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More of Reformed Perspective!

Nearer to God Devotional

Directing you to faith in Jesus Christ and to Biblical truth.

The seven deadly sins
Daily devotional

Saturday June 2 - Pride defined

These six things the Lord hates, Yes, seven are an abomination to Him: A proud look... – Proverbs 6:16-17

Scripture reading: Proverbs 6

It's probably not surprising to you to find pride at the top of the list of the seven deadly sins. We know pride is a problem. But how much of a problem? Someone once said, “To say that we are a speck of dust, in the context of the enormity of space out there, is an insult to a speck of dust.” We are creatures made in the image of an infinite Creator. And yet we are consumed with ourselves. Worse, we are carelessly unaware of how deep an issue pride is.

Daniel chapter four is a personal favourite, partially because it shows the end of pride. Just picture great King Nebuchadnezzar revelling in all his perceived glory. Listen to the voice of Almighty God from heaven. Watch the king's transformation into a lawn-munching beast. Such is the insanity of our pride in the world belonging to Almighty God.

The insanity has infested our hearts in so many different ways. Thank God He hates pride as an abomination and is determined to eradicate it.

Suggestions for prayer

“Heavenly Father, Every faculty of mind and body is Thy undeserved gift. Low as I am as a creature, I am lower as a sinner; how can I flaunt myself proudly?” – The Valley of Vision: Pride

This daily devotional is available in a print edition you can buy at Nearer to God Devotional. Rev. Mark Stewart serves the Burlington URC in Burlington, WA.

The seven deadly sins
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Daily devotional

Friday June 1 - Introduction to June's devotionals
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Daily devotional

Thursday May 31 – Who will not fear, O Lord, and glorify your name?
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Daily devotional

Wednesday May 30 - Who is the man that fears the Lord?
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Daily devotional

Tuesday May 29 - What fellowship has light with darkness?
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Daily devotional

Monday May 28 - How long?

How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever? - Psalm 13:1a  Scripture reading: Psalm 13 Psalm 13 begins with a fourfold lament of penetrating questions all prefaced by the cry, how long? (Verses 1&2, please read again). David is lamenting with expressions of despair and anguish. He is more than down in the dumps. He is initially paralyzed, unable to deal with the realities of his enemies. Are you discouraged? Do you feel like God has forgotten you? Is your heart clouded by sorrow? Are the tests, trials and even tribulations in your life almost too much to handle? Are you overwhelmed by the turbulence in your life? Do you in your situation cry out, how long, O LORD? David is praying and as he pours out his heart, he moves from despair to a plea for God’s answer (Verses 3&4, please read again). We hear his desire for God’s answer. And then in the final two verses (Verses 5&6, please read again), we hear a complete turnaround. David gives expression to the confidence that belongs to him, in faith. He takes strength in the steadfast love of God. He confesses that God, in covenant love, has bound Himself to His people. Psalm 13 moves from despair, to desire, to delight. Prayer is a rich gift. Bring your heart cries to the Sovereign LORD. Be comforted in His promises. Charles Spurgeon wrote: “Believer, when you are on your knees, remember you are going to a king. Let your petitions be large.” Do you trust God to be at your side no matter what the circumstance? Suggestions for prayer Approach God’s throne of grace with confidence (Hebrews 4:16). Pray, trusting God to uphold us in times of turbulence. Remember “...faith is a living, daring confidence in God’s grace, so sure and certain that a man could stake his life on it a thousand times.” – Martin Luther This daily devotional is available in a print edition you can buy at Nearer to God Devotional....

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Daily devotional

Sunday May 27 - Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord?

O LORD, who shall sojourn in your tent? Who shall dwell on your holy hill? - Psalm 15:1 Scripture Reading: Psalm 15 Today, in freedom, we may attend the house of the Lord, seeking His face to worship Him in Spirit and Truth. In the place of worship, we come as guests. Psalm 15 is very clear as to who are invited guests. Psalm 15 outlines the character of worshippers. They are, by God’s grace, people of integrity. Integrity can be defined as "steadfast adherence to a strict moral or ethical code; the quality or condition of being whole or undivided." Integrity is seeking to be true to God’s standards. Honesty and sincerity are hallmarks of integrity. A person who lacks integrity is someone who says one thing and does another – and that person is a hypocrite. Who can reach such a standard? Thankfully, we do not come to the Lord’s house of praise, prayer and proclamation in our own name or by our own merit. We come before the LORD in the Name of the One Who perfectly fulfilled God’s standards, Jesus Christ. And it is in His Name that we seek to honour our heavenly Father with a heart washed in the blood of our Redeemer. In God’s grace, we present ourselves to Him as living sacrifices. We confess the wonder of God’s wonder-working love for needy sinners. As said by another: "We are saved by the gospel of God, in order to worship the God of the gospel." Today again is a day of glorious opportunity. Will you self-consciously offer yourself this Lord’s Day for His honour? Suggestions for prayer Integrity is essential if any believer is to represent God and Christ in this world. Pray for Christ-like integrity as outlined in Psalm 15. Give thanks for our multiple provisions in Christ. This daily devotional is available in a print edition you can buy at Nearer to God Devotional....

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Daily devotional

Saturday May 26 - If the foundations are destroyed...

If the foundations are destroyed what can the righteous do? - Psalm 11:3 Scripture Reading: Psalm 11 It is no secret that hostility against the truth of Scripture and the God of Scripture is on the increase. To be sure, each age, in turn, has had its own hostilities and we must be very careful that we do not fall into the trap that believes there was once a golden age. Nevertheless, our present age is marked by gathering storm clouds. Society wishes to do away with absolutes and assert that man is the measure of all things. What is one to do in a world where the foundations established by God are ridiculed? The sanctity of life is mocked. Babies are murdered in their own mother’s womb. There are those who consider the elderly to be expendable. Confusion exists with respect to gender. And the list goes on. Outside the confession of God’s sovereignty, we would be left in a daze. Thankfully, believers recognize "that though the wrong seems oft so strong, God is the ruler yet." Psalm 11 is a psalm of refuge. With David of long ago, our confidence must always rest in God and His covenant promises. Life is much bigger than our cranky computers, our erstwhile projects, earning a living, struggling marriages, prodigal children, defiant unbelievers and the many troubles of this world. Nothing surprises God; His all-seeing eye is never closed. He will test His people, but He will never forsake them. In faith, believers rest in both the confidence and the comfort that our times are in His hands. Do you? Suggestions for prayer Pray in that joy that confesses: “This is my Father’s world: Why should my heart be sad? The Lord is King, let the heavens ring! God reigns; let the earth be glad. This daily devotional is available in a print edition you can buy at Nearer to God Devotional....

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Daily devotional

Friday May 25 - Who has known the mind of the Lord?

Who has measured the Spirit of the LORD, or what man shows Him his counsel? –Isaiah 40:13 (cf. Romans 11:33-36; I Corinthians 2:16) Scripture reading: Isaiah 40 Isaiah 40 teaches us something of the great greatness of God. When you read this chapter thoughtfully, you can not help but be amazed. God has no comparison. God is not subject to the limits of space and time. He has everything, everywhere always before His mind. God’s perfections are unchangeable. God is infinite. We are finite comparable to grasshoppers (v. 22.) He knows all there is to know; God’s ways are beyond us; His ways are not our ways (Isaiah 55:8); they are often past finding out. The immensity of God is awe-inspiring. We are limited in our understanding. "The ways of the LORD are right" (Hosea 14:9). With the Belgic Confession, Article 13, Reformed believers confess: “As to what God does surpassing human understanding, we will not curiously inquire into farther than our capacity will admit of; but with the greatest humility and reverence adore the righteous judgments of God, which are hid from us, contenting ourselves that we are pupils of Christ, to learn only those things which He has revealed to us in His Word, without transgressing these limits." Let us content ourselves in the wonder of God’s mind, recognizing that His understanding is unsearchable. The thought of God staggers our mind, but to know Him satisfies the heart. Take comfort in the fact God, in His grace, chooses to reveal Himself to His people in Jesus Christ. Delight to know our awesome God and press on in the calling to enjoy Him forever. Will you do so today? Suggestions for prayer In prayer, praise God for His glory. Express thanksgiving for particular attributes. Be specific. This daily devotional is available in a print edition you can buy at Nearer to God Devotional....

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Daily devotional

Thursday May 24 - What good is it for one to gain the whole world...
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Wednesday May 23 - If God is for us, who can be against us?
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Tuesday May 22 – Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound?
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Monday May 21 - How can someone be born when they are old?
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Sunday May 20 - What does this mean?

 And all were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, “What does this mean?” – Acts 2:12 Scripture Reading: Acts 1:1-5; 2:1-12 Today, as the body of Christ, we gather for worship. It is, as congregations, our greatest privilege and highest responsibility. And on this Lord’s Day, we mark another once for all event in salvation history. On the first Pentecost Sunday (10 days after Christ’s Ascension; 50 days following His Resurrection), now almost two thousand years ago, there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, divided tongues as of fire resting on the apostles’ heads and the speaking of languages/tongues which were spoken in all parts of the eastern Mediterranean region, from Rome to Persia. All of this astounded those who witnessed these three signs and, humanly speaking, no wonder they were filled with wonder. What can this mean? The wind testifies to the power and presence of the Spirit; fire speaks to the Spirit’s cleansing and judging power and the languages of the gospel to be proclaimed to all nations – every tribe and every tongue. These signs confirmed what Jesus had earlier promised. In the gospel of John, Jesus told His disciples that the Holy Spirit would come to be their Advocate, their Helper and Comforter (14:16-17), their Teacher (14:26), testifying/bearing witness to Jesus, guiding them into all truth (16:13). On Pentecost Sunday, Christ’s promise was confirmed and the sheep of the sheepfold live out of the fruit of that promise day by day. The Church of all ages, scattered across the face of the globe, takes strength and joy in the working of the Holy Spirit. Suggestions for prayer Give thanks for the work of the Holy Spirit. Pray that you might grow in the fruits of the Spirit (Galatians 5). This daily devotional is available in a print edition you can buy at Nearer to God Devotional. Picture is Raphael's "St. Paul Preaching" standing in, of course, for Peter preaching on Pentecost....

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Daily devotional

Saturday May 19 – What must I do to inherit eternal life?

“Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?" – Luke 18:18 Scripture: Luke 18:18-30 No one can possibly go forward in the gracious strength of the LORD until he has first learned to stand still in his own helplessness. The rich ruler did not know his own helplessness. He relied on his own "merits" rather than the merits of Christ. He assumed that his deeds would earn him eternal life. And when challenged and confronted with a choice, he chose his possessions rather than putting God first. We must never forget that we can be right with God only by true faith in Jesus Christ. We must recognize that even though our conscience accuses us of having grievously sinned against all God’s commandments and of never having kept any of them, and even though we are still inclined toward all evil. Nevertheless, without our deserving it at all, out of sheer grace, God grants and credits to believers the perfect satisfaction, righteousness and holiness of Christ, as if the believer had never sinned nor been a sinner, as if the believer had been as perfectly obedient as Christ was obedient for His sheep. The believer must simply accept this gift of God with a believing heart (cf Heidelberg Catechism Q&A 60). Jesus knew that materialism and greed were preventing his questioner from truly seeking salvation. The rich ruler did not know his own sin and thus he did not know his need for a Saviour. As the question of the life to come confronts you (as it does every day) how will you answer? Suggestions for prayer Confessing your great need can only be answered in Christ and the power of His washing blood. Praise God for His justifying grace. This daily devotional is available in a print edition you can buy at Nearer to God Devotional....

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Daily devotional

Friday May 18 – My God, why has thou forsaken me?

“Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” –Mark 15:34b (cf. Psalm 22:1) Scripture reading: Mark 15:21-41 This haunting question from the heart of Jesus ought to send shivers down our spine and pierce our soul. The sinless One hangs suspended between heaven and earth. In utter darkness, the Redeemer experiences a depth of suffering we will never understand. He is forsaken by the heavenly Father. It is true that during His whole life on earth, Christ sustained, in body and soul, the anger of God against the sin of the whole human race. But especially at the end, oh, how He suffered. This He did in order that, by His suffering as the only atoning sacrifice, He might set believers free, body and soul, from eternal condemnation. And in turn, this suffering gains for the true Christian, God’s grace, righteousness and eternal life. He suffered to free believers from the severe judgment of God that we rightly deserve. He went all the way to the death because God’s justice and truth demand it. By the power of His divinity, He bore the weight of God’s anger in His humanity and earned and restored righteousness and life to all those who have been set free in Christ. Our Saviour shouldered the curse which rightfully belongs to all of us. Death by crucifixion was accursed by God (cf. Heidelberg Catechism Q&As 17, 37, 39, 40). The birth of Christ brought God to man; the cross of Christ brought man to God. The wonder of it all cannot be comprehended. Will you dedicate yourself as an offering of gratitude to Him? (cf Q&A 43; Psalm 116:12-14). Suggestions for prayer Give praise to God: Christ, in love, experienced the horror of hell – suffering unspeakable anguish, pain, and terror of soul – so that His disciples, through all ages, would be delivered from the anguish and torment of hell. This daily devotional is available in a print edition you can buy at Nearer to God Devotional....

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Thursday May 17 – What shall I do then with Jesus?

Pilate said to them, “Then what shall I do with Jesus who is called Christ?” – Matthew 27:22 Scripture Reading: Matthew 27:11-31 Pilate was in a quandary as he backed himself into a corner of his own making. What to do with Jesus? He knew Jesus to be innocent, but he was also a political opportunist. Ultimately, he chose to yield to the crowd. One day the fickle crowd had shouted “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD” (Matthew 21:9). A few days later it became, “Crucify Him!” In every age, there have been those who have misunderstood the mission and the person of Jesus Christ. A little peer pressure can lead to great error. There is a great deal of so-called Christianity that is quite Christ-less. “Do those who look for their salvation and security in saints, in themselves, or elsewhere, really believe in the only Saviour Jesus? No. Although they boast of being His, by their deeds they deny the only Saviour and deliverer, Jesus. Either Jesus is not a perfect Saviour, or those who in true faith accept this Saviour have in Him all they need for their salvation." – Heidelberg Catechism Q&A 30 For the believer, it is imperative that there be no misunderstanding. Life is to be lived according to the most holy faith as outlined in Scripture. What we think of Jesus shows in how we relate to Him. Trust Him. Believe His promises. Adore Him. Serve Him. Ultimately there is no one who can escape the question asked by Pilate: “What then should I do with Jesus?” Suggestions for prayer Both in prayer and daily life confess Jesus as the Christ. Ask for strength to confess His Name aright, to present yourself as a living sacrifice of thanks and to strive with a good conscience against sin and the devil in this life. This daily devotional is available in a print edition you can buy at Nearer to God Devotional....

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Wednesday May 16 – Who do you say that I am?

He said to them “But who do you say that I am?” – Matthew 16:15 Scripture Reading: Matthew 16:13-20 Christ’s question is one of the mos...
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Daily devotional

Tuesday May 15 - Will you not receive instructions and listen to my words?
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Monday May 14 - Is anything too hard for the LORD?
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