Daily devotional

June 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 119:1...

Daily devotional

June 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 dis...

Daily devotional

June 4 - Joy and 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.�...

Daily devotional

June 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 ...

Daily devotional

June 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 of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God…” - Romans 3:21-23 Scripture reading: Romans 3:9-26 Yesterday I began by saying: “I want to live in joy, and I want to die in joy.” And we saw that Jesus is the only true source of joy. But Jesus lived over 2000 years ago. How can my joy in 2019 have anything to do with Jesus? The Heidelberg Catechism is a summary of biblical teaching and begins by asking the question, “What is your only comfort in life and in death?” The answer can be summarized: “That I belong to Jesus.” But notice what the second question asks: “What must you know to live and die in the joy of this comfort?” Then it lists three things. That is, if you desire (as I do) to live in joy and to die in joy, you need to know and understand these things: First, that I am a sinner. And not only am I a sinner, but I have no hope of earning or meriting God’s favour on my own. Because I am a sinner, I deserve only God’s punishment. Second, that God in love sent His only begotten Son to save sinners like me. There is no other Saviour but Jesus Christ and I am trusting in His salvation. Third, that my gratitude is the inevitable response to God’s grace in Christ. This gratitude is not only a feeling, but shows itself in a life of obedience to God’s will. When you know, understand and believe those three things, you will have joy. Suggestions for prayer Pray for a deeper appreciation for the gospel. Pray that the gospel will be the pillar and foundation of your church’s ministry. Rev. Derrick Vander Meulen was born and raised in California and has been an ordained minister of the Gospel for 35 years. He served as the pastor to two URCNA churches in Michigan, then planted a URC on the island of Kauai, Hawaii and is now serving as pastor of Coram Deo United Reformed Church in Centennial, Colorado. He is also the General Co-editor of the Trinity Psalter Hymnal, a joint publication of the United Reformed Churches and the Orthodox Presbyterian Church. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com. ...

Daily devotional

June 1 - Introduction to the Christian joy

June'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 of joy to all who trust in Him. In Deuteronomy 16:15 Moses told the children of Israel: “The Lord your God will bless you in all your produce and in all the work of your hands, so that you will be altogether joyful.” Jesus told His disciples, “These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full” (John 15:11). And the second fruit of the Spirit listed in Galatians 5 is “joy.” This means that those in whom the Holy Spirit dwells will possess, to some extent, joy. This month we explore this great blessing given us by God. We will distinguish between true Christian joy, which is lasting, and the fleeting “joy” of this world. We will look at what is the basis of this joy, focusing on Christ’s atonement, His words on the cross and His resurrection. And we will consider those things that hinder our joy and how God graciously restores our joy. May God bless you abundantly as you study His Word this month and may you be strengthened because “the joy of the Lord is your strength” (Nehemiah 8:10). Good news of great joy “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, who is Christ the Lord.” - Luke 2:10-11 Scripture reading: Luke 2:8-14 I want to live in joy and I want to die in joy. I think you’d be hard pressed to find anyone in this world who does not want the same thing. Joy is a desirable thing. Granted, there are people who seem to thrive on difficulty and even wallow in their unhappiness. To use a modern description, their lives have far too much drama. But I think it’s fair to say that even so, they would prefer a life of joy over their difficulties if they could find it. When the angel spoke to the shepherds at Jesus’ birth, he said, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, who is Christ the Lord” (Luke 2:10-11). So it isn’t surprising that when we celebrate Christ’s birth we often see and use the word “JOY.” We find it in our decorations, on the front of Christmas cards, in our church bulletins, even on store windows. Why? Because joy and Jesus are inseparable! The good news that the angel told was joyful news; more than that, it was news of GREAT joy. The arrival of Jesus changed everything. He came on a rescue mission and He accomplished it. This means that if you desire joy, believe in and cling to Jesus. You simply will not find joy anywhere else. Suggestions for prayer Pray that the Holy Spirit would use this month’s devotions to increase your joy. Pray for friends or loved ones that you know who seem to lack joy. Rev. Derrick Vander Meulen was born and raised in California and has been an ordained minister of the Gospel for 35 years. He served as the pastor to two URCNA churches in Michigan, then planted a URC on the island of Kauai, Hawaii and is now serving as pastor of Coram Deo United Reformed Church in Centennial, Colorado. He is also the General Co-editor of the Trinity Psalter Hymnal, a joint publication of the United Reformed Churches and the Orthodox Presbyterian Church. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com. ...

Daily devotional

May 31 - 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 have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, Who has called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.” - 1 Peter 5:9-10 Scripture Reading: James 4:1-17 What is your protection against your adversary, the devil? Your faith! To resist him means to refuse to submit to him and let him direct your life. Remember, the words that Jesus spoke to Peter before his denial: "Simon, Simon, behold, Satan demanded to have you, that he might sift you like wheat, but I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned again, strengthen your brothers" (Luke 22:31-32). Why did Peter’s faith not fail? Jesus prayed for Him. Why does your faith not fail? Jesus is also praying for you! Why is faith so important here? Because Satan directs his attacks to destroy your faith in Christ. Suffering is one of the ways he uses to raise doubts in your mind concerning the reliability of God. When we suffer we think we are alone. This is not the case. Many others have endured the same kinds of trials and have been able to persevere in the faith because the Lord was there with them. Any suffering you experience is limited to what God will allow in your life. As a God of all grace, is there anything too difficult for Him to help you with? He is the God who has called you to eternal glory in Christ! What you have in Christ far outweighs what you lack here on earth. As you attend church today, think about the sufficiency of your Saviour. He Himself will restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. Suggestions for prayer Thank the Lord for the gift of faith and that Jesus is making intercession so that our faith will not fail. Ask the Lord to help you resist the devil, to be firm in your faith, so that you will overcome him through the grace God gives to you. Rev. Michael Jaatinen is the minister of Mount Zion Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church in Moncton, NB. He graduated from Geneva Reformed Seminary in Greenville, SC. After graduation, he served in the Free Presbyterian Church for 10 years, primarily ministering at a church plant in London, ON. He is married to his wife, Karen, who works as a Christian School teacher. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com. ...

Daily devotional

May 30 - 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 3:1-10 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. Rev. Michael Jaatinen is the minister of Mount Zion Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church in Moncton, NB. He graduated from Geneva Reformed Seminary in Greenville, SC. After graduation, he served in the Free Presbyterian Church for 10 years, primarily ministering at a church plant in London, ON. He is married to his wife, Karen, who works as a Christian School teacher. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com. ...

Daily devotional

May 29 - He cares for you

“...casting all your anxieties on Him, because He cares for you.” - 1 Peter 5:7 Scripture Reading: Psalm 55:1-23 Verse 7 is governed by the ...

Daily devotional

May 28 - Are you humble (II)

“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: Pr...

Daily devotional

May 27 - Are you humble? (I)

“Likewise, you who are younger, be subject to the elders. Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for "God opposes the prou...

Daily devotional

May 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...

Daily devotional

May 25 - Are you prepared?

“...but in your hearts regard Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defence to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you.” - 1 Peter 3:15 Scripture reading: 1 Corinthians 3:1-17 It can be very challenging to share your faith in Christ with others and there are many questions we can ask ourselves. Will I say the right things? Will I be able to explain the gospel correctly? Was I sincere? Or, why couldn’t I remember that verse, it was perfect?! We can play mental gymnastics before, during and after witnessing to someone. Many feel uncomfortable talking to others about Christ. They can be afraid of rejection, of looking foolish or of offending others of a different faith. Yet, our aim should always be to share our Saviour with a lost world (Mark 16:15-16). We must always remember, we are not in the business of converting people; that is the work of the Holy Spirit, but we are in the business of planting the good seed of God’s Word in the hearts of others. We leave it to the Lord to apply His Word to hearts and give the growth (1Corinthians 3:7). Peter tells us, as those who are dedicated to Christ by true faith, to always be prepared to make a defence of the reason for our Christian hope at any time. You share real hope every time you speak to someone about Christ, a hope that has a foundation, a hope that has a real future, a hope that will not disappoint! Know the truths of God’s Word and pray for the Spirit’s help so that you will always be ready to share your hope. Suggestions for prayer Praise the Lord He revealed Christ to us and that we were enabled to come to Him in repentance and faith for our salvation. Pray that we will be able to share this hope we have in Christ with others. Rev. Michael Jaatinen is the minister of Mount Zion Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church in Moncton, NB. He graduated from Geneva Reformed Seminary in Greenville, SC. After graduation, he served in the Free Presbyterian Church for 10 years, primarily ministering at a church plant in London, ON. He is married to his wife, Karen, who works as a Christian School teacher. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com. ...

Daily devotional

May 24 - 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 fear of them, nor be troubled.” - 1 Peter 3:13-14 Scripture reading: Romans 8:18-39 Today is a day of worship and praise. As we spend time in God’s house, we are reminded that living for Christ by His Word and Spirit is always best. However, you are not guaranteed that living a godly life and doing good will always be received with recognition and kindness from others in return. The reality is that here in North America we may never face persecution at the level that people have in other parts of the world like North Korea, the Middle East, or China (to name just a few). Yet, when you try to talk to someone about the Lord or even do good and act kindly to someone, their response may not be positive at all. We must recognize that our society is becoming more antagonistic and hostile toward Christ and the gospel. This is true whether we are facing torture for our faith or whether we’re just nervous about the thought of telling someone about Christ. Peter asks the question, "Who is there to harm you if you are zealous for what is good?" If we have a passion for Christ and we are dedicated to serving Him, who can really harm us? Paul told us if God is for us who can be against us (Romans 8:31) and that all things happen for our good (Romans 8:28). God’s sovereignty and protection help us not to be fearful or troubled. "We are more than conquerors through Him who loved us" (Romans 8:37). Suggestions for prayer Be thankful to spend this day in worship to our covenant God. Praise Him that Christ enables us to be blessed even in our suffering. Ask the Lord to give you grace and peace through His Word in those times when you do have fear and feel troubled. Rev. Michael Jaatinen is the minister of Mount Zion Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church in Moncton, NB. He graduated from Geneva Reformed Seminary in Greenville, SC. After graduation, he served in the Free Presbyterian Church for 10 years, primarily ministering at a church plant in London, ON. He is married to his wife, Karen, who works as a Christian School teacher. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com. ...

Daily devotional

May 23 - The 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 reading: Romans 13:1-14 As Christians, we are involved in a spiritual battle. Peter tells us to continually abstain from the passions of our flesh that make war against our souls. The word passion refers to any kind of self-seeking and includes ungodliness, lust, and covetousness. These passions have full sway in the hearts of unbelievers because they are ignorant of God and His holiness and grace as revealed in His Word. But for you as a Christian, growing in your knowledge of Christ, you don’t have to be controlled by selfish desires. We turn from self-centred living to now living under Christ’s lordship as those called by God out of this fallen world. Fleshly lusts are human desires which stem from our own depravity and seek fulfillment apart from God and His will for us. A sojourner or a pilgrim (exile) would not put down roots in a place where he or she had no intention of staying, and so Peter warns the church against getting involved with fleshly lusts which war against the soul. These passions hinder our spiritual journey as pilgrims and cause much grief and pain. How should you then deal with fleshly lusts? You cannot overcome them by human effort or self-discipline. They are only overcome by the power of the indwelling Spirit as you live by faith in Christ. Paul told us to put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh (Romans 13:14). Have you come to Christ to help you win this war? Suggestions for prayer Praise the Lord that Christ is with us and has cleansed our sin with His own precious blood. Ask the Lord to help you live for Christ and to help you overcome the passions of the flesh. Rev. Michael Jaatinen is the minister of Mount Zion Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church in Moncton, NB. He graduated from Geneva Reformed Seminary in Greenville, SC. After graduation, he served in the Free Presbyterian Church for 10 years, primarily ministering at a church plant in London, ON. He is married to his wife, Karen, who works as a Christian School teacher. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com. ...

Daily devotional

May 22 - 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 marvellous 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 7:1-26 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. Rev. Michael Jaatinen is the minister of Mount Zion Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church in Moncton, NB. He graduated from Geneva Reformed Seminary in Greenville, SC. After graduation, he served in the Free Presbyterian Church for 10 years, primarily ministering at a church plant in London, ON. He is married to his wife, Karen, who works as a Christian School teacher. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com. ...

Daily devotional

May 21 - 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 ...

Daily devotional

May 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 118:1-...

Daily devotional

May 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 yo...

Daily devotional

May 18 - The shortness of life

"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 forever...

Daily devotional

May 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 reading: John 3:1-36 I read a story about an old church that sat empty and abandoned for a long time in a rundown neighbourhood. The decaying building blended naturally into the whole area. Storefronts were boarded up. An old school building was padlocked. The place was grim, unswept, forgotten. Then one night everything changed. The old church was lit up. Parked cars lined the streets. The sound of music filled the air. What had been dead and abandoned had come to life. There have been many people like this old church, spiritually dark, empty, and without any life. Then, as if someone turned on a switch, they came to life! What makes such a radical change in a person’s life? God makes His people born again by His Holy Spirit! The new birth gives us a new nature as well as a new and living hope (1 Peter 1:3). Peter explains that the new birth comes through the living and abiding word of God. By the Word (logos), he means "God's self-revelation," which would include both His spoken message of the Old Testament and the message of the gospel through Christ, our great prophet in the New Testament (Hebrews 1:1). God's Word is living because it gives life to all who hear it and respond to it in faith. Has the Bible made an impact on your life? Does it continue to make an impact especially on this day of worship? God’s Word is life to all who respond to its message! Suggestions for prayer Praise God for the new birth and that He does not leave us dead in our trespasses and sins. Ask the Lord to enable His Word to have a continual impact on your life by His Holy Spirit. Rev. Michael Jaatinen is the minister of Mount Zion Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church in Moncton, NB. He graduated from Geneva Reformed Seminary in Greenville, SC. After graduation, he served in the Free Presbyterian Church for 10 years, primarily ministering at a church plant in London, ON. He is married to his wife, Karen, who works as a Christian School teacher. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com. ...

Daily devotional

May 16 - 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 Scripture reading: 1 Corinthians 13:1-13 How important are the words, “I love you”? These are words repeated by those who very much care for each other. These are words I often say to my wife. Remember, love is one of the cornerstones of the Christian faith. Paul told us that …faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love (1 Corinthians 13:13). The one thing that Jesus will never say to you as a Christian is, I don't love you anymore. But rather, I love you with an everlasting love because I laid down my life for you. In response to His love for us, we should certainly love Him and His people. Peter describes our love as earnest and from a pure heart. The basis for such love is obedience to the truth by which the Saints have purified their souls, resulting in sincere love for others. Obedience to the truth of God’s Word and the gospel, means we come to the One Who has the ability to purify us, Who is Christ. We are made righteous in Christ by our repentance from sin and true faith in Him. Our love should be a warm brotherly affection, the kind evident in a closely knit family. This is the kind of love members of God’s family have toward other family members as brothers and sisters in Christ. It is also a purposeful, sacrificial love, the kind our Lord demonstrated on the cross of Calvary. Do you have this kind of love? Suggestions for prayer Praise the Lord for His love for us, a love that sent His Son to earth to die for us. Pray that we would respond to this love by having a sincere love for Him and for others in His Church. Rev. Michael Jaatinen is the minister of Mount Zion Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church in Moncton, NB. He graduated from Geneva Reformed Seminary in Greenville, SC. After graduation, he served in the Free Presbyterian Church for 10 years, primarily ministering at a church plant in London, ON. He is married to his wife, Karen, who works as a Christian School teacher. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com. ...

Daily devotional

May 15 - 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 raised Him from the dead and gave Him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.” - 1 Peter 1:20-21 Scripture reading: Colossians 1:1-29 At the end of the day, where are your faith and hope? They must be in God Who set forth our redemption even before the foundation of the world! This verse is a rich display of God’s grace toward unworthy sinners like us, who only deserve God’s judgment and wrath. Jesus, coming into this world to save us, is not just an afterthought when the Fall happened in the Garden of Eden. The Lord has a purpose to save His people and is not willing to leave us in darkness and sin. When the time was right, He willingly revealed our Saviour to us. How good is our God! Through Jesus, we can come to God in faith. Through Jesus, we have life from the dead because God raised Him from the dead. Through Jesus, we will go to be with God in glory because Jesus has been raised to glory. Everything that happens to Jesus happens to us as we are heirs and joint-heirs with Him. If you are lacking assurance today or struggling with your Christian faith due to weakness or failures in your life, meditate on these two verses. God knows we fail and often fall into sin, that’s why He sent us His Son. There is an answer for hopelessness and despair in this world and that answer has always been Jesus. Where are your faith and your hope today? If your answer is in God through Jesus, then it is in the right place! Suggestions for prayer Praise the Lord that He set forth the salvation of His people before the foundation of the world and that we can have real faith and hope in God because He has established us in Christ. Rev. Michael Jaatinen is the minister of Mount Zion Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church in Moncton, NB. He graduated from Geneva Reformed Seminary in Greenville, SC. After graduation, he served in the Free Presbyterian Church for 10 years, primarily ministering at a church plant in London, ON. He is married to his wife, Karen, who works as a Christian School teacher. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com. ...

Daily devotional

May 14 - 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 5:1-21 When you are travelling, you always need to pack for the place of your destination. If you are travelling 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 by His Spirit to live a sanctified life that pleases Him and to no longer live in futile ways. Rev. Michael Jaatinen is the minister of Mount Zion Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church in Moncton, NB. He graduated from Geneva Reformed Seminary in Greenville, SC. After graduation, he served in the Free Presbyterian Church for 10 years, primarily ministering at a church plant in London, ON. He is married to his wife, Karen, who works as a Christian School teacher. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com. ...

Daily devotional

May 13 - 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 exi...

Daily devotional

May 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:...

Daily devotional

May 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: 1-22 ...

Daily devotional

May 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 ...

Daily devotional

May 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 time the Spirit of Christ in them was indicating when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the subsequent glories.” - 1 Peter 1:10-11 Scripture Reading: Hebrews 1: 1-14 Peter continues to encourage suffering Saints by telling them that even the prophets of old looked for and testified concerning God’s salvation and grace given to His people. This should encourage us as well! The Lord had a plan to save a people and, over time, revealed that plan in the progression of His revelation through His Word to the prophets, various other means and now to us through His Son Jesus (Hebrew 1:1). What did the prophets search for? God made a gradual discovery of Christ from the time of Adam down through the running centuries to the New Testament times. Each prophecy from the prophets was a part of the full picture that Christ would come to reverse the curse that the fall of Adam brought upon all mankind. Christ Himself declared to the men on the Emmaus road, "'…O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into His glory?' And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, He interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself "(Luke 24:25-27). Christ needed to come, to suffer, to rise from the dead and to enter into His glory to fulfill the plan of salvation for us as well as all those who came before us and those who belong to Him in the future. How great is God’s grace for His covenant people! Suggestions for prayer Ask the Lord to help you to also testify to the good news of the gospel, that salvation has come and Jesus sets sinful captives free. Pray that as the prophets spoke about Jesus, we would be able to do the same through His Spirit and by His grace. Rev. Michael Jaatinen is the minister of Mount Zion Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church in Moncton, NB. He graduated from Geneva Reformed Seminary in Greenville, SC. After graduation, he served in the Free Presbyterian Church for 10 years, primarily ministering at a church plant in London, ON. He is married to his wife, Karen, who works as a Christian School teacher. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com. ...

Daily devotional

May 8 - 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 outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.” - 1 Peter 1:8-9 Scripture reading: Hebrews 11: 1-40 How can you love and believe in someone you do not see? In fact, Peter tells us that we have not seen Jesus, not in the past or even now in our present day. Yet, for the Christian, He is the most important Person in your life! The reality is we have seen Him and because we have seen Him, we love Him and believe in Him. This is because we see Jesus with the eyes of faith. Our love for Jesus is based on the certainty that He loved us and came into this world for us in order to restore us to God and take away our guilt and shame. We do not need to see Jesus with our physical eyes to know that He is real. We have an assurance and conviction of faith just like those many witnesses that lived before us who are highlighted in Hebrews 11. We love Him and come believing because, by the regenerating power of His Spirit, our hearts are so moved to come to Him and give ourselves to Him by faith. We recognize the depth of our sin and greatness of His mercy whereby He forgives our trespasses and grants us salvation freely by His grace. Because of Jesus in our lives, we can certainly rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory. Do you love and believe in Him with the eyes of faith? If you do, you can rejoice and be filled with His joy! Suggestions for prayer Pray the Lord helps you to look to Jesus with the eyes of faith even if your present circumstances make it difficult to see Him. Ask the Lord to grant you joy in Christ knowing that by faith you belong to Him and nothing can separate you from His love. Rev. Michael Jaatinen is the minister of Mount Zion Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church in Moncton, NB. He graduated from Geneva Reformed Seminary in Greenville, SC. After graduation, he served in the Free Presbyterian Church for 10 years, primarily ministering at a church plant in London, ON. He is married to his wife, Karen, who works as a Christian School teacher. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com. ...

Daily devotional

May 7 - A genuine faith

1 Peter 1:7 ...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 praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. Scripture reading: Hebrews 12: 1-29 Genuine faith is at the very heart of Christian life. We are saved by faith, we live by faith and without faith, it is impossible to please God (Hebrews 11:6). But what makes your faith genuine as opposed to something false or misguided? Peter tells us that genuine faith is something tested and more valuable than even gold purified by fire! When gold is placed in a furnace, it is not that the gold should be damaged or destroyed, but that it might be made more pure and precious. All the impurities and dross must be burned off so that only the gold will be present and nothing else. In fact, it has been said that an Eastern goldsmith would keep the precious metal in the furnace until he could see his face reflected in it. Why must we go through the furnace of affliction, pain, or sorrow? It is so that the tested genuineness of your faith would reflect the beauty and glory of Jesus Christ more and more each day until all His people go to be with Him in glory! How do you know your faith is real and not false? True faith is a full belief and trust in Christ to save you no matter what you face in life whether good or difficult. Genuine faith is a faith that – may be found to result in praise and glory and honour at the revelation of Jesus Christ. Do you have this true faith Suggestions for prayer Ask the Lord to grant you a genuine faith that will stand up to all the trials and sorrows in life, a faith that centres in Christ alone for salvation and a faith that is being purified so that Christ will be more and more precious to you. Rev. Michael Jaatinen is the minister of Mount Zion Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church in Moncton, NB. He graduated from Geneva Reformed Seminary in Greenville, SC. After graduation, he served in the Free Presbyterian Church for 10 years, primarily ministering at a church plant in London, ON. He is married to his wife, Karen, who works as a Christian School teacher. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com. ...

Daily devotional

May 6 - 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. Rev. Michael Jaatinen is the minister of Mount Zion Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church in Moncton, NB. He graduated from Geneva Reformed Seminary in Greenville, SC. After graduation, he served in the Free Presbyterian Church for 10 years, primarily ministering at a church plant in London, ON. He is married to his wife, Karen, who works as a Christian School teacher. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com. ...

Daily devotional

May 5 - 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 readin...

Daily devotional

May 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 8:1-1...

Daily devotional

May 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 th...

Daily devotional

May 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 an...

Daily devotional

May 1 - Introduction to 1 Peter

In May, we will study the Epistle of 1 Peter. I am not able to cover the entire book; however, we can take a good look at chapter one, most of chapter two, some verses in chapter three and chapter five. This epistle is a very practical book, not just for those who lived during Peter’s day, but also for us as we experience growing hostility in our society as believers dedicated to Christ. The main theme of this book is suffering for Christ. Peter wrote to encourage these Christians who were going through difficult times. They faced terrible persecution, most likely at the hands of the Roman Emperor, Nero, and Peter tried to encourage them by pointing them to their future hope and inheritance (1:4-5), to the fact that suffering has a purpose (1:6-7), and to the knowledge that Christ also suffered for us (2:21). Peter touches on a variety of different themes and doctrines in his book and uses some key terms. One key concept is precious. He calls the tested genuineness of your faith – more precious than gold (1:7). He declares that we have been redeemed with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot (1:19). Christ is the living stone chosen and precious (2:4, 6). And he gives instructions to wives when he says, let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God's sight is very precious (3:4). My desire as we look at this epistle for the month of May is that Christ would be more precious to you and that your love and devotion to Him would grow and thrive within your heart. Encouraged by election “Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who are elect exiles of the dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia.” - 1 Peter 1:1 Scripture reading: 1 Peter 1:1-25 As we begin to look at this chapter, Peter is writing to a church that is suffering, oppressed, experiencing pain and enduring persecution. In verse 1, he says they are scattered and exiles in this world, and in verse 6, he speaks of the suffering of grief in all kinds of trials. Peter does not try to encourage them by telling them their trials will end, the pain will cease or even that the world will become a friendlier place if they can just hang on and persevere long enough. What does Peter present to the suffering church? Living hope in the living God! This living hope comes as they are a chosen people granted salvation by God. This should also give us hope and assurance in the Christian faith. He is the One Who appointed a people for Himself to be His covenant children. In the Bible, election is always declared to encourage the Saints and never to discourage them. We are not told to try and figure out if we are elect or not, but to repent from our sins, believe and come to Jesus by faith and be saved. Election teaches us that true believers cannot be lost and have real assurance of God’s salvation. Why are you to persevere and have hope in a fallen and cursed world as a Christian? By faith in Christ, you are also chosen by Him and belong to Him as God set His love upon you to save you Suggestions for prayer Thank the Lord that we can also be encouraged, even in our trials, because as true believers we belong to Him. He is the One Who chose us and tells us He will never leave us nor forsake us. Rev. Michael Jaatinen is the minister of Mount Zion Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church in Moncton, NB. He graduated from Geneva Reformed Seminary in Greenville, SC. After graduation, he served in the Free Presbyterian Church for 10 years, primarily ministering at a church plant in London, ON. He is married to his wife, Karen, who works as a Christian School teacher. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com. ...

Daily devotional

April 30 - Praise

“When Peter came to himself, he said, “Now I am sure that the Lord has sent his angel and rescued me from the hand of Herod and from all that the Jewish people were expecting.”” - Acts 12:11 Scripture reading: Acts 12:11-19 Sometimes we have fantastic dreams. Maybe you have dreamt that you can fly, or you are at your favourite vacation place with your favourite people, but then you wake up and it was merely a dream. You think to yourself, “I knew it was too good to be true!” Peter thought he was having this bizarre and wonderful dream where he was walking past guards and through the gates. Peter has seen many miraculous things, but he thought this was all too good to be true. Then he came to himself and saw that the Lord has rescued him. Yesterday, we saw our need for prayer. God answers prayer in ways greater than we could imagine. This does not mean we should always expect miracles whenever a hardship comes, but as we earnestly seek the Lord, we can expect He will do what is good. When we come to ourselves, we see God is still doing great things, greater than we expected. The enemies we face are real. What sinful habits or troubles seek to take you hostage? Turn to the Lord in faith. We are not promised an easy life, but God does promise that all who turn to Him in faith are rescued from clutches of sin and Satan and will be brought to the glory of His presence. That is greater than our most fantastic dream come true. Suggestions for prayer Praise God for His sure deliverance. Ask God to give you strength to trust Him in all the trials we face and to look forward to the glory that is to come. Rev. Simon Lievaart currently serves Bethel United Reformed Church of Smithers BC. Prior to this, he served the United Reformed Church in Doon, IA. Rev. Lievaart grew up in southern Alberta and attended Redeemer University College and Mid-America Reformed Seminary. He married Jodi in 2006 and they have four children. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com. ...

Daily devotional

April 29 - A praying church

“So Peter was kept in prison, but earnest prayer for him was made to God by the church.” - Acts 12:5 Scripture reading: Acts 12:1-10, 20-25 Again Peter is in prison. Bringing the gospel to the Gentiles meant there would be no more sympathy from non-Christian Jews. And it was heartless Herod who was behind the arrest. Herod was not afraid to shed innocent blood, especially if it gained him favour with the general population. So what is the church to do? Herod has soldiers, prisons and weapons. How can the church avoid being snuffed out by the powers of the world? The church goes to God in prayer. Jesus teaches us to watch and pray. Why pray? Because God is more powerful than any ruler or government or weapon. As we strive to serve the Lord, we must be praying at all times in the Spirit (Ephesians 6:18). How do your prayers reflect that your strength is not in yourself, but in the Lord? Are you praying for your needs, for strength against the enemies that seek to choke out your faith? What about the enemies of the church? The church is pressured by false teachings, pressured to be silent in this world and pressured to compromise on the truth. Will you pray for the leaders of the church? Herod went against God by wanting to put the apostles to death, but the gospel cannot be chained and God will always have the last word. Peter would be released by an angel and Herod would be struck down. The church prays and the Word of God increases and multiplies. Suggestions for prayer Thank God for His awesome power over all things. Ask God to keep you humble and dependent on Him so that you remain steadfast in prayer. Rev. Simon Lievaart currently serves Bethel United Reformed Church of Smithers BC. Prior to this, he served the United Reformed Church in Doon, IA. Rev. Lievaart grew up in southern Alberta and attended Redeemer University College and Mid-America Reformed Seminary. He married Jodi in 2006 and they have four children. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com. ...

Daily devotional

April 28 - Far-reaching love

“And he said to them, “You yourselves know how unlawful it is for a Jew to associate with or to visit anyone of another nation, but God has shown me that I should not call any person common or unclean.”” - Acts 10:28 Scripture reading: Acts 10:24-33 This is a huge moment in Peter’s life and ministry. We know Peter loved Jesus and was really committed to following Jesus, even if it meant Peter’s own death, but now Jesus is sending Peter to also bring the gospel to Gentiles, the non-Jews. In doing so, Peter would be extending an arm of fellowship to Gentiles, calling them to join in the family of those adopted into Christ. This was something a self-respecting Jew would never do. But God’s love and grace is greater than we think. Jesus came to Peter, an unworthy sinner, not because Peter was a Jew or was worthy, but because of God’s promises and mercy. Now that mercy goes out to the Gentiles. Peter swallows his Jewish pride, again humbles himself, and goes to the Gentiles with love and obedience to God. In what ways do you treat the love of God as something small or something that you cannot share? Do you turn up your nose and refuse to talk to those who are outside your church? We, like Peter, are called to join the ministry of Jesus Christ. This is often messy work and people, even from within the church, will criticize it. We are not all called to be evangelists in the way Peter was, but I pray that your devotion to God brings you to live a life that holds firm to Christ and all God’s truth, while in obedience extending God’s love and grace to the world. Suggestions for prayer Ask God to forgive you for treating His love as something small. Ask God to guide you to live in a way that shares God’s love with others. Rev. Simon Lievaart currently serves Bethel United Reformed Church of Smithers BC. Prior to this, he served the United Reformed Church in Doon, IA. Rev. Lievaart grew up in southern Alberta and attended Redeemer University College and Mid-America Reformed Seminary. He married Jodi in 2006 and they have four children. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com. ...

Daily devotional

April 27 - Go to the nations

“And the voice came to him again a second time, “What God has made clean, do not call common.”” - Acts 10:15 Scripture reading: Acts 10:9-2...

Daily devotional

April 26 - Resurrection message

“Turning to the body he said, “Tabitha, arise.” And she opened her eyes, and when she saw Peter she sat up.” - Acts 9:40b Scripture reading...

Daily devotional

April 25 - The dangers of power and pride

“But Peter said to him, “May your silver perish with you, because you thought you could obtain the gift of God with money!”” - Acts 8:20–21 ...

Daily devotional

April 24 - Obedience that is good

“But Peter and John answered them, “Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you rather than to God, you must judge.”” - Acts 4:19...

Daily devotional

April 23 - Shockingly bold

“Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated, common men, they were astonished. And they recognized that they had been with Jesus.” - Acts 4:13–14 Scripture reading: Acts 4:5-18 Healing in the name of Jesus Christ caused an uproar in the temple courts. Peter and John are placed in prison and put on trial. They know that at any minute they could be stoned to death or sentenced to crucifixion. And yet it seems they are not afraid. Are they relying on their own thorough training and expertise? Are they relying on the name they have made for themselves? No. We read that they are nobodies. But that makes no difference for they know the strength of the Lord Who is with them. Jesus once told them “Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul.” They no longer fear man; instead, they have a healthy fear of the Lord. Not only do they not back down, but we read that Peter continually challenges the ones who put him on trial to accept Jesus Christ as their Saviour. He doesn’t apologize for what he did, but declares that they too should confess their wrong and follow Jesus. All this boldness is very impressive. The leaders do not know what to say, because they know Peter was with Jesus and they can see the lame man standing right there with him. This is the power of God in His servants. How do you act when the pressures of life and the world want you to give up or compromise your faith? Do people see that your strength doesn’t come from yourself, but instead comes from knowing and trusting the Lord God? Suggestions for prayer Thank the Lord that He is stronger than all the powers of the world. Confess your sin of fearing man and ask the Lord to give you strength to stand bold in your faith. Rev. Simon Lievaart currently serves Bethel United Reformed Church of Smithers BC. Prior to this, he served the United Reformed Church in Doon, IA. Rev. Lievaart grew up in southern Alberta and attended Redeemer University College and Mid-America Reformed Seminary. He married Jodi in 2006 and they have four children. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com. ...

Daily devotional

April 22 - Better than money

“But Peter said, “I have no silver and gold, but what I do have I give to you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk!”” - Acts 3:6 Scripture reading: Acts 3:1-10 Peter and John could not give the man what he asked for, but they had something much greater - the good news of Jesus Christ. Ephesians 1:7-8 speaks of this wealth saying, In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace. Peter and John had learned this, and now they share their wealth with the lame beggar, saying to him, “In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk.” Jesus Christ healed this man; Peter was merely an instrument. But Peter was sure. He reached out his hand, pulled the lame man up and the man stood. The healing the man experienced on the outside shows us what God was doing on the inside. As the apostles ministered in Jesus' name, so they brought the authority and blessings of Jesus Christ, namely life and restoration to all who believe. This is good news as we are all lame beggars and we must all find strength and comfort in Christ Jesus Who is gracious to us. Better than silver or gold, in Jesus’ name, we have forgiveness of sins. In Jesus’ name we have a new life. Let this bring you to rejoice today, even as you still see and feel the burden of sin and brokenness in this life. Suggestions for prayer At times we feel like lame beggars and only want the things the world wants. Pray that God will help you give thanks for His blessings and share the riches of His grace. Rev. Simon Lievaart currently serves Bethel United Reformed Church of Smithers BC. Prior to this, he served the United Reformed Church in Doon, IA. Rev. Lievaart grew up in southern Alberta and attended Redeemer University College and Mid-America Reformed Seminary. He married Jodi in 2006 and they have four children. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com. ...

Daily devotional

April 21 - What is a sinner to do?

“Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” - Acts 2:38 Scripture reading: Acts 2:22-36 Peter is tending the flock. The lost sheep of Israel are gathered and, in the strength of the Holy Spirit, Peter is explaining to them that Jesus, Whom they crucified, is their only hope for salvation. Now what? It might feel to the crowd as if they missed the only bus. After all, Jesus was rejected and crucified. The crowd knows their sin, so they cry out, “What shall we do?” The answer Peter gives is a summary of the Christian life. This is what Peter, a sinner, learned to do and now he speaks as one sinner to another, explaining the only way to be saved. Repent. That is, we must deny ourselves. We must flee from the idols of this world and devote ourselves wholly to God. This takes trust. We must trust that if we confess our sins, God will forgive them. This takes faith. We must have faith in Jesus Christ, knowing that if we turn from our sins, God will give us what we need to live a new life to His glory. We receive these from Christ in the gift of the Holy Spirit. By the Holy Spirit we are assured of God’s grace and given a new life wherein we can glorify God. Peter knew this gift and now he spreads the news so other sinners can know forgiveness and a new life. Do you know what it means to be forgiven and have the Holy Spirit? How can you share this good news in order that others may also know? Suggestions for prayer Pray that you will never cease to be amazed at God’s grace to you. Ask the Lord to help you point others to the only way of salvation in Jesus Christ. Rev. Simon Lievaart currently serves Bethel United Reformed Church of Smithers BC. Prior to this, he served the United Reformed Church in Doon, IA. Rev. Lievaart grew up in southern Alberta and attended Redeemer University College and Mid-America Reformed Seminary. He married Jodi in 2006 and they have four children. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com. ...

Daily devotional

April 20 - Going forward in faith

“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.”” - Luke 24:44 Scripture reading: Acts 1:12-26 Jesus has ascended and the apostles and other followers are gathered together, but something is wrong. There are eleven apostles. During the whole of Jesus’ ministry, there were twelve apostles; twelve, like the number of the sons of Jacob. The number twelve showed the continuity of God’s plan of salvation for His chosen people. Now, with only eleven, it might feel like one stone has been pulled out of the foundation. Peter sinned and was reinstated, but Judas, though he grieved over his sin, did not turn to the Lord for forgiveness. Surely this brought much grief and discouragement to the disciples. But their faith is strengthened when they look to God’s Word. Peter takes the lead and reminds the brothers that both Judas’ betrayal and death were prophesied in Scripture (Psalm 69:25, Psalm 109:6-8). Scripture also said that another will take his office. Peter finds direction from Scripture and through this, he is able to guide the disciples. Jesus was not physically present with them, but God was still speaking to them by His Word. This is how God provides for His people. The disciples will pray and God will show them whom He has chosen to be the twelfth apostle. Where do you find your strength in difficult times? When others falter or the church struggles, do you still trust God’s care? Do you look to God’s Word during difficulties and come to God in prayer so that you are able to go forward with faith and encourage others to do the same? Suggestions for prayer Thank the Lord for His perfect plans which will work out all things for the good of those who love Him. Pray that God gives you trust, especially when things go “wrong” in our minds. Rev. Simon Lievaart currently serves Bethel United Reformed Church of Smithers BC. Prior to this, he served the United Reformed Church in Doon, IA. Rev. Lievaart grew up in southern Alberta and attended Redeemer University College and Mid-America Reformed Seminary. He married Jodi in 2006 and they have four children. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com. ...

Daily devotional

April 19 - Give all glory to God

“In order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.” - 1 Peter 4:11b ...

Daily devotional

April 18 - The God of all grace will do it

“And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm,...

Daily devotional

April 17 - To glorify God

“When you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will dress you and carry you where you do not want to go.” - John 21:18b Scr...

Daily devotional

April 16 - Confidence in Peter?

“He said to him, “Feed my sheep.”” - John 21:17b Scripture reading: Matt 16:13-23 Jesus said, “Feed my lambs”, “Tend my sheep�...

Daily devotional

April 15 - A trusting Peter

“He said to him a second time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.”” - John 21:16a Scripture reading: Psalm 116:1-19 Jesus asks again, “Do you love me?” How do we respond to that? How can we say, “I love you” to God? Especially when we, like Peter, know how weak and pale our love is compared to God’s pure and perfect love for us. Peter does not dare to claim perfect love. The word Peter uses to say, I love you is not the same as the word Jesus uses; he uses a lesser word for love. Why? Because talk is cheap. We see it today. People claim to love their spouses, but go on to forsake them. Hypocrites will boast how much they love God, acknowledging Him with their lips, but in their hearts loving other things more. Peter was there. Now there is no boasting with words. “Lord you know my heart, you know I am frail and my love is not perfect, but you know that I love you.” So is that the answer to how we say “I love” you to God? Is the key to just use humble language? No, talk is still cheap. We need to show our love. Peter had a heart that was willing to be rebuked and to serve or to go wherever the Lord would lead him. Peter’s life will show his love. That is the key. Do you love the Lord? Recognize every good thing we have is only by the grace of God who is loving toward us and call on His name in trust, in praise and in thanksgiving. Show your love with your life. Suggestions for prayer Pray that God will keep your relationship with Him honest, that we will not lie when we sing and confess our love to God, but that we will be keenly aware of His great mercy toward us. Pray that God will help you show your love with a life devoted to Him. Rev. Simon Lievaart currently serves Bethel United Reformed Church of Smithers BC. Prior to this, he served the United Reformed Church in Doon, IA. Rev. Lievaart grew up in southern Alberta and attended Redeemer University College and Mid-America Reformed Seminary. He married Jodi in 2006 and they have four children. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com. ...

Daily devotional

April 14 - A humble Peter

“Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.”” - John 21:15 Scripture reading: John 21:1-19 Peter once boasted, “Even if all fall away on account of you, I never will.” Peter dared to brag that he loved Jesus more than everyone else did. So when Jesus asks Peter if he loves Him more than the disciples, Peter appeals to the knowledge of God and says, “Lord, you know.” Jesus knew where the fish were and knew Peter would deny him. There is no sense bragging before God because Jesus knows the heart. Peter confesses, You know that I love you. Are you ever tempted to brag before God? Do you ever try to make yourself appear to be a better follower of Jesus than the next person? It is inevitable; our actions will have the last word. If we love other things more, or focus more on our desires, it will show. Let us not brag; instead, trust the Lord. He knows our love is not what it should be; our love for Him is nothing to boast about. But Christ also knows when we have a broken spirit and a contrite heart. Peter knew his sin and weakness, but he still loved the Lord Jesus and would serve Him if the Lord would have him. And the Lord will. 1 Corinthians 1:27 says, God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong. When we recognize our weakness and throw ourselves before God, trusting His strength and mercy, then we have become the very ones the Lord loves to use to further His kingdom and bring glory to His Name. Suggestions for prayer Give thanks to God for knowing and examining our hearts. Ask God to forgive our pride and arrogance and help us to offer Him heartfelt and sincere love. Rev. Simon Lievaart currently serves Bethel United Reformed Church of Smithers BC. Prior to this, he served the United Reformed Church in Doon, IA. Rev. Lievaart grew up in southern Alberta and attended Redeemer University College and Mid-America Reformed Seminary. He married Jodi in 2006 and they have four children. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com. ...

Daily devotional

April 13 - Futile faith?

"And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain." - 1 Corinthians 15:14 Scripture reading: 1 Corinthians 15:12-19 Jesus is alive. And that changes everything for us in this life. It means that anything Jesus ever said is trustworthy and true. This means that everything Jesus did is real and accomplishes everything for us and our salvation. It means the message of the Bible is good. If Jesus is your Lord and Saviour, your sins are truly and completely forgiven and you are given eternal life – to live with the Lord God forever. This good news must lift our hearts every day. Through all of the bad days, stress, tears and sorrow, the knowledge that Jesus died, rose again and ascended into heaven gives us peace and hope. All the sorrows of this life, the losses of this life, are temporary. Imagine you are at war. You are on the battlefield, exhausted, basically out of ammo, and wounded, but you look up and see the enemy base engulfed in flames. Bullets are still flying, but you know that the kingdom of darkness has fallen and the kingdom of light has been established. Well, then you can hang in there. The injuries and wounds don’t hurt so much when you are celebrating victory. Is that your hope? Can you see and believe that our Lord is risen? Do you see what this means for this life and for eternity? Because of Jesus’ resurrection, we have hope. May we carry it and show it as we live certain of what we have not seen. Our Lord Jesus lives and reigns in heaven. Suggestions for prayer Give thanks that God not only sent His Son to bring forgiveness but also raised Him up so we may know that the mission has been accomplished. Rev. Simon Lievaart currently serves Bethel United Reformed Church of Smithers BC. Prior to this, he served the United Reformed Church in Doon, IA. Rev. Lievaart grew up in southern Alberta and attended Redeemer University College and Mid-America Reformed Seminary. He married Jodi in 2006 and they have four children. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com. ...

Daily devotional

April 12 - Risen victorious

“But Peter rose and ran to the tomb; stooping and looking in, he saw the linen cloths by themselves; and he went home marveling at what had happened.” - Luke 24:12 Scripture reading: Luke 24:1-12 When the women claimed Jesus was alive, Peter did not believe it but rather needed to investigate. After all, Peter once did not believe he would deny Jesus. But he did, as Jesus said he would. Peter also at one time did not believe he would catch fish if he cast out his net as Jesus asked him to, but again he was proven wrong. Peter ran to the tomb, looked in and what did he see? Not Jesus, but only the linen cloths used to wrap Jesus’ dead body. If Jesus was still dead, if Jesus’ body was stolen, or if someone had moved it, they would have kept the linen cloths on Him. No fool would unwrap a rotting corpse and take the naked body - of course not! But a living body would remove the burial linens, for they covered the face and bound the arms and feet. Peter looked at the linen cloths and marvelled. The evidence is amazing! Soon Peter and the other disciples will see Jesus Christ; they will touch Him and know He is real. They will know for certain. And that changes everything. We are not following a dead man; we are following the One who has risen, conquering sin and death and hell. We are following the One Who has all strength and authority over life and death. Our faith is not in vain, so let us keep following Jesus all our days. Suggestions for prayer Pray that the good news of the resurrection will strengthen your faith, that you will live your life not without hope or in fear, but with faith in the One who conquered the grave. Rev. Simon Lievaart currently serves Bethel United Reformed Church of Smithers BC. Prior to this, he served the United Reformed Church in Doon, IA. Rev. Lievaart grew up in southern Alberta and attended Redeemer University College and Mid-America Reformed Seminary. He married Jodi in 2006 and they have four children. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com. ...

Daily devotional

April 11 - Darkness is my only friend

“It was now about the sixth hour, and there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour.” - Luke 23:44 Scripture reading: Luke 23:40-...

Daily devotional

April 10 - Forsaken by friends

“But Peter said, “Man, I do not know what you are talking about.” And immediately, while he was still speaking, the rooster crowed.” - Luke 22...

Daily devotional

April 9 - Betrayal with a kiss

“But Jesus said to him, “Judas, would you betray the Son of Man with a kiss?”” - Luke 22:48 Scripture reading: Luke 22:47-53 A kiss wa...

Daily devotional

April 8 - Prayer and temptation

“And when he came to the place, he said to them, “Pray that you may not enter into temptation.”” - Luke 22:40 Scripture reading: Luke 22:...

Daily devotional

April 7 - Prayer and protection

“I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned again, strengthen your brothers.” - Luke 22:32 Scripture reading: Luke 22:31-3 and John 17:6-13 Jesus is the High Priest Who had just given the disciples the Passover. Now as High Priest, He prays for them. Jesus prays specifically for Simon Peter, knowing the trial he will face, and He prays for all the disciples as well as all His followers today. And we need this. We saw last time how weak we are; apart from the Lord intervening and praying on our behalf, there is no hope. And it really is amazing that Jesus prays, asking the Father to have mercy on us. Is anyone worthy of God’s care and protection? Is there anyone who has not slandered God when they grumble, who has not insulted God in the way they boast in themselves? No one. Peter will deny Jesus, leaving Jesus without any companions. And yet, Jesus says He will pray for Peter. Jesus’ prayer is a great strength for Peter. By Jesus’ prayer, Peter does not lose faith. Though he trips, he will stand in faith again. Like Peter, we too have Jesus praying on our behalf; when we face temptations, when we have trouble in our home, in our life, with our relationships, Jesus is praying that our faith may not fail. Take courage and look to the Lord to uphold you by His love in the difficult times. Suggestions for prayer Ask God to help you realize His grace and love. Pray for specific situations where you need the Lord to help and protect you. Thank the Lord for His patient prayer for you. Rev. Simon Lievaart currently serves Bethel United Reformed Church of Smithers BC. Prior to this, he served the United Reformed Church in Doon, IA. Rev. Lievaart grew up in southern Alberta and attended Redeemer University College and Mid-America Reformed Seminary. He married Jodi in 2006 and they have four children. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com. ...

Daily devotional

April 6 - Through the thresher

“Simon, Simon, behold, Satan demanded to have you, that he might sift you like wheat.” - Luke 22:31 Scripture reading: Luke 22:31-34 and Job 1:6-12 These are words of serious warning from Jesus. As He approaches the cross, Jesus warns one of His closest disciples that Satan has him in his rifle scope. As wheat is picked up tossed in the wind, Satan wants to pick Peter apart, toss him around so he cannot keep himself together. Satan aims for Peter’s ruin. Satan tried this with Job and Satan is still doing this today. Satan’s attacks are not always the same; his tactic may change, but expect it. When you are given a responsibility, when you face a hardship, or when there is something about following God that you do not understand, be ready. Satan’s mission is to get you to deny Jesus and give up the Christian faith. On hearing this, Simon Peter said, “Lord, I am ready to go with you both to prison and death.” Peter made the mistake of counting on his own strength. Peter did not think his faith would ever fail. We do this when we underestimate the devil and overestimate ourselves. In those moments we need to hear 1 Corinthians 10:12, “Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall.” If we were swimming and were told there was a shark circling us, we would not turn and put up our fists; instead, we would climb into the boat. There we are safe. Against the enemy, Satan, we need to turn to Jesus. Pray for His help, His strength, that He will give us faith to withstand the attacks of Satan. Suggestions for prayer Pray that God gives you a keen awareness of both your own weakness and frailty and also of God’s strength and power. Ask God to protect you and to preserve you to hold fast to Him in faith all your days. Rev. Simon Lievaart currently serves Bethel United Reformed Church of Smithers BC. Prior to this, he served the United Reformed Church in Doon, IA. Rev. Lievaart grew up in southern Alberta and attended Redeemer University College and Mid-America Reformed Seminary. He married Jodi in 2006 and they have four children. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com. ...

Daily devotional

April 5 - Seeking greatness

“For who is the greater, one who reclines at table or one who serves? Is it not the one who reclines at table? But I am among you as the one who serves.” - Luke 22:27 Scripture reading: Luke 19:37-40 and Luke 22:23-30 On Palm Sunday Jesus rode on a donkey into Jerusalem. Being on a donkey makes a statement. The donkey is not like a Rolls Royce or even a Cadillac. No, it is more like an old Hyundai –a modest mode of transport. But that did not deter the crowds; they saw their king. In Jesus they saw the One Who could lead them to the deliverance of which the Passover spoke. Like Moses to Israel, they thought Jesus would rescue them from Rome, give them Rome’s gold and establish them as a glorious nation. You see, when Jesus rode in, they thought more of themselves than of God and God’s will. And we do the same when we want God’s blessings more than we want God’s will But Jesus came to serve. And this is what we need. We don’t need more money, more earthly freedoms or land, but we need to be cleansed of our sin. Only Christ can give this cleansing, and He did. Jesus came as a servant and brought salvation by letting Himself be nailed to the cross where He would die a humiliating death. Phil 2:8 says, “He humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.” Rejoice and praise God! Christ, who died on the cross, is our greatest treasure! Go to church today and serve and worship your God Who provided a way of reconciliation. Rejoice as you believe the good news! Christ came and lay down His life for you. Suggestions for prayer Ask the Lord to help us show our love and thankfulness. Pray for God to help you be humble and faithful in times of trials, and to be quick to serve, considering others more highly than ourselves. Rev. Simon Lievaart currently serves Bethel United Reformed Church of Smithers BC. Prior to this, he served the United Reformed Church in Doon, IA. Rev. Lievaart grew up in southern Alberta and attended Redeemer University College and Mid-America Reformed Seminary. He married Jodi in 2006 and they have four children. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com. ...

Daily devotional

April 4 - A new supper, the Lord’s supper

““This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” And likewise the cup after they had eaten, saying, “This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood.”” - Luke 22:19b–20 Scripture reading: 1 Corinthians 11:23-25 Jesus gives Himself. My body, given for you. Isaiah 53 says, “He was crushed for our iniquities”. His body is given over to death in our place. Think of what this means. A substitute goes in the place of another. Sometimes, someone will find a friend to take a shift for them at work. But Jesus came to suffer the punishment for sin and die in substitution for all who will believe in Him. Jesus is talking to the disciples. They don’t know it, but it is like Jesus will jump on a grenade so he can die instead of them. But what Jesus was bringing had eternal consequences. So Jesus gives this bread and message to His disciples. Will they understand? Will they believe? Their response and our response must be, “Yes, this is what I need! He must be crushed for my iniquities.” Jesus told the disciples, “Do this in remembrance of me.” And that is what we do as we celebrate the Lord’s Supper. The sacrifice has been made. Christ’s death was the once-for-all sacrifice for our sins. And so we partake of the supper in remembrance and faith. This meal must teach us to see anew what Christ has done. Believe and be strengthened in your faith! Know deep in your hearts that this is real. Jesus Christ has given His body and blood for those who believe. Suggestions for prayer What is the role of Lord’s Supper in your life? Pray that you will look forward to partaking, and that Jesus will strengthen and assure your faith when you do partake. Rev. Simon Lievaart currently serves Bethel United Reformed Church of Smithers BC. Prior to this, he served the United Reformed Church in Doon, IA. Rev. Lievaart grew up in southern Alberta and attended Redeemer University College and Mid-America Reformed Seminary. He married Jodi in 2006 and they have four children. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com. ...

Daily devotional

April 3 - A longed-for passover

“And he said to them, “I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. For I tell you I will not eat it until it is fulfil...

Daily devotional

April 2 - Betrayal

“Then Satan entered into Judas called Iscariot, who was of the number of the twelve. He went away and conferred with the chief priests and officers ...

Daily devotional

April 1 - Introduction to God’s great love

Our calendars tell us that Easter is this month. There is much debate on the accuracy of the date and if Christians should participate in Lent and how...

Daily devotional

March 31 - The Lord Jesus Christ and God’s goal of creation

Daily devotional

March 30 - God guarantees to bless the nations through Abraham and his descendants

“And Abraham went and took the ram and offered it up as a burnt offering instead of his son.” - Genesis 22:13b Scripture reading: Genesis 22:15-19 Because Abraham lived in the Spirit through faith God intervened and called off the sacrifice of Isaac. Because God providentially led a ram that had its horns caught in a thicket to where Abraham was, Abraham sacrifices the ram instead of Isaac. Moreover, God rewards Abraham’s living in the Spirit through faith with the promise He would bless him so that he could be a blessing to the nations around Canaan. He does so by using language He had already used in Genesis 12, 15, and 17 to indicate this. God would bless him, multiply his offspring like the stars of heaven and the sand of the seashore, his offspring would possess the gate of their enemies and in him would all the nations of the earth be blessed. God guarantees His promise with an oath (v. 15). Now oaths always contain not only a blessing, but also a curse. The oath swearer calls a curse down upon himself if he does not fulfil the blessing. The curse can be either verbal or ritual, such as cutting animals in half as had occurred in Genesis 15. Because God’s oath does not contain a verbal curse, there must be a ritual curse. I believe we find this ritual curse in the sacrifice of the ram as a burnt offering. God is saying: “May I be sacrificed like that ram if I do not fulfill my oath of blessing the nations through Abraham’s descendants when they wholeheartedly live in the Spirit through faith and obey my voice.” Suggestions for prayer Thank your heavenly Father that He has guaranteed to bless the world through the church, Abraham’s offspring, when it lives in the Spirit through faith and is obedient to His voice. Ask Him to enable you to live in the Spirit through faith. Rev. Dick Moes is a graduate from the Theological University in Kampen, the Netherlands and the Associated Canadian Theological Schools (ACTS) in Langley, BC, Canada. He and his wife Elsina have five children and 14 grandchildren. He is pastor emeritus of the Surrey Covenant Reformed Church in Surrey, BC. and lives in Langley, BC. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

March 29 - Wholeheartedly living in the Spirit through faith and the goal of God’s creation

“He said, “Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.”” - Genesis 22:2 Scripture reading: Genesis 22:1-14 God wants to use Abraham and Sarah as a second Adam and Eve and deal with the problem that their fall into sin caused and have them live for the other by being people and places where heaven and earth meet that reflect the glorious life-giving, light-giving, and loving presence of God. In order for Abraham and Sarah to be able to do this, they have to live in the Spirit through faith and not in the flesh of the world and the flesh of their sinful hearts. Circumcision as a sign and seal of their membership of God’s covenant community served as a reminder of their identity as well as their calling. In our Scripture reading, God tests Abraham’s wholehearted commitment to be His redemptive representative in this world for the sake of the world by commanding him to take the son he had waited for 25 years to be born and sacrifice him as a burnt offering, much like Canaanites sacrificed their children. Because Abraham did indeed live in the Spirit through faith by being receptive to the voice of his God, open to His provision and available to the Spirit’s leading, he passed God’s test. You see this in his immediate departure from his home, his telling the servants that he and Isaac would return, his belief that God would provide a sacrifice, his raising of the knife to sacrifice his son and in his belief that God would raise Isaac from the dead if he sacrificed him (Hebrews 11:19). Suggestions for prayer Ask your heavenly Father to show you where you may need to make changes in your life to be more wholehearted in fulfilling your calling to be God’s redemptive representative in this world by being a person where heaven and earth meet. Rev. Dick Moes is a graduate from the Theological University in Kampen, the Netherlands and the Associated Canadian Theological Schools (ACTS) in Langley, BC, Canada. He and his wife Elsina have five children and 14 grandchildren. He is pastor emeritus of the Surrey Covenant Reformed Church in Surrey, BC. and lives in Langley, BC. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

March 28 - Baptism as a sign of the goal of God’s creation

“In him also you were circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, having been buried with him in baptism.” - Colossians 2:11-12a Scripture reading: Exodus 28:6-21 In the Old Testament, the high priest was the substitute and representative of Israel, symbolized by the stones on his shoulder and the stones in the breast piece of judgment. Wherever he went, Israel went with him and whatever he did, Israel did with him. The Lord Jesus Christ is the fulfilment of the Old Testament high priest. In whatever He did, He functioned as the substitute and representative of New Testament Israel, the church, His body. Thus, when He died, the members of His body died with Him. Baptism is a sign and seal of our having died and been buried with Christ. Because circumcision in the Old Testament, made with hands, was an identity marker that members of the church had been cut off from the life of the flesh in the world and the flesh in their hearts —the old order of life—and had been placed in the church—the new order of life—, Paul calls our having been buried with Christ in baptism the circumcision of Christ, one made without hands. It is a sign and seal that in Christ we have died to the life of the flesh in the world and the flesh that lives in our hearts. Thus, as circumcision was a reminder of what being a member of God’s covenant community entailed, so baptism reminds us of the same. If we are to be a blessing for the world, we need to daily die to the ways of the flesh of the world and the flesh of our hearts. Suggestions for prayer Ask your heavenly Father to show you where you need to die to the flesh so that you can be a blessing to those around you. Rev. Dick Moes is a graduate from the Theological University in Kampen, the Netherlands and the Associated Canadian Theological Schools (ACTS) in Langley, BC, Canada. He and his wife Elsina have five children and 14 grandchildren. He is pastor emeritus of the Surrey Covenant Reformed Church in Surrey, BC. and lives in Langley, BC. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

March 27 - Circumcision as a sign of the goal of God’s creation

“You shall be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskins, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and you.” - Genesis 17:11 Scripture reading: Genesis 17:9-14 I have a NEXUS card, which serves as one of my identity markers. It identifies me as a low-risk traveller who can cross the Canadian-American border quickly. It also gives me privileges at certain airports. Circumcision, as a sign of God’s covenant community, is also an identity marker. It identifies males as members of this community and reminds them (and the females) of what being a member of this covenant community entails. As the flesh of the male’s foreskin was cut off, so members of God’s covenant community are cut off from the ways of the flesh of the world. Being circumcised symbolizes that they have been separated from the ways of the world and consecrated to the ways of God. They are to walk before God, in His loving, holy presence in the Holy Spirit, and be blameless, wholeheartedly devoted to God. In addition, circumcision symbolizes that members of God’s covenant community are cut off from the ways of the flesh in their hearts. Outward circumcision is not enough, their hearts need to be circumcised as well (cf. Rom. 2:25-29). Only in this way can God use His covenant community, His church, to be a blessing for the world and to live for the other by being people and places where heaven and earth meet. The hearts of the members of the church need to be circumcised and the ways of the flesh need to be cut out of their hearts. Otherwise, they will be cut off from God’s covenant community. Suggestions for prayer Ask your heavenly Father to daily remind you what it entails to be a member of His covenant community with regard to the ways of the flesh that still live in our hearts. Rev. Dick Moes is a graduate from the Theological University in Kampen, the Netherlands and the Associated Canadian Theological Schools (ACTS) in Langley, BC, Canada. He and his wife Elsina have five children and 14 grandchildren. He is pastor emeritus of the Surrey Covenant Reformed Church in Surrey, BC. and lives in Langley, BC. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

March 26 - God’s second covenant with Abraham and the goal of creation (II)

Daily devotional

March 25 - God’s second covenant with Abraham and the goal of creation (I)

Daily devotional

March 24 - The flesh of the world and the flesh of our own hearts

Daily devotional

March 23 - The blood of the covenant

“For this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.” - Matthew 26:28 Scripture reading: Matth...

Daily devotional

March 22 - The land of Canaan and the new heaven and the new earth

“For he was looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God.” - Hebrews 11:10 Scripture reading: Hebrews 11:8-16 God is on a mission for His glory to make all things new in a world where His people and His world will once again dwell in His loving presence and be people and places where heaven and earth meet. This means that the Christian life is a journey to this glorious life-giving, light-giving, and loving presence of God, also known as the fullness of God’s eternal Sabbath rest. From our Scripture reading, it would seem that Abraham understood this. We are told that he was looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God. Moreover, it tells us that he acknowledged that he was a stranger and exile on earth who desired a far better country than the one he had just left, namely, a heavenly country, a city prepared for him by God. This means that the land of Canaan, in addition to being a real land, also functions as a type or foreshadowing of the new heaven and the new earth. And just as God dealt with the problem of uncertainty in Abraham’s life with regard to the possession of the land of Canaan by making a covenant with him that guaranteed His commitment to this promise, so God also deals with any uncertainty we may have that His commitment to His mission for His glory, resulting in a new heaven and a new earth, will be fulfilled with this same covenant. May He be cut in half if He does not fulfill this promise for us. Suggestions for prayer Ask your heavenly Father to enable you to hang on loosely to this world and the things of this world as you travel the journey to the new heaven and new earth as a stranger and sojourner on this earth. Rev. Dick Moes is a graduate from the Theological University in Kampen, the Netherlands and the Associated Canadian Theological Schools (ACTS) in Langley, BC, Canada. He and his wife Elsina have five children and 14 grandchildren. He is pastor emeritus of the Surrey Covenant Reformed Church in Surrey, BC. and lives in Langley, BC. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

March 21 - God’s first covenant with Abraham and the goal of creation

“On that day the Lord made a covenant with Abram…” - Genesis 15:18 Scripture reading: Genesis 15:7-21 I trust you have not forgotten what I wrote about biblical covenants between God and His people. Covenants regulate an existing relationship, often dealing with a problem in this relationship that causes uncertainty. Against this background of the function of covenants in God’s relationship with His people, it should not surprise us that we once again read about a covenant, for there is a problem in Abram’s relationship with his God that causes uncertainty. God has just promised to give Abram and his descendants the gift of the land of Canaan, but Abram is not sure whether this will indeed happen, for he says to God, “O Lord God, how am I to know that I shall possess it?” Abram wants God to guarantee His commitment of giving him and his descendants the land of Canaan, possibly still in the light of the fact that he does not have a biological heir and that his wife is barren, even though he had believed that God would give him descendants as countless as the stars in the heavens. So, God makes a covenant with Abram according to the custom of those days where covenant partners cut animals in half and then walk between these animals, thus guaranteeing their commitment to the covenant they just made or cut. Except, in this covenant, only God walks between the bloody carcasses of the animals. In doing so, He is swearing an oath: “May I be cut in half if I do not fulfill my promise of giving you the land of Canaan.” Suggestions for prayer Ask your heavenly Father to open your eyes to the deep significance of His covenant commitment to you (and your children). Rev. Dick Moes is a graduate from the Theological University in Kampen, the Netherlands and the Associated Canadian Theological Schools (ACTS) in Langley, BC, Canada. He and his wife Elsina have five children and 14 grandchildren. He is pastor emeritus of the Surrey Covenant Reformed Church in Surrey, BC. and lives in Langley, BC. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

March 20 - Faith and its reward

“And he said to him, “I am the Lord who brought you out from Ur of the Chaldeans to give you this land to possess.”” - Genesis 15:7 Scripture reading: Genesis 15:7-21 Yesterday, we saw that Abram believed God and God counted this posture of faith to him as righteousness. If we want to do justice to our relationship with God, we need to consider His promises to be trustworthy and entrust ourselves to this promising God. That is the way to live in a right relationship with God. Today, we see that God rewards this posture of faith with the gift of land. In Genesis 15:1, God had said to Abram that his reward would be very great. Today, we read that this reward is the gift of the land of Canaan. The land was a sort of second Garden of Eden where the nations would be drawn into the glorious presence of God and begin to reflect this life-giving, light-giving, and loving presence to one another as well by being people and places where heaven and earth meet. God had promised the land when Abram first arrived in Canaan. He had repeated the promise when Abram and Lot had separated. Now God makes the promise again as a reward for his posture of faith. New this time is that the geographical markers of the land are included as well as the fact that Abram’s descendants would first be sojourners in the land of Egypt before they would possess the land because the iniquity of the Amorites was not yet full. This latter fact shows us God’s patience towards sinners. Not all sin warrants immediate destruction; only the full measure of sin. Suggestions for prayer Since faith in God’s promises and entrusting ourselves to this promising God is the means God uses to receive us into His eternal kingdom, ask your heavenly Father daily to strengthen your faith. Rev. Dick Moes is a graduate from the Theological University in Kampen, the Netherlands and the Associated Canadian Theological Schools (ACTS) in Langley, BC, Canada. He and his wife Elsina have five children and 14 grandchildren. He is pastor emeritus of the Surrey Covenant Reformed Church in Surrey, BC. and lives in Langley, BC. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

March 19 - Doubting the fulfillment of God’s mission for his glory

“And Abram said, “Behold, you have given me no offspring, and a member of my household will be my heir.”” - Genesis 15:6 Scripture reading: Genesis 15:1-6 Do you ever doubt that God will succeed in His mission for His glory, making all things new in a world where His people and His world will again dwell in His loving presence and be people and places where heaven and earth meet? Living in God’s life-giving, light-giving, and loving presence and reflecting this glorious presence to all those around you, it's all yours as a reward, when you consider the promises of God to be trustworthy and entrust yourself to the God of this promise. Abram also has his doubts about a promise of God: that he would become a great nation. How can he become a great nation if he does not even have one child and his wife is barren? Abram is asked to believe this promise, but this promise, humanly speaking, cannot be fulfilled. So God comes to Abram’s help, appearing to him in a vision, telling him not to be afraid, for He is his shield. Moreover, his reward shall be very great. His promise that he will become a great nation is trustworthy. God then takes Abram outside, tells him to look at the sky and try to count the stars. God assures Abram that his descendants would be as countless as the stars of heaven. Abram believed God and God counted this to him as righteousness, i.e. believing God’s promises and entrusting yourself to the God of these promises is an attitude that does justice to your relationship with God. Suggestions for prayer If you have any doubts about the fulfillment of God’s mission for His glory, ask your heavenly Father to remove them. If you have no doubts, ask Him to continue to spare you these doubts. Rev. Dick Moes is a graduate from the Theological University in Kampen, the Netherlands and the Associated Canadian Theological Schools (ACTS) in Langley, BC, Canada. He and his wife Elsina have five children and 14 grandchildren. He is pastor emeritus of the Surrey Covenant Reformed Church in Surrey, BC. and lives in Langley, BC. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

March 18 - Succeeding in being a blessing for the world

Daily devotional

March 17 - Failure to be a blessing for the world

“They went after false idols and became false, and they followed the nations that were around them, concerning whom the Lord had commanded them ...

Daily devotional

March 16 - Blessed to be a blessing

“And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bles...

Daily devotional

March 15 - Called to be a blessing for the world

“Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father's house to the land that I will show you."” - Genesis 12:...

Daily devotional

March 14 - The rainbow as a sign of the goal of God’s creation

“I have set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and the earth.” - Genesis 9:13 Scripture reading: Genesis 9:12-17 We have seen that in the Old Testament the Sabbath was a sign of the goal of God’s creation. For Israel, the Sabbath was the weekly reminder to enter into the fullness of God’s Sabbath rest by being people where heaven and earth meet. It is as well a promise that one day this fullness, where God will be all in all, would descend from heaven on a new earth. For New Testament believers, Sunday is a weekly reminder that they are a new creation in Christ, called to bear witness to this new creation by being people where heaven and earth meet. It is as well, a promise that they will bear witness to the fullness of this new creation when Christ returns. Today, we see that God gives another sign of the goal of His new creation: the rainbow. But signs only function in our life of faith to the extent that we remember them. We need to remember them and allow them to become constructive forces in our consciousness that shape the way we think and behave. However, the interesting thing in our Scripture reading is that God says that when the rainbow is seen in the clouds, He will remember His covenant with Noah and creation. This means that He will act upon His covenant commitment and bring the goal of His creation to fruition in a glorious new heaven and earth where a new humanity and creation will live in His loving presence and participate in His life in Christ through the Holy Spirit. Suggestions for prayer Ask your heavenly Father to help you cultivate the spiritual discipline of remembering the signs of the goal of His creation. Rev. Dick Moes is a graduate from the Theological University in Kampen, the Netherlands and the Associated Canadian Theological Schools (ACTS) in Langley, BC, Canada. He and his wife Elsina have five children and 14 grandchildren. He is pastor emeritus of the Surrey Covenant Reformed Church in Surrey, BC. and lives in Langley, BC. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

March 13 - God’s covenant with Noah and creation

“Behold, I establish my covenant with you and your offspring after you, and with every living creature that is with you…” - Genesis 9:9-10a Scripture reading: Genesis 8:20-22; 9:9-11 Covenants between God and His people regulate the relationship He has with them and are often meant to deal with a problem that causes uncertainty in the relationship. We read how God did that with Noah before He came with the waters of the flood. After the flood, God makes a new covenant with Noah and his family as well as with all of creation. This shows us another aspect of biblical covenants between God and His people. A new covenant often updates an earlier covenant to the new situation that it is dealing with. You can see this, for instance, with an engagement covenant and a marriage covenant. The marriage covenant simply regulates and updates the engagement covenant to the new situation of the marriage. The new situation of God’s second covenant with Noah, now also including creation, is the new situation of continuing to live in a world that has once been destroyed by a flood. The problem that causes uncertainty in this new situation is the fact that the human heart was not cleansed with the water of the flood. The intention of man's heart is still evil from his youth (Genesis 8:21). But whereas before the flood, humanity’s depravity was the ground for God’s judgment, now this depravity becomes the ground for God’s mercy. God promises to never destroy the earth with a flood again. In doing so, He guarantees His commitment to the goal of His creation. He seals this commitment and guarantees it by establishing His covenant with Noah and creation. Suggestions for prayer Thank your heavenly Father that His commitment to a glorious new heaven and new earth is firm and sure. Rev. Dick Moes is a graduate from the Theological University in Kampen, the Netherlands and the Associated Canadian Theological Schools (ACTS) in Langley, BC, Canada. He and his wife Elsina have five children and 14 grandchildren. He is pastor emeritus of the Surrey Covenant Reformed Church in Surrey, BC. and lives in Langley, BC. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

March 12 - The recreation of creation

“And God made a wind blow over the earth, and the waters subsided.” - Genesis 8:1b Scripture reading: Genesis 8:1-9:1-7 After 150 days, God made a wind blow over the earth so that the waters began to recede. The Hebrew word for ‘wind’ is the same word that is used for ‘Spirit’. This reminds us of the Spirit of God hovering over the face of the waters in Genesis one. This is an indication that as God began with His work of creation in Genesis one, so now He will begin with His work of recreation in Genesis eight. This is confirmed when we compare God’s work of recreation with His work of creation described in Genesis one. After God made a wind blow over the earth so that the waters began to recede, He had the living creatures in the ark leave it and begin to repopulate the earth, reminding us of the way God populated the sky and the earth with living creatures during days five and six of creation. In Genesis eight, we read about God re-establishing the days and seasons, reminding us of day four of creation when He put the light-bearers in the sky to mark the seasons, days and years. In Genesis nine we read about Noah and his sons being blessed and commanded to be fruitful and multiply, to fill the earth and have dominion over it. In Genesis one we read about this same command being given to Adam and Eve. In Genesis nine we read about God providing food for Noah and his family. In Genesis one He did the same for Adam and Eve. Suggestions for prayer Thank your heavenly Father for the work of His Spirit in the renewal of creation (Ps. 104:30). Thank Him especially for the spiritual renewal that His Spirit works in you. Rev. Dick Moes is a graduate from the Theological University in Kampen, the Netherlands and the Associated Canadian Theological Schools (ACTS) in Langley, BC, Canada. He and his wife Elsina have five children and 14 grandchildren. He is pastor emeritus of the Surrey Covenant Reformed Church in Surrey, BC. and lives in Langley, BC. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

March 11 - The uncreation of creation

“...on that day all the fountains of the great deep burst forth, and the windows of the heavens were opened.” - Genesis 7:11 Scripture reading: Genesis 7:1-24 This past Sunday, we read about human wickedness being so great during the time of Noah that people thought and imagined evil continually. All this wickedness and evil was essentially a disintegration and uncreation of the form and order of God’s good creation. In Genesis one, God saw that everything was very good. Now, in Genesis six, He sees that everything is very wicked. Thus, this uncreation is a return to the disorder and formlessness of before the six days of creation. This is what sin always is. Because sin is an intentional refusal to live in the form and order that God has given to life, it inevitably results in the uncreation of this form and order. Just think how this is manifested in the sexual and gender ideologies of today as well as in your own life. Since all this wickedness is a return to the disorder and formlessness of before the six days of creation, when God comes in judgment He simply completes the uncreation of creation that the wickedness had resulted in. He tears the protective canopy, opening windows in it, and has rain come down for forty days and forty nights. He tears the dry land and has the fountains of the deep burst forth for forty days and forty nights. As a result, creation returns to the formless, watery mass from before the six days of creation. At least, this is all that is seen for 150 days. God completes the uncreation that all the sin and had caused. Suggestions for prayer Ask your heavenly Father to open your eyes to the uncreation of creation that sin causes in your own life and pray for healing. Rev. Dick Moes is a graduate from the Theological University in Kampen, the Netherlands and the Associated Canadian Theological Schools (ACTS) in Langley, BC, Canada. He and his wife Elsina have five children and 14 grandchildren. He is pastor emeritus of the Surrey Covenant Reformed Church in Surrey, BC. and lives in Langley, BC. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

March 10 - God’s covenant with Noah (II)

“But I will establish my covenant with you, and you shall come into the ark, you, your sons, your wife, and your sons' wives with you.” - Genesis...

Daily devotional

March 9 - God’s covenant with Noah (I)

“But I will establish my covenant with you, and you shall come into the ark, you, your sons, your wife, and your sons' wives with you.” - Genesis...

Daily devotional

March 8 - God’s decision to destroy humanity and creation

Daily devotional

March 7 - Finding rest in the Lord Jesus Christ

“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” - Matthew 11:28 Scripture reading: Hebrews 3:7-19; 4:11 Wedne...

Daily devotional

March 6 - The Sunday as a sign of the goal of God’s creation

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” - 2 Corinthians 5:17 Scripture reading: Romans 6:1-11 Even though God had blessed Adam and Eve for their task of extending the glorious presence of God over the whole earth, Adam and Eve failed in fulfilling this task. As a result, the chaos and disorder that God had subdued with His six days of creation, slowly but surely, began to return in God’s good and harmonious creation. We know this chaos as sin, death and the devil. In order for God to fulfil the goal of His creation, He has to deal with this threefold problem of sin, death and the devil. He does so by sending into this broken world, His Son, Who paid the penalty of sin, broke the power of sin, cleansed the pollution of sin, destroyed the partition caused by sin, and defeated death and the devil. When the Lord Jesus arose from the dead on the first day of the week, He demonstrated that He had successfully dealt with the problem of sin, death and the devil by ushering in the new creation that had always been the goal of God’s first creation. When we are united to Christ through faith, we experience the first fruits of this glorious new creation through the fellowship of the Holy Spirit. Sunday, the first day of the week, is a weekly sign or reminder of our being a new creation in Christ and a promise that one day we will enter into the fullness of the rest of this new creation. Suggestions for prayer Ask the Holy Spirit to direct you in how you can bear witness to those around you that you are a new creation in Christ. Rev. Dick Moes is a graduate from the Theological University in Kampen, the Netherlands and the Associated Canadian Theological Schools (ACTS) in Langley, BC, Canada. He and his wife Elsina have five children and 14 grandchildren. He is pastor emeritus of the Surrey Covenant Reformed Church in Surrey, BC. and lives in Langley, BC. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

March 5 - The Sabbath Day as a sign of the goal of God’s creation

“It is a sign forever between me and the people of Israel that in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day he rested and was refreshed.” - Exodus 31:17 Scripture reading: Exodus 31:12-17 Before God commanded Adam and Eve to extend the glorious presence of God over the whole earth, God blessed them for this task. When God blesses people for a certain task, this blessing is meant to make them fruitful for their task. After God had created for six days, He rested on the seventh day. In addition, He blessed the seventh day and made it holy. If in Genesis 1, blessing people for their task means making them fruitful in fulfilling their task, then blessing a day in Genesis 2, would mean making this day fruitful for the fulfilling of its task. Thus, it should not surprise us that God made the seventh day holy, i.e. He set it apart and made it a special day for the fulfillment of the purpose for which He had blessed it. From what we have seen so far, we can conclude that right from the beginning the seventh day was a reminder for Adam and Eve and their posterity of the goal of creation: to increasingly enter into the fullness of God’s Sabbath rest by extending the glorious presence of God throughout the whole earth through being people where heaven and earth meet. Accordingly, it should not surprise us that when God enters into a covenant with Israel, the seventh day officially becomes a sign of this goal of creation; a weekly reminder to enter into the fullness of God’s Sabbath rest as well as a promise that one day this fullness will descend from heaven on a new earth. Suggestions for prayer Read the second part of Answer 103 of the Heidelberg Catechism and pray this back to your heavenly Father. Rev. Dick Moes is a graduate from the Theological University in Kampen, the Netherlands and the Associated Canadian Theological Schools (ACTS) in Langley, BC, Canada. He and his wife Elsina have five children and 14 grandchildren. He is pastor emeritus of the Surrey Covenant Reformed Church in Surrey, BC. and lives in Langley, BC. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

March 4 - Entering God’s rest

“And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”” - Genesis 1:26-28 Scripture reading: Genesis 1:26-28 So far we have seen that God created for His glory. This not only means that human beings and creation were to praise God, but also that they would reflect the life-giving, light-giving and loving presence of God. We further saw that there is a relationship between God creating for His glory and God resting on the seventh day. Because the seventh day was meant to last forever, this day is the goal of God’s creation. In other words, having humanity and creation praise God and reflect His glorious presence involves increasingly entering into the fullness of God’s rest, enjoying God’s beautiful and harmonious creation, and celebrating the rest and peace that God’s creation radiates. Genesis one shows us what this would look like for Adam and Eve. God made them in His image, i.e. as His representatives who would reflect and embody His presence as they cultivated and maintained the Garden of Eden. Moreover, God blessed them, commanding them to be fruitful and multiply, to fill the earth and subdue it. This meant that Adam and Eve were to extend the borders of the Garden of Eden over the whole earth by having children and grandchildren and a whole extended family that would spread the glorious presence of God. In doing so, humanity and creation would increasingly enter into the fullness of God’s Sabbath rest, reaching God’s goal of creation through their faithful living in God’s loving presence and reflecting this loving presence through their obedience of faith. Suggestions for prayer Ask your heavenly Father to enable you to spread the life of heaven by being a person where heaven and earth meet. Rev. Dick Moes is a graduate from the Theological University in Kampen, the Netherlands and the Associated Canadian Theological Schools (ACTS) in Langley, BC, Canada. He and his wife Elsina have five children and 14 grandchildren. He is pastor emeritus of the Surrey Covenant Reformed Church in Surrey, BC. and lives in Langley, BC. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

March 3 - God’s glory and God’s rest

“And on the seventh day God finished his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done.” - Genesis 2:2 Scripture reading: Hebrews 4:1-11 In Genesis one, we read about God bringing form in formlessness by subduing chaos and disorder. The first three days He forms light, sky, land and vegetation. Then for three days, He fills the forms: light-bearers for the day and night, birds and fish in the sky and water, and animals and people on the land. In the beginning of Genesis two, we read about God resting on the seventh day. First, God rests from His work of creating, but it also means that He celebrates the rest and peace His creation radiates. Truly, everything that He had made is very good! Everyone and everything reflected the loving presence of God and His glory. This harmonious creation was meant to last forever. We see that in a little detail that is missing in our Scripture reading. After each of the six days of creating, we read that there was an evening and a morning. However, with the seventh day, we do not read this. This does not mean that the seventh day did not have an evening and a morning. However, by not mentioning this, Moses draws attention to the fact that the harmony and rest of God’s good creation was meant to last forever. Not in the beginning stage as we saw yesterday, but in the full-grown, mature state of the new heaven and the new earth. This is the Sabbath rest that remains for the people of God on which the author of Hebrews speaks (Hebrews 4:9). Suggestions for prayer Thank your heavenly Father for your hope of glory: entering into the fullness of the joyful rest and peace of God’s loving presence. Rev. Dick Moes is a graduate from the Theological University in Kampen, the Netherlands and the Associated Canadian Theological Schools (ACTS) in Langley, BC, Canada. He and his wife Elsina have five children and 14 grandchildren. He is pastor emeritus of the Surrey Covenant Reformed Church in Surrey, BC. and lives in Langley, BC. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

March 2 - God created for his glory

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

Daily devotional

March 1 - Introduction to God’s mission for his glory

Daily devotional

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 twelft...

Daily devotional

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 Co...

Daily devotional

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. Rev. Ted Gray grew up in a Christian family but lived a meaningless life of futility apart from the Lord for many years. After professing faith at age 30, and later completing seminary, he has had the privilege of serving Orthodox Presbyterian churches in Oregon and Florida and a Christian Reformed Church in Vermont. For the past 15 years, he has served as pastor of First United Reformed Church in Oak Lawn, Illinois. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

February 25 - Warning 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. Rev. Ted Gray grew up in a Christian family but lived a meaningless life of futility apart from the Lord for many years. After professing faith at age 30, and later completing seminary, he has had the privilege of serving Orthodox Presbyterian churches in Oregon and Florida and a Christian Reformed Church in Vermont. For the past 15 years, he has served as pastor of First United Reformed Church in Oak Lawn, Illinois. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

February 24 - 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. Rev. Ted Gray grew up in a Christian family but lived a meaningless life of futility apart from the Lord for many years. After professing faith at age 30, and later completing seminary, he has had the privilege of serving Orthodox Presbyterian churches in Oregon and Florida and a Christian Reformed Church in Vermont. For the past 15 years, he has served as pastor of First United Reformed Church in Oak Lawn, Illinois. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

February 23 - The 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. Rev. Ted Gray grew up in a Christian family but lived a meaningless life of futility apart from the Lord for many years. After professing faith at age 30, and later completing seminary, he has had the privilege of serving Orthodox Presbyterian churches in Oregon and Florida and a Christian Reformed Church in Vermont. For the past 15 years, he has served as pastor of First United Reformed Church in Oak Lawn, Illinois. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

February 22 - 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 appea...

Daily devotional

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 yours...

Daily devotional

February 20 - The floodgates of heaven

“But he said, “What is impossible with man is possible with God.”” - Luke 18:27 Scripture reading: 2 Kings 6:32-7:2 We should not be sur...

Daily devotional

February 19 - Worldly sorrow and true repentance

“I confess my iniquity; I am sorry for my sin.” - Psalm 38:18 Scripture reading: 2 Kings 6:24-33 King Jehoram surprised the people by wearin...

Daily devotional

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). Rev. Ted Gray grew up in a Christian family but lived a meaningless life of futility apart from the Lord for many years. After professing faith at age 30, and later completing seminary, he has had the privilege of serving Orthodox Presbyterian churches in Oregon and Florida and a Christian Reformed Church in Vermont. For the past 15 years, he has served as pastor of First United Reformed Church in Oak Lawn, Illinois. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

February 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 lives, 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. Rev. Ted Gray grew up in a Christian family but lived a meaningless life of futility apart from the Lord for many years. After professing faith at age 30, and later completing seminary, he has had the privilege of serving Orthodox Presbyterian churches in Oregon and Florida and a Christian Reformed Church in Vermont. For the past 15 years, he has served as pastor of First United Reformed Church in Oak Lawn, Illinois. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

February 16 - 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. Rev. Ted Gray grew up in a Christian family but lived a meaningless life of futility apart from the Lord for many years. After professing faith at age 30, and later completing seminary, he has had the privilege of serving Orthodox Presbyterian churches in Oregon and Florida and a Christian Reformed Church in Vermont. For the past 15 years, he has served as pastor of First United Reformed Church in Oak Lawn, Illinois. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

February 15 - 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! Rev. Ted Gray grew up in a Christian family but lived a meaningless life of futility apart from the Lord for many years. After professing faith at age 30, and later completing seminary, he has had the privilege of serving Orthodox Presbyterian churches in Oregon and Florida and a Christian Reformed Church in Vermont. For the past 15 years, he has served as pastor of First United Reformed Church in Oak Lawn, Illinois. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

February 14 - God’s 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...

Daily devotional

February 13 - A gift that cannot be bought

“Knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with th...

Daily devotional

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 w...

Daily devotional

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

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. Rev. Ted Gray grew up in a Christian family but lived a meaningless life of futility apart from the Lord for many years. After professing faith at age 30, and later completing seminary, he has had the privilege of serving Orthodox Presbyterian churches in Oregon and Florida and a Christian Reformed Church in Vermont. For the past 15 years, he has served as pastor of First United Reformed Church in Oak Lawn, Illinois. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

February 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). Rev. Ted Gray grew up in a Christian family but lived a meaningless life of futility apart from the Lord for many years. After professing faith at age 30, and later completing seminary, he has had the privilege of serving Orthodox Presbyterian churches in Oregon and Florida and a Christian Reformed Church in Vermont. For the past 15 years, he has served as pastor of First United Reformed Church in Oak Lawn, Illinois. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

February 8 - 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; Hebrews 4:14-16 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. Rev. Ted Gray grew up in a Christian family but lived a meaningless life of futility apart from the Lord for many years. After professing faith at age 30, and later completing seminary, he has had the privilege of serving Orthodox Presbyterian churches in Oregon and Florida and a Christian Reformed Church in Vermont. For the past 15 years, he has served as pastor of First United Reformed Church in Oak Lawn, Illinois. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

February 7 - The 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.” Rev. Ted Gray grew up in a Christian family but lived a meaningless life of futility apart from the Lord for many years. After professing faith at age 30, and later completing seminary, he has had the privilege of serving Orthodox Presbyterian churches in Oregon and Florida and a Christian Reformed Church in Vermont. For the past 15 years, he has served as pastor of First United Reformed Church in Oak Lawn, Illinois. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

February 6 - Three Kings and God’s prophet

“When a man’s folly brings his way to ruin, his heart rages against the LORD.” - Proverbs 19:3 Scripture reading: 2 Kings 3:1-27 This sl...

Daily devotional

February 5 - God’s use of the insignificant

“…Not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. But God chose what is foolish in...

Daily devotional

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...

Daily devotional

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 l...

Daily devotional

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). Rev. Ted Gray grew up in a Christian family but lived a meaningless life of futility apart from the Lord for many years. After professing faith at age 30, and later completing seminary, he has had the privilege of serving Orthodox Presbyterian churches in Oregon and Florida and a Christian Reformed Church in Vermont. For the past 15 years, he has served as pastor of First United Reformed Church in Oak Lawn, Illinois. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

February 1 - Introduction to Elisha

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. Rev. Ted Gray grew up in a Christian family but lived a meaningless life of futility apart from the Lord for many years. After professing faith at age 30, and later completing seminary, he has had the privilege of serving Orthodox Presbyterian churches in Oregon and Florida and a Christian Reformed Church in Vermont. For the past 15 years, he has served as pastor of First United Reformed Church in Oak Lawn, Illinois. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

January 31 - Delighting in confessing our only comfort

“Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever.” - Psalm 136:1 Scripture reading: 2 Corinthians 1:1-11 For a month now we have been briefly considering the Christian's only comfort as we travel from this world to the next. And how wonderful that the testimony of the believer rests in Christ. The Father of mercies is the God of Comfort. Christ secures our comfort. The Holy Spirit has been given to guide us in the Truth of Comfort (John 14:26; John 16:13). The Holy Spirit points us to the supernatural revelation of all truth. That truth is secured in Christ and by Christ for the glory of the Father. And in this we are comforted. Oh, what a rich blessing to belong to Jesus! The spiritual vacuum in this world can only be filled by God’s forgiveness and transformational grace. That grace (God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense) ultimately rests in belonging to Jesus Christ. Let us fight hard that the most holy faith does not become commonplace amongst us. Let us be on guard, praying that the LORD will keep us from drifting. "O the deep, unbounded riches of God deserve our praise! How unsearchable His judgments, how marvelous His ways! For who His thoughts has fathomed, or counsel to Him giv'n? And who could make a debtor of God, the Lord of heav'n? For from and through and to Him are all things, now and then, To Him be all the glory forevermore. AMEN" (TPH 226). "Faith receives Christ, and Christ alone, as the whole of our righteousness before God." – John Owen Suggestions for prayer Pray that the chorus of Hallelujah never be far from your lips and heart. And pray that we focus on our purpose: Man’s chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy Him forever. (Westminster Shorter Catechism A 1). Rev. Vellenga is presently serving as a ‘here and there’ preacher who preaches across several Reformed denominational/federational lines. Peter and his wife Judith reside in Delaware, Ontario and are blessed with eight children and a growing quiver of grandchildren. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

January 30 - Sharing our only comfort

“All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to the Lord, and all the families of the nations shall worship before you.” - Psalm 22:27 Scripture reading: Psalm 67:1-7 Gospel comfort is not merely for the individual. It is a comfort to be expressed amongst those who do not know the comfort of belonging to the Lord Jesus Christ. It is not meant to be kept to ourselves. It is a comfort to be shared. John Piper put it this way: "Therefore, worship is the goal and the fuel of missions: Missions exists because worship doesn’t. Missions is our way of saying: the joy of knowing Christ is not a private, or tribal, or national or ethnic privilege. It is for all. And that’s why we go. Because we have tasted the joy of worshiping Jesus, and we want all the families of the earth included." This world is often a vale of tears. And outside of Christ there is no hope. Outside of Christ is eternal separation from the grace of God. Outside of Christ– eternal regret--the Bible speaks of weeping and gnashing of teeth. All authority has been given to Christ. And Christ calls His Church to go and tell: to make disciples of all nations, to baptize in the Name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, and then to teach all that Christ has commanded. And this call comes with the promise that He is always with us. The great commission may never become the great omission. “It is the whole business of the whole church to preach the whole gospel to the whole world.” – Charles H. Spurgeon Suggestions for prayer "I belong to Jesus, and ere long I'll stand with my precious Saviour there in the glory land (TPH 187:6). Rev. Vellenga is presently serving as a ‘here and there’ preacher who preaches across several Reformed denominational/federational lines. Peter and his wife Judith reside in Delaware, Ontario and are blessed with eight children and a growing quiver of grandchildren. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

January 29 - Telling our children

“We will not hide them from our children, telling to the generation to come the praises of the Lord, and His strength and His wonderful works that H...

Daily devotional

January 28 - How I am to thank God

“I have not departed from the commandment of His lips; I have treasured the words of His mouth more than my necessary food.” - Job 23:12 Script...

Daily devotional

January 27 - I must know how to be set free

“And God spoke all these words, saying: “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.”” - Ex...

Daily devotional

January 26 - I must know my sin

“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” - Romans 3:23 Scripture reading: Psalm 51:1-19 Transgression. Trespassing. Missing...

Daily devotional

January 25 - What I must know

“Exalt the Lord our God, and worship at His footstool—He is holy.” - Psalm 99:5 Scripture reading: Psalm 25: 1-22 Today, we in God's grace join with fellow believers as the body of Christ. Day of all the week the best, emblem of eternal rest! It is an immense blessing to be gathered in the presence of God and the company of His angels. In freedom, we congregate. We experience a covenantal dialogue in which God speaks, and in His compassionate mercy we respond. How wonderful to read in Psalm 25 the "friendship of the LORD is for those who fear Him, and He makes known to them His covenant” (vs 13 ESV). This must never become commonplace to us. There are many who worship in secret and are in danger of losing their lives. Christians are being slain every day. In our own setting, the militancy against the Chrisitan faith is rising. We come together to declare God's praise, but most importantly to hear from Him. The proclamation of the Word read and preached remains central to our worship. There are things we must hear and must know. Sin--Salvation--Service. Guilt--Grace--Gratitude. Ruin--Redemption--Renewal. These are essential matters that will lead us on the pathway to become more 'whole-heartedly willing and ready to live for the LORD. As you meet with the LORD and His people, thank Him for revealing Himself to you--speaking through His creation and even more directly by His precious Word. "Cor meum tibi offero, Domine, prompte et sincere," which translates to "My heart I offer to you, O Lord, promptly and sincerely". (Calvin's motto) Suggestions for prayer “Teach me, Lord, teach me truly how to live, that I may come to know Thee, and in Thy presence serve Thee with gladness, and sing songs of praise to Thy glory” (TPH 529:2). Rev. Vellenga is presently serving as a ‘here and there’ preacher who preaches across several Reformed denominational/federational lines. Peter and his wife Judith reside in Delaware, Ontario and are blessed with eight children and a growing quiver of grandchildren. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

January 24 - Living for Jesus (II)

“And He died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for Him who for their sake died and was raised.” - 2 Corinthians 5:15 Scripture reading: Romans 12:1-21 1-Living for Jesus a life that is true, Striving to please Him in all that I do; Yielding allegiance, glad-hearted and free This is the pathway of blessing for me.. Chorus: O Jesus, Lord and Saviour, I give myself for Thee, for Thou in Thy atonement, didst give Thyself to me. I owe no other Master, my heart shall be Thy throne, my life I give, henceforth to live, O Christ for Thee alone. 2- Living for Jesus who died in my place Bearing on Calv’ry my sin and disgrace: Such love constrains me to answer His call Follow His leading and give him my all. This hymn speaks of the demanding but blessed calling of living for Jesus. It is an echo of many Scriptures including our readings for today. Living for Jesus means we are not ashamed to confess His Name. It is to devote our attention to God's Word and pray in a focused way. Thankfully, we may look forward to the Lord’s Day tomorrow where we may once again be encouraged to live for Jesus. Yes, living for Jesus is a very high calling for which we need much help from above. Let us pray for a life that pleases God. Trust and obey for there is no other way to be happy in Jesus but to trust and obey. May the LORD find us faithful! Suggestions for prayer "Give me the strength to do with ready heart and willing, whatever you command, my calling here fulfilling; to do it when I ought, with all my strength and bless what I have wrought, for you must give success" (TPH 523:2). Rev. Vellenga is presently serving as a ‘here and there’ preacher who preaches across several Reformed denominational/federational lines. Peter and his wife Judith reside in Delaware, Ontario and are blessed with eight children and a growing quiver of grandchildren. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

January 23 - Living for Jesus (I)

“Then Jesus said to His disciples, If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.” - Mathew 16:24 Scripture reading: Matthew 25:31-46 How would you describe what it is to live for Jesus who paid the atonement price and gave His life so that we might receive ours? Jesus, who intercedes for us at the right hand of the Heavenly Father. Jesus, who is coming again. Certainly, in a brief devotion we cannot exhaust what it means to live for Jesus. Our Scripture selections are clear. They are challenging. To live for Jesus is to die (ongoing) to sin. Living for Jesus means we know where our real treasure is. It is a life of repentance and faith. We are soldiers of the cross, followers of the Lamb. It is confessing the Name of Christ, presenting ourselves as a living sacrifice of thanks, using our gifts readily and joyfully for the service and enrichment of other believers. It is living in His world as light bearers, speaking for Biblical justice and remembering that we are His ambassadors. No one can serve two masters. We are to prayerfully ask the Lord's help walking in "lowly paths of service free". It is to be intentional about "keeping faith sweet and strong, in trust that triumphs over wrong" (cf. PH 450 -1959). Let us be in prayer for strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow, to be found faithful to the most holy faith. "Oh, fair sun, and fair moon, and fair stars, and fair flowers, and fair roses, and fair lilies, and fair creatures, but oh, ten thousand times fairer Lord Jesus! - John Flavel Suggestions for prayer "Take my love; my Lord, I pour at Thy feet its treasure-store. Take myself, and I will be ever, only, all for Thee, ever, only, all for Thee" (TPH 538:6) Rev. Vellenga is presently serving as a ‘here and there’ preacher who preaches across several Reformed denominational/federational lines. Peter and his wife Judith reside in Delaware, Ontario and are blessed with eight children and a growing quiver of grandchildren. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

January 22 - And makes me whole-heartedly willing

“And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance; for you serve the Lord Christ.” - Colossians 3:23-24 Scripture reading: Joshua 24:14-28 Do you see yourself working for the LORD, knowing that sin is no longer counted against you because it was accounted against the Saviour? Not only are we saved from, but we are also saved for. We are saved from the wrath of God and saved from the consequences of our sin. We are saved for service in the kingdom of God and to do so with gladness. Saved for a response of gratitude; a life of seeking the LORD and His kingdom. As Joshua said--"As for me and my house we will serve the LORD." Consider Deuteronomy 10:12 "Serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul." I Samuel 12:24 "Only fear the Lord and serve Him faithfully with all your heart. For consider what great things He has done for you." Psalm 103:1 “Bless the LORD, O my soul and all that is within me, bless His holy name!” Romans 12:11 "Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord." I Corinthians 15:58 "Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.” May the LORD help us by His Holy Spirit to understand that our kingdom life does not generate our righteousness; rather our righteousness in Christ (all of grace) generates a life of thankful living. “God's work done in God's way will never lack God's supply." Hudson Taylor Suggestions for prayer "When in His might the Lord arose to set us free, and Zion was restored from her captivity, in transports then of joy and mirth we praised the Lord of all the earth" (TPH 126B:1). Rev. Vellenga is presently serving as a ‘here and there’ preacher who preaches across several Reformed denominational/federational lines. Peter and his wife Judith reside in Delaware, Ontario and are blessed with eight children and a growing quiver of grandchildren. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

January 21 - Christ by his Holy Spirit assures

“For I will pour water on him who is thirsty, and floods on the dry ground; I will pour My Spirit on your descendants, and My blessing on your offsp...

Daily devotional

January 20 - Because I belong to him

“Now He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who also has given us the Spirit as a guarantee.” - 2 Corinthians 5:5 Scripture readi...

Daily devotional

January 19 - For my salvation

“Now My soul is troubled, and what shall I say? ‘Father, save Me from this hour’? But for this purpose, I came to this hour.” - John 12:27 ...

Daily devotional

January 18 - All things

“Our God is in the heavens; He does all that He pleases.” - Psalm 115:3 Scripture reading: Romans 8:18-32 All things, not some things for our ...

Daily devotional

January 17 - Not a hair

“There are many plans in a man’s heart, Nevertheless the Lord’s counsel—that will stand.” - Proverbs 19:21 Scripture reading: John 6:35-40 Can you believe it? Not a hair shall fall from my head without the will of my Father in Heaven. Not a hair!! The Christian believes that nothing can separate a believer from the love of God. The believer confesses that his or her times are in the heavenly Father's hand. Christians understand that the sovereignty of God is of great comfort. We understand something of the blessing of standing under the assurance that nothing can stop or thwart God’s purposes. Job testified to God’s sovereignty in this way “I know that You can do everything, and that no purpose of yours can be withheld from You” (Job 42:2). After his sanity had been restored Nebuchadnezzar confessed “All the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing; He does according to His will in the army of heaven and among the inhabitants of this earth. No one can restrain His hand or say to Him ‘What have You done’” (Daniel 4:35). God ‘works out all things according to the counsel of His will’ (Ephesians 1:11). The Psalmist declares “Whatever the LORD pleases, He does in heaven and in earth, in the seas and in all the deep places, He causes the vapors to ascend from the ends of the earth; He makes lightning for the rain; He brings the wind out of His treasuries” (Psalms 135:6-7). Yes, not a hair! "Never be afraid to trust an unknown future to a known God." – Corrie tenBoom Suggestions for prayer Sing before the LORD "Have thine own way Lord! Have thine own way! Thou art the potter, I am the clay, Mold me and make me after thy will, while I am waiting, yielded and still" (TPH 553:1) Rev. Vellenga is presently serving as a ‘here and there’ preacher who preaches across several Reformed denominational/federational lines. Peter and his wife Judith reside in Delaware, Ontario and are blessed with eight children and a growing quiver of grandchildren. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

January 16 - Jesus watches over me

“Fear not, for I am with you; Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.” - Isaiah 41:10 Scripture reading: Psalm 121:1-8 It is a great comfort for the follower of Jesus Christ to confess His watching care. There is never a moment where Christ loses sight of us. When we speak of the perseverance of the saints, we must recognize that perseverance is rooted in the gracious care of God’s preserving love. If we were left to find our own way, we would soon find ourselves in a quagmire of our own making. In Psalm 121 the Psalmist encourages us three times in the confidence that comes from the Lord's promise. The LORD shall preserve you from all evil He shall preserve your soul. The LORD shall preserve your going out and your coming in from this time forth, and even forevermore (Verses Psalm 121:7-8). Does this sound too good to be true? Do you believe this gospel message of the Lord’s promise to be with us and uphold us as we live day by day and yes hour by hour? If the gospel is not true, what is? And if Christ is not true, who is? If we “in our strength confide our striving would be losing”. We do have “the right Man on our side”. Faith to believe is a gift of God’s grace. And in that wonderful grace believers confess the awesome confession Jesus watches over me!! “Ah! What a mercy it is that it is not your hold of Christ that saves you, but His hold of you!” – Charles Spurgeon Suggestions for prayer “Praise the Lord in joyful numbers, your Protector never slumbers; at the will of your Defender every foeman must surrender” (TPH 257:4). Rev. Vellenga is presently serving as a ‘here and there’ preacher who preaches across several Reformed denominational/federational lines. Peter and his wife Judith reside in Delaware, Ontario and are blessed with eight children and a growing quiver of grandchildren. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

January 15 - Set free from the tyranny of the devil (II)

“Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free.”” - John 8:31-32 Scripture reading: Matthew 13:24-30; 2 Thessalonians 2:1-12 esp. vs 9 The Bible gives many descriptions for the evil one. Paul Levy (as quoted in Table Talk January 2024) reminds us "When it comes to the devil and his motivation, how are we to understand his ultimate aim? What is he aiming at? The way that the Bible describes him is helpful to us in this—the word Satan means “adversary.” He is the evil one, the prince of the power of the air; the prince of darkness, the god of this world, Beelzebub, the tempter, the old serpent, the dragon, the father of lies. All these titles show him to be the enemy of God. He is the opposer of all that is good and the great promoter of evil. His aim is to be a rival; his motivation was to displace God. Satan’s pride drove him to fall." Now we ought to be careful of two dangers—one is to take him too seriously—the angel of deception is not omnipresent—he cannot be everywhere. But a second danger is to treat him too lightly—we are after all in a battle “against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places” (Ephesians 6:12-13). Lucifer has his henchmen. How wonderful to confess that Jesus sets free. That freedom can be expressed in many ways. He sets us free from the consequences of our sins and free to serve Him. And we must never forget He sets us free from the tyranny of the devil. Praise God!! Suggestions for prayer "Though Satan's wrath beset our path, and world scorn assail us, while you are near we will not fear, your strength shall never fail us; your rod and staff shall keep us safe, and guide our steps forever; not shades of death, nor hell beneath, our souls from you shall sever" (TPH 475:2). Rev. Vellenga is presently serving as a ‘here and there’ preacher who preaches across several Reformed denominational/federational lines. Peter and his wife Judith reside in Delaware, Ontario and are blessed with eight children and a growing quiver of grandchildren. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

January 14 - Set free from the tyranny of the devil (I)

“Call upon Me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify Me.” - Psalm 50:15 Scripture reading: Psalm 40:1-17 The devil is tyrannical. His methods are many and tyranny is one of them. The sneaky snake is oppressive--he prowls; he seduces. He is an agent of terror. “...our ancient foe doth seek to work us woe; his craft and power are great, and armed with cruel hate, on earth is not his equal.” The believer is to stand against the wiles of the devil. Our English word “wiles” is generally used to express deception through trickery and includes all the methods that would be part of that. It has to do with cunning or skill, applied to no good purpose. Jesus has come to destroy the works of the devil (I John 3:8). Do you believe that? Oh, you must! By the power of the Holy Spirit, believers accept the testimony of the Apostle Paul as he recounted his conversion before King Agrippa. He testified of Christ's message to him as he was being sent "to open their eyes (the Gentiles), in order to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in Me" (Acts 18). “We have to do with a subtle enemy, an enemy who uses wiles and stratagems. He has a thousand ways of beguiling unstable souls: hence he is called a serpent for subtlety, an old serpent, experienced in the art and trade of tempting” – Mathew Henry commentary on Ephesians 6:11. Suggestions for prayer In prayer testify "O God, most holy are your ways, what god is great like You? You are the God by wonders known, whose power the nations view. Your people You redeemed, O LORD, with your almighty arm; the sons of Jacob, Joseph's seed, you saved them from all harm" (TPH 77:5). Rev. Vellenga is presently serving as a ‘here and there’ preacher who preaches across several Reformed denominational/federational lines. Peter and his wife Judith reside in Delaware, Ontario and are blessed with eight children and a growing quiver of grandchildren. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

January 13 - Through the blood of the cross

“Likewise He also took the cup after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood, which is shed for you.” - Luke 22:20 Script...

Daily devotional

January 12 - Jesus has fully paid

“For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” - Romans 6:23 Scripture reading: Isaiah 53:1-1...

Daily devotional

January 11 - Belonging to my faithful Saviour

“The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve and to give His life a ransom for many.” - Matthew 20:28 Scripture reading: Hebrews 1:1...

Daily devotional

January 10 - Belonging body and soul in death

“But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ is not risen. And if Christ is not risen, then our preaching is empty, and your faith is a...

Daily devotional

January 8 - Our souls also belong to Jesus

“Jude, a servant of Jesus Christ and brother of James, To those who are called, beloved in God the Father and kept for Jesus Christ: May mercy, peace, and love be multiplied to you. (ESV) ... 20-21 But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.” - Jude 1-2 and Jude 20-21 Scripture reading: Psalm 43: 1-5 How often do we think of our souls as we travel from this world to the next? The Psalmist speaking to himself, wondered as to why his soul was cast down. He pondered as to why his soul was disquieted within him. He was describing a state of unease, anxiety, or perhaps even agitation. I'm sure that over the course of your life this has been your experience. What do you do in such a situation? The Psalmist calls us to hope in God and to hope in His multiple promises. Elsewhere in Scripture we are called to the hope that does not disappoint, and to rest in the fact that the love of God has been poured out by the Holy Spirit who was given to us (Romans 5:5). When we die our souls leave the body. Do they simply go to the abyss? No, our souls belong to Jesus and He will take very good care of them even as we live from day to day. Praise the LORD! And then what a blessing to confess: Kept and keep - beautiful faith words. We are kept by the LORD body AND soul in His keeping care. And in answer we are to 'keep ourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.' May the LORD so bless your soul! “The chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever” – Westminster Shorter Catechism Suggestions for prayer Confess before the LORD "I belong to Jesus, blessed, blessed thought! With His own most precious blood, my soul has been bought" (TPH 187:3). Rev. Vellenga is presently serving as a ‘here and there’ preacher who preaches across several Reformed denominational/federational lines. Peter and his wife Judith reside in Delaware, Ontario and are blessed with eight children and a growing quiver of grandchildren. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

January 7 - Belonging body

“Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting your care upon Him, for He cares for you.” - 1 Peter 5:6,7 Scripture reading: Psalm 56: 1-13 Our bodies are fraught with frailties. There are not only physical aches and pains but various sorrows in this vale of tears. Some have undergone traumas which words cannot fully describe. We think of our brothers and sisters in the persecuted church. One day the final breath will come. Old people must die. Young people can die. And yet, with eyes fixed on the Lord Jesus Christ, we joyfully acknowledge that Christ paid a debt He did not owe to free us from a debt we could not pay. Belonging indicates possession. Whose belonging, are we? In a word: Jesus. And what a blessing it is, what security is ours to know that come what may, believers know in faith that nothing can separate us from our blessed Redeemer who has given His body to secure ours. He has taken His possession—His inheritance—His people—all of grace! Secured by our Saviour’s love on the cross, confirmed in His resurrection, our Redeemer’s love will not let us go no matter what the circumstances of our lives may be. How beautiful to confess with the Psalmist that our tears are in His bottle and in His book. Our cares are His caregiving. In this life, we belong to Him! As you pray for strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow, ground your prayers in rock sure conviction of belonging to Jesus All those who belong to Jesus Christ are fastened with Him to the cross - Augustine. Suggestions for prayer In prayer confess, "I belong to Jesus, He is Lord and King, reigning in my inmost heart over everything" (TPH 187:2). Rev. Vellenga is presently serving as a ‘here and there’ preacher who preaches across several Reformed denominational/federational lines. Peter and his wife Judith reside in Delaware, Ontario and are blessed with eight children and a growing quiver of grandchildren. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

January 6 - I am not my own but belong (II)

“Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? 20 For you were bought at a price; therefore, glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.” - 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 Scripture reading: Ephesians 1:1-14 We live in a society that has become obsessed with identity. I identify as ... and then you may receive a smorgasbord of answers. These responses are especially prevalent in matters related to gender and sexuality. Identity is a theme where Western society idolizes self-actualization. How sinful and sad (and nauseating) this whole business of pronouns is. Even a casual perusal of social media reveals the predominant view that our feelings define our identity. According to the world, we’re to craft and mold our own image, declare our own destiny, and “live our best life.” According to the world, we belong to no one except ourselves. Yes, much of this world suffers from an identity crisis. How crucial that the truth of the gospel be proclaimed to the ends of the world. Christians, by God's grace hold to an everlasting answer. And so, it is very important that we be very clear as to our identity and where our identity is rooted. We are the sheep of His sheepfold, the people of His pasture and the sheep of His hand. What blessing to rest in the perfect obedience of the Lamb of God who takes away our sin. If we do not find our identity in belonging to our beautiful Shepherd Saviour then there is something drastic missing. The will of man without the grace of God is not free at all, but is the permanent prisoner and bondslave of evil since it cannot turn itself to good –Martin Luther Suggestions for prayer In prayer confess "I belong to Jesus, I am not my own; all I have and all I am shall be His alone" (TPH 187:1). Rev. Vellenga is presently serving as a ‘here and there’ preacher who preaches across several Reformed denominational/federational lines. Peter and his wife Judith reside in Delaware, Ontario and are blessed with eight children and a growing quiver of grandchildren. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

January 5 - I am not my own but belong (I)

“For none of us lives to himself, and no one dies to himself. For if we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. Therefore, whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s. 9 For to this end Christ died and rose and lived again, that He might be Lord of both the dead and the living.” - Romans 14:7-9 Scripture reading: Psalm 100:1-5 I am not my own. How beautiful and immensely comforting. Where would we be if we were left on our own and to our own devices? Why, we would be on the road to hell. Who of us could navigate the journey from this world to the next? I am not my own, but I belong. Personally, I belong to Jesus. Believers are Christ’s possession. He owns us. He purchased us with His own precious blood. He gave His life to the death, so that in our death we might be brought to the life of eternal life. We are upheld by His person, His power and His presence. Christ’s cross is the place of our cleansing, and in His church we confess together as the body of Christ our redemption. The world is filled with many who try to go it alone. The Christian realizes it cannot be done. The world will speak of the self-made man who can pick himself up by his own bootstraps. The Christian recognizes that life is short, death is sure, sin be the cause--but Christ be the cure. When we look through the prism of God's comforting grace we are strengthened. Strengthened to understand that we are never alone simply because He has not left us alone. We are strengthened, producing fortitude and resilience as we seek to live out our calling as Christ’s disciples. We are not our own but belong! No true Christian is his own man - John Calvin Suggestions for prayer Confess before the LORD: "Know that the LORD is God indeed; He formed us all without our aid. We are the flock He surely feeds, the sheep who by His hand were made” (TPH 100B:2). Rev. Vellenga is presently serving as a ‘here and there’ preacher who preaches across several Reformed denominational/federational lines. Peter and his wife Judith reside in Delaware, Ontario and are blessed with eight children and a growing quiver of grandchildren. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

January 4 - Only comfort in death

“Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of His saints.” - Psalm 116:15 Scripture reading: 1 Corinthians 15:1-28 Death is the final...

Daily devotional

January 3 - Only comfort in life

“Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence? If I ascend into heaven, You are there; If I make my bed in hell, behold...

Daily devotional

January 2 - My only comfort

“Jesus said to him (Thomas and the rest of the world) I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” - John...

Daily devotional

January 1 - Introduction to the Heidelberg Catechism

Daily devotional

December 31 - And the child grew…

“And the child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom. And the favor of God was upon him.” - Luke 2:40 Scripture reading: Luke 2:39-40 Luke summarizes Jesus’ childhood in Luke 2:39-40. “And when they had performed everything according to the Law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee, to their own town of Nazareth” (Luke 2:39). By God’s design, Jesus was raised by earthly parents who trusted God and observed His law. They raised Jesus and His siblings to do so as well. Luke tells us Jesus grew and became strong, filled with wisdom. Jesus had to grow physically and spiritually, like us. He had to learn wisdom. He had to learn His earthly father’s trade. He needed years of training before He could pursue his heavenly Father’s mission. The need for growth and training and submitting to instruction – these were all ways He humbled himself as one of us in our place. Jesus retraced our steps from conception to death to redeem every phase of human life. At every point, He lived the life we should have lived before God. With His active obedience, He built up a perfect record as God’s faithful Son. When we confess our sin and come to God for grace and forgiveness, He credits Christ’s righteous record to us. He assures us that He credited our sinful record to Christ, who paid the penalty for us. In Christ, we too can grow and become strong, filled with wisdom. We, too, are being trained for eternity in God’s presence and service. May the favor of God be upon you as you enter a new year with Him. Suggestions for prayer Praise God for Jesus’ active obedience in your place and His righteousness credited to your account. Pray that you may continue to grow in grace and enjoy the favor of God upon you as you step into 2026. Rev. Richard Zekveld is the pastor of Covenant Fellowship Church (PCA) in South Holland, Illinois, a Chicagoland suburb. Rev. Zekveld, his wife Nancy, and their five children have lived in the community of South Holland for seventeen years. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

December 30 - Anna

“And coming up at that very hour she began to give thanks to God and to speak of him to all who were waiting for the redemption of Jerusalem.” - Luke 2:38 Scripture reading: Luke 2:36-38 Two elderly people surprised Joseph and Mary in the temple that day. The first was Simeon. The second was an eighty-four-year-old woman named Anna. The temple was God’s dwelling-place among His people. How fitting to meet Immanuel there. Luke tells us that Anna was a prophetess, from the tribe of Asher. Asher had been one of the northernmost tribes in ancient Israel. It was among the first of the ten tribes in the northern kingdom to fall to the Assyrian Empire. Yet God, in His faithfulness, had preserved a remnant even from these tribes to live in covenant fellowship with Him as they waited and prayed for Messiah to come. Anna represents this faithful remnant. She had been married to her husband seven years before he died. From then on, she had lived as a widow. Now she stayed in the temple courts, worshiping, praying, and fasting, night and day. She approached Joseph and Mary when she realized their baby was the long-awaited Messiah. When she saw Him, she responded in two ways. First, she began to thank God. Second, she began to speak of Him to all who were waiting for the redemption of Jerusalem. This news was too good for this prophetess to keep to herself! She had to tell others that the Messiah had come. She had to tell others that she had seen Him with her own eyes. Perhaps the seeds of her testimony lodged in some hearts, ready to germinate when Jesus began His ministry thirty years later. Suggestions for prayer Praise God for preserving a people through the centuries to trust, love and worship Him and proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ. Pray that God might use you to proclaim Christ like Anna did. Rev. Richard Zekveld is the pastor of Covenant Fellowship Church (PCA) in South Holland, Illinois, a Chicagoland suburb. Rev. Zekveld, his wife Nancy, and their five children have lived in the community of South Holland for seventeen years. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

December 29 - Simeon (II)

“And Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, “Behold, this child is appointed for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign that is opposed (and a sword will pierce through your own soul also), so that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed.”” - Luke 2:34-35 Scripture reading: Luke 2:25-35 Simeon now pivots from praise to prophecy. He turns from blessing God to blessing Joseph and Mary. Then he speaks directly to Mary. Not everyone will receive her Son and His salvation as Simeon did. Not everyone will rejoice at His coming. Many will stumble over Jesus and His message, as over a stone. “And many shall stumble on it. They shall fall and be broken” (Isaiah 8:15aS). Her Son will be “for a sign that is opposed... so that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed.” As Jesus advanced God’s kingdom mission, Satan stirred up opposition to Him. Face to face with Jesus, the hearts of many religious people in Israel would be revealed. Was trust and love for God truly at the heart of their religious life? This would become clear when they met Jesus and recognized and received God in Him. Were their hearts far from God, even as they worshiped outwardly? This would become clear when they met Jesus and rejected God in Him. That was true then. It is still true today. Simeon warns Mary that a sword will pierce her soul also. It will pierce her soul to see how people treat her Son. It will pierce her soul to see members of her home church become a violent mob that tries to throw Him over a cliff. It will pierce her soul to see Him suffer, bleed, and die on a cross. Her Son’s path to the crown is through the cross. Suggestions for prayer Praise God that Christ willingly faced deadly opposition to save us. Pray for grace to move beyond outward religion to receive and rest in Jesus Christ as Saviour and Lord. Rev. Richard Zekveld is the pastor of Covenant Fellowship Church (PCA) in South Holland, Illinois, a Chicagoland suburb. Rev. Zekveld, his wife Nancy, and their five children have lived in the community of South Holland for seventeen years. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

December 28 - Simeon (I)

““Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace, according to your word; for my eyes have seen your salvation that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to your people Israel.” And his father and his mother marveled at what was said about him.” - Luke 2:29-33 Scripture reading: Luke 2:25-33 Joseph and Mary were in the temple to consecrate Jesus and to offer the purification sacrifice. As they crossed the temple courts, most just saw an ordinary baby. An elderly man, however, approached Joseph and Mary. Simeon was a true believer who trusted God and longed for Messiah. The Spirit had told him he would see Messiah before he died. He hurried over to Jesus and took Him in his arms. Thanks to God’s revelation, and the internal testimony of the Spirit, he saw his Saviour! With Messiah in his arms, Simeon blessed God and said, “Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace, according to your word; for my eyes have seen your salvation that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to your people Israel” (Luke 2:29-32). By faith, Simeon believed what the Bible said about Jesus. He rejoiced that Jesus would redeem Gentiles as well as Jews, people from every tribe and nation. “It is too light a thing that you should be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob and to bring back the preserved of Israel; I will make you as a light to the nations, that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth” (Isaiah 49:6). Do you believe what the Bible says about Jesus? Do you receive him as your Saviour and Lord? Do you long to see him, as Simeon did? Suggestions for prayer Praise God that our long-expected Jesus will return to make all things new. Pray, “Come, thou long-expected Jesus, born to set thy people free. From our fears and sins release us, let us find our rest in thee.” Rev. Richard Zekveld is the pastor of Covenant Fellowship Church (PCA) in South Holland, Illinois, a Chicagoland suburb. Rev. Zekveld, his wife Nancy, and their five children have lived in the community of South Holland for seventeen years. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

December 27 - Holy to the Lord

“And when the time came for their purification according to the Law of Moses, they brought him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord (as it is ...

Daily devotional

December 26 - Born under the law

“And at the end of eight days, when he was circumcised, he was called Jesus, the name given by the angel before he was conceived in the womb.” - L...

Daily devotional

December 25 - Presents or presence?

“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son of the Father, full of grace and truth.” - Joh...

Daily devotional

December 24 - Immanuel

“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son of the Father, full of grace and truth.” - Joh...

Daily devotional

December 23 - Doxology

“And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.” - Luke 2:20 Scripture reading: Ephesians 1:3-14 Luke 2:8-20 began with the gospel and ends with the shepherds glorifying God. “And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.” We have moved from the gospel to glory, from theology to doxology. Theology, the study of God and His special revelation, is never an end in itself. Theological understanding and Bible knowledge should never leave you puffed up, with an air of smug superiority. As Paul says in 1 Corinthians 8:1, “Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up.” No, theology is unto doxology. The knowledge of God must lead to the worship of God. The study of God must bear fruit in ever-deepening appreciation, admiration and adoration of God. After all, our chief end is to “glorify God and enjoy him forever” (Westminster Shorter Catechism, Q&A 1). The gospel of Christ, leading them into the presence of Christ, has turned these shepherds into worshipers of God. Theologian John Piper once said, “Missions exist because worship doesn’t.” The last verse of Psalms proclaims the goal of redemptive history: “Let everything that has breath praise the LORD. Praise the LORD!” (Psalm 150:6). Paul’s run-on sentence in Ephesians 1:3-14 begins with God choosing His children before creation, then relentlessly leads us to the final goal: “the praise of his glory” (Ephesians 1:12c,14c). May we, by God’s grace, join the shepherds “glorifying and praising God” for all we have heard and seen, as it has been told us. Suggestions for prayer Praise God that He is transforming us into children who will glorify and enjoy Him forever. Pray that theology will lead to doxology in your life and in your church community. Rev. Richard Zekveld is the pastor of Covenant Fellowship Church (PCA) in South Holland, Illinois, a Chicagoland suburb. Rev. Zekveld, his wife Nancy, and their five children have lived in the community of South Holland for seventeen years. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

December 22 - Mary’s meditation

“But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart.” - Luke 2:19 Scripture reading: Ephesians 3:14-21 Luke briefly leaves the exuberant shepherds, and puts the spotlight on Jesus’ mother Mary. Mary and Joseph have had a lot to process over the past nine months, as they grapple with who this baby is and will be. Tonight’s events have astonished them afresh and left them with even more to ponder. No doubt, the sudden appearance of the shepherds, and their dramatic testimony prompted fresh reflection. Thus, “Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart.” “Treasure up” means to file something important in your mind and pull it out periodically to study it. “Ponder” means to think deeply about something and discuss it within yourself. Luke 1:26-38 reveals Mary as a young woman of faith. Even though the miracle of the Virgin Birth astonished her, she humbly offered herself to God’s service and received God’s Son in her womb. From that moment on, Mary’s understanding of her son had to grow along with Him. As Christ revealed His glory in His ministry, death and resurrection, His mother had to ponder anew His person and work. Revelation, pondered by faith, enlarged her view of Him, along with her trust, love and allegiance for Him. May this be true of us as Christ enlarges our view of Him, nourishes our faith in Him, and deepens our love for Him. May you grow to “know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God” (Ephesians 3:19). Suggestions for prayer Praise God that He reveals Christ to us in His Word. Pray that the Holy Spirit will continue to enlarge your view of Christ, along with your trust, love and allegiance for Him. Rev. Richard Zekveld is the pastor of Covenant Fellowship Church (PCA) in South Holland, Illinois, a Chicagoland suburb. Rev. Zekveld, his wife Nancy, and their five children have lived in the community of South Holland for seventeen years. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

December 21 - Go, know, and tell

“And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them.” - Luke 2:17-18 Scripture reading: 1 John 1:1-4 How did the shepherds respond to the good news of Christ’s birth? They ran to Him, found Him, then ran off again to tell others about Him. It was a “Go-Know-and-Tell” response to the gospel. The Holy Spirit produces this gospel response in God’s children. Good news! It’s Sunday. Our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, is about to show up in His word and in worship at your local church. It’s time for a “Go-Know-and-Tell” response. Go to your local church. Ask the Holy Spirit to open your heart to encounter the Triune God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, so that you might come to know Him or know Him more deeply. Then tell others about Him – about who He is and what He means to you. Start by telling those closest to you. Ask God to give you increasing conviction, courage and love to tell those in your life who don’t know Him. Ask God for opportunities to do so. We can tell others who Christ is and what He has done for us. Only the Spirit can open their minds and hearts to see and receive Jesus in the gospel. That is why we must also pray for them. “And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them.” Most likely, they did not come to faith that day based on the shepherds’ testimony. The shepherds, however, scattered gospel seeds that may have produced faith after Jesus died and rose again. Suggestions for prayer Praise God that the Holy Spirit produces living faith in the hearts of His children through the preaching of the gospel. Pray that the Holy Spirit will produce a “Go-Know-and-Tell” response in you. Rev. Richard Zekveld is the pastor of Covenant Fellowship Church (PCA) in South Holland, Illinois, a Chicagoland suburb. Rev. Zekveld, his wife Nancy, and their five children have lived in the community of South Holland for seventeen years. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

December 20 - Those who seek will find

“When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.” And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger.” - Luke 2:15-16 Scripture reading: John 12:20-32 The angel had promised the shepherds, “You will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger” in Bethlehem, the city of David. The shepherds then put feet to their faith and found Him where God said they would find Him. They also found Him as God said they would find Him – lying in a manger. Do you want to find Christ? Then seek Him where He promises to show up. Seek Him tomorrow in worship at a church where Christ is faithfully, truly and warmly proclaimed and worshiped. Seek Him in His Word, the Bible and in prayer. I often urge people just beginning to explore the Bible and Christ to start in one of the Gospels. I say, “First, ask Jesus to reveal Himself to you in what you read. Second, read a short section. Third, pray to God about what you read. Tell Him what impacted, confused, disturbed or excited you. Do the same thing every day.” Seek Jesus where He promises to show up, and you will find Him. Actually, He will find you. Seek Him in the fellowship of His body, the brothers and sisters through whom He speaks to you, encourages you, challenges you, rebukes you and intercedes for you. In John 12:20-32, some Greeks said to Philip, “Sir, we want to see Jesus.” Jesus responded with this promise: “And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself” (John 12:32). Suggestions for prayer Praise God that Christ shows up where He says He will – in worship, in the means of grace, and in the fellowship of believers. Pray that He will open your heart, and the hearts of others to seek and receive Him there. Rev. Richard Zekveld is the pastor of Covenant Fellowship Church (PCA) in South Holland, Illinois, a Chicagoland suburb. Rev. Zekveld, his wife Nancy, and their five children have lived in the community of South Holland for seventeen years. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

December 19 - “Let’s go!”

“When the angels went away from them into heaven,the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, ...

Daily devotional

December 18 - Peace on earth

“And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace ...

Daily devotional

December 17 - Glory to God

‘And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace ...

Daily devotional

December 16 - Only Jesus gets the choir

“And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace ...

Daily devotional

December 15 - A sign

“And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” - Luke 2:12 Scripture reading: Isaiah 53:1-3 The angel has just proclaimed good news of great joy to the shepherds. The Lord has sent the son of David to the city of David. He was born for them as their Savior, their Christ and their Lord. That was a lot for the shepherds to digest. The Lord, in His kindness, gave them a sign to confirm His astonishing word to them. They would find a baby in a blanket in a feedbox If you stumbled upon a baby in a blanket in a feedbox and someone said, “This is our Savior, Christ the Lord!” Would you believe it? No. You would expect to find Him in a mansion surrounded by a security detail, laying in the lap of luxury – unless, of course, God himself told you that “you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” The sign confirms the word. It also confirms what kind of Savior He is: a humble Savior who “had no form or majesty that we should look at him, and no beauty that we should desire him” (Isaiah 53:2b). This was true in His birth, life and death. Today, Christ confirms His presence in the humble, ordinary signs of water, bread and wine. Those who see and seek Him by faith in these signs receive Him and all His benefits. Finally, the angel said to the shepherds, “You will find a baby...” They must seek him to find Him. That is true of us as well. Suggestions for prayer Thank God for giving us signs that confirm His Word and strengthen our faith. Pray for grace to walk by faith and not by sight. Rev. Richard Zekveld is the pastor of Covenant Fellowship Church (PCA) in South Holland, Illinois, a Chicagoland suburb. Rev. Zekveld, his wife Nancy, and their five children have lived in the community of South Holland for seventeen years. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

December 14 - Christ the Lord

“And the angel said to them, “Fear not; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.”” - Luke 2:10-11 Scripture reading: Philippians 2:5-11 The angel proclaims that the Savior born in Bethlehem is “Christ the Lord.” “Christ” is the Greek word for “Messiah.” Both words mean “Anointed One.” In the Old Testament, prophets, priests and kings were anointed with oil when they were ordained to symbolize the filling and power of the Holy Spirit necessary to fulfill their calling. In 2 Samuel 7, the LORD promised David, His anointed king at that time, that His offspring would rule on His throne forever. God’s people looked forward to a future Anointed One, a future Christ, a future Son of David who would redeem God’s people, establish His kingdom and rule forever. (See Heidelberg Catechism Q&A 32). The shepherds now hear that He has come. Jesus is also Lord. This title establishes His sovereign rule over everything and everyone. “Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Philippians 2:9-11). Christ the Lord is our Lord. Heidelberg Catechism Q. 34 asks, “Why do you call him ‘our Lord’?” The reassuring answer comes back, “Because – not with gold or silver, but with his precious blood – he has set us free from sin and from the tyranny of the devil, and has bought us, body and soul, to be his very own.” Suggestions for prayer Thank God that He sent Jesus to be our Christ and our Lord, and for all that means for our lives. Pray for grace to trust and submit to Him as Lord of all. Rev. Richard Zekveld is the pastor of Covenant Fellowship Church (PCA) in South Holland, Illinois, a Chicagoland suburb. Rev. Zekveld, his wife Nancy, and their five children have lived in the community of South Holland for seventeen years. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

December 13 - A Saviour

“And the angel said to them, “Fear not; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.”” - Luke 2:10-11 Scripture reading: Isaiah 45:20-25 The angel proclaims the birth of “a Savior.” If you ask people, “What do you need to be saved from?” they might say, “From cancer, mounting debt, addiction, a toxic person, depression and anxiety, high taxes, corrupt government, crippling grief, bad habits, lust, anger,” et cetera. Our Savior Jesus will save His people from all these things and more. Above all, however, we need a Savior to save us from our sin – our guilty, corrupt condition and God’s judgment against it. We need Jesus to save us from the guilt of sin. Jesus, our Substitute, lived the life we should have lived, and died the death we deserved to die, to remove our sin and God’s anger against it. When we confess our sin and cry out for mercy, God forgives us and justifies us. We need Jesus to save us from the power of sin. Paul cries out, “Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!” (Romans 7:24-25a). We need Jesus to save us from the misery of sin – all the miseries that entered this world because of sin, including death itself. All who belong to Christ by faith have this hope: He will return to make all things new. He will wipe the tears from every eye and all the miseries that cause them. “You shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21b). Suggestions for prayer Thank God for the gift of Jesus our Savior and all that He saves us from. Pray that He will save you and others from the guilt, power and miseries of sin. Rev. Richard Zekveld is the pastor of Covenant Fellowship Church (PCA) in South Holland, Illinois, a Chicagoland suburb. Rev. Zekveld, his wife Nancy, and their five children have lived in the community of South Holland for seventeen years. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

December 12 - Good news of great joy

“And the angel said to them, “Fear not; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.”” - Luke 2:10-11 Scripture reading: Isaiah 52:7-10 It’s great to receive good news. “The cancer is gone!” “Your son will survive!” “An anonymous donor paid your tuition!” Good news received and believed, floods you with gladness and gratitude. It produces joy. God’s messenger shouted to the shepherds, “I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.” God ordained that the good news would produce great joy in them. This brings us back to Isaiah 52:7-8a: “How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, who publishes peace, who brings good news of happiness, who publishes salvation, who says to Zion, ‘Your God reigns.’ The voice of your watchmen – they lift up their voice; together they sing for joy.” Imagine it. The king marches out to face a terrible foe. Back in the city, the watchmen and citizens wait to hear the outcome with a mixture of hope and dread. Their fate lies in the hands of their king A herald comes running. The watchmen spot him in the distance. Soon, he’s within earshot and hollers, “Our king won! Our king reigns!” The watchmen erupt with relief and joy. Then they pass the good news on to the citizens of the city. The angel here is the herald. The shepherds are the watchmen who hear the good news. It is good news that floods them with great joy. It is also good news “for all the people.” They need to pass it on. And so do we. Suggestions for prayer Thank God for declaring to you the good news of Christ and His redeeming grace. Pray for grace, boldness and opportunity to pass it on like the shepherds did. Rev. Richard Zekveld is the pastor of Covenant Fellowship Church (PCA) in South Holland, Illinois, a Chicagoland suburb. Rev. Zekveld, his wife Nancy, and their five children have lived in the community of South Holland for seventeen years. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

December 11 - Angels

‘And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flocks by night. And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, ...

Daily devotional

December 10 - Shepherds

“And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flocks by night.” - Luke 2:8 Scripture reading: 1 Cor...

Daily devotional

December 9 - Rome and Bethlehem

“And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and lai...

Daily devotional

December 8 - Veiled in flesh

“And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and lai...

Daily devotional

December 7 - Whose decree?

“And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child.” - Luke 2:4-5 Scripture reading: Micah 5:1-5a We get frustrated when the decisions of others inconvenience us and complicate our lives. We can only imagine how Caesar’s decree, implemented by Herod, upended the lives of Joseph and Mary This could not have happened at a worse time! Joseph’s fiancée is about to give birth. Joseph will have to shut down his business or place it in the hands of others to make this unplanned ninety-mile trip to Bethlehem at his own expense. But Caesar has spoken. To Bethlehem they must go. Joseph and Mary set out on their ninety-mile, four-day trip from Nazareth to Bethlehem. It included a steep climb from Jericho to Jerusalem. Pictures often show Mary riding a donkey. We don’t know if that’s true. Joseph and Mary were poor. Mary, nine months pregnant, may have walked the whole way! How do you think Joseph and Mary felt about Caesar and his decree as they traveled? Were they tempted to believe Caesar, not God, was sovereign over their lives? Caesar’s decree, it seems, sent them to Bethlehem. Perhaps only later did they realize that God’s decree in Micah 5, which predated Caesar’s decree by 700 years, sent them to Bethlehem! Today we attend worship to get reoriented to the sovereign, life-giving decrees of God, revealed in His word, which govern our lives. We desperately need this weekly reorientation because we get disoriented so quickly in a world where everything and everyone else seems to be calling the shots in our lives. Suggestions for prayer Thank God for the opportunity to get reoriented to God’s sovereign and gracious presence. Pray that He will meet you in his word to equip you for the week ahead. Rev. Richard Zekveld is the pastor of Covenant Fellowship Church (PCA) in South Holland, Illinois, a Chicagoland suburb. Rev. Zekveld, his wife Nancy, and their five children have lived in the community of South Holland for seventeen years. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

December 6 - When Caesar says “jump”

“In those days, a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. This was the first registration when Quirinius was governor of Syria. And all went to be registered, each to his own town.” - Luke 2:1-3 Scripture reading: Isaiah 45:1-13 When Caesar says, “Jump!” you say, “How high?” When Caesar says, “Go get registered!” you go get registered. This is not a suggestion. It’s a command. In worship, we talk about how God is the sovereign, all-powerful Ruler over creation and history. We say things like, “God is in control” and “God is on the throne.” When we leave church, however, it seems like Caesar is calling the shots in our lives. The government prints trillions of dollars and you get stuck with inflation – higher prices for everything. Tariffs drive up prices too. The government passes new regulations that complicate your business and your life. Maybe you feel trapped under the power of a controlling or manipulative person in your life. Maybe it’s your boss, but you need that job. I know a man who sat in jail for four years, only to be acquitted by a jury in the end. Caesar’s decrees impact our daily lives in the trenches, for good or for ill. God’s people would not have seen the hand of God, sovereignly directing the powerful Persian king Cyrus, if Isaiah had not prophesied it years earlier (Isaiah 45:1-13). Remember, we walk by faith, not by sight. Most likely, King Herod had some freedom to implement Caesar’s decree as he chose. He probably implemented Caesar’s decree in a uniquely Jewish way. Jewish people strongly identified with their ancestors and the towns they came from. Perhaps that’s why King Herod ordered them to register in their towns of origin Suggestions for prayer Thank God that kings, rulers and our lives are all in His sovereign hands. Pray for grace to trust God and be Christlike when the decisions of others complicate your life. Rev. Richard Zekveld is the pastor of Covenant Fellowship Church (PCA) in South Holland, Illinois, a Chicagoland suburb. Rev. Zekveld, his wife Nancy, and their five children have lived in the community of South Holland for seventeen years. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

December 5 - Quirinius

“In those days, a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. This was the first registration when Quirinius was governor of Syria.” - Luke 2:1-2 Scripture reading: Luke 1:1-4 When we read Luke 2 each Christmas, we treat verse 2 as an afterthought. When we read this passage out loud, we hope we won’t trip over Quirinius. We breathe a sigh of relief when we get through verse 2. It may surprise you, then, that Luke 2:2 is hotly debated. Much ink has been spilled over it. Many don’t just trip over the name Quirinius. They trip over the presence of Quirinius in Luke’s account. They point to historical evidence that Quirinius wasn’t governor of Syria until much later. Others have defended Luke 2:2 in response. We won’t wade into the Quirinius debate here. But consider this: when Luke penned these details, he knew the enemies of Christ would fact check everything he wrote and pounce if they could prove him wrong. Luke was a careful historian. In Luke 1:1-4, Luke assured Theophilus his account was carefully researched “that you may have certainty concerning the things you have been taught” (Luke 1:4). Luke included Quirinius to assure Theophilus and us that the birth of Jesus was a real event that happened in real time when real politicians were making headlines. Satan has tried to undermine God’s word since the beginning. However, you don’t need to trip over Quirinius, because God’s word is true. We can be confident the Scriptures are true “because the Holy Spirit witnesses in our hearts that they are from God, and also because they carry the evidence thereof in themselves” (Belgic Confession, Article 5). Suggestions for prayer Thank God that Luke, guided by the Holy Spirit, left us with a trustworthy Gospel. Pray that the Holy Spirit will deepen your confidence in God’s Word and convince others as well. Rev. Richard Zekveld is the pastor of Covenant Fellowship Church (PCA) in South Holland, Illinois, a Chicagoland suburb. Rev. Zekveld, his wife Nancy, and their five children have lived in the community of South Holland for seventeen years. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

December 4 - The decree

“In those days, a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered.” - Luke 2:1 Scripture reading: Isaiah 55:10-11 Humans share with God the power of words – words spoken and words written. The power of language is one way God created us in His image to rule in His name. However, we have all experienced the power of human words for good or evil. When a girl in your class skins her knee, and you sit beside her and ask, “Are you okay?” you are using the power of words for good. When you run and tell a teacher she is hurt, you are using the power of words for good. When you say something nasty to someone because you want to hurt him, you are using your words for evil. The more power a human ruler has, the more power his words have. In Luke 2:1, Caesar Augustus speaks with power. He issues a decree, an executive order. He wants every person in his vast empire registered so he can track them, tax them and rule them more efficiently. Caesar’s decree shall accomplish what he purposes and shall succeed in the thing for which he sent it (see Isaiah 55:11). Little does Caesar realize, however, that his decree is simply a tool in the hands of the Sovereign Lord of heaven and earth as He works out His sovereign decree to save His chosen ones and His fallen world in Jesus Christ. Remember that the next time you chafe under a human decree that complicates your life. Suggestions for prayer Thank God for the sovereign power of His word to save us and to govern history, even using human decrees. Pray for grace to rest in His sovereign power when troubled by human decrees. Rev. Richard Zekveld is the pastor of Covenant Fellowship Church (PCA) in South Holland, Illinois, a Chicagoland suburb. Rev. Zekveld, his wife Nancy, and their five children have lived in the community of South Holland for seventeen years. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

December 3 - Caesar Augustus (II)

“In those days, a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered.” - Luke 2:1 Scripture reading: Mark 10:35-45 ...

Daily devotional

December 2 - Caesar Augustus (I)

“In those days, a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered.” - Luke 2:1 Scripture reading: Isaiah 9:1-7 ...

Daily devotional

December 1 - Introduction to Luke 2

Luke 2 enjoys the spotlight at this time of year. Students recite these verses at Christmas programs. Many of us memorized these verses. Pastors preac...

Daily devotional

November 30 - Anticipation and celebration

“But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious b...

Daily devotional

November 29 - Tempted to praiseless prayer

“Pray then like this: Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.” - Matthew 6:9 Scripture reading: Psalm 81:1-16 Yesterday, a friend sent me a link to a snippet of a comedian’s shtick who was making fun of folks in the gym with massive water jugs. The comedian exaggerated about someone’s water backpack having a hose which led directly to the man’s mouth. He kept opening his mouth to suck on it. Pertinent to what the Psalmist is talking about, though. The Psalmist’s teaching asks “For what do you open wide your mouth?” The first five verses are instructions for the people of God to open their mouths wide to praise God. The opening two phrases are parallels of intensification; sing aloud and then shout for joy to God. Energy and all kinds of musical instruments are to be used to bring glory to God. The people had been neglecting to sing and shout to God. Their voices went out to strange gods. Their knees were calloused from bending to idols. It is a distressing picture. The faithless people who were made for praise, had been opening wide their mouths to that which is worthless. The Lord’s prayer teaches believers the place of adoration. Like Psalm 81, the prayer begins and ends with praise to God. When believers take up the words of Jesus, they realize God the Father alone is the source of satisfaction in life. As water is vital to the person weary from a work-out, so is praise vital to the believer. Adoration revives the heart and inspires the mind to know God as He is. Praising God is as satisfying as the sweetness of honey. Suggestions for prayer Think of some of your most cherished names, or titles for God (like: Good Shepherd, or Father, or The LORD who provides) and pray such back to Him in adoration. For over six years already, Rev. Vander Vaart has served as the Atlantic Region Representative of Redemption Prison Ministry. He does so as a Minister of the Word and Sacrament in the Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

November 28 - Tempted to forget the measure of your days

“When you discipline a man with rebukes for sin, you consume like a moth what is dear to him; surely all mankind is a mere breath!” - Psalm 39:11 Scripture reading: Psalm 39:4-6 Three images used to depict what is called the fleeting length of a man’s life. The first is a handbreadth. Look at how long your palm is. Now, compare the breadth of your palm to the length of your arm. Your arm is much longer than your palm. It is a simple visual of how your spiritual life is much longer than your physical life. The measure of your earthly days is short compared to the eternity that stretches before you. The second image is a mere breath, or the word vanity (verse 5). The second time this image is used, it is connected to the destructive work of a moth (verse 11). The Lord consumes what is dear to a man like a moth destroys wool. As the end of life nears, a man’s possessions leave him. Think of senior citizens who move from a house to an apartment and downsize. Then they downsize again to move to a senior’s home. Finally, they are alone, on a bed, as life ebbs away. All of life is vanity. The third image is a shadow. As the morning sun gains strength and rises, shadows flee. At the fullness of day there are no more shadows. Think of how you are longing for Christmas, and the celebrations to come. It will be here sooner than you think. Just like Christmas will be here before you know it, so will the return of Jesus Christ come sooner than you expect. Knowing how fleeting are your days, put all your hope in Jesus. Suggestions for prayer Praise God for the nearness of Jesus’ return; ask the Spirit to renew in you a deeper awareness of what it means that earthly life is short, and eternity will stretch on with no end so that your heart’s hope will be firmly anchored on Jesus. For over six years already, Rev. Vander Vaart has served as the Atlantic Region Representative of Redemption Prison Ministry. He does so as a Minister of the Word and Sacrament in the Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

November 27 - Tempted to Christmas gluttony

“...and put a knife to your throat if you are given to appetite. ” - Proverbs 23:2 Scripture reading: Colossians 3:12-17 What is your favourite memory related to Christmas meals? I clearly remember one aunt who always had potato salad that was a bright yellow. She added mustard to the dish. This was in the 1970’s. That item was added to a table that was already groaning with all kinds of food. Christmas is closely linked to eating. A simple on-line search will reveal that the average Canadian male will gain about 3 pounds (1.2kg) at Christmas time. One local gym promotes their survey results, which reports that it is common for adults to gain 5 to 8 pounds during the extended week that includes the Christmas and New Year celebrations. Is it strange, that at the time of the year when Christians celebrate the Incarnation, they also indulge in gluttony? Think of it, when Jesus left the splendour of heaven, and became human, He endured deprivation and hardship. He had nowhere to lay His head. He was not provided with gluttonous feasts. Yet Christians celebrate with excess. They eat too much food, sweets and candy. I would even suggest attendance at church worship declines because people choose feasts above intentional gathering. When planning your celebratory feasts this Christmas, will you consider what is an appropriate amount of food and what is too much? Maybe, with your family now, plan for meals that are celebratory, but not indulgent. The point is not the food, the point is gathering in celebration of God’s grace. Involve your family so that even in your eating and drinking you honour God. Suggestions for prayer Give thanks to God for the abundance of His provision to you and your family; seek the wisdom of the Spirit in preparing meals. For over six years already, Rev. Vander Vaart has served as the Atlantic Region Representative of Redemption Prison Ministry. He does so as a Minister of the Word and Sacrament in the Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

November 26 - Tempted to greed

“The greedy bring ruin to their households, but the one who hates bribes will live.” - Proverbs 15:27 Scripture reading: Luke 12:13-21 One interesting question to be posed at this time of year is, ‘why does there have to be such an emphasis on giving toys and gifts to children?’ That is a worldly, non-Christians emphasis imposed on Christmas celebrations. In one region where I lived, the firefighters, the foster care association, the Salvation Army, as well as some local churches had a toy drive. There were families on two or three of those lists whose children had a bonanza of gifts. It is imposed on the Christian celebration of the incarnation of Jesus. Why are our Christian churches and denominations focusing so much on gift-giving rather than focusing on Jesus? I have a serious question: is all this Christmas gift-giving toxic charity? Let me explain. There is such a strong emphasis on giving gifts for free, that those who are in need are even more reliant on charity. There is no sense in which this is a hand-up, to help a family out of poverty, but it is a hand-out that keeps families in cycles of poverty. I wonder also, if our giving of gifts, or monetary gifts to agencies that care for folks who are poor, perpetuates a cycle of greed? When a family is in need of the basics of life, why is there a priority to have toys, games and video games given which celebrate worldly greed and consumption? Even if gifts are to be given, what gift would be wise so that greediness is not instilled in the hearts of the recipients? Suggestions for prayer For families who seek to be lifted out of poverty; for wisdom in local churches and Christian families, to know how to truly help those who are in need. For over six years already, Rev. Vander Vaart has served as the Atlantic Region Representative of Redemption Prison Ministry. He does so as a Minister of the Word and Sacrament in the Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

November 25 - Tempted in charitable giving

“He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your G...

Daily devotional

November 24 - Tempted to wasting time

“I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called…” - Ephesians 4:1 S...

Daily devotional

November 23 - Welcome to the Sunday celebration

“Brothers, join in imitating me, and keep your eyes on those who walk according to the example you have in us.” - Philippians 3:17 Scripture re...

Daily devotional

November 22 - Tempted to avoid suffering

“Therefore let those who suffer according to God’s will entrust their souls to a faithful Creator while doing good.” - 1 Peter 4:19 Scriptu...

Daily devotional

November 21 - Tempted to drift

“Therefore we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it.” - Hebrews 2:1 Scripture reading: Deuteronomy 30:11-20 One of the board games our family likes to play still has the rule book in the box. We laughed when we finally got around to reading the rules. The rules tell players they can make up rules, if they are consistent with them, and they apply to all the players. That is, sometimes, how believers treat the Word of God. It is a wonderful instruction book for life; however, those who follow Jesus tweak the rules and decide which ones are important and which are not. Paul warned the Hebrews not to drift. Drifting from the faith begins when believers play fast and loose with the commandments of God. What He has instituted are designed for the good of His sons and daughters. Some believers neglect to meet every Sunday, and soon they find going to church difficult. Other believers neglect to read the Bible as a family. The Word loses its power and authority. With that parental authority erodes as well. The whole family drifts. The LORD spoke through Moses, offering His people tremendous clarity. The commandment of God is to keep the Word near to you. The Word of God directs you into life and keeps you in the way that is right. The duo references to life and good certainly foreshadows Jesus’ own words: “I AM the Way, the Truth and the Life”. In Him alone is all the adventure believers ever need. Anchor your mind and heart to Jesus through the reading of the Word, so that you never will drift away from Him. Suggestions for prayer Pray that you and your family members will be securely anchored to Jesus through Scripture reading, prayer and times of worship. Think about church members, or people you know who are drifting, and ask God to bring them back to Himself in love. For over six years already, Rev. Vander Vaart has served as the Atlantic Region Representative of Redemption Prison Ministry. He does so as a Minister of the Word and Sacrament in the Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

November 20 - Tempted to all kinds of idle talk

“As He was getting into the boat, the man who had been possessed with demons begged him that he might be with him. And He did not permit him but said to him, “Go home to your friends and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how He has had mercy on you.”” - Mark 5:18-19 Scripture reading: Acts 2:40-47 A friend and I have this routine of going to the Moncton Market every Saturday morning. It is a bustling place with a variety of international foods. A few weeks ago, he startled me with an observation. He said, “We used to get our food, pray, and while we were eating, discuss our walk with God. Why don’t we anymore?” Too true. We’d discuss devotional patterns, lessons the Spirit was teaching through our Scripture readings, or the sermons we’d heard. We sought to discern the hand of God made evident through the events of our otherwise ordinary days. It’s tempting to lose our focus on God in our daily routines. I believe it is too easy to neglect our conversation about God, and neglect sharing our testimony with others, especially with those close to us. There are so many topics that fill our minds: politics, war, and many mundane things. What grabs my attention in these readings from Acts and Mark is the willingness of new converts to share the gospel. When Jesus returned to the region of the Decapolis, crowds came to Jesus, instead of sending Him away. Surely, the former demoniac had tremendous influence among his countrymen. New believers are contagious. They can’t help it. In view of their knowledge of Jesus and their joy in Him, they are compelled to share their faith. How are your conversations? Are you talking about Jesus here, there and everywhere? I was glad for my friend’s prompting to return to the practice of Saturdays as a prayer and share time. Suggestions for prayer Seek the Spirit’s leading to open doors for conversations about Jesus, and your faith in Him, and that such conversations would happen at home and then among peers, classmates, friends and neighbours. Pray to be bold as were those depicted in today’s passages. For over six years already, Rev. Vander Vaart has served as the Atlantic Region Representative of Redemption Prison Ministry. He does so as a Minister of the Word and Sacrament in the Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

November 19 - Tempted to stinginess

“And with great power the apostles were giving their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all. There was not a needy person among them, for as many as were owners of lands or houses sold them and brought the proceeds of what was sold and laid it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed as each had need.” - Acts 4:33-35 Scripture reading: Acts 2:40-47 When we were married, all my possessions became “our possessions”. The little group in Acts 2 was learning the same lesson. When people join the family of God, their possessions are no longer “my things”. All that believers have, are entrusted to them for their service to God. New believers were daily being added to the number of Christians. Just weeks before, while Jesus was still about His earthly ministry, to be added to the body of believers meant that family members might disown you (cf John 9, parents of the man born blind, whose eyes were opened). As Jesus had promised, persecution would increase. No doubt, there were still believers in Jerusalem left over from the Day of Pentecost who were being discipled and trained in the faith. So, there were many needs among the new believers. In view of God’s great gift of Jesus Christ, believers were very open-handed and prepared to share with anyone who was in need. Such past generosity has become complicated for many Christians—Who do we give to? What if they are not worthy? What if I’m taken advantage of in my giving? Legitimate questions. Start by giving to those within the household of faith, those believers who are genuinely in need. It is obvious that believers knew each other so well, that they were aware of those who had financial need. Beyond this, seek the great grace that is necessary, so that with Spirit-filled discernment you will know how to care for those whom the Father brings into your life. Suggestions for prayer As you consider Christmas present purchases, ask the Spirit of God to teach you where you are too self-focused; ask to be led to opportunities to give and be generous close to home as well as toward those far away. For over six years already, Rev. Vander Vaart has served as the Atlantic Region Representative of Redemption Prison Ministry. He does so as a Minister of the Word and Sacrament in the Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

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Nearer to God Devotional

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

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June 7 - Worship with gladness

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June 6 - Joy in God’s revelation

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June 5 - Joy in the God of my salvation

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June 4 - Joy and peace

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June 3 - Abide in me

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June 1 - Introduction to the Christian joy

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May 31 - Be firm in your faith!

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May 30 - Your adversary

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May 29 - He cares for you

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May 28 - Are you humble (II)

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May 27 - Are you humble? (I)

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May 26 - Biblical leadership

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May 25 - Are you prepared?

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May 24 - Who can really harm you?

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May 23 - The war against your soul

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May 22 - Our privilege and responsibility

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May 21 - We are living stones

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May 20 - Our living stone!

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May 19 - Desire pure spiritual milk

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May 18 - The shortness of life

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May 17 - Born again

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May 16 - An earnest love

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May 15 - Made manifest for us!

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