Daily devotional

April 20 - The vital hinge

“Deliver my soul from the sword, my precious life from the power of the dog! Save me from the mouth of the lion! You have rescued me from the horns ...

Daily devotional

April 19 - Faith cries

“But you, O LORD, do not be far off! O you my help, come quickly to my aid!” - Psalm 22:19 Scripture reading: Psalm 22:9-18 This is where ...

Daily devotional

April 18 - Who won what?

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

Daily devotional

April 17 - Seeing ourselves

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

Daily devotional

April 16 - Pierced

“For dogs encompass me; a company of evildoers encircles me; they have pierced my hands and feet…” - Psalm 22:16 Scripture reading: John 20:24-29 And still there is more, for if we thought that the description so far was quite graphic it becomes even more detailed now. In fact, the next three verses – the verses 16 to 18 – put the case beyond doubt altogether! Verse 16 draws again the imagery of the prey being trapped. This time it’s dogs surrounding Him. And there is no worse animal for this scene. When they are in a pack, they are evil. Any sheep in their way is a dead sheep. And that death will be the most torturous and protracted death. The words picturing hands and feet are vivid about this, because it’s the hands and the feet which are possible defences to ward off attack and to run away from attack. But here they are being pinned back Yet how prophetic isn’t this description when we know it is about Christ? Execution such as this was unknown in David’s time, and still it is clear what kind of death this will be. The gospels confirm this. Jesus inviting Thomas to put his finger in the nail hole is but one example. While we will not see the Lord’s pierced hands and feet this side of glory, may we yet be those blessed to have believed. Good Friday will become good for us because the only man truly good was God’s Son who sacrificed Himself for us. Suggestions for prayer Pray that the awe of the Roman Centurion viewing Christ’s death will be ours today. Plead that His death continues to make many more spiritually alive. Rev. Sjirk Bajema currently serves the RCNZ Oamaru, in Oamaru, New Zealand. Over the past thirty-eight years Rev. Bajema has been privileged to minister with four congregations in Australia and New Zealand. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

April 15 - A suffering all of its own

“...my strength is dried up like a potsherd, and my tongue sticks to my jaws; you lay me in the dust of death.” - Psalm 22:15 Scripture reading: John 19:28-30 In verse 15, the suffering is illustrated even more vividly. For when your strength is dried up like a potsherd you are describing a drying process within the kiln. It is a drying process which leaves absolutely no moisture in that clay whatsoever! Perhaps you have been in a hospital awaiting surgery. Do you remember when you couldn’t have a drink before you went in? How much didn’t you long for just a drop of water then? That is a suffering all of its own. And this suffering Servant experiences it in its worst extremity. No wonder that He next says, and my tongue sticks to my jaw. Cruel as all this is, it is yet happening with the power God Himself has given the enemy. When He says next, you lay me in the dust of death, it is God to whom He’s referring. And look where He has been laid. In the dust of the earth! How much isn’t God’s Son humiliated on our behalf? Because there can be no doubt that nothing in David’s life remotely fits this description. Here he is having a vision about something far beyond what he has ever experienced – or ever will. It is so very prophetic. Suggestions for prayer Praise God for His great mercy in sending His only begotten Son for us. Confess those times you have not acknowledged this gift in word and in deed. Thank the Lord for His Word and Spirit opening our minds and hearts to this. Rev. Sjirk Bajema currently serves the RCNZ Oamaru, in Oamaru, New Zealand. Over the past thirty-eight years Rev. Bajema has been privileged to minister with four congregations in Australia and New Zealand. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

April 14 - The only way we could die

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

Daily devotional

April 13 - Walking right in

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

Daily devotional

April 12 - Facing the bullies

“Many bulls encompass me; strong bulls of Bashan surround me...” - Psalm 22:12 Scripture reading: 1 Peter 2:18-25 It is all coming a lot clo...

Daily devotional

April 11 - There is always prayer

“Be not far from me, for trouble is near, and there is none to help.” - Psalm 22:11 Scripture reading: Luke 22:39-46 What we hear in verse...

Daily devotional

April 10 - True trust

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

Daily devotional

April 9 - Yet!

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

Daily devotional

April 8 - Words do hurt

“All who see me mock me; they make mouths at me; they wag their heads; “He trusts in the LORD; let him deliver him; let him rescue him, for he delights in him!”” - Psalm 22:7-8 Scripture reading: Matthew 4:1-11 Christ will be disdained in the most despicable way. Matthew 27 showed that through five different derisions, he suffered. All the people were unanimous in their mocking laughter – priests and people, Jews and Gentiles, soldiers and civilians – and all at the moment he was completely helpless and about to die. Perhaps you’re familiar with that childhood retort: “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me!” But they do, don’t they? How many times don’t abusive messages on a cell phone, taunting on the playground, or nasty remarks on social media, become factors in teenagers committing suicide? So, what could hurt the true man of God more than his God being scorned before him? Moreover, that’s what unbelievers do, because they argue from the erroneous idea that God is here to do just what they want him to do. Have they seen nothing? Don’t they realize we could never treat God as just a button we push? Well, yes, they do. But now they’re trying to push our buttons. They do the devil’s deed. Indeed, wasn’t it Satan who tempted Jesus in Matthew 4 this way – three times? And in Matthew 27:40 his henchmen cry out to the Lord, “Come down from the cross!” Let’s answer them the right way. Let’s say with our Lord, “It is written.” Suggestions for prayer Pray for God’s wisdom and power to stand up against Satan. And pray for the correct words to say to unbelievers who are trying to push our buttons. Rev. Sjirk Bajema currently serves the RCNZ Oamaru, in Oamaru, New Zealand. Over the past thirty-eight years Rev. Bajema has been privileged to minister with four congregations in Australia and New Zealand. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

April 7 - This pains because be belongs

“But I am a worm and not a man, scorned by mankind and despised by the people.” - Psalm 22:6 Scripture reading: Luke 23:13-25 We come here to another extreme punishment which Christ alone went through. We know it could not apply to David, because here the sufferer moves from being completely isolated to being totally hated. It is not now about what God doesn’t do, because He has hidden His mercy, but what man does to God. It is vividly clear with the way verse 6 begins, for what could more graphically describe someone so badly treated by others than the word “worm”? A worm – the weakest of creatures is an animal as low as you could get, the one who is so often crushed, and is definitely helpless, powerless and unnoticed. This organism shows what you mean when you say, “I’ve never felt so low!” And when a worm is crushed, what can it do? This is some comedown for the One who is the great “I AM”, the Son of God, the Second Person of the Trinity, the King over all kings. Here He is the lowest of the low! By adding that He is “not a man”, it really brings it home what Jesus will be suffering. Even the common acts of humanity are denied Him. For us, He will be absolutely hated – completely cut off from the society of men. Isaiah 49:7 declares He would be despised and abhorred by the nation, and in Isaiah 52:14, He’s described as being marred beyond human likeness. Suggestions for prayer Confess your part in alienating the Messiah, cutting him off from mankind. Thank Him that He went this far for us. Rev. Sjirk Bajema currently serves the RCNZ Oamaru, in Oamaru, New Zealand. Over the past thirty-eight years Rev. Bajema has been privileged to minister with four congregations in Australia and New Zealand. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

April 6 - Where the past comes in

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

Daily devotional

April 5 - He looks up

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

Daily devotional

April 4 - A type of grief

“My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, from the words of my groaning? O my God, I cry by day, but you do not ...

Daily devotional

April 3 - Why?

“My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, from the words of my groaning? O my God, I cry by day, but you do not ...

Daily devotional

April 2 - The psalm of the cross

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

Daily devotional

April 1 - Introduction to the prophecies of the Messiah

Daily devotional

March 31 - The Father of lights who does not change

“…the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.” - James 1:17 Scripture reading: Psalm 100:1-5 James calls God, the Father of lights. He created the sun and the moon and the stars, and put them all in their places, so that they would shine on us. In a very real way, we can say, when we see the glory of the sunshine and we feel its warmth, and we see how it brings the world to life, when we stand in awe of the beauty of the stars in the heavens, we’re seeing and feeling the goodness of God. In our perception, those heavenly lights seem to change. We say that the sun comes up and the sun goes down. The moon and stars shine in the night sky, but they disappear in the daytime. Sometimes clouds hide the sun and the moon; in an eclipse, the sun’s light is darkened in the middle of the day. But the truth is that those heavenly lights are always shining, whether we can see them or not. James says that’s how it is with God. Sometimes you see the light of God’s goodness so clearly. But when you lose a loved one, or feel alone, or trouble hangs like a dark shadow over your life, you don’t feel the warmth of His love. But God is the Father of lights. Just like the sun and the moon and the stars still shine behind the clouds, on the other side of the world, the goodness of God always shines on us, without variation or shadow due to change. Suggestions for prayer Confess to the Lord that sometimes you have a hard time seeing His goodness and ask Him to help you believe that His love for you is unchanging. Rev. Dick Wynia graduated from the Canadian Reformed Theological Seminary in 1986, and was ordained to the ministry in 1987. He has served four congregations, in Aylmer ON, Calgary AB, Wyoming ON and in Beamsville ON. After almost 37 years in active ministry, he recently became a minister emeritus. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

March 30 - We have thought on your steadfast love

“Walk about Zion, go around her, number her towers, consider well her ramparts, go through her citadels, that you may tell the next generation that this is God, our God forever and ever. He will guide us forever.” - Psalm 48:12-14 Scripture reading: Psalm 78:1-8 “Walk about Zion, go around her.” The psalmist asks that when you look at the church of Jesus Christ, do you see the glory and the strength of Zion? “Number her towers, consider well (or set your hearts on) her ramparts, go through her citadels.” Pay careful attention to where he goes with this. He’s not leading us on a tour of the literal city of Jerusalem, to show us how thick the walls are and how high the ramparts are. He points to the real defence, the real strength of Zion: “that you may tell the next generation that this is God, our God forever and ever.” This is the miracle of worship, of the ministry of Jesus Christ through His church: God is here, in His Word and Spirit, to save us, to sanctify us, to lead us in the way of salvation. We want our children and grandchildren to know God, to serve Him and worship Him. The Holy Spirit says this is how you lead the next generations in the way of faith: let them see the delight in your eyes, and hear the awe in your voice when you worship God. Testify to them in your homes about His goodness and grace and wisdom. Point to God and tell them, “Look at our God, children! Trust in Him, worship Him, serve Him.” Stay close to Him, because “He is our guide forever!” He will lead you in the way of life. Suggestions for prayer Ask the Lord to lead your children and grandchildren, by your words and by your example, to trust, worship and obey Him. Rev. Dick Wynia graduated from the Canadian Reformed Theological Seminary in 1986, and was ordained to the ministry in 1987. He has served four congregations, in Aylmer ON, Calgary AB, Wyoming ON and in Beamsville ON. After almost 37 years in active ministry, he recently became a minister emeritus. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

March 29 - God is good

“Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.” - James 1:17 Scripture reading: Psalm 73:1-28 James literally says in verse 16, stop being deceived, my beloved brothers. In other words, these suffering Christians had already begun to doubt God’s goodness and wisdom. Maybe you’ve heard someone say, “Feed your faith, and your doubts will starve.” That’s good advice. The way to feed your faith is to take a long, hard look at God, as He shows Himself to you in the creation, in His Word, in Jesus Christ. James is saying in verse 17, Let’s look at God. Let’s think about who He is and how He deals with us. We believe that God is good. That’s at the very heart of everything that we believe about Him. But God’s goodness is greater and deeper than we imagine. It’s not as simple as, God is good, so He would never let His children suffer. God’s goodness includes loving discipline. Solomon says in Proverbs 3:11-12, “My son, do not despise the Lord’s discipline, or be weary of His reproof, for the LORD reproves him whom He loves, as a father the son in whom he delights.” Hebrews 12:8 adds, “If you are left without discipline, then you are illegitimate children, and not sons.” God’s record shows that His goodness is beyond all doubt. James tells us not to let our suffering raise doubts about His goodness. “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.” Suggestions for prayer Ask the Lord to help you to recognize and to trust in His goodness, so that you can submit to His discipline, knowing that He disciplines you because He loves you. Rev. Dick Wynia graduated from the Canadian Reformed Theological Seminary in 1986, and was ordained to the ministry in 1987. He has served four congregations, in Aylmer ON, Calgary AB, Wyoming ON and in Beamsville ON. After almost 37 years in active ministry, he recently became a minister emeritus. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

March 28 - Lured and enticed to our death

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

Daily devotional

March 27 - Be watchful

“Desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death.” - James 1:15 Scripture reading: 1 Peter...

Daily devotional

March 26 - Tempted in our suffering

“But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire.” - James 1:14 Scripture reading: Hebrews 4:14-5:10 Usually, wh...

Daily devotional

March 25 - Lured and enticed by our own desires

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

Daily devotional

March 24 - Temptations make us exercise our faith

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

Daily devotional

March 23 - We have thought on your steadfast love

“We have thought on Your steadfast love, O God, in the midst of Your temple.” - Psalm 48:9 Scripture reading: Psalm 103:1-8 The writer of Psalm 48 says that the survival of the church depends on what she hears, and what she thinks about in worship, worship that will ensure that the church will survive and flourish in faithfulness. It has to be all about God, as we know Him in Christ. He says, “We have thought on Your steadfast love, O God, in the midst of Your temple.” When we talk about God, there are lots of things that we can speak and sing about. God is holy and sovereign, almighty and perfectly wise. But this is the heartbeat and the great theme of the gospel. And it’s not that we say, God is holy, but He also loves us; God is sovereign, but He loves us. In worship, we marvel and rejoice that God has chosen to reveal His holiness and sovereignty, wisdom and power in this remarkable, amazing way: by loving us with His steadfast, covenant, saving love. Paul says in Ephesians 3 that this is why God sent Jesus Christ to die, and gather Jews and Gentiles to build them into a dwelling place for Him: it is so that through the church, the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places. Today, when you listen to God’s Word, sing your songs of praise and bring your gifts, think of His steadfast love. He will be pleased, and you will be built up in faith. Suggestions for prayer Ask the Lord to help you by His Spirit to dwell on His steadfast love, that you may worship Him today in true thankfulness and joy. Rev. Dick Wynia graduated from the Canadian Reformed Theological Seminary in 1986, and was ordained to the ministry in 1987. He has served four congregations, in Aylmer ON, Calgary AB, Wyoming ON and in Beamsville ON. After almost 37 years in active ministry, he recently became a minister emeritus. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

March 22 - Trials and temptations

“Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God”” - James 1:13a Scripture reading: Ephesians 6:10-20 James said that God uses trials to test and purify our faith. But what about when people seem to lose their faith because of hard things that happen to them? How do we explain that? In our minds, trials and temptations are very different: trials purify your faith; temptations make you question God’s promises. Trials bring you close to God; temptations turn you away from Him. Trials and temptations have opposite aims and opposite effects. But in Greek, James uses the same word for both trials and temptations. That tells us something that we need to realize about suffering and prosperity too. In both of these experiences and in both of these circumstances, we’re facing both trials and temptations. In the same events, God is testing our faith, to make us put all of our trust in Jesus Christ, and we’re being tempted; an effort is being made to undermine our confidence in Jesus Christ. In other words, there’s a spiritual battle going on in our lives, which is played out in every experience and every circumstance. As Western Christians, we don’t always understand that, and that leaves us vulnerable. Peter alerts us to the danger: “Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour” (I Peter 5:8). Don’t underestimate the viciousness or deceitfulness of your spiritual enemies, but don’t overestimate their power either: James promises that if you “resist the devil … he will flee from you” (James 4:7b). Suggestions for prayer Ask the Lord to help you to remember the spiritual battle that is always going on in your life and to give you strength to resist the devil. Rev. Dick Wynia graduated from the Canadian Reformed Theological Seminary in 1986, and was ordained to the ministry in 1987. He has served four congregations, in Aylmer ON, Calgary AB, Wyoming ON and in Beamsville ON. After almost 37 years in active ministry, he recently became a minister emeritus. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

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

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

Daily devotional

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

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

Daily devotional

March 19 - Thankfulness in poverty and in riches

“Let the lowly brother boast in his exaltation, and the rich in his humiliation.” - James 1:9-10a Scripture reading: Proverbs 30:1-9 By na...

Daily devotional

March 18 - Lowly believers boast in their exaltation

Daily devotional

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

Daily devotional

March 16 - The city of God is beautiful

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

Daily devotional

March 15 - Ask with no doubting

“Let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind.” - James 1:6 Scripture reading: 2 Corinthians 4:16-18 Some people claim that James is saying that we can ask God for anything, and as long as we believe that He can do it, and that He will do it, God will give it to us. If you’re sick and you ask God to heal you, and your faith is strong enough, then He will heal you. God doesn’t want you to suffer, and He’s so great that He can heal us; He can solve any problem that we might have. If you ask God for help and then you say, “Your will be done,” that just means that your faith isn’t strong enough. Those people assume that when you’re sick, or you’re struggling in some other way, the best thing that God could do for you would be to make you better and solve all your problems. But God can use our suffering to purify our faith (James 1:3-4), so that “We look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal” (II Corinthians 4:18). In 1 Peter 1, the apostle says that God can use our suffering to help us to find all of our comfort in belonging to Jesus Christ. He can use our suffering to sanctify us; He can use our suffering to humble us so that we repent of our sin and look for salvation in Christ alone. We couldn’t ask for more than that. Suggestions for prayer Ask the Lord to help you to make your requests in faith, with a single-minded desire for His saving purpose to be accomplished in your life. Rev. Dick Wynia graduated from the Canadian Reformed Theological Seminary in 1986, and was ordained to the ministry in 1987. He has served four congregations, in Aylmer ON, Calgary AB, Wyoming ON and in Beamsville ON. After almost 37 years in active ministry, he recently became a minister emeritus. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

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

“If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God… - James 1:5a Scripture reading: Psalm 111:1-10 Psalm 111:10 says, “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom.” The fear of the LORD is, knowing and confessing the truth about the LORD, and applying it to your life and your experiences. Psalm 111 talks about how God’s children love to read and hear and sing about what God has done. That’s how you get to know God’s faithfulness and perfect wisdom, steadfast love and absolute goodness. That’s how God is magnified; His greatness fills the whole scope of our vision. And that changes our experience. Because then we know when we have an accident, or we get that hard diagnosis, and even when someone sins against us, we don’t have to be anxious or worried about what the future’s going to be like. Because God has promised us in His Word and confirmed it in Christ that all things work together for our salvation. The burden of guilt and fear is lifted from our shoulders: “Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. Who is to condemn?” (Romans 8:33-34a). This is the struggle of faith, to take what God has promised us, shown us in Christ to our situation and to our experiences, to set what we know about God over our questions. Ask God, by His Spirit, to teach you the fear of the LORD, because the fear of the LORD – knowing and confessing the truth about the LORD – is the beginning of wisdom. Suggestions for prayer Ask the Lord to help you take what you know about Him, and about His purpose in your life, and apply that to the hard questions and situations that you struggle with. Rev. Dick Wynia graduated from the Canadian Reformed Theological Seminary in 1986, and was ordained to the ministry in 1987. He has served four congregations, in Aylmer ON, Calgary AB, Wyoming ON and in Beamsville ON. After almost 37 years in active ministry, he recently became a minister emeritus. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

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

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

Daily devotional

March 12 - Asking God in faith

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

Daily devotional

March 11 - Ask God for wisdom

“If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.” - James 1:5 S...

Daily devotional

March 10 - Do you need wisdom?

“If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God.” - James 1:5a Scripture reading: James 1:5-8 It might seem as if James has changed subj...

Daily devotional

March 9 - The city of God is beautiful

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

Daily devotional

March 8 - Who wants to be perfect

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

Daily devotional

March 7 - The full effect of steadfastness is perfection

“Let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.” - James 1:4 Scripture reading: Romans 5:1-11 The school down the road from us once had a sign out front that said, ”Aim for success, not perfection.” We understand what they mean: no one’s perfect. We know that we won’t be perfect until Christ comes again. But maybe we know that so well that when we hear James say,” Let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing,” we think we shouldn’t take that literally. But that is God’s goal for us. We think that being saved means I'm going to heaven when I die. This is what He promises us, and this is where He’s leading us, to perfection. This is what Paul says in Ephesians 4:13: “Christ has given His gifts to the church, to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up, until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God, and become a perfect man” (NKJV). And in Colossians 1:28: “We proclaim Christ, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present every man perfect in Christ” (NKJV). God’s purpose in our salvation is to make us perfect and that should be what we want too, that we would become mature adults, full grown in our faith. It’s critical for us to remember God’s purpose and to make it our desire too, that He would use our trials to make us perfect in Christ. Suggestions for prayer Ask the Lord to help you to remember that His purpose in our salvation is to make us perfect in Christ. Rev. Dick Wynia graduated from the Canadian Reformed Theological Seminary in 1986, and was ordained to the ministry in 1987. He has served four congregations, in Aylmer ON, Calgary AB, Wyoming ON and in Beamsville ON. After almost 37 years in active ministry, he recently became a minister emeritus. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

March 6 - Steadfastness in faith

“… you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.” - James 1:3 Scripture reading: I Peter 1:3-9 God the Father promises in our baptism that He will provide us with all good and avert all evil, or turn it to our profit. God doesn’t promise to avert all evil, period. He promises to avert all evil, or turn it to our profit. That’s what He’s doing when we suffer. He’s turning the evil to our profit. When we face our trials in faith, God strengthens our faith. What does that mean practically speaking? It means that our focus on Christ, and what God gives us in Him becomes sharper. It means that our hope and our joy in Jesus Christ grow deeper and stronger. Our desire to have everything that Christ has for us becomes more intense. Knowing that God the Father is involved in our daily lives, and working for our salvation in all things becomes more real to us. It becomes more and more part of how we look at our lives, and think about what happens to us. We discover that in hard times, His Word comes more alive for us, and that our worship is more genuine, more sincere and more encouraging. What else do we want from God? There is no better thing that He could do for us, or give us. There is no more that we could possibly want from Him. In our trials, God gives us what we pray for more than anything else: our faith grows, our trust and our joy in the Lord become deep and strong. Suggestions for prayer Ask the Lord to help you to want what He wants: that your faith will grow and that you will find all your comfort in belonging to Jesus Christ. Rev. Dick Wynia graduated from the Canadian Reformed Theological Seminary in 1986, and was ordained to the ministry in 1987. He has served four congregations, in Aylmer ON, Calgary AB, Wyoming ON and in Beamsville ON. After almost 37 years in active ministry, he recently became a minister emeritus. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

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

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

Daily devotional

March 4 - Be on your guard against bitterness

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

Daily devotional

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

Daily devotional

March 2 - The city of God is beautiful

“His holy mountain, beautiful in elevation, is the joy of all the earth.” - Psalm 48:1b Scripture reading: Psalm 48:1-3 In Psalm 46:4, it ...

Daily devotional

March 1 - Introduction to James

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

Daily devotional

February 28 - The aftermath (II)

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

Daily devotional

February 27 - The aftermath (I)

“And all the acts of his power and might, and the full account of the high honor of Mordecai, to which the king advanced him are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the kings of Media and Persia?” - Esther 10:2 Scripture reading: Esther 10:1-3 Mordecai’s greatness is stressed here in the context of Ahasuerus’ greatness, both of which could be verified in the Book of the Chronicles of the kings of Media and Persia (6:1; 10:2). This verification of the episodes of Esther and Mordecai remind us as Christians of two important truths about God’s Word: Redemptive history is not comprised of myths, sagas, and made-up stories (2 Peter 1:16). False religion is riddled with myths, deceptive fabrications, and outright lies (Matthew 28:11-15). Scripture’s history, on the other hand, speaks of reality – the Medes and Persians were real people; Jerusalem and other biblical cities were real towns, and some continue to exist to this day. Biblical episodes were legitimately chronicled, researched and witnessed (Luke 1:1-4; 2 Peter 1:16-21). The Biblical message proclaims no fairy tales, but God’s truth. God never does anything in a corner, so to speak; even in a case like the book of Esther, where His Name is never mentioned. God’s acts are done publicly as He takes on the most formidable of foes and defeats them for the sake of His cause in Christ. Whether it is His opponents at Babel, Pharaoh of Exodus, the kings of the earth counselling against Him and His Christ, or whether it is disease or death, God displays His power for the world to see so that, along with the testimony of all creation, no one has an excuse to disbelieve His grace, greatness, and goodness (Romans 1:20). Suggestions for prayer Pray with thanks that the Lord has revealed to you the truth of God’s Word unto salvation in Christ. Pray that the Spirit of God would work mightily in the lives of many to find their lives on the truth of God’s Word. Rev. John Vermeer is Pastor Emeritus of Doon United Reformed Church in Doon, Iowa and is currently living in Cedar Lake, Indiana. He has served churches in Kansas, Iowa, and Illinois over the course of 34 years. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

February 26 - The restful reversal celebrated (II)

“The command of Esther confirmed these practices of Purim, and it was recorded in writing.” - Esther 9:32 Scripture reading: Esther 9:16-32 Mordecai, as we saw yesterday, is a proclaimer of peace to both far and near (9;30; 10:3), reminding us of Isaiah 57:19 and the far-and-near peace that the LORD proclaims, and reminding us of Christ in Ephesians 2:17, who proclaims peace to those who are far away and near. Such peace won by the Lord is always worth celebrating. In these days, the ascended Lord is the great gift-giver to God’s people: “When ascended on high, he led a host of captives, and he gave gifts to men (Ephesians 4:8). As the Bread of Life, who provides eternal satisfaction and peace, He calls us to a better celebratory feast of rest today. Every Lord’s Day we celebrate Christ's rest to us as we worship God. Every Lord’s Day, we give of our gifts out of gratitude for Christ’s grace to us. Whenever we celebrate the Lord’s Supper, we anticipate the fuller rest that awaits God’s people – the wedding feast of the Lamb and the communion with the Lord that we will one day celebrate eternally. If the people in Esther’s time had reason for joy as they celebrated annually the rest that the Lord provided, how much more are we not privileged to celebrate weekly the rest that the Lord has given to us. Every time the covenant God in Jesus Christ calls us to His worship and to His communion feast, we remember the rest that is ours and the rest that is to come. Suggestions for prayer Pray with thanks for the privilege of worship. Pray that the Lord will help you and others to take joy in the call to worship every Lord’s Day. Rev. John Vermeer is Pastor Emeritus of Doon United Reformed Church in Doon, Iowa and is currently living in Cedar Lake, Indiana. He has served churches in Kansas, Iowa, and Illinois over the course of 34 years. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

February 25 - The restful reversal celebrated (I)

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

Daily devotional

February 24 - The restful reversal described (II)

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

Daily devotional

February 23 - The restful reversal described (I)

“…on the very day when the enemies of the Jews hoped to gain the mastery over them, the reverse occurred: the Jews gained mastery over those who h...

Daily devotional

February 22 - The second edict

“…the king allowed the Jews who were in every city to gather and defend their lives…” - Esther 8:11 Scripture reading: Esther 8:7-17 H...

Daily devotional

February 21 - The second request of Esther

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

Daily devotional

February 20 - The plea of Haman

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

Daily devotional

February 19 - The plea of Esther

“Then Queen Esther answered, “If I have found favor in your sight, O king, and if it please the king, let my life be granted me for my wish, and my people for my request.”” - Esther 7:3 Scripture reading: Esther 6:14-7:6 Esther pleads for mercy and justice for herself and her people – ultimately for Christ’s cause. Haman seeks destruction; Esther seeks redemption. Esther is revealed as Jewish, but Haman is uncovered as the enemy of God’s people – wicked Haman of Agag. Esther serves royally in Ahasuerus’ kingdom and over God’s people. As a descendant of Kish, the father of King Saul, Esther serves better than her ancestor Saul did with Haman’s ancestor Agag. Agag wanted to destroy Christ's cause and God’s promises, and so Agag was to be annihilated, but Saul disobeyed, and his kingdom was then passed to David (1 Samuel 15). Seeking to destroy the plans of God is as old as redemption’s history. Evil promised man greatness, only to deceive him. God’s plans can never be scuttled, however, even at evil’s pinnacle with Christ’s crucifixion (Psalm 2). Evil still tempts us to believe that we are better off with evil instead of obedience. Evil teaches us that redemption is hopeless, and that fighting against evil is pointless. It is worth the fight, however, thanks to Christ – better than Saul, David, and Esther. Esther pleads her cause for a temporal preservation, but Christ pleads an eternal preservation as the Righteous Redeemer and Advocate. At Judgment Day, in mercy and justice, God will vindicate His people, and death, sin, and Satan will be no more. Our hope is not based on the evil that we see, but on the goodness and faithfulness of our covenant God in Jesus Christ that is promised to Christians. Suggestions for prayer Pray with thanksgiving that the hope of evil’s ultimate demise has already been determined at the cross of Christ. Pray with praise that God permits you to see that the fight of faith is a good one to undertake each day. Rev. John Vermeer is Pastor Emeritus of Doon United Reformed Church in Doon, Iowa and is currently living in Cedar Lake, Indiana. He has served churches in Kansas, Iowa, and Illinois over the course of 34 years. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

February 18 - The exalted one is humbled

“If Mordecai, before whom you have begun to fall, is of the Jewish people, you will not overcome him but will surely fall before him.” - Esther 6:11 Scripture reading: Esther 6:1-13 Jews were once mourning (4:3), and Haman rejoiced. Not anymore. The last has become first and the first last. Suddenly, nothing is working for Haman. His very wife and friends now realize that Haman will lose, for he is literally working against, “the Seed of the Jews” (v. 13). Pilate’s wife said, “Have nothing to do with that righteous man, for I have suffered much because of him today in a dream (Matthew 27:19). Gamaliel said in Acts 5:38-39, “Keep away from these men…for if this plan…is of man, it will fail; but if it is of God, you will not be able to overthrow them. You might even be found opposing God!" The gates of hell will not prevail against Christ. You do not win by opposing Christ. Many in the world have seemed to be winners – in power, pleasure, prosperity, and popularity. Yet, we will never know victory unless Christ, the true Seed of Abraham, is our only comfort in life and in death. Do not envy lives that leave Christ out; such exalted will be humbled. Mary said, “He scatters the proud in the thoughts of their hearts, he brings down the mighty from their thrones, and the rich he has sent away” (Luke 1:53). God promised Abraham, “…him who dishonours you, I will curse…” (Genesis 12:3). God will curse those content to dishonour the Seed of Abraham. We see it in Haman, and in all those who find their honour in themselves and not in Christ. Suggestions for prayer Pray with thanksgiving that you can take comfort in belonging to Christ, even when the world is taking comfort in merely temporary gains and greatness. Pray that the Lord will continue to help you walk humbly before your God as you serve Him every day in Christ. Rev. John Vermeer is Pastor Emeritus of Doon United Reformed Church in Doon, Iowa and is currently living in Cedar Lake, Indiana. He has served churches in Kansas, Iowa, and Illinois over the course of 34 years. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

February 17 - The humbled one is exalted (II)

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

Daily devotional

February 16 - The humbled one is exalted (I)

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

Daily devotional

February 15 - The correction of an oversight

“And the king said, “What honor or distinction has been bestowed on Mordecai for ?” The king’s young men…said,...

Daily devotional

February 14 - Haman’s plan to destroy

““…tell the king to have Mordecai hanged upon .” This idea pleased Haman and he had the gallows made.” - Esther 5:14 Scripture...

Daily devotional

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

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

Daily devotional

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

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

Daily devotional

February 11 - The response of Esther

“I will go to the king, though it is against the law, and if I perish, I perish.” - Esther 4:16 Scripture reading: Esther 4:15-17 For the first time, Esther explicitly identifies herself with God’s people. Only she could get an audience with the king and make the saving difference, doing it by identifying with God’s people. She was between a rock and a hard place, just like Jacob was long ago in Genesis 43:14 when he gave Benjamin to his sons to be brought to the second in command before Pharaoh, Joseph. If he did not send Benjamin, the last of his sons, the people would perish. If he did send Benjamin, would Benjamin ever come back? “If I am bereaved, then I am bereaved,” says Jacob. Now this daughter of Benjamin would come before the second in command of the king, and the king, knowing her dilemma. Yet, who else would be able to come before the king and save his people but this daughter of Benjamin? No one! Likewise, our Christ was the only one who could come before the throne of grace and save us. Unlike Esther, He had to die in order to save His people so that they would not perish eternally. He did so as one who identified with His people, as one called the King of the Jews. Jesus is the One that we needed; He still identifies with us today as the true man and the true Israel, not ashamed to call us His brothers. In reflection of Christ, we need to find ourselves identified, not with the world, but with Christ and His people. Suggestions for prayer Pray with thanksgiving that Christ is not ashamed to call you His brother (or sister). Pray that the Lord will help you even more to live in the spirit that says, “It is no longer I but Christ who lives in me” (Galatians 2:20). Rev. John Vermeer is Pastor Emeritus of Doon United Reformed Church in Doon, Iowa and is currently living in Cedar Lake, Indiana. He has served churches in Kansas, Iowa, and Illinois over the course of 34 years. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

February 10 - The challenge to Esther

“And who knows whether you have not come to the kingdom for such a time as this?” - Esther 4:14 Scripture reading: Esther 4:5-14 Esther feared for her life when Mordecai urged her to speak to the king. Queen Vashti refused to come into the king’s presence when called. Now Esther is afraid to come into the king’s presence, having not been called. But Mordecai persists. Identify with God’s people! Judgment comes to those who will not identify with the people of God. Your name will otherwise perish. Only Esther has two names in the book of Esther; this ties her back to Joseph, but also identifies her with two ways of life – the earthly kingdom and heavenly kingdom. Which will take priority now? Mordecai sees the bigger picture. He knows that deliverance will be provided, but he also ponders that Esther may have been placed in her position for such a time as this. Amid sacrifice, judgement may be averted; salvation versus annihilation may occur. Esther’s situation reminds us of Jesus Christ. If He had not taken up the cup of judgment in the fullness of time, all would have been lost for humanity and for creation. But because Jesus Christ took up the challenge that was given to Him, His name did not perish. He received the name that is above every name for being obedient unto death. In Jesus Christ, it is always the time for us to serve our God; such is our challenge every day, to see that we are where we are, not by chance, but by the Fatherly hand of God to serve Him. Suggestions for prayer Pray with thanksgiving that in the fullness of time God’s Son was obedient unto death to save you. Pray that the Lord will use you where He has placed you now to serve Him well. Rev. John Vermeer is Pastor Emeritus of Doon United Reformed Church in Doon, Iowa and is currently living in Cedar Lake, Indiana. He has served churches in Kansas, Iowa, and Illinois over the course of 34 years. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

February 9 - The approach to Esther

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

Daily devotional

February 8 - The plot against the Jews

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

Daily devotional

February 7 - The plot against the king

“Bigthan and Teresh…became angry and sought to lay hands on King Ahasuerus. And this came to the knowledge of Mordecai…” - Esther 2:21-22 S...

Daily devotional

February 6 - The appealing candidate

“Now Esther was winning favor in the eyes of all who saw her.” - Esther 2:15 Scripture reading: Esther 2:5-18 In our passage, peace replac...

Daily devotional

February 5 - The advice that pleased the king

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

Daily devotional

February 4 - The powerless edict

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

Daily devotional

February 3 - God’s providence prevails over the shame

“Let the king give her royal position to another who is better than she.” - Esther 1:19 Scripture reading: Esther 1:13-22 As we reflect on this shameful summons by Ahasuerus, we also learn how God in His providence uses this shame for His glory. While drunken cohorts declare worldly wisdom about a better one than Vashti, God is preparing a better one to come “for such a time as this” (Esther 4:14). God’s name is never mentioned in Esther; nevertheless, His good plans for His glory and His people in Christ are evident – even amid foolishness. Others plot evil, yet God’s goodness prevails. This is not the only time, of course, that God uses shameful times for His glory. The greatest example was when the kings of the earth plotted against God and His Christ at the cross (Psalm 2), and yet the One in heaven laughs as He works these devices to His praise. In the shame of the cross, God triumphs over sinful humanity’s plans. As we await the day when sin will be no more, we can rest assured that God is still working His superior plans for His glory, and for the good of His own in Christ despite the evils of humanity. God’s providence was at work in the days of Esther for the sake of His covenant promises in the Christ to come, and His providence continues to be at work in our days for the sake of His covenant promises fulfilled in the coming of the Christ – the Lord Jesus Himself. What good news for all those who trust in this Saviour-King! Suggestions for Prayer Pray that the Lord will help you keep a proper perspective on the world around you, knowing that though the wrong seems oft so strong, God is the ruler yet. Pray with thanksgiving that this is our Father’s world in Christ. Rev. John Vermeer is Pastor Emeritus of Doon United Reformed Church in Doon, Iowa and is currently living in Cedar Lake, Indiana. He has served churches in Kansas, Iowa, and Illinois over the course of 34 years. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

February 2 - A shameful summons

“…the heart of the king was merry with wine…” - Esther 1:10 Scripture reading: Esther 1:10-12 The drunken king of worldly power summons his bride to his banquet table to shame her. Shame on any husband who shames his wife! Yet this is the shameful picture of the husband-king, who holds sway over the world, but does not even know how to manage his own household with love and respect. Vashti’s non-conformity is a right reaction to this shameful abuse and speaks to the limit of Ahasuerus’ power. He had no authority to shame her, for he was under God’s law. His summons pointed to his recklessness, and how the state’s authority – or any authority – goes only so far, particularly when it comes to marriage matters. His is the abuse of power and of God’s order. The kingdom of man differs from the kingdom of God and His Christ, who calls His bride to Himself with all authority – not to shame her in recklessness, but to cover her shame with His saving righteousness. Vashti rightly refused the banquet call. However, we are wrong to refuse to come to Christ’s banquet. He calls us out of our shame to commune with Him forever. Every Lord’s Day we get a foretaste of that communion as we are lifted in worship into heavenly places, where Christ dwells at His Father’s right hand. Refusing the call to worship is to our shame, even as refusing Christ leaves us in our sinful shame. May the call to worship in the presence of our great Husband-King be our delight today. Suggestions for prayer Petition the Heavenly Father that you might find joy each Lord’s Day to worship in the presence of your great Saviour-King. Give thanks to God for providing Christ so that your shameful sin might be covered by His righteousness. Rev. John Vermeer is Pastor Emeritus of Doon United Reformed Church in Doon, Iowa and is currently living in Cedar Lake, Indiana. He has served churches in Kansas, Iowa, and Illinois over the course of 34 years. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

February 1 - Introduction to the book of Esther

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

Daily devotional

January 31 - Meeting the LORD

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

Daily devotional

January 30 - The great commission

““Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit teaching them...

Daily devotional

January 29 - The life giving Lord

“And so it is written, “The first man Adam became a living being.” The last Adam became a life-giving spirit.” - 1 Corinthians 15:45 Scri...

Daily devotional

January 28 - Unpopular judgement

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

Daily devotional

January 27 - Life in Christ

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

Daily devotional

January 26 - Celebrating life eternal

“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.” - Colossians 3:16 Scripture reading: Colossians 3:1-7 Our Scripture reading today praises the risen and ascended Lord Jesus Christ, now seated at the Father's right hand. This is not just something that we can read and vaguely think about, but, as the chapter clearly teaches, this causes a reaction in the hearts and lives of all those who follow Jesus in faith. Has it caused a reaction in you? A true follower of Jesus wants to praise and worship the Saviour and grow in His grace. That does not happen by accident. Rather, it is something we strive for and this is good to reflect upon today, the Lord's Day, the day of resurrection. This is the day when Christians gather to worship with praise, singing and listening to Biblical teaching as God's Word is read and proclaimed in the midst of His gathered people. You, Christian, are called to set your mind on things above, to live a renewed life, and to let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another. That is why your presence at worship is so important. Do not fall for the false teaching, so popular today, which says that worship is optional. That is not at all so. Hearing God's Word proclaimed allows the Word to dwell within your heart, to motivate you, instruct you, correct you, challenge you and comfort you. Do not deprive yourself of that blessing by neglecting to come to worship whenever the doors of God's House are open. Be a faithful worshipper! Suggestions for prayer Ask the Lord to work within your heart and soul that you will be one who worships in spirit and in truth this Lord's Day. Rev. Gregg V. Martin was ordained to the Gospel ministry in 1977. In his years of service, he pastored a total of five congregations in three Canadian provinces. He also served for more than seven years in Latin America as a missionary providing leadership training in Reformed mission churches. He is presently retired and living in Toronto. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

January 25 - The victory

Psalm 16:10 For You will not leave my soul in Sheol, nor will You allow Your Holy One to see corruption. Scripture reading: Psalm 16:1-11 Tomorrow, the Lord's Day, comes with a call to worship in God's House. Christians worship a living Lord. In the Father's plan for the salvation of His chosen people, His Son would have to suffer and die. This Jesus did. In our text, though, David, inspired by the Holy Spirit, prophesied that death was not the ultimate destiny of Christ, nor of those who are His disciples. Christ could say in confidence to the Father: You will not leave my soul in Sheol. Christ rose from the dead. No decay, no corruption could touch the Holy One of God. By faith, we who share in the righteousness of Christ can also be confident. Although in earthly life we must endure trials and sorrows, although our physical bodies are weak, and at last we die, yet we know that in Christ we are delivered. We have the consolation that, as disciples of Jesus, we, like our Master, will not experience eternal corruption, but we will inherit eternal life and rise at the Last Day glorified and new. May this wonderful promise motivate you to serve the Lord faithfully. May the great consolation that you, if you are a believer, have in Christ Jesus, motivate you to love, serve and worship the Lord. That is the Victory we have in Christ. Those who experience it find that their hearts are filled with a desire to praise and worship the living Lord. May you go up to God's House to worship tomorrow in that spirit of Victory in Jesus Christ, the living Saviour! Suggestions for prayer Thank the Lord for His promise of eternal life. Pray for God to work within you and to give you the spirit of Victory in Jesus. Praise Him and prepare to worship Him tomorrow in church. Rev. Gregg V. Martin was ordained to the Gospel ministry in 1977. In his years of service, he pastored a total of five congregations in three Canadian provinces. He also served for more than seven years in Latin America as a missionary providing leadership training in Reformed mission churches. He is presently retired and living in Toronto. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

January 24 - Looking for life

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

Daily devotional

January 23 - The path of glory

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

Daily devotional

January 22 - How are you feeling?

“Therefore, since Christ suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same mind, for he who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from ...

Daily devotional

January 21 - Children of the Lord

“My covenant I will not break, nor alter the word that has gone out of My lips. Once I have sworn by My holiness; I will not lie to David: His seed ...

Daily devotional

January 20 - Jesus’ sheep

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

Daily devotional

January 19 - Jesus, our priest

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

Daily devotional

January 18 - The only Saviour

“Formerly, when you did not know God, you were slaves to those who by nature are not gods. But now that you know God—or rather are known by God—how is it that you are turning back to those weak and miserable forces.” - Galatians 4:8,9 Scripture reading: Galatians 4:1-11 Toleration and compromise are hailed by many, perhaps most today, as the greatest virtues of all. All around us we see adherents of false religions. Some are fanatical, but many and surely the vast majority of those who hold no fixed religious beliefs, believe that all religions lead people to heaven, or at least to peace with a “god.” We Christians know, however, that there can be no compromise here. Either Jesus is the complete Saviour, or He is no Saviour at all. Where do you take your stand? In Galatia, at the time of the Apostle Paul, the Gentiles there were, and had been for ages, slaves to idols, who by nature are not gods. Now some were Christians, praise God! They faced a temptation, though, to fall into the thinking of, “Well, I can have Jesus and maybe still keep some trust in my old gods.” Here in our text the Apostle tells them this is impossible. It is impossible today too. As you prepare for worship tomorrow, search your heart carefully. We all face temptations, in one way or another, to put our faith and trust in someone or something other than Christ Jesus. Those who fall into this trap live in spiritual bondage, slaves to their own human ideas of religion, namely, false religion in all its aspects. Let there be no compromise! As a Christian recognize Jesus alone as your complete Saviour. Put your trust in Him, His Word and His power alone, which saves us. Suggestions for Prayer Pray for the Spirit's work to prepare your heart for worship tomorrow, the Lord's Day. Seek His help to root out all false religion, all vain hopes, and ask Him to guide you to faith without compromise in Jesus, the only Saviour. Rev. Gregg V. Martin was ordained to the Gospel ministry in 1977. In his years of service, he pastored a total of five congregations in three Canadian provinces. He also served for more than seven years in Latin America as a missionary providing leadership training in Reformed mission churches. He is presently retired and living in Toronto. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

January 17 - A King’s worth

“Of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end, upon the throne of David and over His kingdom, to order it and establish it with judgment and justice from that time forward, even forever.” - Isaiah 9:7 Scripture reading: Isaiah 9:1-7 In 2025, the king business is not what it used to be. The wars and revolutions of the 20th and 21st centuries have greatly depressed the market for kings. Oh there are some left, and it's a well paying job with lots of perks for those who have it, but nowadays, the few kings that are left are mostly just figureheads, symbolic heads of state. There is one king, however, who today rules in might and splendour. One king is powerful and mighty, and He establishes justice and rules with judgment. This is, of course, King Jesus. We Christians celebrate the fact that Jesus is our King, the Son of David, born to reign in us forever. When He establishes His Kingdom in a human heart- in your heart- He removes sin and gives the gift of grace. King Jesus brings His people matchless blessings. Your calling and mine as Christians is to be sure, as the days of this new year go by, that Jesus is ruling our hearts and that by His divine grace we share in His righteousness. Let us exercise our faith, then, to welcome Jesus' rule as King of our hearts and lives. He is the ruler of our lives, and we rejoice to be His subjects, as part of His eternal Kingdom. Those who truly belong to the Lord serve a living King, the Lord Jesus Christ. May He rule in your heart and life, unchallenged and supreme. Suggestions for prayer Seek the powerful working of the Holy Spirit to submit gladly and faithfully to the rule of Christ in your heart and life. Ask the Lord to work in true churches around the world to keep themselves in full submission to Him. Rev. Gregg V. Martin was ordained to the Gospel ministry in 1977. In his years of service, he pastored a total of five congregations in three Canadian provinces. He also served for more than seven years in Latin America as a missionary providing leadership training in Reformed mission churches. He is presently retired and living in Toronto. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

January 16 - Nobody is perfect

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

Daily devotional

January 15 - The Lordship of Christ

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

Daily devotional

January 14 - Power over fear

“Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom.” - Luke 12:32 Scripture reading: Luke 12:22-34 ...

Daily devotional

January 13 - Refusing Christ, refusing life

“…yet you refuse to come to me to have life.” - John 5:40 Scripture reading: John 5:30-40 If you have reached this point in our Nearer t...

Daily devotional

January 12 - Jesus saves

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

Daily devotional

January 11 - Powerful trust

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

Daily devotional

January 10 - Starting with hope

“Now may our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God our Father, who loved us and gave us eternal comfort and good hope through grace, comfort your hearts and establish them in every good work and word.” - 2 Thessalonians 2:16,17 Scripture reading: 2 Thessalonians 2:13-17 As this New Year unfolds, we look forward to the Lord strengthening us. Surely we need that help in 2025. Our text speaks to us of the good hope that we have, a gift of God, which comes to us through God's amazing grace. Our hope is the expectation we have for the future. Good hope is a positive attitude, a deep rooted feeling of joy, since we know that God will do great and good things for us, His people. David knew that feeling as he composed Psalm 31:24, “Be strong and take heart all you who hope in the Lord.” Daily let your prayer rise up to the Lord Almighty for hope to sustain us in each day that He gives us. When the Apostle Paul wrote this inspired epistle to the Thessalonians, he wrote that God gave them this gift of hope. They had it. Thankfully we Christians of the 21st century can testify to this also. The Lord has been good to us, and in the confidence of faith, we continue to pray to God for the blessing of hope, so that we can have a positive outlook on life, a life which trusts that God is in control. God only gives us the encouragement and strength we need. Look to the Lord, asking Him in humble prayer for His gift of hope, so that strong in faith, sound in doctrine, faithful in good deeds and encouraged in heart, we will live with hearts filled with hope, as we follow Jesus in true discipleship. Suggestions for prayer Seek God's gracious help through prayer for a heart, directed by faith, which is filled with good hope. Ask Him for confidence as you await His will to unfold in your life. Rev. Gregg V. Martin was ordained to the Gospel ministry in 1977. In his years of service, he pastored a total of five congregations in three Canadian provinces. He also served for more than seven years in Latin America as a missionary providing leadership training in Reformed mission churches. He is presently retired and living in Toronto. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

January 9 - The path ahead

“Thus says the Lord: “Stand by the roads, and look, and ask for the ancient paths, where the good way is; and walk in it, and find rest for your souls. But they said, ‘We will not walk in it.’” - Jeremiah 6:16 Scripture reading: Jeremiah 6:16-21 God wants us not only to know the right path: the ancient path where the good was, is the Covenant of Grace. He also wants us to walk in it. This means that we repent from the sin of walking in the wicked way of worldliness. We must decidedly turn off the wicked way of sin, and by the grace of God turn onto the way of salvation through faith in Jesus Christ. If you have ever read the New Testament, then you know the way. The path has been revealed to you. In this world, however, the problem is that too many know the path of life, but they do not walk in it. They let things big and small, unnecessary doubts and fears, self-will, unconfessed sins become a hindrance to them. We can take a lesson from the inhabitants of Judah who said, “We will not walk in it.” The result was that each passing year grew worse for Judah, until at last they were destroyed. Let nothing hinder you or make you turn aside. Stand by the road; come alive in Christ. Look and see with eyes of faith. See the straight and narrow path that leads to life. Its gate opens only at the Name of Jesus and leads to the Holy City, the new Jerusalem of God. Ask about it. It is ancient and well known, for the Bible speaks plainly about it. Walk in it. Travel forward in the fellowship of faith in Jesus. He is the way, the truth and the life. Suggestions for prayer Ask the Holy Spirit to enlighten you as you read the Scriptures, so that you will know the true path of life and walk in it. Pray that those around you, family and friends, will likewise find the path of life and walk in it. Rev. Gregg V. Martin was ordained to the Gospel ministry in 1977. In his years of service, he pastored a total of five congregations in three Canadian provinces. He also served for more than seven years in Latin America as a missionary providing leadership training in Reformed mission churches. He is presently retired and living in Toronto. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

January 8 - The Lord’s will

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

Daily devotional

January 7 - A new walk with Jesus

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

Daily devotional

January 6 - Expecting the best

“…therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.” - Matthew 24:44 Scripture reading: Matthew 24...

Daily devotional

January 5 - Renewing our strength

“But those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength. They shall mount up with wings like eagles. They shall run and not be weary. They shall ...

Daily devotional

January 4 - New wine

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

Daily devotional

January 3 - New Year’s resolutions

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

Daily devotional

January 2 - A sanctified start

“So it was, when the days of feasting had run their course, that Job would send and sanctify them, and he would rise early in the morning and offer burnt offerings according to the number of them all. For Job said, “It may be that my sons have sinned and cursed God in their hearts.” Thus Job did regularly.” - Job 1:5 Scripture reading: Job 1:1-5 For many, the Old Year ended with celebrating, and that drew my attention to our text. We read in the opening verses of Job that his children lived in luxury. Daily they held a feast. Weekly their hospitality continued. When each cycle had run its course, Job knew he had to do something. He knew his children were not perfect. Sin easily enters into celebrations. Before we go further into the New Year, we do well to consider our standing, and that of our families, before the Lord. Maybe in our celebrations this season, we have sinned. Can we enter a New Year with a burden of sin upon our hearts? No. Surely it is the desire of every disciple of Jesus that we have a sanctified (that is, holy) start before God, as we advance into the New Year. The Spirit of God gave Job to see that a sanctified life (a life dedicated to God) is no once in a while thing. That is why Job gathered his family for a time of worship with a sacrifice every week. It was his constant practice. May the year 2025 be off for a good start for you. Know your need: you must be sanctified. Offer to the Lord a sacrifice of prayer and praise each week as you attend worship. Above all, look to Jesus and His sacrifice to cleanse and renew you. As a forgiven disciple, enter into the New Year with your burdens removed, your sin pardoned, your heart encouraged and your life set in the right direction. Suggestions for prayer Seek the Lord's forgiveness through the sacrifice of our Saviour. Pray for discipleship that seeks worship, fellowship and forgiveness week by week. Rev. Gregg V. Martin was ordained to the Gospel ministry in 1977. In his years of service, he pastored a total of five congregations in three Canadian provinces. He also served for more than seven years in Latin America as a missionary providing leadership training in Reformed mission churches. He is presently retired and living in Toronto. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

January 1 - Introduction to the new year!

For those of us who follow a calendar basically inherited from the ancient Romans, this month of January marks the start of the New Year. We Christians do not follow the Old Testament calendar, which marks a new year near the beginning of autumn. (Rosh Hashanah - in 2025 this falls on September 22). Although there is no Biblical demand that we celebrate the New Year starting on January 1, this holiday does mark an event in human life, noted around the world, which should cause us to reflect on the passing of time and our responsibility before God to use our time wisely. It is my hope and intention that this month of devotionals will do exactly that: urging us on to spiritual reflection and serious consideration of our use of the time God gives us throughout the course of our earthly lives, as each day that we receive is a gift from the Lord of time and eternity. May God bless us, one and all, in this Year of Our Lord 2025. First things first “But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.: - Matthew 6:33 Scripture reading: Matthew 6:25-33 Today is the start of a New Year! All of 2025 stretches before us. We prayed our first prayer, ate our first meal. Many attended the first worship service of 2025 this morning. In our text, Jesus calls us to seek, before all else, a living relationship with Jesus by seeking His kingdom and His righteousness. That relationship is not just going to fall into our lap. Those who treat Christianity as a minor aspect of their existence, who do not faithfully attend church, who never pray or open their Bibles are not going to find the power, beauty and joy of a life lived fully in God's kingdom. Jesus' command is: Seek first! Right at the top of your agenda for 2025 must be a willingness to invest time and energy in God's Kingdom. Also, we are to seek “His righteousness.” Here is a challenge for us all. Often we seek God's forgiveness, but how often do we actively seek His righteousness? The Lord calls us to live a holy Christian life. A righteous life is a powerful witness of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is vital for ourselves, our families, our congregations and our witness that we seek Christ's righteousness in all we say and do in 2025 and onward through life. Seek first His kingdom and His righteousness. May that be your guiding light in this New Year. Rise to the challenge. Dare to live by Christ's high standard. Those who do, will not lose, for “all these things will be added to you.” Suggestions for prayer Ask the Lord to work His sovereign will in your heart, mind, and soul so that as 2025 unfolds you will, indeed, put first things first. Pray for wisdom to make God's kingdom and righteousness the first priority of your life. Rev. Gregg V. Martin was ordained to the Gospel ministry in 1977. In his years of service, he pastored a total of five congregations in three Canadian provinces. He also served for more than seven years in Latin America as a missionary providing leadership training in Reformed mission churches. He is presently retired and living in Toronto. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

December 31 - The Bride and Spirit in sync

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

Daily devotional

December 30 - His reward is with him

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

Daily devotional

December 29 - Keeping the vision

“And behold, I am coming soon. Blessed is the one who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book.” - Revelation 22:7 Scripture reading: Rev...

Daily devotional

December 28 - His name on our foreheads

“They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads.” - Revelation 22:4 Scripture reading: Revelation 22:1-5 The blessedness ...

Daily devotional

December 27 - The trees of life

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

Daily devotional

December 26 - The river of life

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

Daily devotional

December 25 - Christ, the light of the world

“And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives its light, and its lamp is the Lamb.” - Revelation 21:23 Scripture reading: Revelation 21:9-27 Today, we celebrate the incarnation of Christ as the Light of the world. In the new heavens and earth, where our dwelling with God will be perfect, we shall see clearly, for we shall see Christ, Who is the light of God, face to face, and He shall illumine all things. Now we see as through a glass darkly, but then we shall see clearly. No temple is in the city, because God dwells with His people and they with Him in perfect fellowship. There is no sun or moon because Christ Himself perfectly radiates God. The glory of God radiates everywhere, so the nations walk in His light. Haggai prophesied a day when God would shake the earth and the wealth of the nations would pour into the temple. Believers are the precious jewels that come pouring into this radiant fellowship with God. John sees the gates of the city open, and people from all nations entering. But no one and nothing evil shall be found within the gates, within the wall. Only the glory and honour of the nations, those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life, are found in this city. All impurity, falsehood and what is detestable will not be found in the city coming down out of heaven. If we have done shameful, impure things, do we have hope? Yes, there is forgiveness in Christ, Who took on flesh to bear our guilt. Everyone who trusts Him has their name written in the Lamb’s book of life. Suggestions for prayer Praise God for the birth of Jesus, Who took on flesh to take away our guilt so that we could be restored to perfect fellowship with God. Thank God for the purity we have in Jesus, and our eternal fellowship with our Triune God. Rev. Calvin J. Tuininga was born in Grand Rapids Michigan, but as a PK grew up in different places, mostly in Canada. He served in four churches: Burdett Alberta (CRC), Telkwa, B.C. (CRC), Trinity St. Catharines, Ontario (CRC/URC) and Covenant URC in Pantego, North Carolina. He retired in September 2019, and he and his wife presently reside in Washington, North Carolina. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

December 24 - A view of the city #2

“And I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb.” - Revelation 21:22 Scripture reading: Revelation 21:9-27 As we read the description of the city for the third time we certainly must see that its description is rather fluid. The wall is jasper, clear as crystal. Jasper is usually green, red, or blue, but here it is like a crystal, so pure. The city itself is made of gold, but pure gold, like clear glass. The wall has 12 foundations, and 12 angels at the 12 gates. The names of Israel’s tribes are on the gates, and the names of the apostles on the foundations. Each gate is a single pearl. The idea portrayed is that the church is a combination of Old and New Testament believers, perfectly united in faith in Christ. Ephesians 2 says, “Consequently you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God's people and members of God's household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus Himself as the chief cornerstone. In Him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. And in Him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.” The church is portrayed as a city, not because she is made of buildings, but because she is a new society, a sharp contrast to Babylon. Babylon’s work, recreation, art and education was all for the glory of man, but the church exists for the glory of God. People come from all directions into this unity with Christ! So beautiful! Suggestions for prayer As you reflect on Christ’s first coming, remember that He came to earth to bring us to heaven. Pray for His second coming, when all the elect shall be gathered in and the church will be complete, one in Christ. Rev. Calvin J. Tuininga was born in Grand Rapids Michigan, but as a PK grew up in different places, mostly in Canada. He served in four churches: Burdett Alberta (CRC), Telkwa, B.C. (CRC), Trinity St. Catharines, Ontario (CRC/URC) and Covenant URC in Pantego, North Carolina. He retired in September 2019, and he and his wife presently reside in Washington, North Carolina. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

December 23 - A view of the city #1

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

Daily devotional

December 22 - The vision of the bride

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

Daily devotional

December 21 - Trustworthy and true words

“It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give from the spring of the water of life without paymen...

Daily devotional

December 20 - The new heavens and the new earth II

Daily devotional

December 19 - The new heavens and the new earth I

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

Daily devotional

December 18 - Day of judgement

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

Daily devotional

December 17 - The destruction of Satan

“…the devil, who had deceived them, was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur where the beast and the false prophet were, and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever...” - Revelation 20:10 Scripture reading: Revelation 20:7-10 At the end of the Thousand years (a symbolic term for the age of the Christ reigning in heaven) the devil will be released to deceive the nations again, and he will unite the world in opposition to Christ. We have already seen pictures of this great battle in which the beasts are destroyed along with the great city. “Gog and Magog” is an expression taken from Ezekiel 38-39 that refers to a great attack against the people of God. Little chance of survival, yet God’s people survived. This pictures, just before the final judgment, how the devil, when he will try once more to be victorious over the seed of the woman, will be defeated and thrown into the lake of burning sulphur where the beast and false prophet had been thrown. From this he will never escape, but suffer torment forever. Hallelujah! Christ is victorious. So here is another assurance of the defeat of Satan and our enemies. Nothing, no one will stop the Word of God from accomplishing what He says, what God has planned from before the foundation of the world. As we read in Ephesians 1, His purpose is to unite all things in Christ, things in heaven and on earth. And in Him, we who believe have the guarantee of the Spirit until we acquire possession of our inheritance, to the praise of God’s glory. Considering the growing opposition we see to our Lord and His church, we should take courage and rejoice. Our victory is certain. Suggestions for prayer Give God glory. Express your trust in His Word, His promises of our inheritance in the new heavens and earth, of an eternity of fellowship with our Triune God. Rev. Calvin J. Tuininga was born in Grand Rapids Michigan, but as a PK grew up in different places, mostly in Canada. He served in four churches: Burdett Alberta (CRC), Telkwa, B.C. (CRC), Trinity St. Catharines, Ontario (CRC/URC) and Covenant URC in Pantego, North Carolina. He retired in September 2019, and he and his wife presently reside in Washington, North Carolina. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

December 16 - The victorious in Christ

“Blessed and holy is the one who shares in the first resurrection.” - Revelation 20:6 Scripture reading: Revelation 20: 4-6 Now John sees thrones upon which are seated those who have been given authority to judge. Here are those who have died for Christ’s sake and all believers who died prior to the second coming. They are reigning. Early Christians expected a quick return of Christ, and when family and friends began dying, they began to wonder about the reality of the kingdom and the promises of Christ. John's vision shows them that they are alive with Christ and share in His victory and authority. They have come to life and reign with Him. Those in glory are one with us who yet live. The first resurrection includes all who confess Jesus and follow Him rather than serve the creation and the gods of this world. All who have died to sin with Christ share in His life, His resurrection, and since we are raised with Him, we also reign with Him in glory. Even on earth, we are the authority of the Word, which has the power to make alive forever those who are dead in sin. In Christ, as 1 John 2 says, we have been given victory over the evil one. Those who are not in Christ do not share this new life, but blessed and holy are those who know the joy of this first resurrection. Though we die, we still live, forever! Our Mediator reigns, and we with Him by faith while we yet live on earth, but by sight if we have ascended to glory. Suggestions for prayer Praise our Triune God for the marvellous blessing of everlasting life, for God has set us apart for His praise for all eternity. Pray for the day of complete and final victory. Rev. Calvin J. Tuininga was born in Grand Rapids Michigan, but as a PK grew up in different places, mostly in Canada. He served in four churches: Burdett Alberta (CRC), Telkwa, B.C. (CRC), Trinity St. Catharines, Ontario (CRC/URC) and Covenant URC in Pantego, North Carolina. He retired in September 2019, and he and his wife presently reside in Washington, North Carolina. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

December 15 - The binding of Satan

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

Daily devotional

December 14 - The great feast

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

Daily devotional

December 13 - The rider on the white horse

“Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse! The one sitting on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he judges and makes wa...

Daily devotional

December 12 - The marriage supper of the Lamb

“And the angel said to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.” And he said to me, “These are t...

Daily devotional

December 11 - Rejoicing in heaven

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

Daily devotional

December 10 - The fall of Babylon

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

Daily devotional

December 9 - The beast with seven heads

“I will tell you the mystery … of the beast with seven heads and ten horns that carries her.” - Revelation 17:4 Scripture reading: Revelation 17:7-18 The beast, John is told, once was, is not now, but will come out of the abyss and go to its destruction. One head had a fatal wound that was healed. As one early power falls, another takes its place, but will also go to destruction. The seven heads here are seven hills (Rome was built on seven hills), but notice they are also seven kings or kingdoms. Now we need not identify the seven kingdoms or kings because they represent all ungodly governments, and the prostitute is supported by them and headed for destruction. Governments spend much money on cultural things, including arts, sports, civic buildings, all which seem good, yet they do so to glorify themselves and man, not God, and so they can be deadly. Ten horns represent several governments, confederates of the beast as it wages war against the lamb along with the dragon. Yet, John is told that the Lamb will be victorious because He is the Lord of Lords and the King of kings. With Him are His called, chosen and faithful followers. Christ will lose none of those who are His, and here He assures that we are one with Him in victory. Notice how in the last verses the beast turns on the prostitute and brings her down. The kingdoms of the world become disillusioned with peoples and their activities, and God will use this to the destruction of both the prostitute and the beast. Human civilization will always self-destruct. Only in Christ is their lasting victory. Suggestions for prayer Praise God that He is sovereign, and for His promised salvation. Thank Him for the assurance that no matter how powerful our enemies, Christ is victorious in the spiritual warfare, and we share in that victory. Rev. Calvin J. Tuininga was born in Grand Rapids Michigan, but as a PK grew up in different places, mostly in Canada. He served in four churches: Burdett Alberta (CRC), Telkwa, B.C. (CRC), Trinity St. Catharines, Ontario (CRC/URC) and Covenant URC in Pantego, North Carolina. He retired in September 2019, and he and his wife presently reside in Washington, North Carolina. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

December 8 - The great prostitute and the beast #2

“The woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet, and adorned with gold and jewels and pearls, holding in her hand a golden cup full of abominations and the impurities of her sexual immorality.” - Revelation 17:4 Scripture reading: Revelation 17:1-18 Purple is the colour of royalty, scarlet of splendour, but in the Old Testament it was also the colour of sin (Isaiah 1:8), and the colour of the dragon and the beast. The woman wears jewelry and beautiful clothes to entice. She holds a golden cup. Society always offers the best, promising pleasure and prosperity, but it always ends up empty. The cup is only a device to entice people to join her in her evil and ungodly ways. As Christians we must be careful in our world, not to be taken in by the pleasures of sin, or the promises of prosperity in a world apart from God. Divorce can seem attractive, adultery delightful, sexual indulgence thrilling, but it is never satisfying in the long run. The Prostitute has the name Babylon the Great, the mother of prostitutes and of the abominations of the earth. John may have thought of Rome (the culture, people and the government). But it represents all civilization that leads people to find their pleasures in this world, not in the maker of the world. John sees her celebrating victory over Christians (she is drunk with their blood). Many Christians are seduced by the world and she is ecstatic over this. Notice how we see the prostitute and the beast are together. Tomorrow we will look more at the beast, to which John pays more attention. But human civilization depends on human governments and power to succeed. May we be on guard against the Prostitute (Proverbs 1). Suggestions for prayer Thank God that we live where we do by God’s appointment. Pray that we be kept from temptation and delivered from the evil one, so that God receives all glory and praise. Rev. Calvin J. Tuininga was born in Grand Rapids Michigan, but as a PK grew up in different places, mostly in Canada. He served in four churches: Burdett Alberta (CRC), Telkwa, B.C. (CRC), Trinity St. Catharines, Ontario (CRC/URC) and Covenant URC in Pantego, North Carolina. He retired in September 2019, and he and his wife presently reside in Washington, North Carolina. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

December 7 - The great prostitute and the beast #1

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

Daily devotional

December 6 - The final three bowls

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

Daily devotional

December 5 - The first four bowls

“Then I heard a loud voice from the temple telling the seven angels, “Go and pour out on the earth the seven bowls of the wrath of God.” - Revel...

Daily devotional

December 4 - Seven angels coming with final plagues

Daily devotional

December 3 - Reason for optimism

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

Daily devotional

December 2 - The harvest of the earth

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

Daily devotional

December 1 - Introduction to Revelation

In December of 2022, I did a series of devotions on Revelation 1-14:12. I was asked to do a follow-up series on the rest of the book of Revelation. I am happy to do so as this book helps us live in anticipation of the return of our Lord, comforting us with the assurance that Christ our King is returning to bring us to spend eternity with our Triune God in the New Heavens and Earth. Although in this world we face the opposition of the evil one and his minions, our hope is sure. May He come quickly! We begin our devotions this month at the end of a section of Revelation. Each section of Revelation describes the warfare of Satan against God and His church, and God’s response to Satan as He protects and saves His church. Revelation 14:6, which we finished off in our devotions two years ago, shows us the first of three angels who give messages and warnings for the comfort of the saints. This first angel calls us to “Fear God and give him glory, because the hour of judgment has come.” This is indeed the awesome news the world needs to hear. The devil’s time is short, and Christ is coming soon! In fact all the signs of His coming are evident around us. We see the false prophet and the beast from the sea, that is, all human powers encouraging men to live apart from God. We see the various partial judgments warning all to repent and believe in Jesus for salvation! It should be evident to all that the destruction of man’s kingdoms is just around the corner! Therefore we are called to worship the Creator and to patiently endure to the end, remaining faithful to Jesus. Jesus says He is coming soon (Revelation 22:20). Assurance of victory “Write this: “Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.” “Blessed indeed,” says the Spirit, “that they may rest from their labors, for their deeds follow them.”” - Revelation 14:13 Scripture reading: Revelation 14:6-13 The first angel called all people to fear God and give Him glory, because the time of judgment has come, and he calls all to worship the creator. This is followed by two other angels, the first announcing the fall of Babylon, the second the judgment on those who follow in the ways of Babylon. Babylon represents people united against God in their daily living. Our culture is primarily anti-God, with people united in denying truth to assert their own ‘truth.’ This includes the secular powers (the first beast) and false teachings (the image of the beast) that promote such self-centred living. All will fall since they tempt followers of Jesus to join them in their materialism and godlessness in behaviour. The vividness of this punishment should not escape us. His wrath will be poured out day and night forever. Jesus speaks of unquenchable fire and eternal weeping and gnashing of teeth. All who live according to the principles of this godless culture will perish eternally. Such a picture of hell calls believers to patiently endure, to stay true in following Jesus wherever He leads. God's judgment is coming, and He will bring justice. Believers who die in the Lord before Jesus comes are called blessed, for they rest from their labour. Assurance is given that their works, which are a sign of their faith, will follow them. Let us who believe maintain our faith and follow Christ, not the world. Suggestions for prayer That God would grant His Spirit that we might believe the promises of salvation in Jesus, and remain faithful to Jesus as we follow Him. Pray that we may be kept unspotted from the world. Rev. Calvin J. Tuininga was born in Grand Rapids Michigan, but as a PK grew up in different places, mostly in Canada. He served in four churches: Burdett Alberta (CRC), Telkwa, B.C. (CRC), Trinity St. Catharines, Ontario (CRC/URC) and Covenant URC in Pantego, North Carolina. He retired in September 2019, and he and his wife presently reside in Washington, North Carolina. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

November 30 - Reckless zeal

“...for in just a little while I will punish the house of Jehu for the blood of Jezreel, and I will put an end to the kingdom of the house of Israel.” - Hosea 1:4 Scripture reading: 2 Kings 10:1-36 What a ruthless character is Jehu! What an agent for cleansing the church and state! What an impressive figure as he welcomes Jehonadab into his chariot and says, “See my zeal for the Lord.” Yet, Jehu's zeal was a reckless, self-serving zeal, doing right things the wrong way for the wrong reasons, because his heart was not right before God (verse 31). This is what earned him God's judgment upon his own house, as declared in Hosea 1:4. Though we can marvel at the shrewd ways he destroys the house of Ahab and the idolatrous worship of Baal, Jehu's motives were clearly political. In spite of doing what was right in the eyes of the Lord (verse 30), he did it to secure his own throne. He allowed the worship of the golden calves at Bethel and Dan (verse 29) for reasons of state - to prevent the return of the northern ten tribes to the house of David. Because of his impure zeal, true reform never happened. While Israel continued to be chastised by Hazael, and reduced by his raids, Jehu died, unable to save the nation. It would take another, with a greater and more perfect zeal than Jehu. One who would conquer not merely over flesh and blood, but the power of sin and Satan in our hearts. It's this Lord Jesus Christ Who is coming in judgment to destroy all the godless and to usher in a righteous world. Until that Day, may all of us, unlike Jehu, display a pure and wholehearted zeal for Him! Suggestions for prayer Pray that God, Who sees our hearts, may fill them with a zeal that is motivated by a pure devotion to Him, in all that we desire and do. Rev. Barry Beukema is a graduate of Calvin College and Westminster Theological Seminary, Philadelphia. He has pastored the Christian Reformed Churches in Burdett, Alberta and Smithers, British Columbia. He then pastored the URCNA churches of Smithers, BC, Thunder Bay, ON, Lacombe, AB, Neerlandia, AB, and is now pastoring the United Reformed Church of Taber, Alberta.Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

November 29 - The Lord’s madman

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

Daily devotional

November 28 - Life and death

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

Daily devotional

November 27 - Unsolicited grace (II)

“And my God will supply every need of yours according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.” - Philippians 4:19 Scripture reading: 2 Kings ...

Daily devotional

November 26 - Unsolicited grace (I)

“Jesus said, "For judgment I came into this world, that those who do not see may see, and those who see may become blind."” - John 9:39 Scrip...

Daily devotional

November 25 - A prophet in Israel (II)

“For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may bo...

Daily devotional

November 24 - A prophet in Israel (I)

“For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God…” - Ephesians 2:8 Scripture reading:...

Daily devotional

November 23 - The word of life (IV)

“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.” - John 10:10 Scripture reading: 2 Kings 4:38-44 The Word of Life brings Freedom and A Future. And it also brings Favour and Fullness. As verse 38 says, in the midst of a famine, Elisha sought to feed the sons of the prophets. Food was scarce, but to make it worse, one of the men cut up pieces of a wild gourd, a poisonous one, making the stew bitter and inedible. But in obedience to Elisha's command, they bring him some flour, which he throws into the pot, to make the food good. Thus again, we are shown that Elisha's words, when heeded, bring life out of death; bringing what is wholesome out of what is noxious, deadly and foul! So the Word of Christ is for us. Like all people, we also encounter trials and hardships in our lives. But believing God's Word, and knowing that such are sent to us as loving discipline, to make us like Jesus, then we can know the joy of life abundant, as we submit to Him, the Father of our spirits and live forever (Hebrews 12:9). For the world, hardships are only bitter, making their whole life bitter, ending in death. But for the Christian they make life better, under the favour of God, for such is the power of the Word of Life. Finally we see, in verses 42-44, the power of the Word of Life to give Fullness to meet our every need. For out of scarcity, the word of Life brings satisfaction. As what could never feed 20, feeds 100, so Christ, the Word of Life declares, whoever comes to me will never hunger, whoever believes in me will never thirst (John 6:35). Suggestions for prayer Ask God to show you the Freedom, Future, Favour and Fullness you have in Christ, the Word of Life, and to live it out each and every day. Rev. Barry Beukema is a graduate of Calvin College and Westminster Theological Seminary, Philadelphia. He has pastored the Christian Reformed Churches in Burdett, Alberta and Smithers, British Columbia. He then pastored the URCNA churches of Smithers, BC, Thunder Bay, ON, Lacombe, AB, Neerlandia, AB, and is now pastoring the United Reformed Church of Taber, Alberta.Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

November 22 - The word of life (III)

“Women received back their dead by resurrection.” - Hebrews 11:35a Scripture reading: 2 Kings 4:18-37 The Word of Life - Jesus Christ - gives not only Freedom, but a Future, not only for this life, but A Future For Eternity. With the birth of a son, the Shunamite woman and her husband were greatly blessed. But their faith was tried when their child died. Yet, her faith did not die. She shows strength and no complaint comes from her when she asks her husband to provide her a way to go to the prophet Elisha. When he asks, "Why?” she simply responds, "All is well." Literally, she says shalom, for even in the face of tragedy the believer can know peace which surpasses all understanding (Philippians 4:7). Her faith convinced her that, somehow, Elisha could again be instrumental in doing the impossible and that God would make sense of this horrible situation. Thus, she goes to pour out her heart to him who bore the Word of Life. Once a person is gripped by the Word of the Lord, they will and must claim that Word for victory and life- no matter what- and never in vain. Elisha is filled with compassion for her- the very compassion that Jesus has for us today. And her son is raised to life! This is no promise of no more funerals, if only we have faith, but a pledge to those who believe in God's Word - the Word of Life - that in Christ - the resurrection and the life - we have an eternally glorious future beyond the grave, and the power to live our lives to the full, today! Suggestions for prayer Pray for the faith to trust the Lord,no matter how turbulent the circumstances, knowing that we can have confidence in Him, for all grace and help, in our time of need. Rev. Barry Beukema is a graduate of Calvin College and Westminster Theological Seminary, Philadelphia. He has pastored the Christian Reformed Churches in Burdett, Alberta and Smithers, British Columbia. He then pastored the URCNA churches of Smithers, BC, Thunder Bay, ON, Lacombe, AB, Neerlandia, AB, and is now pastoring the United Reformed Church of Taber, Alberta.Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

November 21 - The word of life (II)

“The house of the wicked will be destroyed, but the tent of the upright will flourish.” - Proverbs 14:11 “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.” - Matthew 5:5 Scripture reading: 2 Kings 4:8-17 The Word of Life, spoken through Elisha, grants not only freedom, but a Future. In a godly home, dwells two of those 7,000 who have not bowed down to Baal. The wife in this wealthy home is rich in faith, and asks her husband if they can supply a room for Elisha "who is continually passing our way." This Shunammite woman is impressive in her display of that imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God's sight is very precious (1 Peter 3:4). She puts her hope in God and shows herself to be a true daughter of Sarah (see 1 Peter 3:5-6). We see this again, when Elisha says, “See, you have taken all this trouble for us; what is to be done for you?” and she refuses to take advantage of his offer. She could have asked for anything, but content simply to belong to the people of God, says, “I dwell among my own people.” From a human perspective she had a cause to be bitter, for she was childless; a situation regarded, in Israel, as a reproach of God, since, without a son, the future of her husband's name and inheritance in Israel would be cut off. Elisha promises that within a year she would be holding a newborn son. And by the power of the Word of Life, it happened! Faith in Christ - the Word of Life-Incarnate - is not always the cure for empty arms, but it is always the cure for an empty life and a hopeless future! Suggestions for prayer Ask that you may know and show, no matter what griefs you may now bear, that your life is forever rich in Christ Jesus, Who is the way and the truth and the life (John 14:6). Rev. Barry Beukema is a graduate of Calvin College and Westminster Theological Seminary, Philadelphia. He has pastored the Christian Reformed Churches in Burdett, Alberta and Smithers, British Columbia. He then pastored the URCNA churches of Smithers, BC, Thunder Bay, ON, Lacombe, AB, Neerlandia, AB, and is now pastoring the United Reformed Church of Taber, Alberta.Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

November 20 - The word of life (I)

“...concerning the word of life- the life was made manifest, and we have seen it, and testify to it and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was made manifest to us” - 1 John 1:1-2 Scripture reading: 2 Kings 4:1-7 This chapter shows us four manifestations of the Word of Life, proclaimed through God's prophet, Elisha. We see foreshadowed the saving power of Christ, the Word of Life to all who trust in Him, Who gives Freedom. Here, the wife of a godly prophet cries out to Elisha against her creditor who, in order to pay off her debt, threatens to make slaves of her sons. Learning she has a little oil, Elisha tells her to borrow as many jars as she can and to fill them with the tiny amount remaining. That she was to act in faith shows that she, personally, had to believe in the power of God's Word. That she and her sons would do so behind closed doors, without Elisha, shows that her faith would not be in Elisha, but in the power of God alone. The oil didn't stop flowing till the last jar was filled! Then, selling the oil at Elisha's command, not only was her debt paid and her sons saved from slavery, but they were supplied with an abundance to live on. Apart from Jesus, all are slaves to sin and Satan and condemned to eternal death in Hell. But Jesus, the Word of Life incarnate, has proclaimed good news to the poor and freedom to the captives (Luke 4:18). He came to give His life as a ransom for many. And from the cross he declared, for those who believe in Him, that their ransom has been paid in full! (John 19:30) Suggestions for prayer Pray that you would appreciate the freedom for which Christ has set you free, and show it by serving your fellow believers, in love (Galatians 5:13). Rev. Barry Beukema is a graduate of Calvin College and Westminster Theological Seminary, Philadelphia. He has pastored the Christian Reformed Churches in Burdett, Alberta and Smithers, British Columbia. He then pastored the URCNA churches of Smithers, BC, Thunder Bay, ON, Lacombe, AB, Neerlandia, AB, and is now pastoring the United Reformed Church of Taber, Alberta.Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

November 19 - Fighting Moab

“For the hand of the LORD will rest on this mountain, and Moab shall be trampled down in his place, as straw is trampled down in a dunghill.” - Is...

Daily devotional

November 18 - Elijah’s ascension

“Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to...

Daily devotional

November 17 - Lord of the flies

“Whoever believes in Him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only So...

Daily devotional

November 16 - The 401st prophet

“But Jehoshaphat said, "Is there not here another prophet of the LORD of whom we may inquire?"” - 1 Kings 22:7 Scripture reading: 1 Kings 22:...

Daily devotional

November 15 - In Naboth’s vineyard

“Arise, go down to meet Ahab king of Israel, who is in Samaria; behold, he is in the vineyard of Naboth, where he has gone to take possession.” - 1 Kings 21:18 Scripture reading: 1 Kings 21:1-29 More than covetousness, murder and theft against Naboth, Ahab's action constituted an attack upon the Kingdom of Christ. That vineyard represented the Lord's inheritance. God said in Leviticus 25:23, The land shall not be sold in perpetuity, for the land is mine.Israel belonged to the Lord, and His peoples' inheritance in it was a pledge of having a part in God's kingdom forever. Naboth and his sons, who were murdered with him (2 Kings 9:26), clearly comprised the 7,000 faithful Israelites who had not bowed their knee to Baal. As a follower of Baal, Ahab was not content with his extravagant land and ivory palaces. He had to have more and wicked Jezebel saw that he would. She paid off two scoundrels (literally, sons of Belial-the devil) to falsely accuse Naboth of cursing God and the king and they stoned Naboth and his sons to death. Hatred for Christ and His kingdom motivated Ahab's wife. More than land, she wanted Nabal's blood! How often such blasphemous and hypocritical pretexts, in the name of justice, are employed in persecuting the righteous today. As God's condemnation by Elijah fell upon Ahab, so it will fall by Christ upon all who oppose Him on the last Day. The mills of God’s justice may grind slowly, but they grind exceedingly fine! Don't sell your inheritance in Christ for the things of this world. Naboth's vineyard is God's pledge that all who trust in Him will see the punishment of the wicked and the fullness of their salvation in Jesus. Suggestions for prayer Pray for strength to hold on to your inheritance - your faith - amidst all the pressures of the world to deny it. Rev. Barry Beukema is a graduate of Calvin College and Westminster Theological Seminary, Philadelphia. He has pastored the Christian Reformed Churches in Burdett, Alberta and Smithers, British Columbia. He then pastored the URCNA churches of Smithers, BC, Thunder Bay, ON, Lacombe, AB, Neerlandia, AB, and is now pastoring the United Reformed Church of Taber, Alberta.Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

November 14 - Treasonous treaties

“You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.” - James 4:4 Scripture reading: 1 Kings 20:1-43 Here again, the Lord shows Himself as Yahweh Sabbaoth - the Lord of Hosts - the God of the armies of Heaven - calling His people to fight in His Name by putting their trust in Him. Here too, He shows His grace and faithfulness to His covenant people who, under Ahab their king, had become faithless, weak and wicked. Thus, He grants them a tremendous victory over the invading and much larger armies of Ben-hadad, the king of Syria. And not once, but twice! Yet, what does Ahab do? He makes peace with the enemy, literally a covenant or treaty with Ben-hadad, and shows himself an enemy of God. As the prophet declared to him in verse 42, Thus says the LORD, "Because you have let go out of your hand the man whom I had devoted to destruction, therefore your life shall be for his life, and your people for his people. "This sentence was soon executed (see 1 Kings 22:37;2 Kings 8:12). Like Israel of old, we are called to holy warfare. We are called to Put to death what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire and covetousness, which is idolatry (Colossians 3:5). We are called to fight the good fight of the faith (I Timothy 6:12). We are not to be traitors and enemies of God by forging treaties with Satan, sin and a corrupted world. As Romans 8:37 says, We are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. So let us fight the evil within us and without, however great and mighty it may seem. Suggestions for prayer Thank God for the victory that is ours in the death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. Pray for a spirit, not of fear, but of power and love and self-control (2 Timothy 1:7). Rev. Barry Beukema is a graduate of Calvin College and Westminster Theological Seminary, Philadelphia. He has pastored the Christian Reformed Churches in Burdett, Alberta and Smithers, British Columbia. He then pastored the URCNA churches of Smithers, BC, Thunder Bay, ON, Lacombe, AB, Neerlandia, AB, and is now pastoring the United Reformed Church of Taber, Alberta.Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

November 13 - The call of Elisha

“Then he (Elisha) arose and went after Elijah and assisted him.” - 1 Kings 19:21b Scripture reading: 1 Kings 19:19-21 In the Lord's calling of Elisha, we see the mighty zeal of God. What an encouragement this is when we, like Elijah, despair of our witness and work for the church and kingdom of Christ. Though Israel's reformation could have continued through Elijah, God chose Elisha to take up the torch. Why? Undoubtedly, to impress upon Elijah, and us, that the Lord is not dependent upon any one person to carry out His sovereign purposes; and that as great as Elijah was, he was not indispensable. Thus, as Paul says of the church in 1 Corinthians 3:6-7: I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth. On how many mission fields wasn't it the missionaries' successors who saw the fruit of their labours? Thus, throughout all the Old Testament, there would be a succession of workers, even as today, who would testify to the powerlessness of any single person. No, there would only be One who would do what no one else was able to do and to finish God's work. Only One without any successors. Only One who could say, “My food is to do the will of Him who sent me and to accomplish His work” (John 4:34). And only One who, accomplishing our salvation on the cross, could cry out, It is finished! (John 19:30). May God’s zeal in Christ inspire ours! Suggestions for prayer Pray that the Lord would raise up servants to proclaim the finished work of Christ to the world, and that, like Elisha, we may be quick to respond to His call. Rev. Barry Beukema is a graduate of Calvin College and Westminster Theological Seminary, Philadelphia. He has pastored the Christian Reformed Churches in Burdett, Alberta and Smithers, British Columbia. He then pastored the URCNA churches of Smithers, BC, Thunder Bay, ON, Lacombe, AB, Neerlandia, AB, and is now pastoring the United Reformed Church of Taber, Alberta.Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

November 12 - Discouraged?

“Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord.” - Romans 12:11 Scripture reading: 1 Kings 19:1-18 What a contrast to the previous chapter! There the prophet confronted the prophets of Baal without fear, now he flees from the wrath of one woman. Elijah failed to see the impotence of Jezebel to do what she threatened. Elijah feared dying by Jezebel's hand and what this would mean for the kingdom of God. Thus, he asks that he might die. Clearly, he expected more from the victory on Mt. Carmel. His response is, “It is enough... take away my life.” In other words, “What's the use?" And so we can be tempted to say in regard to the seeming weakness of our witness and work for Christ. Elijah was suffering battle fatigue and wanted to get off the battlefield. We could provide a list of discouraging complaints, as well. But Elijah was only an agent in God's sovereign plan. God had His 7,000, in service to Himself, besides. And through Hazael, Jehu and Elisha (vv 15-17), God would fulfill His plan. So, What are you doing here? (vv. 9,13). Have you abandoned the place of witness God has assigned you to? Have you withdrawn from the battle? Only after He finished His work for our salvation could Jesus say, “It is finished!” Only then could He say, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit” (Luke 23:46). Oh, may we serve the Lord with unceasing zeal, right where He has placed us. No matter what battles we seem to have lost, know that by His death and resurrection, Christ has won the war! Suggestions for prayer Pray that you might persevere in your witness to Christ, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain (1 Corinthians 15:58). Rev. Barry Beukema is a graduate of Calvin College and Westminster Theological Seminary, Philadelphia. He has pastored the Christian Reformed Churches in Burdett, Alberta and Smithers, British Columbia. He then pastored the URCNA churches of Smithers, BC, Thunder Bay, ON, Lacombe, AB, Neerlandia, AB, and is now pastoring the United Reformed Church of Taber, Alberta.Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

November 11 - A sound of rushing rain

“Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on the...

Daily devotional

November 10 - The God who answers by fire

“...and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire.” - Hebrews 12:28-29 Scripture r...

Daily devotional

November 9 - Limping between two opinions

“Whoever is not with me is against me.” - Matthew 12:30 Scripture reading: 1 Kings 18:16-24 There's no half-way in our response to the Lor...

Daily devotional

November 8 - True troublers of Israel

“Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad...for s...

Daily devotional

November 7 - The word of truth

“Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live.”” -John 11:25 Scripture reading: 1 Kings 17:17-24 Only in the home of the widow of Zarephath, outside of Israel, was there the blessing of food and life in the midst of famine and death. In spite of her dire circumstances, she believed the Word of God through Elijah, promising her unending oil and flour for as long as the drought would last. Responding by faith, she gave all she had left, her very last meal for herself and her son, to God's prophet. And true to God's Word, from that time forward, she and her son never missed a meal! As a foretaste of Pentecost, God was showing His grace to a Gentile. He would show even more in the resurrection of her son when he fell sick and died. Contrary to her first thought, this was not God's judgment upon her past sins, but a demonstration of His grace. Elijah implores the Lord to restore the child's life. This was "in faith" because God had promised this family life. As we see with all of Elijah's prayers, they were powerful because they were always based upon God's revealed will, as declared by His Word. Elijah dared to pray for this because of the truth of God's Word. Presenting her son to her alive, the widow exclaims, "Now I know that... the word of the LORD in your mouth is truth." Yes, because He who says "I am the way, the truth and the life" (John 14:6), is also He who says "I am the resurrection and the life." Suggestions for prayer Pray that you may know God's will according to His Word, and pray for what you know He is more than willing to give. Rev. Barry Beukema is a graduate of Calvin College and Westminster Theological Seminary, Philadelphia. He has pastored the Christian Reformed Churches in Burdett, Alberta and Smithers, British Columbia. He then pastored the URCNA churches of Smithers, BC, Thunder Bay, ON, Lacombe, AB, Neerlandia, AB, and is now pastoring the United Reformed Church of Taber, Alberta.Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

November 6 - Blessings in Zarephath

“... there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah when the heavens were shut up three years and six months, and a great famine came over all the land, and Elijah was sent to none of them but only to Zarephath.” - Luke 4:25-26 Scripture reading: 1 Kings 17:7-16 These words of Jesus highlight the point of our passage in 1 Kings. Its purpose is not just to show us that apart from heeding the Word of God there is want, nor that wherever the Word of God is, there is blessing, but that these blessings can only be enjoyed by faith. Thus, while God reveals His wrath upon Israel, He reveals His covenant of grace to a pagan, but believing, widow. She is poor; she didn't even have fuel for a fire! She and her young son have just enough food for one meal, before they die. And all they have is exactly what Elijah asks of her, promising that according to God's Word, she will be supplied. In the covenant of grace, God asks for everything! All we have and are. Like this widow, we either entrust everything to the Lord, receive back 100 fold, and with it eternal life, or we hang on to what little we have, die soon after, and lose everything. As the martyr missionary Steve Elliot said, "He is no fool who gives up what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose." Thus, in the midst of famine, this widow and her son were miraculously supplied. Eternal life and the blessings of a covenant relationship with the Lord are not assured by anything but by exercising faith in the Word of the Lord. For as Jesus says, "Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, whoever believes in me will never thirst” (John 6:35). Suggestions for prayer Pray that regardless of your circumstances, you may by faith, commit your life and future into the hands of our faithful Saviour, Jesus Christ. Rev. Barry Beukema is a graduate of Calvin College and Westminster Theological Seminary, Philadelphia. He has pastored the Christian Reformed Churches in Burdett, Alberta and Smithers, British Columbia. He then pastored the URCNA churches of Smithers, BC, Thunder Bay, ON, Lacombe, AB, Neerlandia, AB, and is now pastoring the United Reformed Church of Taber, Alberta.Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

November 5 - Covenant wrath (II)

“Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord God, when I will send a famine on the land- not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the LORD.” - Amos 8:11 Scripture reading: 1 Kings 17:2-7 Elijah's pronouncement that there will be neither dew nor rain in the next few years, was striking, and one that left Ahab and his nobles speechless. Israel was absolutely dependent upon the early and late rains for their harvests and, during the months of the dry season, the dew that was heavy enough to sustain the crops. But for neither dew nor rain to fall would be a terrible judgment, indeed! With God it is either/or. Either blessing or curse. Either covenant favour for those who love Him, or covenant wrath for those who deny Him. This is especially made clear in the drought of the Word of the Lord. For immediately after Elijah delivers God's message to Ahab, he is told to depart and hide himself by the brook Cherith. This was not to protect himself from Ahab, but to show that God was cutting His people off from His life giving Word. Bound up with God's prophet is God's Word - the only source of salvation and blessing. While Elijah is miraculously fed bread and meat by the ravens, Israel is starving. Yes, we can only live by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the Lord. Though a mighty prophet, Elijah could enforce faithfulness to God's covenant, but not secure the keeping of it, nor satisfy the law's just penalty for breaking it. Only Jesus, God's incarnate Word can, and did, by His death on the cross. Unlike Elijah, His name means not only My God is Yahweh, but Yahweh who saves. Suggestions for prayer Ask that you may know God's Word in all its fullness and its life giving power in every aspect of your life. Rev. Barry Beukema is a graduate of Calvin College and Westminster Theological Seminary, Philadelphia. He has pastored the Christian Reformed Churches in Burdett, Alberta and Smithers, British Columbia. He then pastored the URCNA churches of Smithers, BC, Thunder Bay, ON, Lacombe, AB, Neerlandia, AB, and is now pastoring the United Reformed Church of Taber, Alberta.Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

November 4 - Covenant wrath (I)

“Take care lest your heart be deceived, and you turn aside and serve other gods...then the anger of the LORD will be kindled against you and He will shut up the heavens, so that there will be no rain...and you will perish....” - Deuteronomy 11:16-17 Scripture reading: 1 Kings 17:1-7 With Ahab, the worship of Baal was elevated to the status of state religion. Meanwhile, Jezebel was putting the prophets of the Lord to death. At such a time comes Elijah, like lightning from a dark sky. His name means My God is Yahweh, and he comes uninvited and unwelcome into the palace of Israel's faithless king. Filled with the holy indignation of the Lord and fiery zeal that His honour be restored, Elijah delivers the disagreeable message to the most powerful man in Israel. Boldly, he says to Ahab's face, "As the LORD, the God of Israel, lives, before whom I stand, there shall be neither dew nor rain these years, except by my word." Unlike Baal, Yahweh, the true God, sees, hears and acts as the living God. He demands covenant faithfulness, without which He will visit His people with covenant wrath. Oh, that every preacher of God's Word was as bold as Elijah! For according to His Word, the land flowing with milk and honey would be reduced to a barren wasteland of famine and death. In the next three years not one drop of water was to fall upon Israel that she might repent and turn back to the Lord. These words were written not only for Israel, but for you and me. If we serve the gods of popularity, prosperity or pleasure, we will suffer pain and destruction. Only in service to the true God, through Jesus Christ, in Whom is forgiveness of sins and eternal life, can we know His covenant blessing. Suggestions for prayer Pray that you might recognize the idols leading you astray from pure devotion to Christ. Pray for a jealous zeal for God, just as pure as God's jealous love for you. Rev. Barry Beukema is a graduate of Calvin College and Westminster Theological Seminary, Philadelphia. He has pastored the Christian Reformed Churches in Burdett, Alberta and Smithers, British Columbia. He then pastored the URCNA churches of Smithers, BC, Thunder Bay, ON, Lacombe, AB, Neerlandia, AB, and is now pastoring the United Reformed Church of Taber, Alberta.Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

November 3 - An inscription erased (III)

“In his days Hiel of Bethel built Jericho. He laid its foundation at the cost of Abiram, his firstborn, and set up its gates at the co...

Daily devotional

November 2 - An inscription erased (II)

“And Ahab the son of Omri did evil in the sight of the LORD, more than all who were before him.” - 1 Kings 16:30 Scripture reading: Joshua 6:...

Daily devotional

November 1 - Introduction to God’s faithfulness

From 1 Kings 16:29 to 2 Kings 10:36 we find the rise and fall of the house of Ahab, the seventh king of the northern kingdom of Israel, who had broken...

Daily devotional

October 31 - Persevering grace

“But you, beloved, build yourselves up in your most holy faith; pray in the Holy Spirit; keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting for the mercy o...

Daily devotional

October 30 - Preserving grace

“My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand.” - John 10:27-29 Scripture reading: Jude You probably have fastened a picture to the wall with Scotch tape only to have gravity yank it down. You re-attach it, applying pressure until your thumb is paralyzed. You watch it for a while and it stays put. You think you've succeeded, only to have it flutter to the ground the moment you turn away in triumph. Do you think the Triune God has that frustration with those whom He saves? Are they safe one minute and lost the next? The glad and glorious answer is “No!”. Christians are Christians forever. The God Who calls them is the God Who keeps them. As Jesus said, no one will snatch them out of His hand or His Father's hand (John 10:28-29). That is not to say that some won't try. Satan as always attempting to undo the work of God. And he has his allies. The world without seeks to form us in its mould and the flesh within fights against the Spirit to divorce us from Christ. The Christian is the battleground between the forces of light and darkness. And at times the battle can be so intense that Christians can wonder if they will remain Christians. But we have no reason to fear. The hand that measures the waters in its palm keeps us. The hands that were pierced on Calvary and now rule the universe protect us. For Christ there are no lost causes. Christians are kept (Jude 1) and God keeps them (Jude 24). Suggestions for prayer Thank the Lord that our salvation depends, from start to finish, on His sovereign grace and mercy. Ask the Lord to humble us so that we might not become either self-reliant or spiritually careless with our Christian walk. Reverend John van Eyk began his ministry in Cambridge, Ontario as Church Planter and Minister of the Riverside Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church. After 13 years there he served almost 10 years in the Tain/Fearn congregation of the Associated Presbyterian Churches in the Scottish Highlands. John currently serves as Senior Pastor of Trinity Reformed Church (United Reformed) in Lethbridge, Alberta. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

October 29 - Unstoppable grace

“. . .his dominion is an everlasting dominion. . . He does according to his will among the host of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth and none can stay his hand or say to him: ‘What have you done?’” - Daniel 4:35-36 Scripture reading: John 6:25-40 How can the Lord Jesus speak with such confidence when He says, “All that the Father gives me will come to me . . .”? How does He know they will come? What if they don't want to? Will they then be forced to come to Jesus? How can Jesus be so sure? Jesus’ confidence rests on a number of pillars. First, the Bible teaches that God's plans always come to pass and that no one can thwart His purpose. If God, the Almighty One, has purposed to save someone from eternal punishment, that will undoubtedly happen. Second, Christ knows what He is going to do. He knows that He is going to Calvary for the forgiveness of sins of those whom the Father designs to save. He also knows that His death will defeat Satan, the enemy of our souls. That means that Satan's grip on us will be broken and we can be delivered from the domain of darkness. Third, the Lord Jesus has promised the Holy Spirit upon completion of His work on earth. Christ knows that that Spirit, Who is the divine matchmaker, will bring the sinner and the Saviour together. The one chosen by the Father and redeemed by the Son will receive new life by the Holy Spirit so that he willingly and freely comes to Christ as He is freely offered in the gospel. It will happen. Guaranteed. The Triune God’s grace is unstoppable. Suggestions for prayer Thank the Lord that the Holy Spirit persisted in His work to bring us to the Saviour, conquering our natural resistance to God and to grace. Pray that many would come to the Saviour that they might have life and that we might be instruments to point them to Christ. Reverend John van Eyk began his ministry in Cambridge, Ontario as Church Planter and Minister of the Riverside Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church. After 13 years there he served almost 10 years in the Tain/Fearn congregation of the Associated Presbyterian Churches in the Scottish Highlands. John currently serves as Senior Pastor of Trinity Reformed Church (United Reformed) in Lethbridge, Alberta. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

October 28 - Christ’s successful death

“Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish.” - Ephesians 5:25-27 Scripture reading: John 10:1-18 If you have ever given blood, sweat, and tears to something you desperately wanted to succeed, only to see it collapse in failure, you will know the sense of dejection and frustration that arises. Many have experienced this. Our Lord Jesus, however, did not. He went to the cross to save His people from their sins and everyone for whom He died will undoubtedly be saved. Imagine bearing God's wrath and curse for someone who ends up bearing the same in hell. That would be unthinkable! Jesus’ death really accomplished what Jesus set out to do. The Father had given Him a flock of sinful, wandering sheep who are on the road to eternal punishment. For them, Christ had to intervene. For them, Christ had to bear the judgement of God. And for them, He did exactly that. As the Lord Jesus Himself said, “I lay down my life for the sheep” (John 10:15). But didn’t the Lord Jesus make propitiation “for the sins of the whole world” (1 John 2:2)? Not if you mean that he died for every man, woman, and child individually. If that were the case, all would be saved because Christ’s work can't be frustrated. We wouldn’t object to that if the Bible taught that. However, it does speak of outer darkness for some. But if by “world” you mean that He died for all sorts of people (not just one race) and for a great number that no one can count, then yes, we gladly declare that Jesus is “indeed the Savior of the world” (John 4:42) and, by grace, ours too. Suggestions for prayer Praise God that the death of Christ really cleanses from all sin and that we need to make no contribution to our salvation. Pray for missionaries, ministers, and evangelists that all those for whom Christ died will hear the voice of their Shepherd and be brought into the fold. Reverend John van Eyk began his ministry in Cambridge, Ontario as Church Planter and Minister of the Riverside Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church. After 13 years there he served almost 10 years in the Tain/Fearn congregation of the Associated Presbyterian Churches in the Scottish Highlands. John currently serves as Senior Pastor of Trinity Reformed Church (United Reformed) in Lethbridge, Alberta. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

October 27 - Chosen, not choice

“...For you are a people holy to the LORD your God. The LORD your God has chosen you to be a people for his treasured possession, out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth. It was not because you were more in number than any other people that the LORD set his love on you and chose you, for you were the fewest of all peoples, but it is because the LORD loves you...” - Deuteronomy 7:6-8 Scripture reading: Acts 13:13-52 “Tis not that I did choose thee, for, Lord this could not be; this heart would still refuse thee, hadst thou not chosen me.” Now that we know the glory and grace of God in Jesus Christ, it seems incredible that we would ever refuse One so gracious and kind. Yet, such is the depravity of the human heart that we would have. The stream of God's grace can be traced back to before the creation of the world. From all eternity the God of our salvation selected from the human race some who would be recipients of eternal life. And it's that eternal choice which leads some to choose to believe in Christ when they hear the gospel of salvation. That explains why the Gentiles in Acts 13:48 embraced the gospel. They were ‘appointed to eternal life’. The elect are chosen by God, but not because they are choice people; they are selected but not because they are select. God chose those He wanted to choose because He loved them. And if you ask why He loved them, the answer is because He did. This truth of unconditional election not only magnifies the glory of God, but it also offers unspeakable comfort to unbelievers and believers. If salvation were based on justice or merit, no unbeliever could have hope that he might be saved. Since salvation depends on God's eternal good pleasure, everyone who knows Christ can know as well that his salvation is secure. God will never stop loving us because God never started loving us since from all eternity God had set his affection upon us. Suggestions for prayer Bless the God and Father of our Lord Jesus that He has chosen us in Christ before the foundation of the world. Pray that God’s sovereign election would make us humble before His majesty and before others. Reverend John van Eyk began his ministry in Cambridge, Ontario as Church Planter and Minister of the Riverside Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church. After 13 years there he served almost 10 years in the Tain/Fearn congregation of the Associated Presbyterian Churches in the Scottish Highlands. John currently serves as Senior Pastor of Trinity Reformed Church (United Reformed) in Lethbridge, Alberta. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

October 26 - Very, very bad

“The LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.”...

Daily devotional

October 25 - Ascension and succession again

“For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine ...

Daily devotional

October 24 - Ascension and succession

“Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be ...

Daily devotional

October 23 - Our God is a consuming fire

“Now therefore, O kings, be wise; be warned, O rulers of the earth. Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling. Kiss the Son, lest he be a...

Daily devotional

October 22 - Living like an atheist

“The LORD is a stronghold for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble. And those who know your name put their trust in you, for you, O LORD, have not forsaken those who seek you.” - Psalm 9:9-10 Scripture reading: 2 Kings 1:1-8 Like father, like son. Like mother, like son. Both adages are true with regard to Ahaziah, Ahab's son and successor. Ahaziah’s significant injury left him quite unwell. Concerned about his future, he sends messengers to inquire of Baal-zebub, the Philistine god of Ekron and to see if he would recover. Everyone who knows the history of Israel sees the folly in this. In the days before the kings reigned, the Philistine gods were helpless before the ark of the God of Israel (1 Sam. 5). The narrator highlights the folly by mockingly changing the name of the god from Baal-zebul (Glorious Baal) to Baal-zebub (Lord of a Fly). What Ahaziah has done is plain silly. It's also plain sinful and this is what Elijah confronts him with. ‘Ahaziah,’ Elijah asserts, ‘you are living as if God does not exist.’ Ahaziah has rejected the God of Israel. That's his sin and that's his folly. God's judgement is that Ahaziah will surely die. Two things I wish to point out for you to ponder. First, who we go to in our troubles is an indication of where our trust is. Why is God often the port of last resort for many troubled Christians? Second, it is a signal kindness of the Lord that intervenes through Elijah to head off Ahaziah’s folly and sin. Ignoring the Lord doesn't make the Lord go away. This isn’t always true; sometimes He leaves us to our sin. But what a mercy when He does arrest us. How will Ahaziah respond to such kindness? How do you? Suggestions for prayer Pray that we would instinctively call on the Lord in times of trouble when we are convicted of sin, concerned about the future, or otherwise in distress. Ask that the Lord would give us sensitivity so that when the Spirit convicts us that we are going the wrong way, we would respond with repentance and gratitude. Reverend John van Eyk began his ministry in Cambridge, Ontario as Church Planter and Minister of the Riverside Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church. After 13 years there he served almost 10 years in the Tain/Fearn congregation of the Associated Presbyterian Churches in the Scottish Highlands. John currently serves as Senior Pastor of Trinity Reformed Church (United Reformed) in Lethbridge, Alberta. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

October 21 - Does the Lord not see?

“But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he was angry. And he prayed to the LORD and said, "O LORD, is not this what I said when I was yet in my country? That is why I made haste to flee to Tarshish; for I knew that you are a gracious God and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, and relenting from disaster.”” - Jonah 4:1-2 Scripture reading: 1 Kings 21:25-29 We concur with God's announcement of judgement against Ahab. He deserves to die. And so we are wholly unprepared for what happens in vv. 27 to 29. Who would have thought that Ahab would show such humility after his arrogant accusation in v. 20? But what is even more surprising is the Lord's response. He relents. He postpones judgement. Is God gullible? Is He taken in by Ahab's repentance? It is clear from the next chapter that, like many unbelievers, Ahab's repentance is like the morning dew that quickly dries up. Many people show remorse for a time before life returns to normal. And yet God shows mercy to Ahab. How could He? We feel this even more intensely because of the description of Ahab in vv. 25 to 26. It certainly shows that the Lord loves to show mercy. Does that bother you about God, the fact that He is merciful? Jonah hated it. The Pharisees did too. The natural man tends to think that mercy comes to the deserving. God here demonstrates that it doesn't. Thank God it doesn't! It certainly is instructive that Paul describes himself in the same way Ahab was described. Paul complains, ‘I am of the flesh, sold under sin’ (Rom. 7:14). No wonder he laments his wretchedness and lauds Christ for His redemption (Rom. 7:24-25). That is the kind of God we have, one Who delights in steadfast love (Micah 7:18). Just listen to the crucified Lord Jesus asking the Father to forgive those who clamoured for His death. Who would have thought? Suggestions for prayer Pray that the Lord would humble us so that we would see and rejoice in the fact that our salvation is ‘mercy all, immense and free’. Pray that we might point all sinners to drink from the same fountain of grace that has refreshed our souls. Reverend John van Eyk began his ministry in Cambridge, Ontario as Church Planter and Minister of the Riverside Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church. After 13 years there he served almost 10 years in the Tain/Fearn congregation of the Associated Presbyterian Churches in the Scottish Highlands. John currently serves as Senior Pastor of Trinity Reformed Church (United Reformed) in Lethbridge, Alberta. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

October 20 - Does the Lord not see?

“This is evidence of the righteous judgment of God, that you may be considered worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you are also suffering- since indeed God considers it just to repay with affliction those who afflict you, and to grant relief to you who are afflicted as well as to us, when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels…” - 2 Thessalonians 1:5-7 Scripture reading: 1 Kings 21:17-24 Surely God must have seen what had happened to Naboth. Why then doesn't He do something about it? Well, He does. He sends his servant Elijah to confront Ahab and announce judgement against him. The vineyard was stolen through Jezebel’s schemes, but Elijah assesses blame to Ahab. Ahab killed a man and seized his property (v. 19). Ahab was wicked and weak. He should have led his household in righteousness and truth. Judgement will fall on Ahab and his descendants because he sold himself to do evil in the sight of the Lord (v. 20). Jezebel will be judged too and become dog food for her sin (Deu. 28:26). Though it might be tempting to pay back evil to those who mistreat us, remember the Lord’s declaration, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord” (Rom. 12:19). The wicked will get what is coming to them. God will bring it about. But what about Naboth? Why didn't God intervene? Good questions. Here are some more. Why was Peter delivered from prison and James killed? Why are Syrian Christians crucified and we have freedom? Why does your friend have cancer while you have health? Good questions. We need to trust the wisdom of God Who makes no mistakes. And we need to be confident in His goodness. Naboth was treated unjustly but God, Who saw that, will also see to it that Naboth gets his reward. “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Matt. 5:10). Suggestions for prayer Remember the persecuted Christians throughout the world as they worship on this Lord’s Day and ask God to encourage them and fortify them to be faithful to the end. Pray that the Lord will teach us to trust His wisdom and goodness in times of difficulty and confusion. Reverend John van Eyk began his ministry in Cambridge, Ontario as Church Planter and Minister of the Riverside Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church. After 13 years there he served almost 10 years in the Tain/Fearn congregation of the Associated Presbyterian Churches in the Scottish Highlands. John currently serves as Senior Pastor of Trinity Reformed Church (United Reformed) in Lethbridge, Alberta. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

October 19 - The righteous sufferer

“So Jesus also suffered outside the gate in order to sanctify the people through his own blood. Therefore let us go to him outside the camp and bear the reproach he endured. For here we have no lasting city, but we seek the city that is to come.” - Hebrews 13:12-14 Scripture reading: 1 Kings 21:1-16 Naboth was a righteous man. He refused Ahab's offer, not because he was churlish, but for righteousness’ sake. He knew the Lord's laws forbade, under most circumstances, the selling of one's land (Lev. 25:23-28). The gift of the land was part and parcel of Israel's redemption. Redemption was not simply escaping from slavery but provision for the future. The promise of God to the fathers was realized only when Israel possessed its inheritance in the land and enjoyed life there with their Redeemer. Naboth treasured God’s blessing and was not going to part with it. Esau did. So did Demas (2 Tim. 4:10). Would you? His determination cost him. He suffered through wicked machinations. Remarkable how similar Naboth's experience was to our Lord’s: Christ was accused of blasphemy against God and king, two false witnesses spoke against him, and he was put to death outside the city. The similarity is not so much because Christ joins us in our suffering as that we join Him in His. But even as Christ received His inheritance following His suffering, so will the saints receive theirs following suffering. Naboth is dead but not forgotten. His name is mentioned seven times after his killing. And after his death his vineyard is still called ‘the vineyard of Naboth’ (v. 18). Nor did he not lose his eternal inheritance. Neither shall we who trust in the righteous Sufferer, Jesus Christ. Our names are engraved on His palms, those palms that were outstretched on Golgotha’s cross for your salvation, a salvation that rescues you from tyranny to bring you into an inheritance. Suggestions for prayer Pray that we would be encouraged to embrace suffering for Christ’s sake by the confidence that we shall share in His glory. Pray for your minister that he may preach Christ and Him crucified and that God’s Word would both comfort and convert for the glory of the Saviour. Reverend John van Eyk began his ministry in Cambridge, Ontario as Church Planter and Minister of the Riverside Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church. After 13 years there he served almost 10 years in the Tain/Fearn congregation of the Associated Presbyterian Churches in the Scottish Highlands. John currently serves as Senior Pastor of Trinity Reformed Church (United Reformed) in Lethbridge, Alberta. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

October 18 - From desire to death

“Let no one say when he is tempted, "I am being tempted by God," for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one. But each person ...

Daily devotional

October 17 - Carrying the cross for Christ

“And he said to them, "Truly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or wife or brothers or parents or children, for the sake of the kingd...

Daily devotional

October 16 - Joyfully serving Christ

“For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self...

Daily devotional

October 15 - The voice of grace and judgement

“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in hea...

Daily devotional

October 14 - Covenant prosecution

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

Daily devotional

October 13 - Discouraged

“Behold, my servant whom I have chosen, my beloved with whom my soul is well pleased. I will put my Spirit upon him, and he will proclaim justice to the Gentiles. He will not quarrel or cry aloud, nor will anyone hear his voice in the streets; a bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not quench, until he brings justice to victory; and in his name the Gentiles will hope.” - Matthew 12:18-21 Scripture reading: 1 Kings 19:1-8 The ESV says in verse 3 that Elijah was afraid. The NKJV translates the same word as ‘saw’ and I think it's correct. It is not that Elijah became unhinged and ran in terror. It's closer to reality to say that Elijah determined from Jezebel's obstinacy that there wasn't much hope for change amongst God's people. Despite the people's confession, Ahab's weakness and Jezebel's opposition led Elijah to conclude that there was no sense continuing his ministry in Israel. In a quest to understand what has happened, Elijah intends to go back to where it all began, to Mount Horeb, where the covenant Lord had first met with His people. We meet up with Elijah in the desert where, exhausted and discouraged, he lies down under a broom tree and asks God to sweep him away. He feels ill-equipped for the ministry of turning the hearts of God's people back to Him. In a sense he's right. A greater Prophet than him or his fathers was needed, one Who could baptize with the Spirit. Elijah is too hard on himself. But God doesn't rebuke him and neither should we. There is something holy about his lament. Paul wept over the Jews (Romans 9:1-3) and Jesus did over Jerusalem (Luke 13:34-35). Don't you think we're too casual about the plight of millions who go to a Christless eternity? The angel ministers to Elijah in his discouragement and provides food for his continued journey to Horeb. Elijah might think he's finished but God has further plans for him just as Jesus did for the Christ-denying Peter. How tender He is to His often discouraged servants. Suggestions for prayer Pray that God would encourage His ministers as they preach the gospel today with evident fruit for their labours. Ask that God would give us a concern for Christ’s honour and the plight of the lost that we might be engaged in evangelisation here and among the nations. Reverend John van Eyk began his ministry in Cambridge, Ontario as Church Planter and Minister of the Riverside Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church. After 13 years there he served almost 10 years in the Tain/Fearn congregation of the Associated Presbyterian Churches in the Scottish Highlands. John currently serves as Senior Pastor of Trinity Reformed Church (United Reformed) in Lethbridge, Alberta. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

October 12 - Effective prayer

“...I, Daniel, perceived in the books the number of years that, according to the word of the Lord to Jeremiah the prophet, must pass before the end of the desolations of Jerusalem, namely, seventy years. Then I turned my face to the Lord God, seeking him by prayer and pleas for mercy with fasting and sackcloth and ashes. Scripture reading: James 5:13-20 What is the secret to effective prayer, prayer that is both heard and answered? The Apostle James tells us that the power of prayer does not lie in the person praying. Elijah prayed for the rain to stop and start and God stopped and started the rain. But notice that although Elijah was a righteous man, he was a man with a nature like ours. The power in prayer is to pray what God promises. Elijah knew that God promised drought if his people abandoned him and rain if they repented (See 1 Kings 8:35-36). Elijah turned the promises into petitions. God uses means to accomplish His ends, including the prayers of His saints. Further, God delights to be asked for the things promised. We see the saints doing this throughout Scripture. For example, Daniel knew that God was going to release Israel from Exile after 70 years. As the time approached, Daniel prays to that end. We know that the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD (Isaiah 11:9), and our Lord Jesus tells us to pray for the coming of God's kingdom. This is the prayer of faith. Pore over the Bible, discover God’s promises, turn them into petitions, and trust that God will be faithful to His Word. As the Heidelberg Catechism reminds us, we must ask God ‘for everything He has commanded us to ask Him’ (Lord’s Day 45, Q&A 117). Suggestions for Prayer: Pray that God would teach us to grasp His promises so that we may pray according to His will. Remembering His promise that His Word shall not return to Him without accomplishing what He intends (Isaiah 55:11), pray that God would bless the reading and preaching of His Word tomorrow in the public gathering of His people. Reverend John van Eyk began his ministry in Cambridge, Ontario as Church Planter and Minister of the Riverside Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church. After 13 years there he served almost 10 years in the Tain/Fearn congregation of the Associated Presbyterian Churches in the Scottish Highlands. John currently serves as Senior Pastor of Trinity Reformed Church (United Reformed) in Lethbridge, Alberta. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

October 11 - Showers of blessing

“The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working. Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on the earth. Then he prayed again, and heaven gave rain, and the earth bore its fruit.” - James 5:16c-18 Scripture reading: 1 Kings 18:41-46 There are more blessings here than simply the rain. For example, Elijah commands Ahab, “Go up, eat and drink.” The contest on Carmel is more than a contest. It is a covenant renewal ceremony. Elijah prepares the altar as a burnt offering. In the Old Testament the burnt offering was followed by a fellowship offering. There is a feast after the fire - wonderfully depicted in the Lord’s Supper. We remember the sacrifice of Christ and then eat His flesh and drink His body. Fellowship restored. Then there is the rain but before it comes down, prayer must go up. Yes, God said He was going to send rain but He still wishes to be asked for His promise to be fulfilled. So with humility (notice Elijah’s posture) and persistence (seven times) Elijah prays on behalf of his people as their mediator even as Christ intercedes for us so the blessings may fall. And the Lord answers. How much we owe to our Mediator’s prayers. Then there is that peculiar detail at the end of the chapter. It must be significant because the hand of the Lord is involved. He gives Elijah energy to lead Ahab on the 17 mile journey back to Jezreel. It appears that for a while anyway, things are as they should be in Israel. There is confession, fellowship, rain, and the Word of the Lord (represented by Elijah) leading the way of the king. The king was never meant to follow his own wisdom. Nor are we. Suggestions for prayer Praise God that He is willing to have fellowship with sinners through the death of our Lord Jesus Christ and thank Him for the Lord’s Supper. Pray that God would make us men and women, boys and girls, who pray for His promised blessings that we may glorify and enjoy Him. Ask Him to teach us His Word so that we would know His promises and live according to His commands. Reverend John van Eyk began his ministry in Cambridge, Ontario as Church Planter and Minister of the Riverside Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church. After 13 years there he served almost 10 years in the Tain/Fearn congregation of the Associated Presbyterian Churches in the Scottish Highlands. John currently serves as Senior Pastor of Trinity Reformed Church (United Reformed) in Lethbridge, Alberta. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

October 10 - The contest

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

Daily devotional

October 9 - Divided hearts

“No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You canno...

Daily devotional

October 8 - The king and his servants

“But it shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be slave of ...

Daily devotional

October 7 - Resurrection life

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through th...

Daily devotional

October 6 - Revive us again

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

Daily devotional

October 5 - Marveling at his grace

“Note then the kindness and the severity of God: severity toward those who have fallen, but God’s kindness to you, provided you continue in his kindness. Otherwise you too will be cut off.” - Romans 11:22 Scripture reading: Luke 4:16-30 As Jesus said, God could have sent Elijah to many widows in Israel. So why to a foreigner? Our multi-tasking God did this for at least two reasons. First, as a judgement on His own people. God’s prophet was unacceptable in his ‘hometown’ and so he was sent to shower grace to a foreigner. He came to his own but his own did not receive him. Second, to showcase His grace. Grace comes to those who don’t seek it. Clearly, the widow wasn’t a believer. She speaks about the Lord, Elisha’s God (1 Kings 17:12). But the Lord sought her. Grace comes to enemies. Zarephath is of Sidon. Wicked Jezebel introduced the worship of the Sidonian god, Baal, in Israel and to that place and those people the Lord sends His servant and His grace. As seen in the incarnation of the Lord Jesus and the Great Commission, God directs His grace to enemy-occupied territory. Grace stops at nothing to save the elect. God used the disobedience of the chosen nation to send His prophet to save this chosen foreigner. The Jews’ rejection means salvation for the Gentiles (Romans 11:11) and the death of His Son is a price God is willing to pay to save His own. Grace comes to those who believe. The widow’s faith is evidenced by her works. She trusted the word of the prophet and ‘did as Elijah said.’ Christ, the final Prophet, invites us to come to Him and faith does precisely that, repenting and receiving the offer of salvation. Suggestions for prayer Pray for the Holy Spirit to open the eyes of your hearts that you may marvel at the glory of His grace and mercy. Pray that your minister may faithfully proclaim God’s Word, reproving, rebuking, and exhorting, with complete patience and teaching and that you would receive Christ as He is offered to you. Reverend John van Eyk began his ministry in Cambridge, Ontario as Church Planter and Minister of the Riverside Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church. After 13 years there he served almost 10 years in the Tain/Fearn congregation of the Associated Presbyterian Churches in the Scottish Highlands. John currently serves as Senior Pastor of Trinity Reformed Church (United Reformed) in Lethbridge, Alberta. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

October 4 - Not by bread alone

“And he humbled you and let you hunger and fed you with manna which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that he might make you know that man does not live by bread alone.” - Deuteronomy 8:3 Scripture reading: 1 Kings 17:7-16 What an encouragement the dried-up brook must have been to Elijah. God was fulfilling His promise of withholding dew and rain! It also meant that God was going to provide for Elijah some other way. He reaches Zarephath and, encountering the widow, he instructs her to bring him some water. As she leaves to comply he asks for a morsel of bread too. This unleashes an outpouring of her pitiable story. She has nothing baked, little flour, little oil, few sticks, and little time left to live. You might think that Elijah might respond with something like, “I’m sorry. Yes, I understand. I’ll ask someone else. Just the water will be fine.” You might even think that would be the kind and sensitive thing to do. But he doesn’t. He intensifies the request. Do what you are going to do “but first make a little cake of it and bring it to me.” Does it need to be said that God’s request should have given her no hesitation? If obedience meant that yesterday’s supper was her last meal she should have given a morsel of bread to the man of God. God doesn’t ask for our leftovers or what we can conveniently part with. He demands our all to be given without hesitation. But notice the Lord’s gentleness. He wins her obedience with a sandwich of assurance. Top slice: ‘Do not fear.’ Bottom slice: ‘The jar of flour shall not be spent, and the jug of oil shall not empty . . .’ And every day thereafter was a reminder of the faithfulness of the Lord and His Word. Suggestions for prayer Ask God to teach us how generous and gracious He is, even in His demands, so that we might trust Him for His daily provision of grace and cheerfully give Him whatever He asks of us. Reverend John van Eyk began his ministry in Cambridge, Ontario as Church Planter and Minister of the Riverside Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church. After 13 years there he served almost 10 years in the Tain/Fearn congregation of the Associated Presbyterian Churches in the Scottish Highlands. John currently serves as Senior Pastor of Trinity Reformed Church (United Reformed) in Lethbridge, Alberta. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

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Search CATEGORY: Daily devotional

Daily devotional

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April 3 - Why?

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April 2 - The psalm of the cross

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April 1 - Introduction to the prophecies of the Messiah

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March 31 - The Father of lights who does not change

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March 30 - We have thought on your steadfast love

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March 28 - Lured and enticed to our death

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March 27 - Be watchful

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March 24 - Temptations make us exercise our faith

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