Daily devotional

April 11 - Joy in this world

But now I am coming to You, and these things I speak in the world, that they may have my joy fulfilled in themselves.- John 17:13 Scripture reading...

Daily devotional

April 10 - The fruit of joy (ii)

…rejoice that your names are written in heaven. - Luke 10:20 Scripture reading: Luke 10:1-10 The reason that joy is a fruit of the Spirit is b...

Daily devotional

April 9 - The fruit of joy (i)

But the fruit of the Spirit is… joy…- Galatians 5:22 Scripture reading: Galatians 5:16-25 My family and I lived in Hawaii for seven years. W...

Daily devotional

April 8 - Joy in tribulation

Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.- James 1:...

Daily devotional

April 7 - Worship with gladness

Serve the Lord with gladness! Come into His presence with singing! - Psalm 100:2 Scripture reading: Psalm 100:1-6 Since joy in our salvation carries over to joy in all God’s blessings, it is not surprising that when the psalmist writes about worship he often includes joy. Throughout the Psalms, God’s people are often instructed to lift up their voices in praise. Think, for example, of how often the word “Hallelujah” is used in the Psalms. Psalms 113-118 are called the “Hallel” Psalms and the final five Psalms (146-150) all end with the same word, “Hallelujah.” Hallelujah means “Let us praise the Lord.” It seems to me that joy is an essential ingredient in praise. Praise is the believer’s joyful response to who God is and what He has done. I cannot help but wonder what is happening in a person’s heart when we begin worship with singing that great hymn “Praise to the Lord, the Almighty” and it looks as though he or she is singing about their next dentist appointment. I cannot judge such a thing, but it appears as though there’s little praise going on. When you gather for worship, are you “serving the Lord with gladness?” To praise the Lord with joy does not mean that the Christian never experiences sorrow or pain. In fact, true repentance means there is a real sorrow for our sins. But even so, the believer’s sorrow should never be separated from the conviction that, as the hymn writer so beautifully penned, “It is well with my soul.” Christ has overcome and I am His. That conviction cannot help but overflow into joyful praise! Suggestions for prayer Pray that as you worship today, your worship would be a sincere response of joyful praise to God who is worthy, and that not only you, but your church congregation would have the reputation of worshipping the Lord with gladness. This daily devotional is available in a print edition you can buy at Nearer to God Devotional. Rev. Derrick Vander Meulen is the minister of Coram Deo Reformation Church(URC) in Littleton, Colorado....

Daily devotional

April 6 - Joy in God’s revelation

In the way of Your testimonies I delight as much as in all riches… I will delight in your statutes; I will not forget Your Word.- Psalm 119:14,16 Scripture reading: Psalm 119:1-16 While joy in our salvation in Christ is the fountain, that joy naturally carries over to all the blessings we have in Christ. The Christian’s joy is multi-faceted. We find joy in the reality that we’ve been saved and justified in Christ Jesus, but as a result, we find joy in all aspects of Christian life. We recognize that because we are in Christ, all that we are and have are blessings from God. These increase our joy. And one of those blessings is His Word. The Psalmist in Psalm 119 delights in God’s Word. God’s Word always has been and continues to be a source of joy to God’s people. Meditating on God’s written revelation will bring joy to the Christian. But what is it about the Word of God that causes the Psalmist, and us, to delight in it? First, the primary purpose of God’s Word is to reveal to us the way of salvation. After Adam and Eve sinned, God promised that the seed of the woman would bruise the serpent’s head (Genesis3:15). The rest of the Bible tells us how God has fulfilled that promise, culminating in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Second, the Bible is the clearest revelation of God. In God’s Word, God tells us about Himself. Third, the Bible instructs us on the kind of life that is pleasing to God. We delight in God’s Word because our natural reaction to our supernatural salvation from God is to love Him and live for Him. And God’s Word tells us what that looks like. Suggestions for prayer Pray that when you read the Bible, the Holy Spirit would open your mind and heart to understand and thatGod’s Word would be your delight. This daily devotional is available in a print edition you can buy at Nearer to God Devotional. Rev. Derrick Vander Meulen is the minister of Coram Deo Reformation Church (URC) in Littleton, Colorado....

Daily devotional

April 5 - Joy in the God of my salvation

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 discover that it is the Christian’s response to all the blessings we have from God. But the wellspring, the fount of joy is our salvation in Jesus Christ. For example, James instructs us to “count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds…” (James 1:2). But we cannot be joyful in our trials apart from our salvation in Christ. In Psalm 119 the Psalmist says that he delights in God’s Word, in God’s commands and in God’s testimonies. But we cannot find joy in God’s revelation without being in Christ. At the end of Luke’s gospel, just after Jesus’ ascension, we read that His disciples “worshipped Him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy” (Luke 24:52). But we cannot worship joyfully apart from being in Christ. Habakkuk was a prophet during very difficult days. In the short, Old Testament book of Habakkuk the prophet raises complaints to God about the sorry state of affairs in Judah. He is burdened because God seems to be indifferent to the appalling spiritual condition of His people (Habakkuk 1:2-4). But after God answers his complaints, Habakkuk responds with those beautiful words, “I will take joy in the God of my salvation.” Is that your joy? God sent His only begotten Son to save you. He is the God of your salvation. Do you take joy in Him? Suggestions for prayer Pray that the Lord would impress on you His great love for you. So great is His love that He gave Jesus to be your salvation. Pray that your joy would be evident and recognized by others. This daily devotional is available in a print edition you can buy at Nearer to God Devotional. Rev. Derrick Vander Meulen is the minister of Coram Deo Reformation Church (URC) in Littleton, Colorado....

Daily devotional

April 4 - Joy & peace

I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.- John 16:33 Scripture reading: John 16:25-33 Being a Christian does not mean you become immune to the hardships of life. Anyone who’s lived long enough knows that we suffer pain and sickness, financial hardships, death of family or friends, inter-personal conflicts and are scorned by the world for holding Biblical convictions. Granted, there are some false teachers that preach a “health and wealth” gospel, but they didn’t learn that from Jesus. He made it clear that if they persecuted Him, they will persecute His followers. And, in the passage above, He says, “in this world you will have tribulation.” Not “might have,” but “will have.” But Jesus then says “take heart.” Do not wallow in your hardships. Do not despair. Take heart! He isn’t saying “just grin and bear it.” He tells us that He has overcome the world. The hurts and pains we experience are temporary. As Paul says in Romans 8:18, “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.” Why? Because Christ has overcome the world and He will make all things new. This truth affords the Christian a “peace that passes understanding” because by faith the Christian can see beyond the present circumstances. And that, in turn, brings great joy to the believer. Suggestions for prayer Pray that the Lord would remove the hardships, or reconcile the conflicts in your life and that if it is His will to allow these to remain, you will trust in the future grace of our Saviour, Jesus Christ. This daily devotional is available in a print edition you can buy at Nearer to God Devotional. Rev. Derrick Vander Meulen is the minister of Coram Deo Reformation Church(URC) in Littleton, Colorado....

Daily devotional

April 3 - Abide in me

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 In chap...

Daily devotional

April 2- Tidings of comfort and 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...

Daily devotional

April 1 – Good news of great joy

Introduction April's theme is “The Christian's Joy.”Joy is the possession of every child of God. The triune God is a God of joy and the source ...

Daily devotional

March 31 - Be firm in your faith!

Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. And after you...

Daily devotional

March 30 - Your adversary

Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. - 1 Peter 5:8 Scripture reading: Zechariah 3 You have an adversary, one who strives against you: an enemy. One of the main reasons we have anxieties and cares is because of this enemy. The word Satan means adversary, and the word devil means the accuser, the slanderer. Peter gives two imperatives concerning this adversary. Be sober-minded; be watchful. To be sober-minded means to have self-control and to not allow this enemy to influence you. Rather, always be under the direction and control of the Lord your God. To be watchful means to be awake, always aware, and to never be off your guard. Always be aware of your weaknesses and don’t let this enemy get the better of you because of them. How does Peter describe him? He compares the devil to a lion that is hungry looking for prey that he can devour. There is one that is actually hunting you, one who is stalking you without your knowledge, hoping to devour and destroy your faith in Christ. He has slandered and tried to destroy others in the past, (one example is Joshua in Zechariah 3), and he will continue to do so in the present and into the future until Christ returns. According to the context, there are two ways the devil tries to attack us. Satan seeks to puff up our pride, trying to convince us we do not need God and he tries to get us to believe God does not care for us. Do not let this enemy get the better of you! Suggestions for prayer Thank the Lord that we can flee to Christ when the devil comes to accuse and attack us. Ask the Lord to help you heed these warnings and to be diligent and watchful especially when we feel weak in our faith. This daily devotional is available in a print edition you can buy at Nearer to God Devotional. Rev. Michael Jaatinen is the minister of Mount Zion Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church in Moncton, NB....

Daily devotional

March 29 - He cares for you

...casting all your anxieties on Him, because He cares for you. - 1 Peter 5:7 Scripture reading: Psalm 55 Verse 7 is governed by the verb in the previous verse. This means that humility is not just a negative lowering of oneself, but rather an active reliance or trust in God Who is able to handle our burdens, anxieties and cares. Peter literally means to throw or fling all your anxieties on the Lord. What kind of image does this make in your mind? This reminds me of when I was young and I used to chop wood for our family wood stove. I needed to carry the cut wood into the shed, so I would pick up each stick one by one until I had a big load in my arms. Well, I didn’t take the wood off one by one like I did when I picked them up. What did I do? It was a heavy load, so I threw them down on the pile as quickly as I could! This is just like us. We pick up our cares one by one and each time we add something we get weighed down just as if that heavy load of wood is in our arms. It’s very difficult to take those burdens off one by one. What does the Lord tell you to do with all your cares, burdens, and anxieties? Throw them off yourself and down on Him! Let Him bear the full weight of them all! He is willing because He cares for you. Are you willing to "Cast your burden on the LORD" (Psalm 55:22)? Suggestions for prayer Thank the Lord that He cares for you and wants to help you with your burdens. Ask the Lord to enable you to cast your cares upon Him and not just bear them on your own. Thank the Lord that we can truly have rest for our souls in Christ (Matt. 11:28). This daily devotional is available in a print edition you can buy at Nearer to God Devotional. Rev. Michael Jaatinen is the minister of Mount Zion Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church in Moncton, NB....

Daily devotional

March 28 - Are you humble? (2)

Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time He may exalt you. - 1 Peter 5:6 Scripture reading: Proverbs 11 Peter continues his teaching on humility in verse 6. He tells us to humble ourselves so that God may exalt us. Pride can be viewed as dependence or confidence in oneself. A person may think he is fully independent of others and self-sufficient. Is this true? Are we completely self-sufficient without any dependence on others? The reality is, no matter where we are in life, we do rely on others. We all appreciate family, friends, employers, customers, retail workers, doctors and nurses and the list goes on. Think about all the people you rely on each day to make your life better and easier. We are not truly alone. There is One Who is actually in your life whether you recognize it or not. The Lord directs all of your affairs by an all-wise Providence. You don’t live in a chance world. Peter brings us to the place where we need to recognize God working in our lives. Humility is having a full dependence on and confidence in God. This verse could be translated allow yourselves to be humbled, under the mighty hand of God. We must permit ourselves to be humbled. We must consent to let God take control. We must surrender to His will as He knows what is best for us. His hand is mighty and powerful. He breaks the power of sin and pride and molds us to be like Christ by His Spirit. He will exalt us in due time. Will you allow yourself to be humbled? Suggestions for prayer Thank the Lord He is faithful and powerful so that we can truly depend upon Him. Praise the Lord that when we humbly submit to Him, He will exalt us in His perfect time. This daily devotional is available in a print edition you can buy at Nearer to God Devotional. Rev. Michael Jaatinen is the minister of Mount Zion Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church in Moncton, NB....

Daily devotional

March 27 - Are you humble? (1)

Likewise, you who are younger, be subject to the elders. Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for "God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble." Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time He may exalt you. - 1 Peter 5:5-6 Scripture reading: Philippians 2 How important is humility? According to Peter very important! Pride not only hurts our relationship with God, but also our relationship with others. How many friendships and marriages have been damaged or ruined over hurtful or angry words? How many families and workplaces have been divided by resentment and bitterness? How many reputations have been ruined through jealousy and hateful gossip? How true are the words, "Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall" (Proverbs 16:18). Do you have a humble spirit or have you allowed pride to impact your relationship with your spouse? Family member? Co-worker? Even Christ Himself? Peter declares, "Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble."How can we clothe ourselves with humility? The term clothe refers to a servant’s garment or apron that would be worn over other clothing and tied so that it would stay tightly fixed to the body. Peter’s imperative here is that humility must be part of us like a garment tightly wrapped around the body so it can’t fall off. This garment is to be on all the time and never removed. Humility is essential in the Christian life. Just as Paul taught when he said in Philippians 2:3, "Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves." Why do this? "God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble." How important is humility to you? Suggestions for prayer Give praise to God; He is willing to give His grace to the humble. If you struggle with pride, ask the Lord to grant you grace and help today so that you can repent of this sin and come to Him with humility and faith. This daily devotional is available in a print edition you can buy at Nearer to God Devotional. Rev. Michael Jaatinen is the minister of Mount Zion Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church in Moncton, NB....

Daily devotional

March 26 - Biblical leadership

So I exhort the elders among you,… shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly, as God wo...

Daily devotional

March 25 – Are you prepared?

...but in your hearts regard Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is...

Daily devotional

March 24 - Who can really harm you?

Now who is there to harm you if you are zealous for what is good? But even if you should suffer for righteousness' sake, you will be blessed. Have no ...

Daily devotional

March 23 - The war against your soul

Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul. - 1 Peter 2:11 Scripture ...

Daily devotional

March 22 - Our privilege and responsibility

But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are God's people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. - 1 Peter 2:9-10 Scripture reading: Deuteronomy 7 Clearly, Peter wants us to understand that the church is something unique in this world. Look at how He describes every believer in Christ: You are a chosen race! You belong to a royal priesthood! You are a member of a holy nation! You are God’s possession! You have now received His mercy! The first thought that comes to my mind is how can this be? I don’t feel very special. I am just an ordinary person going about my business living my life day by day. Who am I to claim such privileges especially when I feel so unfaithful? Keep in mind that what Peter is telling you here is based completely on what God does for you in Christ and not on anything you think or feel. He tells us that at one point we were not a people, but now we are God’s people. What made this change happen? We received the mercy of God. Your covenant God was pleased to make you His, simply because He loved you and would fulfill the covenant oath He made concerning you just as He did for Israel in the Old Testament (Deuteronomy 7:6-9). You may not feel very special to God, but He assures you that you are! He called you out of darkness and placed you in a very privileged position with a very important responsibility, to proclaim Christ to a lost world. Being in such a privileged position, will you proclaim Him? Suggestions for prayer Thank the Lord for the privilege to be called by God in Christ because of His love and mercy. Ask Him to help you to fulfill your responsibility to proclaim Christ to a lost world that needs the gospel. This daily devotional is available in a print edition you can buy at Nearer to God Devotional. Rev. Michael Jaatinen is the minister of Mount Zion Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church in Moncton, NB....

Daily devotional

March 21 - We are living stones

...you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. - 1 Peter 2:5 Scripture reading: Psalm 40 Because Jesus is called the Living Stone, His covenant people are also called living stones being built up as a spiritual house through faith in Him. Jesus said, "I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it" (Matt. 16:18). As Jesus continues to build His church, believers are the bricks that make up His building, the church. In fact, every time someone comes to faith in Christ another stone is taken from the pit of destruction and is placed on the rock that cannot be moved (Psalm 40:1-3). This text also teaches the doctrine of the priesthood of every believer. In the Old Testament, only the priests could come near to God by offering sacrifices and incense on His altar. Only the High Priest, and only once a year, could enter the Holy of Holies to make atonement for the people. But now, Christ our High Priest has offered Himself once for all as the perfect sacrifice for our sins. All believers now have direct access to God’s presence through Christ, our mediator (1 Timothy 2:5). We don’t need a human priest or a bloody sacrifice since Christ is all-sufficient for us. But we offer up to God other spiritual sacrifices as priests. We offer ourselves (Romans 12:1-2), to share the gospel (Romans 15:16), and to praise our God (Hebrews 13:15-16). What a privilege we have to be a part of His church, a dwelling place for God by the Spirit (Ephesians 2:22)! Suggestions for prayer Thank the Lord He has taken us from the pit of destruction and placed us on the rock which is Christ. Thank Him that Jesus is still building His church and that we are living stones built up in Him and that as priests, it is our privilege to offer ourselves to Him in service and praise. This daily devotional is available in a print edition you can buy at Nearer to God Devotional. Rev. Michael Jaatinen is the minister of Mount Zion Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church in Moncton, NB....

Daily devotional

March 20 - Our living stone!

As you come to Him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious. - 1 Peter 2:4 Scripture reading: Psalm 118 How does Peter describe Jesus for us? He is a Living Stone, rejected by men, but chosen by God. This means that the Lord has set forth Christ to be the great foundation upon which the Church is built. How do we come to Him? Of course, we come to Him in salvation when we first believed. But that is not what Peter has in mind here. The verb tense he uses means we are to come to Christ repeatedly. This does not refer to our conversion, but to our daily communion with Him. We must come to Christ continually so that we may be built up in Him. Peter calls Jesus a Living Stone. He is living in that He died for our sins, but was raised from the dead and is alive, gaining victory over sin, death, and hell. He is the author and giver of life, able to impart spiritual life to all who believe in Him. Because He is living, Christianity is not a religion of dead rituals, superficial worship, and paying lip service to God. It is a relationship with the living Lord of the universe! Christ is the only solid foundation for your faith for time and eternity. This should be very comforting because your faith rests on what Christ has done for you. You can put your trust in Him and know that you will not be disappointed or put to shame (1 Peter 2:6). Is Jesus your Living Stone? Suggestions for prayer Praise the Lord that He has given us Jesus, our Living Stone! That there is no other foundation for our faith and that when we place our faith and trust in Him we will never be disappointed. This daily devotional is available in a print edition you can buy at Nearer to God Devotional. Rev. Michael Jaatinen is the minister of Mount Zion Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church in Moncton, NB....

Daily devotional

March 19 - Desire pure spiritual milk

So put away all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander. Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up to salvation - if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good. - 1 Peter 2:1-3 Scripture reading: 1 Peter 2 As we now come into chapter two, Peter gives us a list of five things we are not to possess as Christians. These are not the only things that hinder our growth in Christ. Peter uses a figure of speech here, where the part represents the whole. Peter just finished telling us in chapter one that holiness and love for others are to mark every aspect of the Christian life. The Greek word for put away means to get rid of or to remove. Any vice must be removed like clothes that are dirty and defiled. We are to strip off anything that spoils our holiness and love for God and others. What place do malice, deceit, hypocrisy, envy and slander have in your heart as a believer in Christ? Does Christ not save us from all forms of vice and wickedness? What should we desire? The believer is to crave one thing, the truth of God’s Word. Just as babies need fresh milk and good nutrition to grow up strong and healthy, so we also need the pure spiritual milk of God’s Word. Newborn babies have an intense craving for their mother’s milk. It doesn’t matter if it’s 3 a.m., if they’re hungry, they let you know about it and don’t stop until they are fed! When was the last time you had such a desire for God’s Word? It is only through the Bible that we may grow up to salvation and know that the Lord is good. Suggestions for prayer Ask the Lord to help you deal with any type of vice and sin in your heart. Pray that the Lord would grant you a strong desire to know His Word and that you would experience His goodness in your life. This daily devotional is available in a print edition you can buy at Nearer to God Devotional. Rev. Michael Jaatinen is the minister of Mount Zion Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church in Moncton, NB....

Daily devotional

March 18 - The shortness of life

…for "All flesh is like grass and all its glory like the flower of grass. The grass withers, and the flower falls, but the word of the Lord remains...

Daily devotional

March 17 - Born again

...since you have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God; - 1 Peter 1:23 Scripture...

Daily devotional

March 16 - An earnest love

Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere brotherly love, love one another earnestly from a pure heart. - 1 Peter 1:22 ...

Daily devotional

March 15 - Made manifest for us!

He was foreknown before the foundation of the world but was made manifest in the last times for your sake, who through Him are believers in God, who r...

Daily devotional

March 14 - We are redeemed by precious blood

...knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot. - 1 Peter 1:18-19 Scripture reading: 2 Corinthians 5 When you are traveling, you always need to pack for the place of your destination. If you are traveling to the beach, you would bring your swimsuit, lotion, sunglasses and a towel. It would not make much sense to bring these items on a trip to the Arctic! As Christians, what is our destination? We are preparing ourselves for heaven when we will be with Christ for eternity. We should no longer live according to futile ways inherited from those who lived before us. Ungodliness can show itself in many ways, but always comes down to the world, the flesh and the devil. We have inherited a sinful nature that causes us to be guilty and corrupt before a holy God. The world is cursed by sin and the devil is active and prowls around like a roaring lion seeking someone to devour. What is the answer to all this? It is nothing that is perishable like silver or gold. What saves us is much more precious or costly; not even all the gold and silver in the world could buy it if that were possible! Every Christian is ransomed by the precious blood of Christ, just like a pure lamb without spot or defect. The perfect offering has been made for your sin. The pure and holy Lamb of God, Jesus ransomed you out of this sinful world so that you would belong to Him. If you belong to Jesus, how then are you preparing for eternity to be with Him? Suggestions for prayer Praise the Lord that He ransoms His covenant people from a cursed world and restores them to Himself through the precious blood of Christ. Ask the Lord to enable you byHis Spirit to live a sanctified life that pleases Him and to no longer live in futile ways. This daily devotional is available in a print edition you can buy at Nearer to God Devotional. Rev. Michael Jaatinen is the minister of Mount Zion Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church in Moncton, NB....

Daily devotional

March 13 - Live in fear?

And if you call on Him as Father who judges impartially according to each one's deeds, conduct yourselves with fear throughout the time of your exile. - 1 Peter 1:17 Scripture reading: Genesis 18 Peter gives us a conditional statement that goes like this, if you call, claim or declare God as your Father, Who judges everyone impartially according to what we do, thenlive in a manner of fear in the time the Lord gives you as one who is in exile. Those who are in a relationship with God the Father through Jesus Christ show it in how they live. No hypocrisy here! No superficial praying! God knows your heart. Our Father is the Judge of all the earth (Genesis 18:25). His judgment includes all men and is conducted without respect to a person’s position in this world. Wealth, social status, or family background makes no difference to Him. As a result of this relationship, conduct yourselves with fear throughout the time of your exile. Exactly what does it mean to live in fear? This fear means reverence or respect and to live in the awareness of God. We are exiled Saints waiting for the time when we will be full citizens of heaven in glory. In the meantime, as the covenant people of God, we must not expect God to overlook the sin in our own lives, for while its penalty has been paid for by Christ, He still judges it. We are to live for Christ and not just ourselves. Are you living in the fear of the Lord? Does your life show reverence and respect for Christ? Remember, our conduct is more important than our words. Suggestions for prayer Ask the Lord to give you a right view of the holiness and majesty of God and that He would give you the desire to live in a manner that shows reverence and respect for Him, to live for Christ and not just ourselves. This daily devotional is available in a print edition you can buy at Nearer to God Devotional. Rev. Michael Jaatinen is the minister of Mount Zion Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church in Moncton, NB....

Daily devotional

March 12 – We are to have a right moral standard

...but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written, "You shall be holy, for I am holy." - 1 Peter 1:15-16 Scripture reading: Isaiah 6 There are two elements to God’s holiness. The first is the idea of being set apart. God is totally above and beyond us and He is in a class by Himself. There is a profound difference between Him and those He has created. The second aspect of holiness (the one we generally think of first) is the idea of purity. This is His intrinsic and transcendent purity, the standard of righteousness according to His moral law to which the whole universe must conform. He sets the standard for our morality as He is the Sovereign Lawgiver. Peter gives a command here that we are to be holy in all our conduct as God is perfectly holy. This is a high order for us! How can we achieve such a command when we live lives that are so unholy even with a desire to obey the Lord? A couple of things to keep in mind, the moment we put our faith in Jesus Christ as Saviour, we are positionally sanctified or set apart unto God. "If any man be in Christ he is a new creation" (2 Corinthians 5:17). Then we must be progressively sanctified by growing in holiness. This is a lifetime of dying unto sin and living more unto righteousness (Galatians 5:16; Romans 8:13). When we enter glory we will be perfectly sanctified, made completely like Him. If you desire to be holy, your relationship with Christ must grow because only He can make you holy. Suggestions for prayer Ask the Lord to fulfill your calling by making you holy and that as His people, we will be able to more and more die unto sin and live unto righteousness through Christ Who makes us holy. This daily devotional is available in a print edition you can buy at Nearer to God Devotional. Rev. Michael Jaatinen is the minister of Mount Zion Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church in Moncton, NB....

Daily devotional

March 11 - We are to have right obedience

As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance. - 1 Peter 1:14 Scripture reading: Ephesians 2 Paul told us that naturally, we are all spiritually dead and disobedient, living in the passions of our flesh and by nature children of wrath (Ephesians 2:1-3). What changes all that? "But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ – by grace you have been saved" (Ephesians 2:4-5). When we recognize the riches of God’s grace and mercy in His salvation, bringing us from spiritual death to life, what impact should this have? True salvation always results in obedience from disobedience. We obey God as a response to the grace and salvation He has so freely given to us. Jesus declares, "If you love me, you will keep my commandments" (John 14:15). For right obedience, we need to go to the right source for our authority which is Christ Himself. When we say we love Jesus this also means we obey Jesus. We are not to conform or live after the pattern of an unchristian lifestyle marked by human passions (any kind of self-seeking whether wealth, power, or pleasure). We don’t try to use Jesus to fulfill our desires to make us happy and comfortable. Rather, as obedient children, we turn from self-centered living to living under Christ’s lordship and keeping His commands. At the end of the day, what are you living for? Do you have right obedience and submit yourself to Christ? Suggestions for prayer Ask the Lord to give you a heart that desires to obey Christ rather than to surrender to human passion and sin. Pray that those who are alive in Christ, by grace through faith, will also live for Him by faith and grow their sanctification and holiness. This daily devotional is available in a print edition you can buy at Nearer to God Devotional. Rev. Michael Jaatinen is the minister of Mount Zion Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church in Moncton, NB....

Daily devotional

March 10 – We are to have right thinking

Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of ...

Daily devotional

March 9 - The prophets spoke about him

Concerning this salvation, the prophets who prophesied about the grace that was to be yours searched and inquired carefully, inquiring what person or ...

Daily devotional

March 8 - How can we see him?

...whom having not seen you love. Though now you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, obtaining the ou...

Daily devotional

March 7 - A genuine faith

...so that the tested genuineness of your faith – more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire – may be found to result in pr...

Daily devotional

March 6 - Rejoicing in tough times

In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, as was necessary, you have been grieved by various trials. - 1 Peter 1:6 Scripture reading: Acts 5:12-42 In verse 6, Peter now returns to his theme of suffering and tells these scattered, persecuted Christians, they have much to rejoice in while at the same time they are distressed by various trials. Seems like a contradiction doesn't it? Joyful and distressed?!? How are we to understand this? He is declaring that we can be joyful for who we are in Christ, for the living hope we possess, for the great inheritance we shall receive, that we are kept by the power of God and that one day we shall go to be with Christ. All these things lift up the soul and help in distressing times and encourage us when experiencing suffering in this life. Peter himself had experienced great suffering. In Acts 5, after being beaten and warned not to speak in the name of Jesus, he and the other apostles departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for His name (Acts 5:41). They were able to rejoice despite their suffering because they counted themselves worthy to suffer dishonour for Jesus. Is your perspective the same? Do you count yourself worthy to suffer for Jesus? This does not mean we put on a superficial smile and never show grief whenever we experience pain. Remember, trials only last a little while and then every Christian is comforted in eternity. Being with Christ far outweighs the trials of life. That is our rejoicing! Is it yours? Suggestions for prayer Pray for the peace and joy of Christ when going through times of pain and suffering and that, like the Apostles, you will be able to count yourself worthy to even suffer shame for the name of Jesus. This daily devotional is available in a print edition you can buy at Nearer to God Devotional. Rev. Michael Jaatinen is the minister of Mount Zion Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church in Moncton, NB....

Daily devotional

March 5 - Guarded by God’s power

...who by God's power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. - 1 Peter 1:5 Scripture reading: Psalm 20 Peter now shifts his focus on the security of the believer in this living hope. Through faith, God's people are guarded by the power of God. The word guarded is a military term that means to protect or keep. Like a fort or castle that is made firm and strong to protect all those inside from enemy attack, so too does the Lord watch over and protect His Saints. The tense of the verb reveals that we are constantly being guarded by God, assuring us that we shall safely arrive in heaven. Believers are not kept by their own ability, but by the power of God. Our faith in Christ has so united us to Him that His power now watches over us. This is what gives us assurance that we will indeed receive the inheritance promised to us. God's power shows His ability or capacity and points to His omnipotence. This means that God can do anything! If He has a purpose to bless His people, who can stop Him! How long will He guard us? Until Jesus Christ returns and we share in the full revelation of His great salvation. The believer is already saved through faith in Christ (Ephesians 2:8-9), but the completion of that salvation awaits the return of the Saviour or when we go to be with Him in glory. In the meantime, He secures us and is able to equip us so that we will endure the struggles we face daily. Suggestions for prayer Pray that we will be encouraged to know that we are protected for glory by God’s power. Ask the Lord to grant us fresh grace and strength for each day as we face the challenges of living in a fallen world. This daily devotional is available in a print edition you can buy at Nearer to God Devotional. Rev. Michael Jaatinen is the minister of Mount Zion Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church in Moncton, NB....

Daily devotional

March 4 - The Christian’s inheritance

...to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you... – 1 Peter 1:4 Scripture reading: Romans 8:1-17 Usually, our concept of the word hope has the idea of desiring something in the future which is not guaranteed, a desire based on uncertainty, and it might happen or might not. Is that what we have here? Does Peter present to us an uncertain expectation of future blessing and life? No, the substance of this living hope is an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, unfading and kept in heaven for us. The only hope that lasts must be based on what the Father gives to us in Christ and not just on what we think or feel. So, this is not some kind of wishful thinking or uncertain expectation that stands alone without a foundation. It is actually something real and substantial, that which the believer possesses in Christ! Once we realize we have this inheritance, then we can have confidence and boldness in our faith! The word for inheritance has the idea of property, possession or that which is real and substantial. Here on earth, estates can change in value over time, or even lose value. Buildings and other property that are part of an inheritance can become rundown if they're not maintained. But there are no such problems with our inheritance in heaven. Peter is telling us that we will possess something that can’t be ruined, spoiled, wear out or be taken from us. It is kept or reserved for us. Praise God, He made us joint-heirs with Christ and has given us a lasting legacy! Suggestions for prayer Praise Him that everything He promises us in His Word is not wishful thinking, but has real substance and will come to pass as He has told us. Praise the Lord that He encourages us with the future hope and expectation of our inheritance in Christ. This daily devotional is available in a print edition you can buy at Nearer to God Devotional. Rev. Michael Jaatinen is the minister of Mount Zion Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church in Moncton, NB....

Daily devotional

March 3 - Why should we praise God the Father?

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: Psalm 145 This festal day of rest is a day of worship and praise of our covenant God. An important motivation for our worship is due to the fact that our Heavenly Father delights to show us mercy and give us a future living hope in Christ. Peter declares His great mercy which shows that the Father’s mercy is rich, abundant and overflowing! As He is great, so also is His mercy toward us! It is because of the richness of His mercy that He has caused us to be born again. What is this? If I could say it simply, it involves a radical change in a sinner from spiritual death to spiritual life and centers on what God does to bring spiritual life in the heart of one who is dead in trespasses and sins. Jesus tells us…unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God (John 3:3). Thus, the Father’s mercy is necessary just as our spiritual life is necessary if we are to enter the Kingdom of God. Note the important connection between the death and resurrection of Jesus and the spiritual life of the Christian. It is because of Jesus’ physical death and resurrection that we have spiritual life, which rescues us from spiritual death. Think of it this way: if we do not have this spiritual life within us, our lives are actually hopeless even if we don't realize it! Are you born again in Christ? If you are, you possess a living hope! Suggestions for prayer Thank the Lord that His mercy is rich, abundant and overflowing and that because of this mercy, He has granted His people spiritual life from spiritual death and that He willingly gives us a living hope rather than leave us in a life of misery and hopelessness. This daily devotional is available in a print edition you can buy at Nearer to God Devotional. Rev. Michael Jaatinen is the minister of Mount Zion Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church in Moncton, NB....

Daily devotional

March 2 - The Triune God saves us

…To those who are elect…according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in the sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ and f...

Daily devotional

March 1 - Introduction, and encouraged by election

Daily devotional

Thursday February 28 – Wholehearted commitment

So he departed from there and found Elisha the son of Shaphat, who was plowing with twelve yoke of oxen in front of him, and he was with the twelfth. ...

Daily devotional

Wednesday February 27 – Resurrection power

The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. – 1 Corint...

Daily devotional

Tuesday February 26 – Lukewarm?

So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth. – Revelation 3:16 Scripture reading: 2 Kings 13:14-25 Why did Joash only strike the ground three times? Some commentators believe that he thought the whole scenario was foolish. Some liken it to Naaman’s initial reaction when Elisha’s servant told him to dip himself seven times in the Jordan River. Naaman thought that would be foolish and was angered by the command. Some believe that Joash had a similar reaction to the instructions Elisha gave him. Others point out that it represents a spiritual lukewarmness. Instead of recognizing it as an opportunity to receive God’s blessings, Joash responded apathetically and just “went through the motions.” But it wasn’t just Joash who was apathetic to the commands of the man of God. Many professing Christians treat the commands of Scripture the same way. For example, many professing Christians treat prayer the way Joash responded to Elisha’s command to strike the ground with the arrows. They pray a few times, and that’s enough. The same type of prayer is lamely offered before each meal, and perhaps before turning in for the night, but enthusiastic, fervent prayer isn’t offered because there is that same spiritual lukewarmness. Each one of us must look at the response of Joash to the man of God and ask ourselves how fervent we are in our response to the Man of God whom Elisha foreshadowed. How fervent and responsive are we to Him, in our prayer life, and in all the other aspects of our day to day living? By God’s grace, may our response be fervent, faithful obedience always! Suggestions for prayer Ask forgiveness for lukewarmness and pray for an ever-increasing hunger and thirst after righteousness. This daily devotional is available in a print edition you can buy at Nearer to God Devotional. Rev. Ted Gray has served as pastor of First United Reformed Church in Oak Lawn, Illinois for the last 15 years....

Daily devotional

Monday February 25 – Warnings of God fulfilled

Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him. – John 3:36 Scripture reading: 2 Kings 9:1-37 Have you ever had people ask, “How can you know that the Bible is true?” One way to know the truth of the Bible is to look at how the prophecies given in the Bible are fulfilled. It doesn’t matter whether they are prophecies concerning judgment or prophecies regarding deliverance and salvation; we see time and again where the prophecies that have been made are fulfilled, right down to the minutest detail. In this passage, we see judgment in the deaths of three people, and each death is a fulfillment of prophecy. It wasn’t by chance that Joram, who was a son of Ahab and Jezebel, met Jehu at the plot of ground that belonged to Naboth. Rather, it led to the fulfillment of the prophecy of God’s judgment on the lineage of Ahab (vs.21-26; 1 Kings 21:21). Ahaziah’s death was also a fulfillment of prophecy, as recorded in 2 Chronicles 22:7. And the same was true for wicked Queen Jezebel. Elijah had prophesied, in 1 Kings 21:23, that at Jezreel, dogs would devour Jezebel’s flesh. In these deadly judgments, we are reminded, not only of the truth of the Bible but also that God is not mocked; one reaps what is sown (Galatians 6:7-8). And, further, through this passage, we are assured that God’s Word is always fulfilled, both in warnings of judgment (2 Kings 10:10) and in promises of salvation (John 1:11-13). May you and I take both the warnings and the promises to heart, knowing that both are administered righteously by Christ. Suggestions for prayer Thank God that He is a righteous judge who will hold the unrepentant accountable for their actions (2 Thessalonians 1:5-11). And thank Him that He is the faithful Savior of every sinner who repents and turns in saving faith to Him. This daily devotional is available in a print edition you can buy at Nearer to God Devotional. Rev. Ted Gray has served as pastor of First United Reformed Church in Oak Lawn, Illinois for the last 15 years....

Daily devotional

Sunday February 24 – History as His story

The Lord brings the counsel of the nations to nothing; he frustrates the plans of the peoples. The counsel of the Lord stands forever, the plans of his heart to all generations. – Psalm 33:10-11 Scripture reading: 2 Kings 8:16-29 For the secular person, studying history can be so disappointing and discouraging. History is filled with heart-wrenching events. We see the inhumanity of man over and over in the rise and fall of nations, in the waves of crime that sweep through every culture, and in the greed and self-centeredness that marks humanity. To look at history without recognizing that it is the account of God redeeming His people from the curse of sin is a thoroughly frustrating experience. The secular historian can only conclude that history is a tragic circle that keeps repeating itself over and over. But in this passage, and the passages that follow, God is at work. God allowed the cruelty of Hazael to bring judgment on rebellious Israel. In turn, God will bring about the demise of Hazael and the Syrians. His counsel stands forever; all nations, all political leaders and all the events of the world are in His hands. When we understand that, then even the great tragedies of history which break our heart are yet understandable. We realize that it is not because God is uncaring or inept that tragedy comes into the human experience, but rather the evil one is in constant conflict against God and His people. But God brings good out of tragedy for His people, and in the rise and fall of nations, He yet works for the good of His eternal kingdom, as all events will culminate in the glorious return of Jesus Christ. Suggestions for prayer Thank God, with sincerity, that He works all things for our good, even deeply disturbing tragedies that we don’t understand. This daily devotional is available in a print edition you can buy at Nearer to God Devotional. Rev. Ted Gray has served as pastor of First United Reformed Church in Oak Lawn, Illinois for the last 15 years....

Daily devotional

Saturday February 23 – The deadly power of sin’s enticement

Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness? – Romans 6:16 Scripture reading: 2 Kings 8:7-15 This tragic passage teaches us that sin, which initially shocks, becomes less shocking if it is mulled over in our mind and heart. Initially, Hazael questioned how he could be as cruel as Elisha described him. But after mulling it over in his mind, for just a day, he decided murdering Ben Hadad was well worth receiving the kingship. But it isn’t just a heinous murder such as Hazael committed which becomes less shocking if we mull it over in our mind. Every type of sin imaginable becomes less shocking the longer we think about it. It was Thomas a’ Kempis who pointed out, “First there comes to mind the bare thought of evil, then a strong imagination thereof, afterward, delight and evil motion, and then consent.” That is why it is so crucial to flee from sin and to focus in faith on Christ. If we don’t flee from sin, we will be captivated by it. James brings that out clearly: When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; but each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death (James 1:13-15). Scripture warns us that we are either a slave to sin or a slave to Christ (Romans 6:16). By God’s grace may you and I have Christ as our Master, our Savior and Lord, as we flee from sin! Suggestions for prayer Pray for the fruit of the Spirit, including self-control (Galatians 5:22-23), asking God to help you focus on Him and not the temptations that are put before each one of us. This daily devotional is available in a print edition you can buy at Nearer to God Devotional. Rev. Ted Gray has served as pastor of First United Reformed Church in Oak Lawn, Illinois for the last 15 years....

Daily devotional

Friday February 22 – God’s perfect timing

… Just as Gehazi was telling the king how Elisha had restored the dead to life, the woman whose son Elisha had brought back to life came to appeal t...

Daily devotional

Thursday February 21 – So close, yet so far

There will be weeping there, and gnashing of teeth, when you see Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, but you yourselv...

Daily devotional

Wednesday February 20 – The floodgates of heaven

Daily devotional

Tuesday February 19 – Worldly sorrow and true repentance

Daily devotional

Monday February 18 – God’s angelic army

Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. – Isaiah 41:10 Scripture reading: 2 Kings 6:8-23 If you were Elisha’s servant, looking out at the forces of Syria surrounding you, how afraid would you be? From the servant’s point of view, he and Elisha were doomed. The Syrians had surrounded them; there was no way of escape. By contrast, Elisha was as calm as could be. When his servant exclaimed, “What shall we do?” Elisha replied, “Don’t be afraid. Those who are with us are more than those who are with them” (v.16). Elisha had no doubt that God’s angelic force was there. He understood that God’s army is far greater and more powerful than any human army. He understood the truth that is written in Psalm 91:9-11: Because you have made the Lord your dwelling place—the Most High, who is my refuge—no evil shall be allowed to befall you, no plague come near your tent. For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways. Elisha exemplified the truth of Psalm 20:7: Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God and he exemplified the truth of 1 John 4:4, He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. With that knowledge, would you be afraid? We may not face the force of the Syrian army, but we face the attack of the evil one and his followers. But the same God who protected Elisha and his servant says to us, “Fear not!” and promises to be with us, even to the end of the age! Suggestions for prayer Thank the Lord that He has power over the forces of evil in a fallen world and thank Him for the promise of His Son, “I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of my hand” (John 10:28). This daily devotional is available in a print edition you can buy at Nearer to God Devotional. Rev. Ted Gray has served as pastor of First United Reformed Church in Oak Lawn, Illinois for the last 15 years....

Daily devotional

Sunday February 17 – He cares for you!

Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble. – Matthew 6:34 Scripture reading: 2 Kings 6:1-7 Sometimes we think that God would only care about the big anxieties in our life, a diagnosis of cancer, the death of a loved one, or the loss of a job. But this passage reminds us that God cares about every aspect of our lives, even the borrowed axe head that is lost. I knew someone who bought a new vehicle only to discover that the seat hurt her back so much that she could not drive it for any length of time. She had an air bladder installed to give the seat lumbar support, and she asked me, “Is it wrong to pray that this would make the seat more comfortable?” It was another way of asking, “Should I only approach the Lord in prayer with the ‘big issues of life’? Or can I go to the Lord and call upon His name for help and consolation in the ‘little things’ of life?” And the answer is that we are to go to the Lord in prayer over the little things as well as the big. As David wrote in Psalm 55:22: Cast your burden on the LORD, and he will sustain you; he will never permit the righteous to be moved. And how does Peter use that verse in 1 Peter 5:7? He writes: Cast all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. Whatever cares and anxieties you have, bring them to the Lord in prayer. Since He redeemed us by the precious blood of His Son, He cares about every aspect of your life and mine! Suggestions for prayer Use Philippians 4:6-7 as your prayer guide: Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. This daily devotional is available in a print edition you can buy at Nearer to God Devotional. Rev. Ted Gray has served as pastor of First United Reformed Church in Oak Lawn, Illinois for the last 15 years....

Daily devotional

Saturday February 16 – God is not mocked

He makes a pit, digging it out, and falls into the hole that he has made. – Psalm 7:15 Scripture reading: Judges 1:1-7 Reflecting on Naaman’s leprosy (2 Kings 5:27) we see that God often uses the sin that people commit to return against them as judgment. Consider that Haman was hanged on the gallows he had made for Mordecai (Esther 7:8-10). Or consider the lesser known, but equally equitable example, of Adoni-bezek, one of the Canaanite kings. Whenever he would capture another king he would cut off their thumbs and their big toes. By removing their big toes he hampered their mobility. And by severing their thumbs he made it virtually impossible for them to grip a sword in retaliation. It was also an act of great humiliation for the seventy kings Adoni-bezek had captured. But then his day came; he was captured. His big toes and his thumbs were cut off, and he acknowledged the justice of the punishment. He said, “Seventy kings with their thumbs and their big toes cut off used to pick up scraps under my table. As I have done, so God has repaid me” (v.7). His life is one of many biblical examples teaching us the truth of Galatians 6:7-8: Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. May we, by God’s grace and enabling Spirit, always strive to live according to His Word, reaping eternal life through faith in Christ alone. Suggestions for prayer Thank God that He is a righteous judge who will repay the unrepentant wicked, and thank Him that He credits the righteousness of Christ to all who believe in Him. This daily devotional is available in a print edition you can buy at Nearer to God Devotional. Rev. Ted Gray has served as pastor of First United Reformed Church in Oak Lawn, Illinois for the last 15 years....

Daily devotional

Friday February 15 – God knows your heart

So he went out from his presence a leper, like snow. – 2 Kings 5:27b Scripture reading: 1 John 1:5-10 As we see Gehazi’s leaving Elisha’s presence, leprous, as white as snow, the question could be asked, “Did he ever repent?” Every sin conceived in the heart, pondered in the mind, put into action by the will – every sin, even premeditated, willful sins can be forgiven by grace through faith in Jesus Christ. Whoever believes in Jesus Christ with saving faith, no matter what is in their past, becomes white as snow, not with leprosy but with the purity of the imputed righteousness of Christ. Old Testament believers were saved by grace through faith in the coming Messiah, just as you and I are saved by grace through faith in the Messiah – the eternal Christ, who came in human flesh to save His people from their sins. I ask the question whether Gehazi may have been saved because we will read about him again in 2 Kings 8 (though some question whether that passage is in chronological order). We will find him speaking to the king of Israel about all the great deeds that God had done through His servant Elisha. Had Gehazi learned from God’s judgment upon him? Had his heart been cut to the core? Had he repented with true godly sorrow? (2 Corinthians 7:10). Had he put his faith in the Messiah yet to be revealed? We don’t know, and we don’t need to know. God knows and God will, on the last day, pronounce the right verdict, not only for Gehazi but also for you and for me. Suggestions for prayer Thank God for the truth of His Word that 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). And then confess your sins to Him, with full assurance of pardon and salvation! This daily devotional is available in a print edition you can buy at Nearer to God Devotional. Rev. Ted Gray has served as pastor of First United Reformed Church in Oak Lawn, Illinois for the last 15 years....

Daily devotional

Thursday February 14 – God’s just judgment

For God will bring every deed into judgment, with every secret thing, whether good or evil. – Ecclesiastes 12:14 Scripture reading: 2 Kings 5:15-...

Daily devotional

Wednesday February 13 – A gift that cannot be bought

Daily devotional

Tuesday February 12 – A terminal condition

…He was a mighty man of valor, but he was a leper. – 2 Kings 5:1 Scripture reading: 2 Kings 5:1-10 Naaman would be one of those people who w...

Daily devotional

Monday February 11 – A childlike faith

“Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.” – Mark 10:15 Scripture reading: 2 Kings 5...

Daily devotional

Sunday February 10 – The bread of life in Gilgal

Jesus then said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but my Father gives you the true bread from heaven.” – John 6:32 Scripture reading: 2 Kings 4:38-44; John 6:22-51 As the Lord sustained Elisha and the prophets through a severe famine, we see that He uses whatever means He wills to accomplish His purposes, even a little bit of flour and twenty small loaves of bread. But that should not surprise us because it points to the biblical truth that God will always provide daily bread for His people (Matthew 6:11, 25-34). It also foreshadows the truth that Jesus is the Living Bread who cleanses and sustains all who look to Him in saving faith. All the Old Testament writers looked forward to Christ. Every cleansing is a foreshadow of the cleansing that Christ brings. Even the cleansing of the stew foreshadows the cleansing, the purification, that God brings to rancid sinners. The bread brought by the man from Baal-shalishah is pointing ahead to Him who is the Bread of Life, our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. In John 6:51 Jesus declared, “I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. And the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh” (the flesh being a reference to His body being pierced and crucified at Calvary). It is by grace through faith in Christ alone that we are sustained in this life and raised up in perfection, body and soul, on the last day. If you truly believe that, then live to the praise of God’s glorious grace, today and always! Suggestions for prayer Thank the Lord for His cleansing power and thank Him for His Son Who is the Living Bread Who sustains us throughout the pilgrimage of this life and throughout eternity. This daily devotional is available in a print edition you can buy at Nearer to God Devotional. Rev. Ted Gray has served as pastor of First United Reformed Church in Oak Lawn, Illinois for the last 15 years....

Daily devotional

Saturday February 9 – Life from above

And you were dead in the trespasses and sins …But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ – by grace you have been saved – Ephesians 2:1, 4-5 Scripture reading: 2 Kings 4:32-37; Ezekiel 37:1-14 We see the power of faith and prayer in this passage, but above all, the passage teaches us the power of God to impart life for both body and soul. The resurrection of the boy is a shadow of the resurrection of Jesus and all who have faith in Him. It also portrays the spiritual life that God graciously imparts to all who have faith in Jesus, for we were dead in our sins and trespasses (Ephesians 2:1-5). Elisha’s act of breathing into the boy’s mouth portrays the breath of the Holy Spirit who breathes the breath of everlasting life into those who are spiritually dead. It points to the truth that Jesus spoke in John 3:5-7, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you ‘You must be born again.’” At the tomb of Lazarus, Jesus spoke these familiar words: “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?” (John 11:25-26). Martha responded with sincere and joyful faith. She believed in Christ and His power to give life to the dead, not just physically, but spiritually. By God’s grace, may the same be true for you and me! Suggestions for prayer Praise God that because He has given us spiritual birth He has also raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 2:6-7). This daily devotional is available in a print edition you can buy at Nearer to God Devotional. Rev. Ted Gray has served as pastor of First United Reformed Church in Oak Lawn, Illinois for the last 15 years....

Daily devotional

Friday February 8 – Straight to Christ

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 Scripture reading: 2 Kings 4:8-31 Among the many truths taught in this passage is that at any time and in all situations, we are to go straight to Christ, of whom Elisha was a shadow. It may seem strange that the Shunammite did not stop to tell Gehazi, or anyone else, about her son’s death. She continued straight to Elisha and would only speak to him. It may seem strange until we realize that Elisha was a foreshadow, or type, of our Lord Jesus Christ. She did not stop to talk to Gehazi. She wanted to go straight to the man of God. Yet there are many who go to the saints, praying to them or to Mary, expecting that they will intercede on their behalf. But there is only one intercessor. For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus (1 Timothy 2:5). The Shunammite’s husband was surprised that she would go to Elisha when it wasn’t the new moon or Sabbath (v.23). In his mind, you would only approach the man of God at certain times. Many people act much the same way. Instead of a special observance for the new moon, they approach the Lord in outward worship at Easter and Christmas, but seldom at other times of the year. And there are many who attend church on Sunday and yet throughout the week seldom approach the Lord with prayers of adoration and praise, as well as petition and supplication. But may you and I always go straight to Christ, being fervent and faithful in prayer! Suggestions for prayer Thank God that we can approach Him anytime in prayer because of our faithful High Priest, Jesus Christ. This daily devotional is available in a print edition you can buy at Nearer to God Devotional. Rev. Ted Gray has served as pastor of First United Reformed Church in Oak Lawn, Illinois for the last 15 years....

Daily devotional

Thursday February 7 – The debt paid

...even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many. – Matthew 20:28 Scripture reading: 2 Kings 4:1-7 God’s provision to pay the widow’s debt points us to His payment for our debt of sin. It wasn’t just a widow back in Elisha’s day who had a debt so large she could not pay it. The same is true for you and for me. None of us can pay the debt of our sin. The only one who could pay the debt of sin is Jesus Christ. Jesus frequently spoke of His death as a payment for a ransom. In Matthew 20:28 Jesus said, “The Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” Just as God provided for the widow through Elisha, God provides for the payment of our debt of sin through Christ. The promise is given, but it is only realized by faith. The free offer of the gospel is extended to all, but each one, by God’s grace and regenerating Spirit, must believe the promise. The same was true for the widow. The promise of the payment was offered. The means was stated. But she needed faith that the oil would be provided. By God’s grace, she believed and was spared. May the same be said of you and me! May we not only hear, but also respond in saving faith to the only One who can pay the debt of our sin. Suggestions for prayer Pray the sentiment of 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 back to the Lord with thanksgiving and earnest devotion: “I am not my own; I was bought at a price. Therefore, I will honor You with my life.” This daily devotional is available in a print edition you can buy at Nearer to God Devotional. Rev. Ted Gray has served as pastor of First United Reformed Church in Oak Lawn, Illinois for the last 15 years....

Daily devotional

Wednesday February 6 – Three kings and God’s prophet

Daily devotional

Tuesday February 5 – God’s use of the insignificant

Daily devotional

Monday February 4 – Bethel or Beth-Aven?

So Jacob called the name of the place where God had spoken with him Bethel. – Genesis 35:15 Scripture reading: 2 Kings 2:23-25; Genesis 28:10-22 ...

Daily devotional

Sunday February 3 – Living water in Jericho

For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost. – Luke 19:10b Scripture reading: 2 Kings 2:19-22; Luke 19:1-10 Polluted water is like si...

Daily devotional

Saturday February 2 – Taken into glory

Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven. – Acts 1:11 Scripture reading: 2 Kings 2:9-18; Acts 1:1-11 The company of prophets saw that the spirit of Elijah was resting on Elisha, but their eyes were blinded to the reality of Elijah’s ascension into heaven. Unless the Lord in sovereign grace gives us spiritual eyes to see, ears to hear and a heart to respond, we will not understand our need for the ascended Christ. As 1 Corinthians 2:14 points out: The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned. By God’s grace, by the Holy Spirit’s indwelling, do you see the spiritual truths of God’s Word? Do you see that Elijah’s ascension was but a foreshadow of the ascension of Jesus Christ? Do you see that Christ sacrificed Himself for you before ascending into the glory of heaven so that one day you, too, may ascend into glory by His merits and not yours? Do you see that He will return in glory, bodily, not to bear sin but to judge the living and the dead? Do you eagerly await His return and the unveiling of the new heavens and the new earth? If so, then look for every opportunity to serve Him with gratitude and joy, just as Elisha did so long ago, as he served as Elijah’s attendant! Suggestions for prayer Thank God for revealing His Son to us through the types and shadows of the Old Testament as well as the New Testament testimonies of His redeeming love. And thank Him that we too will ascend into glory as He 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 3:21). This daily devotional is available in a print edition you can buy at Nearer to God Devotional. Rev. Ted Gray has served as pastor of First United Reformed Church in Oak Lawn, Illinois for the last 15 years....

Daily devotional

February 1 – Introduction, and our dependence on God alone

On the road to Emmaus, two disciples walked with the resurrected Lord Jesus. Luke describes how beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself (Luke 24:27). It is little wonder that after He left them, they said to one another, “Did not our hearts burn within us while he talked to us on the road, while he opened to us the Scriptures?” (Luke 24:31). All of Scripture reveals Christ to us. He is written about in the Old Testament as well as the New, and in the Old Testament there are many types and foreshadows of Christ. Among those who were a type or foreshadow of Christ was the unique prophet, Elisha. He pointed to the ministry of Christ as he cleansed lepers, provided for widows, fed the hungry, raised the dead as well as foreshadowing the ministry of Christ in many other ways. As we look at Elisha’s life, it is my prayer that we see the One whom he foreshadowed, the Lord Jesus Christ. Our dependence on God alone Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. – John 15:4 Scripture reading: 2 Kings 2:1-14; John 15:1-11 Elisha was called by God to take on the ministry that Elijah had begun. It was an enormous task. Elijah had proved the power of God on Mount Carmel as fire from heaven ignited a water doused altar. Elijah was the one who confronted wicked King Ahab head on. The Lord had even given Elijah power to raise a widow’s son from death. What would Elisha need to fill such a high calling? Would it be imperative for him to be a great orator calling Israel back to the Lord? Would the success of his ministry rely on his ability to be witty and clever, winning the Israelites over with his personality? Not at all. Instead, he recognized his dependence on God alone. He asked for a double portion of Elijah’s spirit. By asking for that blessing, Elisha showed his complete dependence upon the Lord. By asking for a double portion of Elijah’s spirit, Elisha was acknowledging his own emptiness and his need to be filled with God’s Spirit for the work that lay before him. The same is true for you and for me. We need the blessing of God’s Spirit within us. By the Holy Spirit’s regenerating power, we believe in Jesus Christ. He is the true vine; we are the branches. Apart from Him, we can do nothing, but through faith in Him, we have salvation from sin, eternal life and daily strength! Suggestions for prayer Instead of asking for material blessings, ask the Lord for spiritual growth and ask Him for wisdom in living out the truths of His Word in your life. This daily devotional is available in a print edition you can buy at Nearer to God Devotional. Rev. Ted Gray has served as pastor of First United Reformed Church in Oak Lawn, Illinois for the last 15 years....

Daily devotional

Thursday January 31 – The feast of booths

On the fifteenth day of the seventh month you shall have a holy convocation. – Numbers 29:12 Scripture reading: Numbers 29:12-38 We end the devotions of this month with the Feast of Booths or Tabernacles. In chapter 29, we find instructions for several feasts. Redemption is a joyful reality. These feasts were a way to remember the work of God in the past. The Feast of Booths was one of the most joyful feasts. Israel celebrated the care of the LORD when He led them through the wilderness. As we read in Deuteronomy 29:5, no piece of garment wore out, no shoes needed to be replaced. The LORD provided food and drink. God will provide; He daily bears us up (Psalm 68:19). We need to know this too as we travel on. The Feast of Booths is marked by many sacrifices, indicating the thankfulness of the people. Each sacrifice came at a cost. But there is more. Throughout the feast, blood had to flow. The LORD reminds His people that His care for them is the result of redemption. This is emphasized also by the fact that this feast was a week after the Day of Atonement. God’s care is a result of the shedding of blood. Our food and drink, all material possessions, are gifts of God. We receive them not because we deserve them or earn them, but only out of grace. A child’s prayer sums it up so well: “Lord, bless this food and drink, for Jesus sake.” We are on the way to the eternal rest. Let us travel in joy, in confidence and in obedience. Suggestions for prayer Thank the Lord for His provisions. Pray that we may remain focussed on Him in our traveling. This daily devotional is available in a print edition you can buy at Nearer to God Devotional. Rev. Douwe G. J. Agema is currently minister of Living Word Canadian Reformed Church in Guelph and also teaches several courses at Covenant Canadian Reformed Teachers’ College...

Daily devotional

Wednesday January 30 – Strive side by side

…we will take up arms, ready to go before the people of Israel, until we have brought them to their place. – Numbers 32:17 Scripture reading: Numbers 32:1-27 At the last moment, the future is in danger again. Moses words in vs. 14 and 15 are quite sharp! He receives a request by Reuben and Gad. They ask to not cross the Jordan. What caused this? They saw the land they had and the fact that they had many animals. The LORD had blessed them, but rather than seeing these blessings as a reason to go forward more zealously, they use them as an excuse to stop. They go by sight, not by faith! Moses exposes this attitude. He accuses these tribes of selfishness. You stay here and let your brothers do the fighting for God’s kingdom. Next, he blames them for discouraging the others. Why should the others go on when Reuben and Gad are nicely enjoying their rest already? He then shows the root problem. It is rebellion. This is no different than the refusal to enter the land 40 years earlier. Moses’ sharp rebuke has results. The two tribes come back and pledge that they will go with their brothers. They will go to the head. When all the fighting is over they will return to their homes. Moses makes them swear an oath. Joshua 22 shows they kept their word. The entrance into the Promised Land is endangered by selfishness. It is opened by a commitment to stand shoulder to shoulder. We are called to strive side by side for the faith of the gospel (Philippians 1:27). To do this we need the mind of Christ. Suggestions for prayer Thank the Lord for exposing the dangers of selfishness. Pray to stand firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the Gospel. This daily devotional is available in a print edition you can buy at Nearer to God Devotional. Rev. Douwe G. J. Agema is currently minister of Living Word Canadian Reformed Church in Guelph and also teaches several courses at Covenant Canadian Reformed Teachers’ College....

Daily devotional

Tuesday January 29 – Joshua – the new leader

And Moses did as the Lord commanded him. He took Joshua and made him stand before Eleazar the priest and the whole congregation, and he laid his hands...

Daily devotional

Monday January 28 – The daughters of Zelophehad

The daughters of Zelophehad are right. You shall give them possession of an inheritance among their father's brothers and transfer the inheritance of ...

Daily devotional

Sunday January 27 – The second counting

Among these the land shall be divided for inheritance according to the number of names. - Numbers 26:53 Scripture reading: Numbers 26:1-4; 52-56; ...

Daily devotional

Saturday January 26 – Baal Peor

Phinehas the son of Eleazar, son of Aaron the priest, has turned back my wrath from the people of Israel, in that he was jealous with my jealousy amon...

Daily devotional

Friday January 25 – Balaam: prophet against his own will

“… but speak only the word that I tell you.” – Numbers 22:35 Scripture reading: Numbers 22:22-37 Having seen what Israel had done with Sihon and Og, King Balak realizes that there is something special about this people, they are blessed. Conventional warfare will not stop them. If somehow he can take the blessing away or change it into a curse, then he can stop them. He turns to the expert in this field: Balaam. Balaam had the reputation of being connected to the spiritual world and his words were powerful. However, Balaam had to recognize that when the LORD blesses Israel, Balaam cannot change this. Balaam can only say what the LORD allows. This message is driven home to him by what happens on the journey. The donkey sees the Angel of the LORD and saves Balaam’s life three times. The donkey saw more than Balaam who was the expert in spiritual matters! What an irony! He admits he is no match for the LORD God. In the chapters that follow we find some of the most beautiful prophecies about God’s faithfulness coming from the mouth of Balaam. The LORD will fulfill His promises and no evil spirit can stop Him. First, the enemy tried to stop Israel with force. The next attempt is by demonic powers. The LORD shows that demonic powers are under His control. We are involved in a battle with forces in the air. We need not be overwhelmed by it. Christ has disarmed the demons on the cross (Colossians 2:15). Therefore, they cannot separate us from God’s love in Jesus Christ. Suggestions for prayer Thank the Lord that Christ is King and that the demonic powers cannot stop His work. Pray that we are not intimidated by Satan’s power, but be strong in the Lord and His might. Pray that we may use the whole armor of God. This daily devotional is available in a print edition you can buy at Nearer to God Devotional. Rev. Douwe G. J. Agema is currently minister of Living Word Canadian Reformed Church in Guelph and also teaches several courses at Covenant Canadian Reformed Teachers’ College....

Daily devotional

Thursday January 24 – Many nations He struck down

...and gave their land as a heritage, a heritage to his people Israel. – Psalm 135:12 Scripture reading: Numbers 21:21-35 The defeat of Sihon and Og is mentioned in Psalm 135 and 136. In both, it is in the context of the LORD showing His power and steadfast love. The LORD is leading His people to the Promised Land. The enemy of the LORD will do everything to try to stop this. He tries it in the first instance with intimidation. Israel is facing powerful enemies. The first one is the powerful nation of the Amorites under the kingship of Sihon. Israel asks to pass peacefully through their territory, but the king refuses and instead comes out with his army. The LORD gives the victory. The second opponent was Og, King of Bashan. He comes out with his powerful army. The LORD also gives him into the hand of Israel. Deuteronomy 3:4 says that 60 cities now are in Israel’s possession. Israel already controls the land east of the Jordan. The people faced these battles before entering the land. The LORD shows that their strength lies in trusting in Him. It is not Israel’s might, but the power of the LORD. What an encouragement before entering the land! For us too. The enemy may seem powerful, but he cannot stop the progress of God’s Kingdom. He tries to intimidate the church with power. "Our fighting would be losing, were not the right Man on our side, the Man of God’s own choosing." This Man is Christ Jesus, He must win the battle. “Your exalted name, O LORD, will stand firm for evermore.” Suggestions for prayer Thank the LORD for giving us the right Man on our side. Pray for strength in the battle against the powers that intimidate the church. Pray for the believers who face persecution. This daily devotional is available in a print edition you can buy at Nearer to God Devotional. Rev. Douwe G. J. Agema is currently minister of Living Word Canadian Reformed Church in Guelph and also teaches several courses at Covenant Canadian Reformed Teachers’ College....

Daily devotional

Wednesday January 23 – Inheriting the land is by faith alone

And if a serpent bit anyone, he would look at the bronze serpent and live. – Numbers 21:9 Scripture reading: Numbers 21:1-9 The people of Israel are back at Kadesh and the first encounter with the Canaanites does not go very well. Israel suffers a defeat. But Israel dedicates itself to the LORD. The LORD gives a victory. Victory is by faith alone. Instead of going directly into the land they have to make a detour (see chapter 20). The new route leads through difficult terrain. The people grumble against the LORD and Moses. They accuse Moses of evil motives: he led them in this wilderness to kill them. They want to go back to Egypt. As a punishment, the LORD sends poisonous serpents. This discipline hurts the people and they confess they have sinned. As a remedy to the bites of the serpents, Moses has to make a bronze serpent and anyone who looks at the serpent will live. This is a remarkable way of dealing with the people. The serpents are not taken away, but as people are bitten, they have to look at this symbol and they will live. Why would they? The only reason is that the LORD had said so. Israel has to trust the word of the LORD. There is nothing magic in the bronze serpent. Looking at it is the expression of their faith in God’s promises. The Lord Jesus referred to this incident in His discussion with Nicodemus (John 3). As looking at the serpent gave healing and life, so believing in Jesus Christ gives life. Entering the Promised Land is by faith alone. Suggestions for prayer Thank the Lord for His grace in Jesus Christ. Pray for the strengthening of your faith. This daily devotional is available in a print edition you can buy at Nearer to God Devotional. Rev. Douwe G. J. Agema is currently minister of Living Word Canadian Reformed Church in Guelph and also teaches several courses at Covenant Canadian Reformed Teachers’ College....

Daily devotional

Tuesday January 22 – The Lord shows Himself holy at the waters of Meribah

Because you did not believe in me, to uphold me as holy in the eyes of the people of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land that I have given them. – Numbers 20:12 Scripture reading: Numbers 20:1-13 It isn’t hard to feel sorry for Moses. He makes one mistake and is punished with not being allowed to enter the land. The people are back to the place they were 40 years ago, Kadesh. Because there was no water, they blame Moses and Aaron and accuse them of evil motives. When we do not receive what we want or think we deserve, grumbling is often the reaction. The LORD does not destroy the people, for had He not said that He would hold the priests, the leaders responsible? Moses was given clear instructions, but he disobeys them. He had to speak to show the power of the Word of God (Deuteronomy 8:3). Instead, Moses makes it into a personal matter. No matter how many excuses can be given, his action is an insult to the holiness of the LORD. Yes, there is water in abundance for the people, but Moses and Aaron hear the judgment of the LORD. They too will die in the wilderness. They have joined the generation of grumblers. The rock from which the LORD gave water symbolized His grace. 1 Corinthians 10:4 says that the Rock was Christ. What God gives in the Rock, He gives fully in Christ. In a way, Moses hit “Christ” and thus was not allowed to enter the land. Moses is not the Redeemer we need. He too was a sinner. What a blessing that we have a Mediator who did not sin! His righteousness is ours by faith. Suggestions for prayer Thank the Lord for the perfect Mediator. Pray that in all our words and actions we may hallow the Name of the Lord. This daily devotional is available in a print edition you can buy at Nearer to God Devotional. Rev. Douwe G. J. Agema is currently minister of Living Word Canadian Reformed Church in Guelph and also teaches several courses at Covenant Canadian Reformed Teachers’ College....

Daily devotional

Monday January 21 – Made clean to serve

For if the blood of goats and bulls, and the sprinkling of defiled persons with the ashes of a heifer, sanctify for the purification of the flesh, how...

Daily devotional

Sunday January 20 – Provide for the support of God's servants

Daily devotional

Saturday January 19 – How can we come near to God?

Daily devotional

Friday January 18 – The high priest stops death and gives life

Daily devotional

Thursday January 17 – Jealousy is the root of rebellion

Therefore it is against the LORD that you and all your company have gathered together. – Numbers 16:11 Scripture reading: Numbers 16:1-35 Again the people rebel. As Psalm 106:16 shows, it is fuelled by jealousy. There are actually two movements that find each other in a common goal: to get rid of Moses and Aaron. The first group is Korah and his followers. They resent that Aaron alone can be the high priest. They feel that they should be able to take that position as well. Their reasoning: all in the congregation are holy. The other group is led by Dathan and Abiram, who are from the tribe of Reuben. They oppose Moses as leader. Isn’t Reuben the oldest son of Jacob? Moses recognizes that two groups are involved. He tries to reason with Korah and his followers. Consider how privileged you are already as priests. Why are you not satisfied with what you have? When it comes to Dathan and Abiram, Moses summons them, but they refuse to recognize his authority. Moses then refers the judgement to the LORD. Korah and his followers have to appear before the LORD in the tabernacle. As they do, fire comes down and consumes them. With regard to Dathan and Abiram, Moses orders the people to withdraw from them. The earth opens up and swallows them alive. The LORD confirms that Moses and Aaron are appointed by Him. Let’s not think that we are immune to jealousy. The Spirit warns us not to follow Korah (Jude 11) and perish as he did. Instead, the Lord calls us to obey our leaders and submit to them (Heb 13:17). Suggestions for prayer Thank the Lord for the leaders He gives. Ask for His grace to obey and submit to them. Pray for those who are charged with oversight over our lives. This daily devotional is available in a print edition you can buy at Nearer to God Devotional. Rev. Douwe G. J. Agema is currently minister of Living Word Canadian Reformed Church in Guelph and also teaches several courses at Covenant Canadian Reformed Teachers’ College....

Daily devotional

Wednesday January 16 – How to live as God's people in God's land

When you come into the land you are to inhabit, which I am giving you… – Numbers 15:1 Scripture reading: Numbers 15:1-10; 37-41 This chapter may seem out of place. It is about sacrifices and not about Israel’s travels. However, it is in place! The journey through the wilderness is also a time of learning. In fact, there is something very amazing about this chapter. In the previous chapters, we read about Israel’s rebellion, God’s punishment and Moses’ intercession. Now, look at how this chapter opens: “When you come into the land you are to inhabit, which I am giving you,” Isn’t that amazing? Doesn’t this speak of God’s willingness to forgive? He seems to have forgotten about the previous rebellion. He has thrown Israel’s sin behind His back. He will bring them in, but they certainly need to learn how to live with a holy God. This chapter points to several aspects to be kept in mind. The regulations about sacrifices stress the need to be totally dedicated to the LORD. The laws about unintentional sins highlight the urgent call to repent. Yes, we fall into sin, but we should not continue to live in sin but return to the LORD and ask for mercy. The law about breaking the Sabbath reminds them that they have to observe the day of the Lord and keep it holy. The tassels in their garments teach the people that every aspect of their lives is to be ruled by the commandments of the LORD. What a gift that God forgives our sins in Christ. Now He calls us to a life of thankful service. Suggestions for prayer Thank the Lord that He removes our sin as far as the east is removed from the west. Pray for His grace to serve Him in thankful obedience. Ask for the Spirit to help us serve God in all aspects of our lives. This daily devotional is available in a print edition you can buy at Nearer to God Devotional. Rev. Douwe G. J. Agema is currently minister of Living Word Canadian Reformed Church in Guelph and also teaches several courses at Covenant Canadian Reformed Teachers’ College....

Daily devotional

Tuesday January 15 – Two reports

Only do not rebel against the LORD. And do not fear the people of the land, for they are bread to us. Their protection is removed from them, and the LORD is with us; do not fear them. – Numbers 14:9 Scripture reading: Numbers 13:25–14:10 The events of these chapters mark a turning point in the travels of Israel. Israel has to turn around and go back into the wilderness. She will have to spend 40 years in the wilderness. A whole generation will die; they will not be allowed to enter the Promised Land because of their unbelief. Hebrews 3 uses this as a warning, lest we think that we can enter without showing faith! Israel has come to the border of Canaan. Twelve men are sent to inspect the land. The LORD allows His people a foretaste of what is to come. However, instead of making the people more eager to go in, it causes a rebellion and subsequent punishment. What is the case? There are two reports, one by ten spies and the other by two. Both reports agree that the land is good, that the produce is amazing and that the people are powerful. But they come to opposite conclusions. The majority report says: we cannot do it. These giants are too much for us. Doesn’t this sound realistic? The minority report says: we can do it. It will be possible. These giants are a piece of cake. Does this not sound unrealistic? What is the difference between these reports? The majority report looked at the fact from a human perspective. The minority report saw the fact in light of God’s promises. Which of the two reports was realistic? Facts have to be judged in the light of God’s promises. Suggestions for prayer Thank the Lord for giving His promises. Ask for wisdom to judge facts in the light of these promises. This daily devotional is available in a print edition you can buy at Nearer to God Devotional. Rev. Douwe G. J. Agema is currently minister of Living Word Canadian Reformed Church in Guelph and also teaches several courses at Covenant Canadian Reformed Teachers’ College....

Daily devotional

Monday January 14 – Put away all envy

Why were you not afraid to speak against my servant Moses? – Numbers 12:8 Scripture reading: Numbers 12 “So put away all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander.” (1 Peter 2:1) Envy is dangerous; it destroys relationships, careers, even lives. Envy is one of the works of the flesh mentioned in Galatians 5:21. Envy can involve possessions, but also positions, as Numbers 12 shows. The people of Israel had to learn that the LORD uses leaders to guide and protect them. They had to respect and obey these leaders. It took some time to learn this because, by nature, we would rather be our own master. Aaron and Miriam become jealous of Moses’ position. Miriam seemed to take the initiative in this. Aaron joined her. They begin with putting Moses in a bad light by mentioning that Moses had married a non-Israelite. Once they gain popular support, they come with the real point: Why should Moses alone be the leader? They are envious of his position. Moses reacts in the right way. He leaves it in the hands of the LORD. The LORD steps in and makes very clear that Moses is His servant. When you attack him, you are in fact attacking the LORD. Note how highly the LORD speaks about Moses as His servant. In punishing Miriam, the LORD shows that He supports and defends His servants. Moses has to intercede for his sister and he did. In this way, the LORD calls His people to respect their leaders and submit to them. He governs us through their hand. Suggestions for prayer Thank the Lord for the gift of leaders. Pray that the Lord may give them His grace so they can fulfil their task. Pray for strength to fight against envy and jealousy. This daily devotional is available in a print edition you can buy at Nearer to God Devotional. Rev. Douwe G. J. Agema is currently minister of Living Word Canadian Reformed Church in Guelph and also teaches several courses at Covenant Canadian Reformed Teachers’ College....

Daily devotional

Sunday January 13 – Is the Lord’s hand shortened?

Daily devotional

Saturday January 12 – God shall arise and by His might put all His enemies to flight

Daily devotional

Friday January 11 – The trumpet shall sound

They shall be a reminder of you before the LORD. – Numbers 10:10 Scripture reading: Numbers 10:1-10 The LORD commands Moses to make two silver...

Daily devotional

Thursday January 10 – The Lord leads his people

At the command of the LORD the people of Israel set out, and at the command of the LORD they camped. – Numbers 9:18 Scripture reading: Numbers...

Daily devotional

Wednesday January 9 – The first anniversary

Let the people of Israel keep the Passover at its appointed time. – Numbers 9:2 Scripture reading: Numbers 9:1-14 One year has passed since the people left Egypt. It is time to celebrate the first anniversary, to rejoice in the power of God’s redemption. In fact, the LORD wants it to be celebrated every year. The memory of His redemption has to be kept alive. The people need to be reminded of the reason why they are traveling. This applies to us as well. Do we know why we are sojourners? Each time we celebrate the Lord’s Supper, the Lord reminds us of the start of the journey as well as the destination. The call to celebrate the Passover leads to problems. Some Israelites cannot join the celebration because they are unclean. It is important to note that the situation was caused by things beyond their control and not by unwillingness. Moses brings the matter to the LORD. The LORD recognizes the problem and responds to it. He allows for a second celebration a month later. The LORD realizes that we live in a broken world. At the same time, this is not an excuse for an easy way out. If they would not celebrate during the second month, they will be cut off from the people. Excuses may not be used as a cover-up for unwillingness! How do we apply God’s commands in a broken world? We read in Philippians 1:9: “And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve what is excellent.” Suggestions for prayer Thank the Lord for the gift of redemption and wisdom. Pray that your love may abound more and more with knowledge and discernment. This daily devotional is available in a print edition you can buy at Nearer to God Devotional. Rev. Douwe G. J. Agema is currently minister of Living Word Canadian Reformed Church in Guelph and also teaches several courses at Covenant Canadian Reformed Teachers’ College....

Daily devotional

Tuesday January 8 – Walk in the light of life

When you set up the lamps, the seven lamps shall give light in front of the lampstand. – Numbers 8:2 Scripture reading: Numbers 8:1-4; Exodus 25:31-40 Among the various preparations for traveling onward, we come across an instruction about the lampstand. It is connected to the consecration of the Levites since they are the ones to care for the lampstand. The lampstand resembled a blossoming tree and symbolized the tree of life. The Tabernacle signifies the gracious restoration of Paradise. The lamp was also a source of light, thus representing the blessing that in the darkness of this sinful world, the LORD continues to give light, His revelation. In Exodus 25 and 37, you can find instructions on how to make the lampstand. In Numbers 8, the emphasis is on the use of this lampstand. It was placed on the north side of the Holy Place opposite the table of showbread. The priests would go between these two on their way from the main altar to the altar of incense. They needed light to be able to see as they walked to the altar and back to the people. Thus, the lamp was essential for the functioning of the priests, for the functioning of the covenant of grace. As the people are getting ready to move on, the LORD reminds them that they can travel onward, when the priests are able to walk in the Holy Place. The Lord Jesus fulfills the lampstand. He is the light (John 1:4), for He reveals the glory of God. We can only journey onward when we walk in the light of His grace. Let him who has an ear, hear! Suggestions for prayer Thank the Lord for the life and light we receive in Christ. Pray that we may walk in the light of His face, with our ears open to His Word. This daily devotional is available in a print edition you can buy at Nearer to God Devotional. Rev. Douwe G. J. Agema is currently minister of Living Word Canadian Reformed Church in Guelph and also teaches several courses at Covenant Canadian Reformed Teachers’ College....

Daily devotional

Monday January 7 – Regular voluntary contributions

…and the chiefs offered their offerings before the altar. – Numbers 7:10 Scripture reading: Numbers 7:1-11; 84-89 Not only is this a long chapter, but it is also repetitious. All the leaders of the tribes offer gifts and they all give the same. Do not take the repetition as a lack of originality. It reflects the thankfulness of the leaders for the ministry of atonement and their desire that it can continue. The description of these gifts, though it may seem repetitious, shows the overflowing thankfulness of the people for God’s grace. The whole nation is involved. We learn that the giving was done willingly. It was, as Paul says in 2 Corinthians 8:7, an act of grace. In addition to this, the contributing was done with a purpose. All the gifts were useful for the service of the LORD so that the people could travel onward with the LORD in their midst. Note the way the chapter ends, the covenant fellowship can continue. Contributing is essential to God’s people. It is a result of the grace given us in Christ. We were bought, not with gold and silver, but with His precious blood. When we give, we do so out of thankfulness that He Who was rich became poor for us (2 Corinthians 8:9). When we give regularly it shows that the LORD is part of our lives. It is voluntary, for the Lord loves the cheerful giver. We give so that God’s work may continue. We may give according to the measure in which He has blessed us. Do we excel in this work of grace? Suggestion for prayer Thank the Lord for His gifts of redemption in Christ. Pray that we may excel in this act of grace. This daily devotional is available in a print edition you can buy at Nearer to God Devotional. Rev. Douwe G. J. Agema is currently minister of Living Word Canadian Reformed Church in Guelph and also teaches several courses at Covenant Canadian Reformed Teachers’ College....

Daily devotional

Sunday January 6 – Threefold blessing

So shall they put my name upon the people of Israel, and I will bless them. – Numbers 6:27 Scripture reading: Numbers 6:22-27 These words are familiar. Perhaps you will hear them today at the end of the worship service, as the blessing. They are an important and wonderful part of meeting the LORD in worship. The LORD puts His Name on His people. We cannot travel onward without the blessing of the LORD. The formulation of the blessing is truly beautiful. It consists of three lines, each one a bit longer than the previous. Each line begins with the name of the LORD, I AM WHO I AM. And at the end of it all, we hear: peace. Our God is an overflowing fountain of blessings. He says that He will keep us. The second line affirms that, in His grace, He makes His face to shine on us. That is stressed even more in the third line: the LORD looks upon us and gives us peace. Life is restored by Him. We need not be afraid. The priest had the wonderful task to proclaim this blessing to the people. The people could go home in the assurance of this blessing. Today we receive this blessing as a result of the perfect sacrifice of Christ. It is therefore not a wish, but a proclamation of His grace, to be received in faith. We can travel onward each new week knowing that the LORD’s name is upon us: the love of the Father, the grace of the Son and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit. What else can we say but: Amen! Suggestion for prayer Thank the LORD for His wonderful blessings: His care, His face shining on us and the peace we receive. Pray for His Spirit to help us walk in the light of His countenance, to seek the comfort of His grace each day. This daily devotional is available in a print edition you can buy at Nearer to God Devotional. Rev. Douwe G. J. Agema is currently minister of Living Word Canadian Reformed Church in Guelph and also teaches several courses at Covenant Canadian Reformed Teachers’ College....

Daily devotional

Saturday January 5 – The vow of the Nazarite

Until the time is completed for which he separates himself to the LORD, he shall be holy. – Numbers 6:5 Scripture reading: Numbers 6:1-21 An Isra...

Daily devotional

Friday January 4 – How to deal with sin?

…that they may not defile their camp, in the midst of which I dwell. – Numbers 5:3 Scripture reading: Numbers 5 The holy God is pleased to d...

Daily devotional

Thursday January 3 – You are a holy nation

They shall guard all the furnishings of the tent of meeting, and keep guard over the people of Israel as they minister at the tabernacle. - Numbers 3:...

Daily devotional

Wednesday January 2 – Decently and in good order

Daily devotional

Tuesday January 1 – Introduction, and the LORD counts Israel

The Book of Numbers describes the travels of the People of Israel from Sinai to the Promised Land. The LORD is bringing His people into His land, the land already promised to Abraham. The book does not mention all the events of this time period, but rather offers a selection. These 40 years are formative years for the people. As Israel travels, it learns, grows and develops. This explains the combination of historical material and ceremonial laws. As the LORD is leading them, He is also teaching them, teaching them how to live as His people in His land. The title “Numbers” is derived from that fact that people were counted twice. The first counting is in the first chapter of the book and another one is at the end of the book, chapter 26. These two countings represent two generations. The first involves the generation that left Egypt but was not allowed to enter the Promised Land because of unbelief (see Hebrews 3 & 4). The second represents the new generation who will be allowed to enter Canaan. The Book of Numbers speaks of God’s covenant faithfulness in spite of man’s disobedience. Numbers is very relevant for us today. The New Testament uses the image of traveling or sojourning, to describe the life of the church in this world. We are called sojourners in 1 Peter 2:11. Also in Hebrews 3 and 4, a direct connection is made between Israel in the wilderness and the church in the New Testament. Redeemed by the blood of Christ, we are on the way to the Promised Land, the New Jerusalem. God’s people can only go forward when they trust and obey the LORD. May the devotions of this month encourage us in our travels. The LORD counts His people All the Israelites twenty years old or more who were able to serve in Israel’s army were counted according to their families. – Numbers 1:45 Scripture reading: Numbers 1:1-19; 44-46 The Book of Numbers begins with the LORD instructing Moses to count the men twenty years and older. The total number is 603,550. This may not seem the most exciting way to start a book. Yet, this chapter is important in the context of God’s work. Note the following: The counting: Parents tend to count their children when they go on an outing. It shows their concern that all are included and cared for. The LORD, having redeemed His children by His grace, makes sure they are all accounted for. The number: It describes the wonders of God’s faithfulness. His promises to Abraham are being fulfilled; these are all Abraham’s descendants. The organization: God’s nation is an organized people. The census goes according to fathers’ houses, clans and tribes. God’s covenant continues from generation to generation. The age: The fact that men 20 years and older were counted points to an army. The expression “those able to go to war” shows this too. This nation is the army of the LORD, enlisted in His battle. Our LORD is King. These elements are important for us as well. Our King, the Lord Jesus, is leading us in 2019. He counts us, making sure not one stays behind. He is faithful to His promises and uses our families in His gathering work. He calls us all to put on the whole armor of God. He, Who counts the stars and knows their names, knows us by name and leads us onward. Suggestions for prayer As we look back, we thank the LORD for His unfailing love and care over His people and over our lives. Looking ahead, we pray for strength to serve the mighty King of kings in the New Year. This daily devotional is available in a print edition you can buy at Nearer to God Devotional. Rev. Douwe G. J. Agema is currently minister of Living Word Canadian Reformed Church in Guelph and also teaches several courses at Covenant Canadian Reformed Teachers’ College....

Daily devotional

Monday December 31 – The joy of living with, and for, God

I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of wickedness. – Psalm 84:10b Scripture reading: Psalm 84 One of the driving forces in each human heart is a desire to be at home, to be at peace in a special place that will never fail us. Many strive for this in all the wrong places. At the end of a year, the world looks to things to bring them joy and contentment. At times we can be distracted by the comforts and desires of this fallen world. For 2019, where will your true home be? Where will you find contentment and comfort? The writer of Psalm 84 reminds us that the real and lasting home is with God. The Psalmist yearned to be in the special place with God because he knew that this is what would truly satisfy him. He points out that sinful people like you and me can only be in this special place with God because of the sacrificial system that God put in place. We do not have altars to make sacrifices on anymore, but the altar the Psalmist loved to be near pointed to the one great sacrifice of Jesus Christ. Christ’s sacrifice was so sufficient that it ended the need for all other sacrifices. Do you see that the greatest blessing that Jesus brought us was to bring us home with God? This was the psalmist's greatest joy and confidence. It caused him to say that he would rather be a door-keeper in the house of God than enjoy the fleeting pleasures of the world. A good door-keeper is one who guards, but also welcomes. May we be those who welcome people to confess their sins and enjoy the great blessings of being with God through faith in Jesus Christ. Suggestions for prayer That we would enter this new year not seeking the things of this world but seeking to be that door-keeper. This daily devotional is available in a print edition you can buy at Nearer to God Devotional. Rev. Richard Bultjes is pastor at a church plant in Niagara Falls, Ontario, called River of Life....

Daily devotional

Sunday December 30 – The power of the Holy Spirit

But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth. – Acts 1:8 Scripture reading: Acts 1:1-11 Although Jesus had already commissioned His disciples in the passage we went over yesterday, we can see from this passage that they were not yet ready to take on the commission of being his witnesses. They were not yet ready to represent Him, proclaiming Him as Lord and Saviour to the fallen world. They were not super humans, but weak like us and could not take on the task Jesus called them to do without the power of God in them. We must remember that the Holy Spirit did not just enter the twelve Apostles, but He was poured out into Christ’s Church. All those who believe in and confess Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour receive the same Holy Spirit, not only to be preserved in their faith, but to carry on the great commission Jesus gave to His church. The Apostles were the foundation of the church and so were both examples and special leaders inChrist’s church. However, it was the church as a whole that carried out this great commission. When a great persecution broke out in the church after the death of Stephen, those who fled proclaimed Christ wherever they went. When the Thessalonians later heard and received the Word of God in true faith, Paul tells us that all those in their province and the neighboring provinces heard about Jesus Christ. The same Holy Spirit who powerfully worked in Christ’s church then is still with His people today, not only to enliven our faith but to empower us to proclaim His name lovingly and boldly in our communities. To do otherwise is to deny the power of the Holy Spirit in us. Suggestions for prayer That the Holy Spirit would enliven our faith and empower us to proclaim the wonderful name of Jesus in our neighborhoods. This daily devotional is available in a print edition you can buy at Nearer to God Devotional. Rev. Richard Bultjes is pastor at a church plant in Niagara Falls, Ontario, called River of Life....

Daily devotional

Saturday December 29 – Making disciples of the nations

Go therefore and make disciples of all nations... – Matthew 28:19a Scripture reading: Matthew 28:16-20 When Jesus rose from the dead and gathered His disciples to give them a special commission, we are told that although they worshipped Him, some doubted. Jesus, being God, knew of their doubts, yet He still sent them out to make disciples of the nations. You could say, they were as unfit as we are in our own strength. I have often heard it said that making disciples is for church leaders, for those who have greater knowledge, for those who have no doubts (or at least fewer doubts than me). But Jesus chose people who had doubts and sent them out to make disciples of the nations. Jesus calms His people, even today, with these words, “All authority in heaven and earth has been given to me." Do those words touch your doubts and cause you to respond in such a way that you see that you are also called and equipped to do your part in Jesus’ great commission? We all have different obligations in being part of this commission. Not all are called to baptize, but all of God’s confessing children are called to teach or mentor. If you have learned the ways of the Lord in such a way that you stood to profess your faith publicly, you have learned not only to confess but to teach those who do not yet know the wonderful gospel of Jesus Christ the way you do. This includes teaching or mentoring those who have not yet confessed their faith within the church; however, it also entails teaching and mentoring those outside the church community. Suggestions for prayer That our doubts would be silenced by the truth of who Jesus is and that we would so glorify Him more, also teaching others both inside and outside the church about our great Saviour. This daily devotional is available in a print edition you can buy at Nearer to God Devotional. Rev. Richard Bultjes is pastor at a church plant in Niagara Falls, Ontario, called River of Life....

Daily devotional

Friday December 28 – Conversation full of grace and seasoned with salt

Daily devotional

Thursday December 27 – Following Jesus and shining like stars

Daily devotional

Wednesday December 26 – Keeping the joy of Jesus coming

Daily devotional

Tuesday December 25 – Remembering why Jesus came into the world

Daily devotional

Monday December 24 – Remembering how Jesus came into the world

She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins. – Matthew 1:21 Scripture reading: Matthew 1:18-25 Even before Jesus was born, His coming to this world caused hardship. Mary was looked at as a sinful woman and Jesus was seen as an unwanted baby. This aptly foreshadowed the life Jesus would live. But God still sent His Son knowing this would be the case. Only through great hardship and suffering would Jesus save His people from their sins. This hardship would not only be for Jesus, but it would also be for His people. Jesus would not only save His people then but use His people in every generation as instruments in His hands so others would be saved. But this ongoing saving work of God would also involve suffering by Christ’s body, the church. Jesus once said, "If they do this to Me, they will also do it to My people." Why is this the case? The devil is still roaming this world seeking whom he may devour. He does not want people to be saved. But the incredible thing is that even through the actions of the devil, God brings forth His plan to save His people. For example, the devil's influence was behind Jesus going to the cross, but His death brought about our salvation! The devil is still roaming the earth. He seeks to influence us in a way that causes us to feel foolish talking about our faith. Remember, Jesus was willing to look bad and be rejected and as one of His people, we should be willing to look foolish in our desire for others to be saved. Suggestions for prayer That we would not fall to the devil’s schemes and threats, but would speak to people around us of Jesus, trusting that He saved us and is still saving people through His Word and Spirit. This daily devotional is available in a print edition you can buy at Nearer to God Devotional. Rev. Richard Bultjes is pastor at a church plant in Niagara Falls, Ontario, called River of Life....

Daily devotional

Sunday December 23 – Living out of God’s great love for the world

For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. – John 3:16 Scripture reading: John 3:14-21 Tomorrow is Christmas Eve and no doubt many are preparing in a variety of ways, getting presents for loved ones, baking for family and friends, etc. We can easily be so affected by the world’s ways of celebrating this season that we can gloss over the wonderful Present, the Bread of Life, that has already been given. The greatest wonder that has ever happened to this world is God the Father sending His Son to die for sinners like you and me so that we can have eternal life. The wonder is magnified in the fact that the Father sent His Son even though we did not deserve it. Jesus came to a world that hated Him and would kill Him, yet He came to die for this world because He loved it. But in rejoicing in this wonderful news, we must also see that this news is not just for us. It is for whoever believes in this wonderful Child and what He did on the cross. This passage should not only cause us to be joyful in the great gift of God’s Son, but it should also compel us to want those around us to hear this wonderful news. For the news is for the world, for all people, including those in your neighborhood and city. May our celebration this Christmas include telling others, maybe that neighbor or co-worker, the true meaning of Christmas. Suggestions for prayer That we would see that we have the greatest gift in Jesus Christ and ask for opportunities to tell others of this great gift. This daily devotional is available in a print edition you can buy at Nearer to God Devotional. Rev. Richard Bultjes is pastor at a church plant in Niagara Falls, Ontario, called River of Life....

Daily devotional

Saturday December 22 – Setting apart Christ in our hearts and lives

But in your hearts regard Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you… – 1 Peter 3:15 Scripture reading: 1 Peter 3:8-22 The Christians to whom Peter first wrote this letter lived in a hostile world that thought their faith was crazy. Although we do not deal with the same persecution they faced, many people today see our faith as crazy. Everyone looks to Christmas as a nice time for the family to get together and celebrate, but most think the story of Jesus’ virgin birth is foolishness. For many, it is like believing in Santa Claus. However, in the midst of this world, we are called to set apart Christ as Lord in our hearts. The things of this world can easily fill our hearts with wonder and joy, but we are called to put Christ first, above all. This can only happen when we continue to think and ponder on who Jesus is and what He has done for us. As we constantly think and ponder the wonder of who Jesus is, we will be able to both handle the ridiculing of our world and do what Peter calls us to do: to live for Jesus with such hope and joy that others will ask us the reason for our hope and joy. Although the world around us ridicules Jesus, we are called to look for ways to speak to them of Jesus, because knowing Him is the only way anyone can have lasting hope and joy in the fallen world. Suggestions for prayer That Jesus would increasingly be the joy and hope of our hearts; that we would show this hope and joy to all; that we would be able to explain our hope and joy to those still needing it. This daily devotional is available in a print edition you can buy at Nearer to God Devotional. Rev. Richard Bultjes is pastor at a church plant in Niagara Falls, Ontario, called River of Life....

Daily devotional

Friday December 21 – The example of Thessalonians

For not only has the word of the Lord sounded forth from you in Macedonia and Achaia, but your faith in God has gone forth everywhere... – 1 Thessalonians 1:8a Scripture reading: 1 Thessalonians 1:1-10 The Christians in Thessalonica suffered much since they put their faith in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Saviour. Paul thanked God for their ability to stand up under pressure, but he also praised them for not hiding their faith in the midst of their suffering. Paul says that they became imitators of him and his fellow workers. They could do this because they welcomed the message with joy. In coming to faith in Jesus, they had a special joy that compelled them to stand up under the pressure of persecution. It also gave them the confidence to declare the message they heard, not only in their own province and in the neighboring province of Achaia, but everywhere they went. This is what the good news of Jesus Christ does to those who come to a living faith in Him. A young man who hears the words “I do, I accept your proposal," from the girl he loves deeply, has great joy and is excited to tell everyone the good news. The Thessalonians and all of us who truly believe in Jesus Christ have a much bigger reason to speak with great joy about the wonderful news of Jesus Christ coming to die for sinners. The other great thing about telling others the joy of knowing Jesus is that they can share this joy with us through a living faith in Jesus Christ. Paul not only praised the Thessalonians for standing firm, but also for sharing their faith. Suggestions for prayer That the joy of salvation would so overwhelm us that we would always be compelled to proclaim the amazing message that saves wretches like us. This daily devotional is available in a print edition you can buy at Nearer to God Devotional. Rev. Richard Bultjes is pastor at a church plant in Niagara Falls, Ontario, called River of Life....

Daily devotional

Thursday December 20 – Going out with confidence with the Word of God

Daily devotional

Wednesday December 19 – Taking our stand for the battle

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Tuesday December 18– Seeking more workers for the harvest

Daily devotional

Monday December 17 – Ambassadors for Christ

Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. – 2 Corinthians 5:20a Scripture reading: 2 Corinthians 5:11-21 ...

Daily devotional

Sunday December 16 – Being a salt and light to the world

You are the salt of the earth . . . You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. – Matthew 5:13-14 Scripture reading: Matthew 5:1-16 When Jesus addressed His disciples as salt and light, He was saying this to men who constantly argued about who was the greatest, to men who would run from Him when He was in trouble. How could Jesus call these men the salt and light of the world? If the disciples were honest, they must have thought, "How can we be what Jesus says we are?" We can easily have the same feelings today. How can we be the salt and light in the world we live in? However, Jesus came to this earth so that those who are poor in spirit, those who mourn because of this fallen world, those who are meek and hunger and thirst for righteousness will be blessed; in turn, they can be merciful, pure in heart, peacemakers and willing to be persecuted for righteousness' sake. If you hold to what Jesus says, you are truly blessed. This means you are approved of by Jesus Christ no matter what your background or natural state. Only in this new blessed state could the disciples be salt and light to the world in their time. When we truly believe we are blessed by Jesus, we can go forward as salt and light to bring lasting change to our world. For only when Jesus’ blessed words sink deep into our hearts and minds will we be able to rub shoulders with those around us in such a way that they will be confronted with the gospel from our mouths and touched by the gospel with the actions of our hands. Suggestions for prayer That we would truly believe we are blessed by Jesus and so be a salt and light to our generation. This daily devotional is available in a print edition you can buy at Nearer to God Devotional. Rev. Richard Bultjes is pastor at a church plant in Niagara Falls, Ontario, called River of Life....

Daily devotional

Saturday December 15 – Declaring God’s glory to the world

Sing to the Lord, bless his name; tell of his salvation from day to day. Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous works among all the peoples! – Psalm 96:2,3 Scripture reading: Psalm 96 In reading this Psalm, you can see that God was calling His people not only to praise Him out of the joy of salvation but also to proclaim a special message to the world. The only way the people of the Old Testament could truly know His salvation was to admit their guilt and rely on the sacrificial system God had set up for them. Only from the joy of receiving this salvation out of grace could they declare God’s glory among the nations and His marvelous deeds among all peoples. Although God’s Old Testament people had reason to celebrate and proclaim His salvation day after day, we have more reason today. We live after the finished work of Jesus Christ. They did not know that those Old Testament sacrifices pointed to the fact that salvation could come to all people. But we do. We know that God Himself took on human flesh and lived among us so that He could die on a cross and bring salvation even to us. This should cause us to celebrate His salvation day after day and cause us to glorify God wherever we live and work. But this salvation should also cause us to delight in telling the marvelous things Jesus did to bring salvation to sinners. God always wanted His people not only to praise Him in the joy of salvation but also to tell the world of His deeds so that many would join in praising Him in salvation. Suggestions for prayer: That we would grow in the wonder of His gracious salvation and so praise His name and share the wonders of God’s saving work with others. This daily devotional is available in a print edition you can buy at Nearer to God Devotional. Rev. Richard Bultjes is pastor at a church plant in Niagara Falls, Ontario, called River of Life....

Daily devotional

Friday December 14 – Desiring others to join the family of 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 Scripture reading: Psalm 87 When the people of God in the Old Testament sang this Psalm, they were yearning for our days, the days after Jesus died, rose, ascended into heaven and sent the Holy Spirit upon His church. Old Testament people sang this Psalm with eager expectation for the day when Zion, the church, would be a place in which people, who used to be enemies of God, would rejoice in being part of the people of God. We live on the other side of the great works of Jesus that made this possible. The difference between us and the Old Testament people of God is that we can now sing this song about ourselves. We sing that God has made it possible for us to be part of the people of God. But we are also called to sing this Psalm yearning for others to be added to Christ’s church. For God’s Old Testament people to truly sing this Psalm, they had to live their lives promoting the coming of the day, the great day when the Lord would fulfill this prophecy by preserving the nation of Israel. When we sing this Psalm, we are called to promote the ongoing fulfillment of this prophecy. We are not just to sing this Psalm, but live our lives seeking for our unbelieving neighbours to hear about our Lord and be born again through a living faith in Jesus Christ, so they can also 'be born in Zion'. Suggestions for prayer Pray that you would have an increasing desire to live in such way that those around you would hear the gospel from you and see it in you so that many others would also say they were born in Zion. This daily devotional is available in a print edition you can buy at Nearer to God Devotional. Rev. Richard Bultjes is pastor at a church plant in Niagara Falls, Ontario, called River of Life....

Daily devotional

Thursday December 13 – Going forward with the joy of God’s shining face on us

May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face to shine upon us, that your way may be known on earth, your saving power among all nations. – Psalm 67:1-2 Scripture reading: Psalm 67:1-7 For many Reformed churches, the worship service ends with a blessing that can be found in Numbers 6:24-26. If you read that blessing, you would see that it is very similar to the blessing for which the writer of Psalm 67 asked. Notice that he did not ask this so that God’s people could sit and simply enjoy this blessing. He added, that God’s ways would be known on earth, God’s salvation among all the nations. You see, God wanted His people to desire His blessing so that they could be a blessing to others. God’s people in the Old Testament desired and prayed for this, but had to wait for it to be truly fulfilled. God’s ways truly become known throughout the earth and His salvation among all the nations through the ministry of Jesus and His Church. Jesus’ death and resurrection made it possible for God’s face to shine on His people. Yet more had to be done. Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to live in His people so that through their actions and words, Jesus’ saving work could be known and celebrated all around the world. That work of making God’s ways and salvation known among all the nations is not finished. All those who know and believe in Jesus Christ are called to make God’s ways and salvation known in the areas where they work and live. If God has shined His gracious face on you, He did this so that you would praise Him, but also so that those around you would know of your God and His salvation in Jesus Christ. Suggestions for prayer That God would be gracious to you and bless you and make His face shine on you so that you can make His ways known on earth and his salvation to the people around you. This daily devotional is available in a print edition you can buy at Nearer to God Devotional. Rev. Richard Bultjes is pastor at a church plant in Niagara Falls, Ontario, called River of Life....

Daily devotional

Wednesday December 12 – Taking the gospel to others with optimism

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Tuesday December 11 – Attracting people to our Lord

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Monday December 10 – Being blessed to be a blessing

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Sunday December 9 - Refined to be a blessing

I will make a covenant of peace with them; it shall be an everlasting covenant with them. And I will set them in their land and multiply them, and wil...

Daily devotional

Saturday December 8 - Trusting that there is power in the Word of God

So shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it. – Isaiah 55:11 Scripture reading: Isaiah 55; Luke 12:47-48 Have you ever wondered, "Why would I tell this person about Jesus when he doesn't seem interested?" Isaiah must have thought this at times. He must have wondered about the people of Israel and what God’s Word would do to their hardened hearts. God had even said that they would not listen. But God told Isaiah back then and tells us today, "Trust Me. Your job is to spread the Word and I, the Lord, will bring about my purposes with My Word for blessing or for punishment." I remember one man who was always disruptive when he came to Bible studies and Sunday services. I often hoped he would not come. I did not fully trust God the way I should have. But in a little over a year, the Lord changed that man into a loving, godly man who lived in the joy of salvation. For another man to whom I brought the gospel for years, I never saw a change. After reading Isaiah 55, I remember telling him that God would bring glory to His Name either in his salvation or in his condemnation. This caused him to be unsettled, but I do not know if he ever became a Christian. With these two men, I came to see that the words of Isaiah 55:11 gives us reason to bring His Word to the world around us no matter what. When you are wondering if you are to tell others the good news of Jesus Christ, remember you are called to bring it with confidence, trusting that God will not let His Word return to Him empty, but that it will bring about His purposes. Suggestions for prayer Pray that you will have confidence in telling others about Jesus Christ, trusting that God will bring about His purposes with the gospel message. This daily devotional is available in a print edition you can buy at Nearer to God Devotional. Rev. Richard Bultjes is pastor at a church plant in Niagara Falls, Ontario, called River of Life....

Daily devotional

Friday December 7 - Being an active member of Christ's kingdom

It shall come to pass in the latter days that the mountain of the house of the Lord shall be established as the highest of the mountains, and shall be lifted up above the hills; and all the nations shall flow to it. – Isaiah 2:2 Scripture reading: Isaiah 2; 1 Timothy 3:14-17 In the time of Isaiah, God’s people were rebellious. God said He would punish them, yet God still promised that He would make them into something great. That great thing was fulfilled in the person and work of Jesus and “the last days” Isaiah was referring to, are our days, the days after Jesus conquered the devil, sin, and death for His people. During these last days, Isaiah prophesied that God’s people would be like a mountaintop to which people from all over the world would come in order to learn about the wonders of the one true God and His ways. God had set the people of Israel apart so that this would one day be a reality. In setting Israel apart, God was making things ready for His Son to come into the world and make things right so people from all over the world could come and know the one true God, His ways and His loving forgiveness. Another amazing thing about this is that when people come to this mountain and find the Lord, they can see themselves as part of the mountain that draws people to come and know the Lord God and His ways. That mountain is really Christ’s Church. To be a living member of this church is to be part of this mountain drawing people to God through the finished work of Jesus Christ. Are you being an active member of this mountain in drawing people to God and His loving forgiveness? Suggestions for prayer That we as a church community would more and more be what God said we would be through the prophecy of Isaiah. This daily devotional is available in a print edition you can buy at Nearer to God Devotional. Rev. Richard Bultjes is pastor at a church plant in Niagara Falls, Ontario, called River of Life....

Daily devotional

Thursday December 6 - Being instruments in God's hands shows that God cares

And should not I pity Nineveh, that great city. ..? – Jonah 4:11a Scripture reading: Jonah 4 One of the hard things Jesus calls us to do, as His disciples, is to show love to our enemies. This was and is not a new command. God had asked Jonah to do this many years before Jesus walked through the land of Israel. The people of Nineveh were great enemies of the people of Israel. The Ninevites liked hurting, killing, and causing great fear in the hearts of their enemies, including God’s people. Jonah ran from bringing a message to Nineveh the first time because he wanted God to destroy this city and not show pity to them. God redirected Jonah back to Nineveh because He cared for this wicked, rebellious, idol-worshiping people. Jonah knew that his own people, the people of Israel, were also wicked, but thought they deserved God’s mercy instead of those wicked Ninevites. In sending Jonah to Nineveh, God sought to teach Jonah and all His people three great lessons. The first lesson has to do with who we are. If our hearts have been changed and we are part of God’s people, it is not because we are so good. The second lesson is that if we are God’s people, we are not to see ourselves as trophies to sit and be proud of who we are. We are to see ourselves as instruments in God’s hands to show that God does care for people like the Ninevites and people in our communities. Thirdly, God can change the heart of anyone to repent, so we should be willing to bring God’s words to anyone. Suggestions for prayer That we would have the heart of God and care for the people around us and so be willing to get to know people in our communities to tell them the good news of Jesus Christ. This daily devotional is available in a print edition you can buy at Nearer to God Devotional. Rev. Richard Bultjes is pastor at a church plant in Niagara Falls, Ontario, called River of Life. The painting is "Jonas and the whale" (circa 1552) author unknown....

Daily devotional

Wednesday December 5 – Being a kingdom of priests

Now, therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession among all peoples, for all the earth is mine; and you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. – Exodus 19:5-6a Scripture reading: Exodus 19:1-9; 1 Peter 2:4-12 The nation of Israel left Egypt as slaves but God not only freed them but made them into a special nation of priests. After wandering through the desert, God brought His people to Mount Sinai, where God set the guidelines for the covenant relationship He lovingly established with His people. When you read those words, “If you obey me fully and keep my covenant," did you think of all the times Israel did not obey and keep His covenant? Yet God continued to look at Israel as His treasured possession. That full obedience and keeping of the covenant had to wait until the coming of Jesus Christ. But God already started to look at His people through the lens of Jesus Christ. Only through Him could they be that treasured possession. Is that not also true for us today? But just like them, we have to admit we are not what we should be and seek forgiveness. They did it according to the regulations and ceremonies that pointed to Jesus’ work, whereas we do this looking to Jesus' finished work on the cross. And just like they had to believe that they were God’s treasured possession of grace, we too are called to see ourselves as His treasured possession because of His mercy. But this is not all we are called to believe and do. We are also called to believe that as His people, we are set apart to glorify God and to be of service to others by telling and showing the world Who our God is and what great things He can do for sinful people. Suggestions for prayer Pray that we as His people would be that holy nation, that kingdom of priests, glorifying God and at the same time telling and showing the world Who our God is and what He has done through His Son, Jesus Christ. This daily devotional is available in a print edition you can buy at Nearer to God Devotional. Rev. Richard Bultjes is pastor at a church plant in Niagara Falls, Ontario, called River of Life....

Daily devotional

Tuesday December 4 - God can change and use anyone to fulfill His promises

Daily devotional

Monday December 3 – Sacrificial service comes from true faith

Daily devotional

Sunday December 2 – God uses sinful people to bring forward his promise

Daily devotional

Saturday December 1 – Introduction

For the month of December, we will be looking at a number of passages in the Old and NewTestaments that speak of the coming and work of Jesus Christ. ...

Daily devotional

Friday November 30 – Conclusion: Blessed to be a blessing

Let the peoples praise you, O God; let all the peoples praise you! – Psalm 67:3 Scripture reading: Psalm 67 We end where we began, with the story of the Bible as summed up by Jesus: "Then he said to them, 'These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.' Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, and said to them, 'Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that repentance for the forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem.'"(v. 45-47). The whole Bible is about the mission of God to save the nations: the promise given to Abraham, the calling given to Israel, the identity fulfilled in Jesus and then given to us. And so the song of Psalm 67 is our song: "May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face to shine upon us, that your way may be known on earth, your saving power among all nations" (Ps 67:1–2). We pray for God’s blessing, not for our own sake, but so that His ways will be known on earth. Let us believe the good news that Jesus is the light of the world. Let us believe Him that we are now the light of the world. And then let us live faithfully as His witnesses in all of life. Suggestions for prayer That God would make us faithful missional people for His glory and for the sake of the nations. This daily devotional is available in a print edition you can buy at Nearer to God Devotional. Nick Smith is pastor of the United Reformed Church of Nampa, Idaho....

Daily devotional

Thursday November 29 –The Church's mission (7): Fighting idolatry

Those who make them become like them; so do all who trust in them. – Psalm 115:8 Scripture reading: Romans 1:18-32 We have seen that Matthew 5 and 1 Peter 2 both expect the church to be different from the world in such a way as to be visible and appealing. How can we do that? Is it simply by following different (or more!) rules? Will that be appealing? One of the main ways Scripture gives us to be different in an appealing way is by fighting idolatry. In Romans 1, Paul summarizes sin as a matter of idolatry and defines idolatry in this way: "They exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen" (Romans 1:25). Idolatry is worshipping the creation instead of the Creator, taking good things that God has made and treating them as ultimate in place of God. When we do this, we inevitably distort and twist the good things God has made, since they are not meant to be worshipped. Those idols enslave, consume and destroy. When we follow Jesus by faith, we are freed from worshipping those idols and that life of freedom is meant to be appealing, for it is life as God made it to be. Instead of being destructively enslaved to things like money, sex and power, we can use them rightly, for God’s glory and that way of life is given to be light in a dark world. Suggestions for prayer That God would help us recognize our idols, be freed from them and live for His glory so that we might use His good creation rightly, for the sake of those around us. This daily devotional is available in a print edition you can buy at Nearer to God Devotional. Nick Smith is pastor of the United Reformed Church of Nampa, Idaho....

Daily devotional

Wednesday November 28 – The Church's mission (6): Life together, for the sake of the world

And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved. – Acts 2:47b Scripture reading: Acts 2:42-47 (again) Look back at our outline of Acts 2 from yesterday. What was the church doing that resulted in people being saved each day? They were simply being the church, doing so with a sense of missional purpose. We have been wrestling with this idea throughout this month: mission isn’t just something we do, it’s who we are. But at the same time, it affects and shapes everything we do. Acts 2 describes the church’s life together as being fruitful for mission. But we so often do the opposite: we justify our community life together as a way of putting up walls, excluding others, defining insiders and outsiders. Acts 2 suggests, however, and the entire story of God’s mission throughout the Bible makes very clear, that we are called to be the church for the sake of the nations. God blesses us with community life so that we will be a blessing. We must ask ourselves - as individuals, families and churches: what is our sense of identity and purpose? Why are we here? Is our fellowship eager to welcome others? Is our life together infused with the sense of being for the sake of others? Is our community ready, willing and able to include those who need the gospel, whose lives are messy and broken, who are drawn to the good news we proclaim? Or do we think of our churches as existing largely to meet our own needs? All of this is how the story of God’s mission must challenge us today. Suggestions for prayer That God would infuse our fellowship with a sense of being other-oriented and that He would make our churches welcoming places for those who need the gospel of Jesus Christ. This daily devotional is available in a print edition you can buy at Nearer to God Devotional. Nick Smith is pastor of the United Reformed Church of Nampa, Idaho...

Daily devotional

Tuesday November 27 – The Church's mission (5): Life together

And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved. – Acts 2:47b Scripture reading: Acts 2:42-47 For the church’s mission, the preaching of the Word is central, even as we are called to be witnesses in all of life. Another central component of our mission is our life together, our community life as the church. Acts 2:42-47 describes the church's life together and concludes by saying that their life resulted in having favour with all the people and in people being saved each day. Let’s look in more detail at the aspects of that life: Word and sacrament: “the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers” Real life fellowship and community: “And all who believed were together and had all things in common” Caring for each other in time of need: “And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need.” Fellowship by way of hospitality: “breaking bread in their homes” We are not called to be witnesses as isolated, individual Christians first of all, but together as the church. That means that, when the church is blessed with a rich life of fellowship, we must think of it as not simply being for our own sake, but as being for the sake of those around us. Suggestions for prayer That God would bless us with a rich life of fellowship together, and that He would make us eager and ready to welcome others into that fellowship. This daily devotional is available in a print edition you can buy at Nearer to God Devotional. Nick Smith is pastor of the United Reformed Church of Nampa, Idaho....

Daily devotional

Monday November 26 - The Church's mission (4): In all of life

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Sunday November 25 - The Church's mission (3): The preaching of the Word

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Saturday November 24 - The Church's mission (2): To the end of the earth

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Friday November 23 – The Church's mission (1): True children of Abraham

Daily devotional

Thursday November 22 – The future of our mission (2): A new creation

By its light will the nations walk, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it. – Revelation 21:24 Scripture reading: Revelation 21 The story of God’s mission to save the nations of the world spans from Genesis to Revelation, from the beginning of the story to its end. The Bible begins, not with sin and the need for a Saviour, but with God’s good creation. Likewise, the Bible ends, not simply with individual souls being saved, but with a new creation, new heavens and a new earth. God will not abandon His good creation, but promises to set it right, eradicating all that is cursed and twisted and broken: "He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away" (Revelation 21:4). When He does this at the return of Jesus, it will be in fulfillment of the promises that He gave to Abraham and Israel, the promises He fulfilled in Jesus as the faithful Israelite and the true Son of Abraham, and so it will be for the benefit of the nations: "By its light will the nations walk, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it, and its gates will never be shut by day — and there will be no night there. They will bring into it the glory and the honour of the nations" (Revelation 21:24–26). That is the future God has promised, the future we are living for as we carry out the mission God has given us. Suggestions for prayer That God would fill us with faith in His promised future, especially of the world being set right, of every tear wiped away and perfect fellowship with Him in His new creation. This daily devotional is available in a print edition you can buy at Nearer to God Devotional. Nick Smith is pastor of the United Reformed Church of Nampa, Idaho....

Daily devotional

Wednesday November 21 – The future of our mission (1): The Lion of the tribe of Judah has conquered

By your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation. – Revelation 5:9 Scripture reading: Revelation 5 One of the things that the book of Revelation makes abundantly clear for the church today is that the church’s mission will be successful. That is what God promised in Daniel 2: that the stone that defeated the kingdoms of the world would grow into a mountain that filled the whole earth. Likewise, when Jesus gave His commission to His church in Matthew 28, He was clear that “all authority in heaven and on earth” has been given to Him. As Revelation 5 says, the Lion of the tribe of Judah has conquered by dying as a Lamb and rising again from the dead. That victory over death guarantees the success of the church's mission. It may not always look like success in the eyes of the world: the Lion conquered by dying after all, but the mission will nevertheless be successful. And so Revelation 5 gives us the beautiful song to sing of the fulfillment of God’s promise to Abraham so long ago that he would be a blessing to the nations: "Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation" (Revelation 5:9). That glorious song is our confidence as we carry out the mission God has given to us. Suggestions for prayer That we would be encouraged by the promised success of the church's mission and that such encouragement would make us faithful in response to God’s promises. This daily devotional is available in a print edition you can buy at Nearer to God Devotional. Nick Smith is pastor of the United Reformed Church of Nampa, Idaho....

Daily devotional

Tuesday November 20 - Jesus fulfills Israel's mission (5): Go, make disciples!

Go therefore and make disciples of all nations. - Matthew 28:19a Scripture reading: Matthew 28:16-20 Until He returns, Jesus has given His church the identity of being a light to the nations. This is not, first of all, something we do, but a matter of who we are. Missions is not simply a category of the church's life; rather, the mission God has given us is our identity, our very reason for existing as His people in this world. In Matthew 28, Jesus describes the reasons and purpose for which we are in the world: "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you" (Mt 28:19–20). This is not a matter of having missions and evangelism as a part of the church’s life. It is, rather, the whole reason we exist: to disciple the nations. This task does not end the moment someone becomes a Christian. Rather, the task of learning to be a disciple, to follow Jesus faithfully, lasts one’s entire life. And the work is not done until all people, all nations, all communities have heard the good news and the call to follow Jesus. This is why we are here; this is who we are; this is our purpose until Jesus returns. We are to disciple the nations, because that is what God promised Abraham, what He fulfilled in Jesus, and that is the mission He now gives to us. Suggestions for prayer That God would help our sense of identity as God’s missional people to grow and flourish and that our mission would be fruitful for His kingdom. This daily devotional is available in a print edition you can buy at Nearer to God Devotional. Nick Smith is pastor of the United Reformed Church of Nampa, Idaho....

Daily devotional

Monday November 19 - Jesus fulfills Israel's mission (4): You are the light of world

In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven. – Matthew 5:16 Scripture reading: Matthew 5:13-16 To understand the mission of the church, we must continue to trace the line of God’s mission throughout Scripture. The Bible is a big book and so the big picture of the whole story can be difficult to hold in our minds all at once. But it’s essential to do so if we are going to understand and feel and experience the drama of who we are called to be as the church today. Let’s recall the flow of the story: God promised Abraham in Genesis 12 that He would bless all the nations through his family. Israel, therefore, was called to live before the nations as a light to the nations. But Israel failed at that task and in exile waited for the Messiah Who would bring the promised Kingdom. When Jesus came, He did so as the true and faithful Israelite, the true Son of Abraham. Jesus was the true light of the world, the fulfillment of Israel’s calling. Does that mean there is no longer a need for light in the word? Here is where we must hear the words of Jesus in Matthew 5: "You are the light of the world. " Jesus has fulfilled Israel’s calling and then given that same calling to His church. As Israel was called to be, as Jesus was perfectly, so we are called to be until His return: the light of the world. Suggestions for prayer Praise God for the light that Jesus brings and then pray that He would enable us to be a light to those around us. This daily devotional is available in a print edition you can buy at Nearer to God Devotional. Nick Smith is pastor of the United Reformed Church of Nampa, Idaho....

Daily devotional

Sunday November 18 – Jesus fulfills Israel's mission (3): " I am the light of the world"

Daily devotional

Saturday November 17 – Jesus fulfills Israel's mission (2): The true son of Abraham

Daily devotional

Friday November 16 - Jesus fulfills Israel's mission (1): The Good News of the Kingdom

Daily devotional

Thursday November 15 - A promised Kingdom

And in the days of those kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that shall never be destroyed, nor shall the kingdom be left to another people....

Daily devotional

Wednesday November 14 – Singing of mission (4): The Lord says to my Lord

Your people will offer themselves freely on the day of your power. – Psalm 110:3 Scripture reading: Psalm 110 Psalm 110 is one of the many Psalms that the New Testament explicitly tells us is fulfilled by the resurrection, ascension, and reign of Jesus as King. The first two verses speak clearly of Jesus’ ascension to God’s right hand to reign over all the world: "The Lord says to my Lord: 'Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies your footstool.' The Lord sends forth from Zion your mighty sceptre. Rule in the midst of your enemies!” (v. 1-2). Psalms like this are essential to remember when we think about our mission as the church. When we think about being witnesses in all of our living, about proclaiming the gospel to all nations, we can be tempted to feel overwhelmed and helpless. But the New Testament tells us that these words have already been fulfilled in Jesus, that He is king over all and that therefore His mission will be successful. That is why we need to sing Psalms like this that speak so clearly of evil. But such language of victory has in view not only the defeat of God’s enemies, but also of the success of His mission to be a blessing: “He will execute judgment among the nations” (v. 6). To execute judgment doesn’t just mean to punish evil. It means to set things right, to make things be as they ought to be. That is what Jesus has done, is doing and will one day do fully at His return. And that is good news for all nations! Suggestions for prayer That we would believe and rest in the good news that Jesus is King, and that we would boldly embrace our mission as a result. This daily devotional is available in a print edition you can buy at Nearer to God Devotional. Nick Smith is pastor of the United Reformed Church of Nampa, Idaho....

Daily devotional

Tuesday November 13 - Singing of mission (3): Christ shall have dominion

May he have dominion from sea to sea, and from the River to the ends of the earth! – Psalm 72:8 Scripture reading: Psalm 72 Psalm 72 is another example of a psalm in which Israel sang about the coming of the Messiah, and about the implications He would have for all the nations of the earth. Israel sang for and about the faithful Son of David: “Give the king your justice, O God, and your righteousness to the royal son!” (v. 1). Israel’s expectation was that a faithful son of David would have dominion over the whole earth. Though they did not see this with their eyes, they sang of it by faith: “May he have dominion from sea to sea, and from the River to the ends of the earth!” (v. 8). And most strikingly, this was not just about conquering or subduing the nations, though that theme is present in the Psalm and many Israelites probably emphasized that theme. It was also about being a blessing to the nations: “May his name endure forever, his fame continue as long as the sun! May people be blessed in him, all nations call him blessed!” (v. 17). Israel sang of the nations of the world being “blessed in him.” These were the sorts of promises that shaped Israel’s hopes as they awaited the Messiah, the promises that Jesus fulfilled, the promises that now give us our mission as the church. Our goal is to see all the nations - including our own communities and cities - “call him blessed.” Suggestions for prayer Praise God for the good news that we have found blessing in Jesus as the faithful Son of David and pray that we would love and embrace our calling to be witnesses to that same good news. This daily devotional is available in a print edition you can buy at Nearer to God Devotional. Nick Smith is pastor of the United Reformed Church of Nampa, Idaho....

Daily devotional

Monday November 12 - Singing of mission (2): Blessed to be a blessing

Let the nations be glad and sing for joy, for you judge the peoples with equity and guide the nations upon earth. – Psalm 67:4 Scripture reading: Psalm 67 The next Psalm we turn to is Psalm 67. It begins with familiar words, reminding us of the Aaronic benediction in Numbers 6: “May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face to shine upon us” (v. 1). This is a prayer for blessing, a prayer for the blessing that most specifically belongs to Israel in particular. The Aaronic benediction was something that belonged to and was proclaimed for Israel as God’s special covenant people. It was their special blessing. That makes the next verse all the more striking: “That your way may be known on earth, your saving power among all nations” (v. 2). The particular blessing that was for Israel was ultimately not just for Israel. Israel was to seek blessing from the Lord so that the nations would come to know God’s ways. Israel was tempted to think the blessing was just for them. This psalm challenged them to remember that they were blessed to be a blessing. The same thing is true for the church today. When God blesses us, it is not so we can keep that blessing for ourselves, but so that we can be a blessing to those around us. In Christ, we are the true children of Abraham and that means that the calling of Israel to be a light to the nations is being fulfilled in the church today. Suggestions for prayer Praise God for blessing Israel in such a way that we have received blessings in Christ and then pray that we would continue to be a blessing to others. This daily devotional is available in a print edition you can buy at Nearer to God Devotional. Nick Smith is pastor of the United Reformed Church of Nampa, Idaho....

Daily devotional

Sunday November 11 - Singing of mission (1): Why do the nations rage?

Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage, and the ends of the earth your possession. – Psalm 2:8 Scripture reading: Psalm 2 Thus far this month, we have seen how God gave Israel a mission to be a light to the nations, a mission driven by the promise to Abraham in Genesis 12 that through him all the families of the earth would be blessed and we have traced that theme throughout the story of Israel. That leads us to the next section of this study: the ways in which Israel sang about their mission in the Psalms. This is deeply formative for us as the church today, as we continue to sing the Psalms as they have been fulfilled in Christ. Looking at the Psalms, then, teaches us about Jesus and about the mission of the church today. The first example we turn to is Psalm 2. This psalm sings of the Messiah, the Son of David, Who would fulfill God’s promises to Israel. God’s promise to the Messiah was that the nations would be His inheritance: “Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage, and the ends of the earth your possession” (v. 8). This is how we must view the world. Even as the nations rage against the Lord, they are in fact Christ’s inheritance, the reason He came, the purpose for which He died and rose again. And so that song gives us our mission as well, to proclaim to all who do not know Him: “Blessed are all who take refuge in him” (v. 12). Suggestions for prayer We thank God that the Messiah asked for – and received – us as His inheritance, as part of the nations of the world. And we pray that we would be faithful to continue to carry out the mission of calling others to take refuge in Him. This daily devotional is available in a print edition you can buy at Nearer to God Devotional. Nick Smith is pastor of the United Reformed Church of Nampa, Idaho....

Daily devotional

Saturday November 10 - Israel's mission (7): It shall come to pass in latter days

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Friday November 9 - Israel's mission (6): The failure of Israel

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Thursday November 8 - Israel's mission (5): In the sight of the peoples

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Wednesday November 7 – Israel's mission (4): All the Earth is mine

Daily devotional

Tuesday November 6 - Israel's mission (3): The Gospel beforehand

And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, "In you shall all the nations be blessed.” - Galatians 3:8 Scripture reading: Galatians 3:1-9 God promised Abraham in Genesis 12, that through him all the families of the earth would be blessed. This promise drives the whole rest of the story of the Bible. Perhaps you are wondering if that is a bit too strong a claim. That is why we turn to Galatians 3 today. In Galatians 3, Paul is arguing against those who are suggesting that faith in Jesus isn’t enough for salvation, that something else needs to be added. In response to such a claim, Paul uses Abraham as an example of what God has been doing all along: justifying His people, not by their works, but by their faith: “Just as Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness” (Gal. 3:6). Despite that clear example, Jewish Christians were tempted to think that all this salvation and righteousness was just for the Jewish people and that Gentile Christians needed to become Jewish in order to be saved. To answer that question, Paul then quotes from Genesis 12: “And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, 'In you shall all the nations be blessed.’” Paul says that it was always God’s intention to include the Gentile nations as Gentiles and when God gave that promise to Abraham in Genesis 12, He was proclaiming the gospel! This is the gospel that drives our mission today: that through Abraham’s family, in Jesus, all the families of the earth would be blessed. Suggestions for prayer That we would believe and love this good news and that we would live lives shaped by it, seeking that same blessing for those who have not yet known it. This daily devotional is available in a print edition you can buy at Nearer to God Devotional. Nick Smith is pastor of the United Reformed Church of Nampa, Idaho....

Daily devotional

Monday November 5 – Israel's mission(2): The call of Abram

...and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.– Genesis 12:3b Scripture reading: Genesis 12:1-9 The call of Abram in Genesis 12 marks the beginning of the story of Israel as God’s special covenant people. The promises that God gives to Abram are the promises that drive the whole rest of the story. God had promised in Genesis 3:15 that He would defeat the serpent, that He would defeat sin and death, and in Genesis 12, He proclaims that He will do that through Abram’s family. God gave Abram the promise of land, the promise that would guide so much of Israel’s story: the Exodus, the conquest of Canaan, the time of the Judges, the exile and the return. He gave the promise of descendants, the promise that would motivate the hopes and dreams of Isaac and Jacob, of Sarah, Rebekah, Leah, and Rachel. As a result of both of these promises, Israel was tempted to think everything was about and for them. They were tempted to forget the third promise, the promises that actually gave the reason for all of this: “and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed” (Genesis 12:3b). This is the promise that would drive the rest of the story, that through Abram’s family, God would bless all the families of the earth. In that promise, we hear God’s heart for His lost world. In that promise, we hear the mission of God. Suggestions for prayer That we would receive the good news that God had desired from the beginning to bless all the nations of the world and that we would love and serve Him in return. This daily devotional is available in a print edition you can buy at Nearer to God Devotional. Nick Smith is pastor of the United Reformed Church of Nampa, Idaho....

Daily devotional

Sunday November 4 – Israel's mission (1): Genesis 12 comes after Genesis 1-11

In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. – Genesis 1:1 Scripture reading: Genesis 12:1; Genesis 1 Yesterday we saw how Jesus summarized the story of the Bible: as being about Him - fulfilled in His death and resurrection - and as being about the mission of God to bring salvation to the nations. That mission begins with the call of Abram in Genesis 12. But it is important to remember that Genesis 12 comes after Genesis 1-11. Genesis 1-11 tells a story, not of Israel in particular, but of the whole world. It tells of Creation in Genesis 1-2 and then of the Fall in Genesis 3. And think of the rest of the stories in chapters 4-11 – Cain and Abel, the Flood, the Tower of Babel, what do they have in common? They make it clear that the world is messed up by sin. When God called Abram, Israelites were tempted to think God was rejecting the rest of the world in favor of Abram’s family. That cannot be because God is the One who made the world. “And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good” (Gen. 1:31). Israel needed to remember – and we must remember – that God created the world, that He declared it very good, that He loves the world and will not abandon it to sin and death. That is where God’s mission begins: with the goodness of Creation and His promise to defeat sin and death (see Genesis 3:15). Suggestions for prayer That we would remember God’s love for the world He has made and that our love for the lost would reflect God’s love. This daily devotional is available in a print edition you can buy at Nearer to God Devotional. Nick Smith is pastor of the United Reformed Church of Nampa, Idaho....

Daily devotional

Saturday November 3 - The big picture (3): To all nations

...and that repentance for the forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. – Luke 24:47 Scripture reading: Luke 24:36-49 Yesterday we saw that Jesus is very clear in Luke 24 that the whole Bible tells one story, united around Him as the fulfillment of the Scriptures. This point is glorious and exciting, showing the beauty of the Bible and of Christ, emphasizing the faithfulness of God to all of His promises to His people. But too often, Reformed Christians are tempted to stop at this point, rightly delighting in how the whole Bible points to Jesus, but neglecting the next thing He says. The Scriptures didn’t just speak of the death and resurrection of Jesus; they also spoke of the mission of the church: Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, and said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that repentance for the forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem" (v.45-47). Did you catch that? Jesus would die and rise and again. And, forgiveness would be proclaimed to all nations! The whole Bible is about the mission of the church. As we look at the story of the Bible, we must look not only for Christ but for the story of God’s mission to proclaim forgiveness to all nations. Suggestions for prayer That we would see Christ in all of Scripture and that we would see God’s mission to save the nations, fulfilled in the mission Christ has given His church. This daily devotional is available in a print edition you can buy at Nearer to God Devotional. Nick Smith is pastor of the United Reformed Church of Nampa, Idaho....

Daily devotional

Friday November 2 – The big picture (2): Everything written about Me

Daily devotional

Thursday November 1 – The big picture (1): Jesus on the road to Emmaus

Daily devotional

Wednesday October 31 - Contending for the faith

I found it necessary to write appealing to you to contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints. - Jude 3b Scripture reading...

Daily devotional

Tuesday October 30 - The Word of Life

That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands, concer...

Daily devotional

Monday October 29 - Pay much closer attention

Therefore we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it. - Hebrews 2:1 Scripture reading: Hebrews 2:1–4 There are ten “Therefore” in Hebrews; the first is in Chapter 2. It warns against “drifting” from the Gospel. The recipients of this Letter possessed the Old Testament, as the New Testament was in the process of formation. So, for about a century, the Gospel message was transmitted orally by men like Paul, Peter, John and their assistants, as well as by the testimony of converts. During His earthly ministry, Christ had begun the proclamation of His “great salvation.” Nowadays, we have the Bible available to us in print, on the internet and on our smartphones; for English-speaking people, they can read it in several versions. We possess the heritage of the Church summarized in Creeds, Confessions of Faith and in Catechisms. It’s beautifully expressed in hymns, oratorios and cantatas. There is no excuse for drifting away from the faith. Why is this strong warning about apostasy in this Letter? Doesn’t the Bible teach the “Perseverance of the Saints?” Yes, but these warnings are the means the Lord uses to enable us to persevere in the faith! Neglecting the “means of grace” is to court spiritual disaster. One of my saddest recollections is the story of a young man I once knew who was preparing for the ministry. After ordination, he became a foreign missionary and first did very well. Years later, I learned that he had fallen into grievous sins, wrecked his family life and was drifting aimlessly! Scriptural warnings are very necessary to keep us from drifting! Suggestions for prayer Pray for pastors, missionaries, leaders in church and state, that they take heed to themselves, walking on the Narrow Way that leads to life. This daily devotional is available in a print edition you can buy at Nearer to God Devotional. Rev. Bassam Michael Madany has served as a missionary in Syria, and in 1958 he began a 36-year radio and literature ministry to the Arab world. After retirement Bassam & his wife Shirley began an Internet ministry, Middle East Resources, to provide a “Christian Response to the Global Challenge of Islam.”...

Daily devotional

Sunday October 28 - Making purification for sins

After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high... - Hebrews 1:3b Scripture reading: Hebrews 1:1–4 The author of Hebrews would first state a doctrinal truth, then use the word “Therefore” to apply that truth in the life of the Church. In Chapter 1, he contrasted God’s revelation during the Old Testament times, with the revelation in the New Testament era. Old Testament revelation was accomplished through the prophets; God’s final revelation was by His Son. Old Testament revelation was partial and preparatory; New Testament revelation was total and final. In describing the nature and attributes of the Son of God, Hebrews 1 reminds us of John 1. The focus of this Introduction is on Redemption, stated in these significant words: “After making purification for sins.” The Prophets handed down the messages delivered by God’s Spirit; the core of their message was God’s promise in Genesis 3:15, when He said to the serpent: “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.” Man’s sinfulness could only be overcome by a redemptive act of God. The Old Testament sacrificial system portrayed that redemption, but could not accomplish it. Only the Incarnate Son of God did that by His vicarious death on the cross. During Jesus Christ’s earthly ministry, He revealed God both in His preaching and in His actions. The leaders of Israel should have welcomed the work of the Messiah as the sacrifice for sin; however, they rejected the only One who was to make “purifications for sins.” Suggestions for prayer Praise the Lord for His wonderful provision of “The Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1: 29b). This daily devotional is available in a print edition you can buy at Nearer to God Devotional. Rev. Bassam Michael Madany has served as a missionary in Syria, and in 1958 he began a 36-year radio and literature ministry to the Arab world. After retirement Bassam & his wife Shirley began an Internet ministry, Middle East Resources, to provide a “Christian Response to the Global Challenge of Islam.”...

Daily devotional

Saturday October 27 - For the sake of the elect

Therefore I endure everything for the sake of the elect, that they also may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory. - 2 Timothy 2:10 Scripture reading: 2 Timothy 2:8–13 Having assured Timothy that the proclamation of the Word of God could not be stopped, Paul mentioned his readiness to endure every hardship, so that the elect would become partakers of the salvation accomplished by Christ. Here is an important lesson in mission work. The elect will be saved, but they will be saved by faith in Jesus Christ. Earlier this month, we learned during our meditation on First Corinthians, that God ordained that people are saved through the preaching of the Gospel. Paul’s Letter to the Romans, Chapter 10:17, states, “So, faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.” The role that preaching the Good News plays in reaching the elect is inestimable. It enabled me to embark on a radio and literature ministry to the Arab world for 36 years. Most Arabic-speaking people are Muslims. Their sacred texts, the Qur’an, Hadith and Life of Muhammad, deny every fundamental truth of the Bible. Belief in the Holy Trinity is considered as idolatry; the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, His resurrection and ascension are denied. The sinfulness of man is regarded as a mere ignorance that can be overcome by obedience to the commands of Allah. It would have been impossible for me to persist in this work had I not believed in the doctrine of election. At the same time, I was convinced of the necessity of proclaiming the Word of God in order to bring in the elect from every part of the vast Arab world. Suggestions for prayer Pray for pastors, missionaries and church members, that they keep in mind both Divine sovereignty and human responsibility, as the Bible teaches! This daily devotional is available in a print edition you can buy at Nearer to God Devotional. Rev. Bassam Michael Madany has served as a missionary in Syria, and in 1958 he began a 36-year radio and literature ministry to the Arab world. After retirement Bassam & his wife Shirley began an Internet ministry, Middle East Resources, to provide a “Christian Response to the Global Challenge of Islam.”...

Daily devotional

Friday October 26 - The Word of God is not bound

Remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, the offspring of David, as preached in my gospel, for which I am suffering, bound with chains as a criminal. But the word of God is not bound! – 2 Timothy 2:8-9 Scripture reading: 2 Timothy 2:1–13 Second Timothy is Paul’s last Letter. He was in prison awaiting his execution. These words are his “Will and Testament” sent to his spiritual son Timothy, pastor of the Church in Ephesus. He reminded him of the essence of the Gospel message and exhorted him to train men who will hand down the faith to the following generations. To be a servant of Jesus Christ required a readiness to suffer and perhaps to die as a martyr (Greek for witness). While the Lord’s servants have often been chained throughout history, the Word of God has not and cannot be chained. No power on earth can thwart God’s eternal purposes. This is the verdict of the history of missions. A colleague, who had once served as a missionary in China, told me that his work came to an end with the victory of the Communists in 1949. At that time, it was estimated that the number of Christians in China was around one million. During the Cultural Revolution (1960–1970), thousands of Christians were imprisoned and many were martyred. Regardless of the severity of persecution, Christianity was not wiped out. Lately, the situation has changed drastically. House churches have sprung up in many parts of the country, theological schools have opened and the number of believers is estimated to be in the millions. What a testimony to Paul’s words: But the word of God is not bound! Western Christians are providing the Chinese Church with theological instruction to help believers grow in faith. Suggestions for prayer Praise the Lord for preserving the Church in China, for the courage of its leaders and for Western Christians who are helping with theological instruction. This daily devotional is available in a print edition you can buy at Nearer to God Devotional. Rev. Bassam Michael Madany has served as a missionary in Syria, and in 1958 he began a 36-year radio and literature ministry to the Arab world. After retirement Bassam & his wife Shirley began an Internet ministry, Middle East Resources, to provide a “Christian Response to the Global Challenge of Islam.”...

Daily devotional

Thursday October 25 - The Spirit of Wisdom

That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him. – Ephesian...

Daily devotional

Wednesday October 24 - Chosen before the foundation of the world

Daily devotional

Tuesday October 23 - No other Gospel

But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed. - Galatians 1:8 ...

Daily devotional

Monday October 22 - Removing the veil

Yes, to this day whenever Moses is read a veil lies over their hearts. But when one turns to the Lord, the veil is removed. – 2 Corinthians 3:15-16...

Daily devotional

Sunday October 21 - Holding fast to the Word

Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. – 1 Corinthians 15:1-2 Scripture reading: 1 Corinthians 15:1-11 In our devotional for October 8, we meditated on Paul’s message to the wise men of Athens. Near the end of his speech, he referred to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. They were shocked upon hearing of the resurrection of the dead. That contradicted their philosophy; immortality of the soul was acceptable, but not the resurrection of the body! There were members of the Corinthian Church who entertained doubts about this Christian belief. So, Paul had to remind them of the basic tenets of the Christian faith that he had proclaimed upon his arrival at their city and of the necessity of holding fast to these truths. The Apostle wrote: "For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures." As a theologian once put it, “The Gospel is not simply that Christ died, but that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures.” He meant to emphasize that the historical fact about the death of Christ, as interpreted by God, formed the very essence of the Christian message. It is necessary to hold fast to this truth since the uniqueness of the Christian faith is questioned by some Western theologians, who propagate the notion of the equal validity of all religious faiths. They deny the need for the redemptive work of Christ, as expounded in the Bible. Suggestions for prayer Pray that God would help us to remain “steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain” (1 Corinthians 15:58). This daily devotional is available in a print edition you can buy at Nearer to God Devotional. Rev. Bassam Michael Madany has served as a missionary in Syria, and in 1958 he began a 36-year radio and literature ministry to the Arab world. After retirement Bassam & his wife Shirley began an Internet ministry, Middle East Resources, to provide a “Christian Response to the Global Challenge of Islam.”...

Daily devotional

Saturday October 20 - The message, not the method

For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. – 1 Corinthians 2:2 Scripture reading: 1 Corinthians 2:1–5 The Corinthian Church needed to learn this fundamental truth: the integrity of the message is extremely important. Some members of the church wanted the message to be constructed in accordance with the standards of Greek culture. Paul, however, reminded them that the Gospel should be proclaimed without embellishment or alteration. “When I came to you, brothers, I did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom. For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. And I was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling, and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.” Paul’s emphasis on the message, “Jesus Christ and him crucified,” is crucial today. Believing in the death of Jesus Christ on the cross of Calvary, as an atonement for our sins, reveals the power and wisdom of God in planning our redemption and by enabling us to believe the Good News. This Biblical truth must be maintained at all costs as we are surrounded by theories which are radically opposed to the authority of the Word of God and to sound doctrine as summarized in the Nicene Creed. To succumb to such views, would nullify the power and effectiveness of Christian missions. This happens often when men teach unbiblical theories in missions. Suggestions for prayer Pray fervently for all those commissioned by the Lord to proclaim the Gospel, to do their work boldly, fully convinced that their labors will not be in vain. This daily devotional is available in a print edition you can buy at Nearer to God Devotional. Rev. Bassam Michael Madany has served as a missionary in Syria, and in 1958 he began a 36-year radio and literature ministry to the Arab world. After retirement Bassam & his wife Shirley began an Internet ministry, Middle East Resources, to provide a “Christian Response to the Global Challenge of Islam.”...

Daily devotional

Friday October 19 - The wisdom of God

For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach, to save those who believe. – 1 Corinthians 1:21 Scripture reading: I Corinthians 1:18-31 Paul spent eighteen months in Corinth preaching the Gospel and organizing the Church. He wrote his First Letter to deal with several problems that had been disturbing the health and unity of the congregation there. The Corinthians were not as sophisticated as the Athenians; still, they were attracted by “form” rather than “substance.” They had not grown spiritually since they leveled several criticisms at Paul and his preaching. Paul had to remind them that God, in His sovereignty, had ordained the preaching of the Gospel as the means of salvation. The phrase “what we preach” is a translation of the Greek, “Kerugmatos,” a specific word that refers to the content of Paul’s preaching. In other words, every message proclaimed from a pulpit must conform to the Biblical Gospel. Paul took notice of the Greek’s love of wisdom. But Greek wisdom was the very antithesis of God’s wisdom since they regarded the message of a crucified and risen Saviour as utter foolishness. It didn’t matter that the Greeks described Paul’s preaching as foolishness; he did not accommodate his message to make it acceptable to his audience. Throughout all his missionary career, Paul was convinced that the Gospel of Christ “is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes” (NKJ). The Church hasn’t always proclaimed and defended this Biblical faith. In our days, several denominations have surrendered to the “wisdom” of man. We need another Reformation like the one launched by Martin Luther 500 years ago. Suggestions for prayer Plead with the Lord to grant our ministers and missionaries to boldly proclaim the “whole counsel of God” as Paul did in his ministry. This daily devotional is available in a print edition you can buy at Nearer to God Devotional. Rev. Bassam Michael Madany has served as a missionary in Syria, and in 1958 he began a 36-year radio and literature ministry to the Arab world. After retirement Bassam & his wife Shirley began an Internet ministry, Middle East Resources, to provide a “Christian Response to the Global Challenge of Islam.”...

Daily devotional

Thursday October 18 - The word of the cross

For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. – I Corinthians 1:18 Scripture reading: I Corinthians 1:18-31 The 19th century is known as the Great Century of Missions. My family was impacted by the Presbyterian missionaries from Britain and the USA when they began their work around Antioch, Syria. My father was the grandson of the local Orthodox priest in Seleucia. Thanks to the presence and teaching of the missionaries, he converted to Protestantism. After serving in the Ottoman Army during WWI, he was tutored by the missionaries and served as pastor in two cities of the area. Growing up in a Protestant home, I became aware of the ways the early missionaries accomplished their work. My father’s library was lined with Bible Commentaries, books on Systematic Theology and Church History. All had been translated into Arabic by the pioneer missionaries whose greatest accomplishment and gift to us was the translation of the Bible into Arabic, our native language. To this day, this translation is known as the “Smith-Van Dyck” version of 1860! National pastors were equipped to proclaim the “Word of the Cross.” Notwithstanding the obstacles they encountered in their work, their message brought men and women to a saving faith in the Lord, as it was accompanied by the power of the Holy Spirit. The phrase, “the word of the Cross” summarized the essence of Christianity as a faith based on the redemption accomplished by Jesus Christ, by His death on the Cross, His victory over death, His Resurrection and Ascension into glory, seated at the right hand of God to make intercession for His own. Suggestions for prayer Ask the Lord to grant His messengers steadfastness in their proclamation of the Word of the Cross. This daily devotional is available in a print edition you can buy at Nearer to God Devotional. Rev. Bassam Michael Madany has served as a missionary in Syria, and in 1958 he began a 36-year radio and literature ministry to the Arab world. After retirement Bassam & his wife Shirley began an Internet ministry, Middle East Resources, to provide a “Christian Response to the Global Challenge of Islam.”...

Daily devotional

Wednesday October 17 - A living sacrifice

I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your sp...

Daily devotional

Tuesday October 16 - The future salvation of Israel

Daily devotional

Monday October 15 - Faith comes from hearing

For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed what he has heard from us?” So, faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ. – Ro...

Daily devotional

Sunday October 14 - Paul's great anguish

Because, 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. For with th...

Daily devotional

Saturday October 13 - The Christian hope

For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience. – Romans 8:24-25 Scripture reading: Romans 8:18–25 Recently, I translated the story of a young Egyptian Muslim who was converted to the Christian faith through the testimony of a Christian girlfriend at school. She found peace with God that she could not find in the Allah of Islam. As soon as her parents discovered her conversion, her ordeal began. She was dragged to the police authorities where she was interrogated and beaten. As she refused to return to Islam, she was thrown out of her home! Eventually, she managed to leave Egypt and lead a new life. Her experience has been duplicated many times throughout history. It illustrates what Paul teaches as he reached the end of his exposition of the Gospel. He referred to the sufferings of this age, balancing them with the glories that will be revealed at the return of Jesus Christ. It is in this sense that we understand: “For in this hope we were saved.” The full benefits of our salvation will be realized in the future; in the meantime, we must wait patiently for that Day. Any attempt to deny that the fullness of the Kingdom of God awaits the Second Advent leads to the secularization of the Gospel. In the past century, several Protestant Churches succumbed to this temptation by adopting the “Social Gospel.” It caused divisions among these churches. It was disastrous in the mission fields, as I experienced in Syria. Mission schools promoted a secularized “gospel” which led to the weakening of the young Protestant Churches! Suggestions for prayer Ask the Lord of the Church to enable ministers and church leaders “to contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints.” This daily devotional is available in a print edition you can buy at Nearer to God Devotional. Rev. Bassam Michael Madany has served as a missionary in Syria, and in 1958 he began a 36-year radio and literature ministry to the Arab world. After retirement Bassam & his wife Shirley began an Internet ministry, Middle East Resources, to provide a “Christian Response to the Global Challenge of Islam.”...

Daily devotional

Friday October 12 - The righteousness of God

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. – Romans 3:21,22a Scripture reading: Romans 3:21–31 Unlike the rest of world religions, Christianity is a redemptive faith. This means that in Adam’s Fall, all of humanity became incapable of rescuing itself from the bondage of sin. It’s important to remember that the Judaism of Paul’s days did not reflect the faith of the Old Testament Prophets. During the 400 years between Malachi and John the Baptist, a legalistic form of Judaism developed. A person could be put right with God by doing the demands of the Law. Over against this “Rabbinical Judaism,” Paul explained: “but now, the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law … the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. … For all have sinned and fall short of the Glory of God…. And are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.” The legalism of Judaism is like the belief of Muslims. Having confessed their faith in Allah and in Muhammad as his prophet, Muslims must accomplish various duties to gain a place in Paradise. This deprives them of assurance about their eternal state. Fear surrounds their life journey! Now that Muslims have moved in great numbers to the West, Christians have a responsibility to share the Biblical Gospel with their Muslim neighbors. While Muslims reject all the basic teachings of the Scriptures, yet, “the Gospel is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes;” this includes Muslims and Jews as well! Suggestions for prayer Plead with the Lord of the Harvest to grant us boldness in our witness to our non-Christian neighbors. This daily devotional is available in a print edition you can buy at Nearer to God Devotional. Rev. Bassam Michael Madany has served as a missionary in Syria, and in 1958 he began a 36-year radio and literature ministry to the Arab world. After retirement Bassam & his wife Shirley began an Internet ministry, Middle East Resources, to provide a “Christian Response to the Global Challenge of Islam.”...

Daily devotional

Thursday October 11 - Unashamed of the Gospel

For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also the Greek. – Romans 1:16 Scripture reading: Romans 1:16-17 When Paul was in Athens, he presented the Gospel of the crucified and risen Lord to everyone he encountered. Some, who were followers of the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers, looked down on him, claiming he was uttering nonsense! As he began expounding the Gospel to the Church in Rome, he was fully aware of the negative attitude of many Jewish and Gentile people in the city. So he set forth, in the clearest manner, his absolute confidence in the message entrusted to him by God. Unlike the vain speculations of Athens’s philosophers, Paul pointed to the fact that the Gospel he proclaimed served as a means for the salvation of everyone who believed, both Jews and Greeks. This was manifested in a changed life that centered on the love of God and of fellow human beings. Even though the Jews had received the Promise of the coming Messiah and could read about it in their Scriptures, yet, they were disappointed in Him because He didn’t liberate them from Rome. As to the Gentiles, often called Greeks, since the educated ones knew Greek as well as Latin, they considered the Gospel message as “foolishness,” as it contradicted their views of man’s basic needs. The Gospel provides the diagnosis and the cure for mankind’s sinfulness. It explains how to obtain a right relationship with God. As Paul put it, “For in it a righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, ‘The righteous shall live by faith.’” Suggestions for prayer Ask the Lord to equip His ministers and missionaries with boldness and clarity to proclaim the saving message of the Gospel. This daily devotional is available in a print edition you can buy at Nearer to God Devotional. Rev. Bassam Michael Madany has served as a missionary in Syria, and in 1958 he began a 36-year radio and literature ministry to the Arab world. After retirement Bassam & his wife Shirley began an Internet ministry, Middle East Resources, to provide a “Christian Response to the Global Challenge of Islam.”...

Daily devotional

Wednesday October 10 – The Gospel of God

Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God. – Romans 1:1 Scripture reading: Romans 1:1-17 We began our meditations with texts from Matthew and the Book of Acts. Today, we begin with Paul’s Letter to the Romans. Paul addressed this letter to a church he had yet to visit. It was organized by people who had visited Jerusalem and witnessed the events on Pentecost. Upon returning home, they shared with their respective communities their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, having been baptized as members of His Church. Unlike the other letters which addressed certain doctrinal and ethical problems, this letter can best be described as “The Catechism of the Christian Church.” It sets forth in a systematic way, an exposition of the Gospel. This is Paul’s theme throughout the letter, as we notice from his salutation: “Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God, which he promised beforehand through his prophets in the holy Scriptures, concerning his Son, who was descended from David according to the flesh and was declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord.” Romans has played a special role in the life of the Church. It functions as a key to the understanding of the Bible. The rediscovery of its teachings contributed to the revival of the Christian faith. It was through his study of Romans, that Martin Luther found peace with God and launched the Reformation, five hundred years ago! Suggestions for prayer Plead with the Lord to work mightily among us, that we may take to heart, the vital lessons from this Epistle. This daily devotional is available in a print edition you can buy at Nearer to God Devotional. Rev. Bassam Michael Madany has served as a missionary in Syria, and in 1958 he began a 36-year radio and literature ministry to the Arab world. After retirement Bassam & his wife Shirley began an Internet ministry, Middle East Resources, to provide a “Christian Response to the Global Challenge of Islam.”...

Daily devotional

Tuesday October 9 - Many are my people

For I have many in this city who are my people. – Acts 18:10b Scripture reading: Acts 18:5-11 Leaving Athens, Paul came to the port city of C...

Daily devotional

Monday October 8 – Times of ignorance

The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent. - Acts 17:30 Scripture reading: Acts 17:22–34 Pau...

Daily devotional

Sunday October 7 – He was baptized for His family

Daily devotional

Saturday October 6 - The Macedonian Call

And a vision appeared to Paul in the night: a man of Macedonia was standing there, urging him and saying, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” �...

Daily devotional

Friday October 5 - World missions

The Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” Then after fasting and praying they laid their hands on them and sent them off. – Acts 13:2b-3 Scripture reading: Acts 13:1-3 On Pentecost, the converts to Christianity were mostly Jews from the Dispersion. They returned home and announced the Good News among their communities. In Antioch, a major cosmopolitan centre for more than 300 years, it was natural for Christians to share the Gospel with their Gentile neighbors. Both Barnabas and Saul were familiar with Greek and Hebrew and the Old Testament Scriptures. The Holy Spirit instructed the Church to commission them “for the work to which He had called them.” The call comes from God; the Church confirms the call by ordaining and sending Paul and Barnabas out as missionaries. Leaders at the church in Antioch, after fasting and praying, “laid their hands on them and sent them off.” That marked the beginning of the First Missionary Journey, recorded in Chapters 13 and 14 of Acts. Saul and Barnabas labored first on the island of Cyprus and continued their mission in the mainland of Asia Minor. “From Attalia, they sailed to Antioch, where they had been commended to the grace of God for the work that they had fulfilled. And when they arrived and gathered the church together, they declared all that God had done with them, and how he had opened a door of faith to the Gentiles (Acts 14:26,27). In Paul’s days, the mission field was mostly situated within the Roman Empire; Roman roads and Roman Peace facilitated travel. Nowadays, the entire world has become our mission field! Where freedom is curtailed, we transcend the obstacle, through the Internet. Suggestions for prayer Missionaries laboring in many parts of the world face many obstacles; ask the Lord to protect them and enable them to continue in their service of the One Who has “All authority in heaven and on earth.” This daily devotional is available in a print edition you can buy at Nearer to God Devotional. Rev. Bassam Michael Madany has served as a missionary in Syria, and in 1958 he began a 36-year radio and literature ministry to the Arab world. After retirement Bassam & his wife Shirley began an Internet ministry, Middle East Resources, to provide a “Christian Response to the Global Challenge of Islam.”...

Daily devotional

Thursday October 4 – Ananias and the persecutor

And immediately something like scales fell from his eyes, and he regained his sight. Then he rose and was baptized. – Acts 9:18 Scripture reading: Acts 9:17-19 The conversion of Saul of Tarsus is one of the most dramatic stories of the New Testament. Luke tells us that this zealous young man couldn’t tolerate the followers of the Messiah. He consented to the murder of Stephen. When he met the glorified Messiah on the Damascus Road, he was ordered to go to a Christian disciple in Damascus, the very one he had planned to harm! Luke has supplied us with vivid details of the encounter. I would like to draw attention to a phenomenon that played a major role in the rapid growth of the Christian Church: the existence of Christian communities with no information about how the Gospel got to them. This applies to Damascus. Paul went to Ananias' home; his sight was restored and he was baptized. This implies the prior existence of the Church. It must have been that some of the 3,000 who were converted in Jerusalem on Pentecost, belonged to the Jewish community in Damascus. Their conversion experience enabled them to go back to their homes and tell the marvelous account of the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecies in the life and person of Jesus Christ. Their testimony was spontaneous and joyful; it led to the conversion of Ananias and several others. In our reflections on similar accounts in Acts, the existence of Christian communities like the one in Damascus will be noted. Behind all of them, we must consider two major facts: the Jewish Dispersion and the Septuagint translation of the Hebrew Old Testament into Greek. Suggestions for prayer Let us pray that all members of the Church may reclaim the spontaneity that marked the witness of the Early Church. This daily devotional is available in a print edition you can buy at Nearer to God Devotional. Rev. Bassam Michael Madany has served as a missionary in Syria, and in 1958 he began a 36-year radio and literature ministry to the Arab world. After retirement Bassam & his wife Shirley began an Internet ministry, Middle East Resources, to provide a “Christian Response to the Global Challenge of Islam.”...

Daily devotional

Wednesday October 3 – Repent and be baptized

For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself. – Acts 2:39 Scripture reading: Acts 2:37–41 Peter’s sermon quoted Old Testament prophecies that were fulfilled in Jesus Christ and culminated with the coming of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost, to inaugurate the New Testament Age. The hearers, “were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, ‘Brothers, what shall we do?’ And Peter said to them, ‘Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins.'” Christian missions include the command to “repent,” a basic condition for entry into the Church. Since those who heard Peter’s message were adults, their baptism followed their confession. But Peter didn’t stop; he declared that the “Promise” (the Gospel) was for them, their children and for all people who were included in God’s eternal plan of salvation. This fact encourages and sustains missionaries in their work, realizing that their labors will not be in vain! Reading Acts and the Epistles, we discover the way God works in missions. One missionary plants the seed of the Word and later another one builds upon it. Finally, God gives the increase as He sovereignly determines. And the phenomenal growth of the New Testament Church is the witness to His mighty acts at the very beginning of the church’s life. Early in the fourth century, the number of Christians in the Roman Empire had become substantial. Paganism was declining, while the followers of Jesus Christ showed by word and deed, the renewing power of the faith. Suggestions for prayer Pray for your missionaries asking the Lord to grant them patience and hope. This daily devotional is available in a print edition you can buy at Nearer to God Devotional. Rev. Bassam Michael Madany hasserved as a missionary in Syria, and in 1958 he began a 36-year radio and literature ministry to the Arab world. After retirement Bassam & his wife Shirley began an Internet ministry, Middle East Resources, to provide a “Christian Response to the Global Challenge of Islam.”...

Daily devotional

Tuesday October 2 – The promise of the Spirit

But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth. – Acts 1:8 Scripture reading: Acts 1:6-9 After our Lord’s resurrection, He appeared to His disciples to teach them the proper way of interpreting the Old Testament. “Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, and said to them, ‘Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that repentance for the forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem’” (Luke 24:45–47). However, they were not to begin their mission until they were endowed with power from the Holy Spirit. This was to instruct the Church that missionary endeavor depends on the blessing of the Holy Spirit. This teaching is explained in Lord’s Day 21, Q & A 54, of the Heidelberg Catechism: “What do you believe concerning ‘the holy catholic church’? I believe that the Son of God through his Spirit and Word, out of the entire human race, from the beginning of the world to its end, gathers, protects, and preserves for himself a community chosen for eternal life and united in true faith. And of this community I am and always will be a living member.’” The Belgic Confession emphasizes the universality of the Church in Article 27: “This holy Church is not confined, bound, or limited to a certain place or to certain persons, but is spread and dispersed over the whole world; and yet is joined and united with heart and will, by the power of faith, in one and the same spirit.” Suggestions for prayer Ask the Lord to bless all missionaries who are spreading the Gospel, sharing with converts the riches of the Biblical faith, as summarized in the Reformed confessional standards. This daily devotional is available in a print edition you can buy at Nearer to God Devotional. Rev. Bassam Michael Madany has served as a missionary in Syria, and in 1958 he began a 36-year radio and literature ministry to the Arab world. After retirement Bassam & his wife Shirley began an Internet ministry, Middle East Resources, to provide a “Christian Response to the Global Challenge of Islam.”...

Daily devotional

Monday October 1 - Introduction

During this month, we will be studying “Christian Missions” as they are described in the New Testament. In his Gospel, John tells us of God’s lo...

Daily devotional

Sunday September 30 – The presence of the Holy Spirit

Daily devotional

Saturday September 29 – Preaching and the Holy Spirit

Daily devotional

Friday September 28 – The Word and the Spirit

Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says, “Today if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion…” – Hebrews 3:7-8 Scriptu...

Daily devotional

Thursday September 27 - The divinity of the Holy Spirit

Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? – 1 Corinthians 6:19 Scripture reading: 1 Corinthians 6:12-20 Considering how remarkable the Holy Spirit is and acts, He could not be so were He not divine. The Christian confession about the Holy Spirit starts this way: “First, He as well as the Father and the Son, is eternal God” (Heidelberg Catechism, Question 53). Scripture speaks to the Spirit’s divinity. The Holy Spirit creates (Genesis 1:1-2). He knows the mind of God (1 Corinthians 2:11), and He is eternal (Hebrews 9:14). As our passage instructs us, our physical bodies are the residences of the divine in Christ, becoming temples of the Spirit. The Spirit is not some impersonal and fickle Force; instead, He is the personal God, worthy of our worship and worthy of a life of purity. We sinful creatures can be known, physically, as temples of the Holy Spirit! The more we appreciate that truth, the more our gratitude will mount in praise to God and the more holy our lives will be as reflections of the Holy Spirit Who resides within us. Suggestions for prayer Pray to the Lord for a greater appreciation of the wonder of the Holy Spirit’s presence in your life, so that your praise of God and your life might be affected for the good. This daily devotional is available in a print edition you can buy at Nearer to God Devotional. John Vermeer is the pastor of Doon United Reformed Church in Doon, Iowa....

Daily devotional

Wednesday September 26 – The strength of the Holy Spirit

Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. – 1 John 4:4 Scripture reading: 1 John 4:1-5 The last petition of the Lord’s Prayer, “Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil,” is defined by the Heidelberg Catechism: “Lord, uphold us and make us strong with the strength of Your Holy Spirit…” (Q. 127). Scripture conveys the gospel in superior tones. We hear the comforting words of Elisha conveyed to his servant in trial: “Do not be afraid, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them” (2 Kings 6:16), and the servant’s eyes of faith are opened to God’s power. The devil prowls like a roaring lion seeking those he might devour, yet Scripture calls us to resist him (1 Peter 5:8-9) — not in our own strength, but because “He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.” It is a blessing for us to know that when we have been made new by Christ’s Spirit, we need not fall for the devil’s deceit. When we do not, it goes to show that the Spirit of truth is at work in us. When God is with us, who can be against us? Suggestions for prayer Pray daily for the Lord’s supply of His Spirit to empower you to serve Him well. This daily devotional is available in a print edition you can buy at Nearer to God Devotional. John Vermeer is the pastor of Doon United Reformed Church in Doon, Iowa....

Daily devotional

Tuesday September 25 – The sacraments and the sealing Spirit of Christ

… is the guarantee of our inheritance…. – Ephesians 1:14 Scripture reading: Ephesians 1:11-14 The Holy Spirit regenerates, but He also supplies assurance for our faith. When we know Christ as our Saviour and Lord, we confess that “Christ by His Holy Spirit assures us of eternal life” (Heidelberg Catechism, Question 1). The Spirit’s very presence that enables us to make the good confession of Christ is an assurance to us of better things to come as Ephesians 1:13-14 remind us—the Holy Spirit is a seal and guarantee. The Spirit assures us in various ways, but one of them is through the sacraments. Christians confess that the Holy Spirit “confirms through our use of the holy sacraments” (Heidelberg Catechism, Question 65). While “faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ” (Rom. 8:17), the Spirit uses the signs and seals of the sacraments to bolster the trustworthy word of God so that we might serve our God and Saviour with an assurance that contrasts the world of uncertainty. God gives us two sacraments which are sufficient for the Spirit to assure us that the gospel is not just for us, but for all those He has called. Suggestions for prayer Pray with thanks to the Lord that you can live under the assurance of His grace, an assurance that the Holy Spirit promotes by the use of the sacraments in your life. This daily devotional is available in a print edition you can buy at Nearer to God Devotional. John Vermeer is the pastor of Doon United Reformed Church in Doon, Iowa....

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Daily devotional

April 12 - Jesus’ joy

Daily devotional

April 11 - Joy in this world

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April 10 - The fruit of joy (ii)

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April 9 - The fruit of joy (i)

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April 8 - Joy in tribulation

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April 7 - Worship with gladness

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April 6 - Joy in God’s revelation

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April 5 - Joy in the God of my salvation

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April 4 - Joy & peace

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April 3 - Abide in me

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April 2- Tidings of comfort and joy

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April 1 – Good news of great joy

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March 31 - Be firm in your faith!

Daily devotional

March 30 - Your adversary

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March 29 - He cares for you

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March 28 - Are you humble? (2)

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March 27 - Are you humble? (1)

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March 26 - Biblical leadership

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March 25 – Are you prepared?

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March 24 - Who can really harm you?

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March 23 - The war against your soul

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March 22 - Our privilege and responsibility

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March 21 - We are living stones

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March 20 - Our living stone!

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March 19 - Desire pure spiritual milk

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March 18 - The shortness of life

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March 17 - Born again

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March 16 - An earnest love

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March 15 - Made manifest for us!

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