and apart from Him we can do nothing. Apart from Jesus, we cannot bear fruit. Apart from Jesus, we are nothing but withering branches, only good for being “gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned.” So Jesus lovingly instructs and encourages us to abide in Him. Only then will we thrive, bear fruit and live. Only then will we know the joy that Jesus promises. This means romance will not bring lasting joy. Recreation and sports cannot offer lasting joy. Politics and governments cannot bring you joy. Only by abiding in Christ will you have joy. Why? Because He is the ultimate and only source of joy! Suggestions for prayer Pray that you would abide in Christ, from whom all blessings flow. Pray for the joy of the Lord. Rev. Derrick Vander Meulen was born and raised in California and has been an ordained minister of the Gospel for nearly 33 years. He is now serving as pastor of Coram Deo Reformation Church (URC) near Denver, Colorado. He is also the General Editor of the Trinity Psalter Hymnal. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. It is also available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

April 14 - The fruit of the Spirit - Love

“Love is patient and kind…” - 1 Corinthians 13:4 Scripture reading: 1 Corinthians 13:1-13 As you study the fruit of the Spirit, you’ll notice that they are very inter-connected. Love is the first, patience is the fourth, and kindness is the fifth. Yet, in Paul’s great “love chapter” he says that love is patient and kind. When the Heidelberg Catechism discusses the sixth commandment, it asks, “Is it enough that we do not murder our neighbour in any such way?” And the answer is: “No. By condemning envy, hatred, and anger God wants us to love our neighbours as ourselves, to be patient, peace-loving, gentle, merciful, and friendly toward them, to protect them from harm as much as we can, and to do good even to our enemies” (Q&A 107). Biblical love is not simply a sentimental, warm feeling of affection. It is concrete actions for the good of our neighbour. Love understands, for example, that when you enter the workplace, you work not simply to earn a living, but are providing a service to and for others. A shoemaker asked Martin Luther if he should quit his business and enter the monastery. Luther’s response is helpful: “Make good shoes and sell them for a fair price.” Love compels you to help an elderly neighbour with their yard work. Today, as you join with your church family in worship, be patient and kind to all. Give generously so that the deacons have sufficient funds to help the needy. Dear Christian, love your neighbour! Suggestions for prayer Pray for God’s blessing on the Word preached today. Pray that you will love the men, women, boys and girls with whom you worship today. Rev. Derrick Vander Meulen was born and raised in California and has been an ordained minister of the Gospel for nearly 33 years. He is now serving as pastor of Coram Deo Reformation Church (URC) near Denver, Colorado. He is also the General Editor of the Trinity Psalter Hymnal. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. It is also available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

April 13 - The fruit of the Spirit - Love

“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; Just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” - John 13:34-35 Scripture reading: John 13:31-35 We are living in a violent world. Every day there are more stories of road rage, fights, brawls, rapes, terrorism and killings. And added to the actual, physical violence, there is such a deep ideological and political divide that people can’t seem to have civil discourse anymore. I understand better the biblical description that we are “sojourners and exiles” in this world (1 Peter 2:11) and am praying more fervently for Christ’s return. But He hasn’t returned yet, so how ought we to live as pilgrims? Jesus commissioned the church to go and make disciples, and in today’s Scripture reading, He says that “all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” This love extends beyond our family, friends, church, and neighbours; Jesus calls us to even love our enemies and pray for them (Matt. 5:44). Peter seems to have understood this importance when he calls us to “love one another earnestly from a pure heart…” (1 Pet. 1:22) and then later repeats it more emphatically, “Above all, keep loving one another earnestly…” (1 Pet. 4:8). Paul, immediately following his discussion about the civil government, says “Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law…” (Rom. 13:8). Paul prayed for the gentile church in Thessalonica that “the Lord make you increase and abound in love for one another and for all…” (1 Thessalonians 3:12). Suggestions for prayer Pray that you would increase and abound in love. Pray that we in the church of Christ would be known for our love. Rev. Derrick Vander Meulen was born and raised in California and has been an ordained minister of the Gospel for nearly 33 years. He is now serving as pastor of Coram Deo Reformation Church (URC) near Denver, Colorado. He is also the General Editor of the Trinity Psalter Hymnal. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. It is also available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

April 12 - The fruit of the Spirit - Love

“We love because He first loved us.” - I John 4:19 Scripture reading: 1 John 4:7-21 When you understand that the summary of God’s law is...

Daily devotional

April 11 - The fruit of the Holy Spirit

“If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit.” - Galatians 5:25 Scripture reading: Galatians 5:16-26 We’ve seen that the Holy...

Daily devotional

April 10 - The Holy Spirit brings repentance

“Bear fruit in keeping with repentance.” - Matthew 3:8 Scripture reading: Matthew 3:1-10 Metanoia is the Greek word that we translate “r...

Daily devotional

April 9 - The Holy Spirit sanctifies

“But we ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers beloved by the Lord, because God chose you as the firstfruits to be saved, through sanc...

Daily devotional

April 8 - The Holy Spirit regenerates

“But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness.” - Romans 8:10 Scripture reading: Romans 8:1-11 I recall one of my professors in Seminary repeatedly saying, “Regeneration precedes faith.” He was driving home the truth that apart from the initial work of the Holy Spirit, no one would or could have faith in Christ. Jesus Himself said, “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day” (John 6:44). And the way the Father draws is by the Word and Spirit. The consistent teaching of Scripture is that apart from Christ, sinful humanity is spiritually dead. Paul makes this point in the early chapters of Romans, and also in Ephesians where he says, “You were dead in your trespasses and sins…” (Ephesians 2:1). His point is, what can dead people do? The spiritually dead cannot do anything. They cannot mourn over their sins and repent. They cannot breathe life into themselves. They are in an impossible situation. But with God all things are possible, and by grace alone His Spirit enters a dead corpse and breathes life into it. Only after that can that newly revived, regenerated person sense how great is their sin and misery and flee to Christ in faith. The Spirit is life! And “no one can say ‘Jesus is Lord’ except in the Holy Spirit” (I Corinthians 12:3). Suggestions for prayer Confess your sins to the Lord and praise Him for His amazing grace in your life. Give thanks that the Holy Spirit is life, both now and forevermore. Rev. Derrick Vander Meulen was born and raised in California and has been an ordained minister of the Gospel for nearly 33 years. He is now serving as pastor of Coram Deo Reformation Church (URC) near Denver, Colorado. He is also the General Editor of the Trinity Psalter Hymnal. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. It is also available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

April 7 - The Holy Spirit reveals Christ

“But when the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the father, he will bear witness about me.” - John 15:26 Scripture reading: John 15:18-27 As you go to worship today, how do you judge whether a worship service is “Spirit-filled?” I’m afraid many make that determination based on very shallow criteria. Some seem to think that if the music (or the preacher) is lively and upbeat, the Spirit is there. It’s as if the Spirit arrives when the music reaches a certain tempo, or decibel level; or when the pastor gets revved up and is walking all across the stage. Actually, the Spirit may in fact be present, but not because of the tempo. Jesus says that when the Spirit comes, “he will bear witness about me” and “He will glorify me” (John 16:14). This is the better criteria: Is Christ being proclaimed in this worship service? Is the truth about Jesus being taught? Does Jesus have the preeminence in this place? Then you can be assured that that worship service is “Spirit-filled.” If you visit the Lincoln Memorial in Washington DC after dark, you will notice that the statue of Abraham Lincoln sitting on his chair is lit up with a large spotlight. The purpose of the spotlight is not to draw attention to itself, but to draw your eyes to Lincoln. The Holy Spirit is like that spotlight, shining the light on Jesus – so that you will know and worship Him. Suggestions for prayer Pray for your pastor that he will faithfully preach Christ. Pray that the Spirit will shine the light on Jesus and that you will worship your Lord and Saviour well. Rev. Derrick Vander Meulen was born and raised in California and has been an ordained minister of the Gospel for nearly 33 years. He is now serving as pastor of Coram Deo Reformation Church (URC) near Denver, Colorado. He is also the General Editor of the Trinity Psalter Hymnal. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. It is also available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

April 6 - The Holy Spirit will convict

“And when He comes, He will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment.” - John 16:8 Scripture reading: John 16:1-15 The Holy Spirit is a teacher for those in whom He dwells. But in these verses of John 16, Jesus has the world in view; that is, all that stands in opposition to Christ. The Holy Spirit will convict the world. This is a judgment, a sentencing, as when a defendant in a courtroom is convicted and found guilty. First, the Holy Spirit will convict the world of sin; specifically, the sin of rejecting Jesus. This is the sin that leads to death and ultimately the unpardonable sin. Second, The Spirit will convict the world of righteousness. This is speaking of Christ’s righteousness, as opposed to their sin. The righteousness of Jesus is proven because the Father receives Christ into His presence. Third, the Holy Spirit will convict the world of judgment, “because the ruler of this world is judged.” There will come a time when all will know that Christ defeated Satan. Hebrews 2:14 says that Christ became a man “that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil…” And in Colossians 2:15 we’re told that Christ triumphed over Satan and his hosts. But praise be to God that the Spirit of Christ dwells in you. In Him your sins are forgiven, you are clothed in Jesus’ perfect righteousness, and you will stand at the final judgment because Christ took your place. Suggestions for prayer Pray for God’s blessing on your pastor as he preaches to you tomorrow. Pray that the convicting Spirit will soften hard hearts and add many to the church. Rev. Derrick Vander Meulen was born and raised in California and has been an ordained minister of the Gospel for nearly 33 years. He is now serving as pastor of Coram Deo Reformation Church (URC) near Denver, Colorado. He is also the General Editor of the Trinity Psalter Hymnal. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. It is also available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Life's busy, read it when you're ready!

Create a free account to save articles for later, keep track of past articles you’ve read, and receive exclusive access to all RP resources.

Search thousands of RP articles

Articles, news, and reviews that celebrate God's truth.

Get Articles Delivered!

Articles, news, and reviews that celebrate God's truth. delivered direct to your Inbox!

Magazine

Recent Articles

Past Articles

Book Reviews

Movie Reviews

Daily devotional

Job Postings

More of Reformed Perspective!

RPTV

Our App!

Newsletter

Real Talk

Manna

VOTC

Links

About Us

Advertise

Advertising, Job Postings

Trivan and ITB: Now Hiring!

Search CATEGORY: Daily devotional

Daily devotional

October 22 - Living like an atheist

Daily devotional

October 21 - Does the Lord not see?

Daily devotional

October 20 - Does the Lord not see?

Daily devotional

October 19 - The righteous sufferer

Daily devotional

October 18 - From desire to death

Daily devotional

October 17 - Carrying the cross for Christ

Daily devotional

October 16 - Joyfully serving Christ

Daily devotional

October 15 - The voice of grace and judgement

Daily devotional

October 14 - Covenant prosecution

Daily devotional

October 13 - Discouraged

Daily devotional

October 12 - Effective prayer

Daily devotional

October 11 - Showers of blessing

Daily devotional

October 10 - The contest

Daily devotional

October 9 - Divided hearts

Daily devotional

October 8 - The king and his servants

Daily devotional

October 7 - Resurrection life

Daily devotional

October 6 - Revive us again

Daily devotional

October 5 - Marveling at his grace

Daily devotional

October 4 - Not by bread alone

Daily devotional

October 3 - God’s gracious judgement

Daily devotional

October 2 - God’s man

Daily devotional

October 1 - Introduction to the word of God

Daily devotional

September 30 - We shall be like him

Daily devotional

September 29 - The character of the God we worship

Daily devotional

September 28 - Faith, hope, love: The greatest is love

Daily devotional

September 27 - Then I shall know fully

Daily devotional

September 26 - Seeing a mirror dimly vs. face to face