Daily devotional

April 14 - A humble Peter

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

Daily devotional

April 13 - Futile faith?

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

Daily devotional

April 12 - Risen victorious

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

Daily devotional

April 11 - Darkness is my only friend

“It was now about the sixth hour, and there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour.” - Luke 23:44 Scripture reading: Luke 23:40-56 In the middle of the day, Jesus hangs in darkness. The darkness is a symbol showing that Jesus is bearing the curse of God. Think about what it would be like for the crowd on that day. Three hours of darkness is a long time. Does the crowd know Jesus is bearing the judgment of God? They too experience the darkness, but they were not facing God’s judgment; Jesus was. In the darkness, they would be able to hear the One on Whom God was pouring out His judgment struggling to breathe. There in the darkness, God has placed His own Son on the altar. Abraham did this with Isaac, but Isaac was never put to death because a ram was given to take Isaac’s place. Now the Son of God is placed on the altar, the ultimate substitute, to suffer in our place and He is put to death. Did the crowd remember how He healed their sick and raised the dead? Now Jesus, though innocent, is being put to death. Isaiah 53:10 says, “The Lord makes His life a guilt offering.” The crowd has those three hours to think about this. Let us also quiet our hearts and think about this. This is the sacrifice we need. This is the Lamb slain. See Him, believe in Him for your forgiveness and for your salvation. Here is your only hope to rescue you from the wages of your sin, to rescue you from hell and to open paradise for you. Suggestions for prayer Pray that God will help you to consider today what Christ endured in your place. Praise God for taking the darkness that we may be brought into the everlasting light of His grace. Rev. Simon Lievaart currently serves Bethel United Reformed Church of Smithers BC. Prior to this, he served the United Reformed Church in Doon, IA. Rev. Lievaart grew up in southern Alberta and attended Redeemer University College and Mid-America Reformed Seminary. He married Jodi in 2006 and they have four children. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com.  ...

Daily devotional

April 10 - Forsaken by friends

“But Peter said, “Man, I do not know what you are talking about.” And immediately, while he was still speaking, the rooster crowed.” - Luke 22:60 Scripture reading: Luke 22:54-60 and Luke 23:32-43 First Judas betrayed Jesus and now Peter denies Jesus. Peter was sure he would never do such a thing, but Peter shows us what happens when we rely on ourselves. J.C. Ryle writes, "The best and highest saint is a poor weak creature, even at his best times.” No matter how strong we might feel or godly we might appear, we are often on the edge of falling hard into sin if we do not watch and pray and if the grace of God does not hold us up. Now Christ will face the cross alone. The cross was a symbol of being cursed by God. Jesus would be nailed to the cross and, though innocent, everyone around would mock Him and no one would come to His defence. Isaiah 53 says, We esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But He was pierced for our transgressions. That is the amazing part! Jesus endured rejection by man and God in order to give grace to those who by nature rejected Him. Two criminals hanging near Jesus also mocked Him. Later, one had his eyes opened to see that Jesus had done no wrong. This stranger received grace. See how our rejection does not prevent Christ from bringing salvation? He still is the Lamb Whose blood was shed to take away the sins of the world. Peter would weep over his sin, and as you consider Christ crucified today, weep for your sin, for godly sorrow produces a repentance that leads to salvation (2 Corinthians 7:10). Suggestions for prayer Confess your sin and your need for Christ to suffer and die on the cross. Praise the Lord for willingly being rejected so that we may be forgiven and accepted by God in mercy. Rev. Simon Lievaart currently serves Bethel United Reformed Church of Smithers BC. Prior to this, he served the United Reformed Church in Doon, IA. Rev. Lievaart grew up in southern Alberta and attended Redeemer University College and Mid-America Reformed Seminary. He married Jodi in 2006 and they have four children. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com.  ...

Daily devotional

April 9 - Betrayal with a kiss

“But Jesus said to him, “Judas, would you betray the Son of Man with a kiss?”” - Luke 22:48 Scripture reading: Luke 22:47-53  A kiss was a common greeting among close friends, a sign of sincere love. We wonder how Judas can approach the One Who is true and good and betray Him with a kiss. Unfortunately, this action is nothing new. Isaiah 29:13 speaks of God’s people who draw near to God with their mouth and honour Him with their lips, while their heart is far from Him. If we are honest, we will admit that we too are guilty of this. How often do we come to church, sing songs that speak of adoring God, but yet in our heart we fantasize about something God hates, or we grumble in anger against God’s providence? When our hearts love anything more than Jesus, not only is our worship phoney, but we betray the Lord. Judas betrayed Jesus because he loved himself more. Jesus knew this and therefore warned Judas, asking him, “Would you betray the Son of Man with a kiss?” When in our hearts we don’t love the Lord, but we love other things more, we must hear the warning and repent. Psalm 2 closes with the call to “Kiss the Son… lest you perish in the way.” Yes, kiss the Son. Not with a traitor’s kiss, but with fear and trembling, with a humble heart of earnest love, seeking Christ’s forgiveness and grace. Kiss the Son, remembering that Christ let Himself be defenceless and handed over to death, so that those who confess their sin may find perfect forgiveness in Christ. Suggestions for prayer Pray that the Lord will give you a heart that hates sin and idols, and loves Him above all. Pray that the Lord will help you to love Him with a whole heart. Rev. Simon Lievaart currently serves Bethel United Reformed Church of Smithers BC. Prior to this, he served the United Reformed Church in Doon, IA. Rev. Lievaart grew up in southern Alberta and attended Redeemer University College and Mid-America Reformed Seminary. He married Jodi in 2006 and they have four children. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com.  ...

Daily devotional

April 8 - Prayer and temptation

“And when he came to the place, he said to them, “Pray that you may not enter into temptation.”” - Luke 22:40  Scripture reading: Luke 22:31-46  Yesterday we saw the great blessing and comfort in the fact that Jesus prays for His people. Now Jesus commands His disciples to pray for themselves. This is not just offering a quick prayer, but to be praying. We all need to be praying so we can face the temptations and hardships that lie before us. Even Jesus needed to pray. He went off on His own, where in agony, He laid His prayers before the Father. While Jesus pleads for mercy, the disciples fall asleep. I see myself there. Do you ever have it when you know you need to look to the Lord and lay your needs before Him, but you feel even that is too hard? Or does it happen that you know God has given you a task, but you can only focus on your own desires and you forget about what you are called to do? It is ironic how we think prayer is so hard when what Jesus did is infinitely more difficult. Jesus was going to the cross. Jesus would drink the cup of God’s wrath right down to the dregs. Jesus would suffer and die for the sins of many. And Jesus stayed up all night, praying and trusting, and then would go to the cross. Let this be a wakeup call for us. We are often spiritually asleep and vulnerable. We need to be living in prayer, laying our burdens before God in prayer, and looking to the Lord in trust. Suggestions for prayer Pray that God will teach you and help you to pray. Turn to Psalm 62 and make that your prayer to God. Rev. Simon Lievaart currently serves Bethel United Reformed Church of Smithers BC. Prior to this, he served the United Reformed Church in Doon, IA. Rev. Lievaart grew up in southern Alberta and attended Redeemer University College and Mid-America Reformed Seminary. He married Jodi in 2006 and they have four children. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com.  ...

Daily devotional

April 7 - Prayer and protection

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

Daily devotional

April 6 - Through the thresher

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

Daily devotional

April 5 - Seeking greatness

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

Daily devotional

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

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

Daily devotional

April 3 - A longed-for passover

“And he said to them, “I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. For I tell you I will not eat it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.”” - Luke 22:15–16  Scripture reading: Luke 22:7-23 With everyone sitting down, Jesus explains His eager desire to celebrate Passover with them. As they eat bread dipped in bitter herbs to remind them of the years of bitter slavery, Jesus speaks of a kingdom. He says, “I will not eat it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.” Then Jesus takes the Passover cup, gives thanks to God for what they are given and tells the disciples to divide the wine among themselves. And He says, “I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.” How odd. A cup of celebration and yet Jesus speaks of fasting. Something is coming. Jesus is no longer looking back on the Passover, but He is looking forward to a kingdom! The kingdom He looks forward to will be shown in part when Jesus rises from the dead, declaring victory over sin, death and Satan. They are conquered on the cross. But it is also a kingdom coming, to be here in full when Christ comes again in glory. Then the struggle comes to the final end. Then we will celebrate, Christ will take the bread and wine and feast with the church at the marriage supper of the Lamb. All believers will then drink of the fruit of the vine and eat of the bread in celebration. Where is your hope? Where do you find peace? Do you long for the return of Jesus and the celebration that it will bring? Suggestions for prayer Pray that as you look to what Christ has done, you will also look forward to what Christ will bring. So often we try to build our own kingdoms, so let us live for and pray for the Kingdom that is to come. Rev. Simon Lievaart currently serves Bethel United Reformed Church of Smithers BC. Prior to this, he served the United Reformed Church in Doon, IA. Rev. Lievaart grew up in southern Alberta and attended Redeemer University College and Mid-America Reformed Seminary. He married Jodi in 2006 and they have four children. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com.  ...

Daily devotional

April 2 - Betrayal

“Then Satan entered into Judas called Iscariot, who was of the number of the twelve. He went away and conferred with the chief priests and officers how he might betray him to them.” - Luke 22:3–4  Scripture reading: John 6:60-71 As it was chosen beforehand by God that Christ would come to suffer and die to be the Passover Lamb Who purchases salvation for His people, so it was already ordained that one disciple, Judas, would betray Jesus. We wonder why Jesus would choose Judas to be one of the twelve. Why not choose someone more loyal? But Jesus did not come to find an easy life and the people Jesus came to are not so different than Judas. We see ourselves in Judas: we love ourselves, we love money and our allegiance is easily swayed. Maybe we wonder why Jesus never held Judas at an arms’ length. Judas was treated just like the rest of the disciples, sent to preach and do miracles and entrusted with the money bag. But this Judas would betray the Lord. This betrayal is sad and discouraging, but we do not need to wonder Who is in control. Judas is responsible for his actions, and yet God knew this would happen and will use it to bring the promised Lamb to the altar and to bring salvation to sinners. This is humbling for us, but also encouraging. It is humbling to see that even someone who was so close to Jesus would rather betray Him than believe in Him. We need to pray that God will give us eyes of faith. But this is also encouraging because no foe or betrayal puts a roadblock in front of the work of God. God will bring salvation, and though people turn away, Jesus’ mission will be accomplished and He will be exalted. Suggestions for prayer We will always be surrounded by sin while on this earth. Pray that God will not let us be led away from Him, but that we would grow in faith, believing that nothing can hinder the Lord from working salvation and that sinners like us are saved by God’s grace. Rev. Simon Lievaart currently serves Bethel United Reformed Church of Smithers BC. Prior to this, he served the United Reformed Church in Doon, IA. Rev. Lievaart grew up in southern Alberta and attended Redeemer University College and Mid-America Reformed Seminary. He married Jodi in 2006 and they have four children. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com.  ...

Daily devotional

April 1 - Introduction to God’s great love

Our calendars tell us that Easter is this month. There is much debate on the accuracy of the date and if Christians should participate in Lent and how to celebrate Easter, but we should never take lightly nor forget what occurred and what it means that Jesus let Himself be betrayed, arrested, placed on trial and crucified. And then we need to think about what it means that Jesus rose from the grave and ascended to heaven. The identity of the Christian is found in the death and resurrection of Christ. This month we will spend time looking at and learning from the events leading up to the death of Christ and then we will look at how the ministry of Christ is carried out after His resurrection. We will pay close attention to Peter, who is famous for denying Christ and then later leading the church. As we look at Peter, the point is not to learn from and be like Peter, but to see ourselves in Peter as an example of one who is nothing without the Lord, but who in the Lord is able to live a life to the glory of God and service of His kingdom. I pray that this month you grow in your awareness of your sin and weakness and as you do so, grow in your amazement at the great love of God shown to us in Jesus Christ. As you grow in your grasp of who Christ is and are filled with Christ, I pray that your life will show a more humble faith and more eagerness to live a life to the glory of God. A national holiday “Now the Feast of Unleavened Bread drew near, which is called the Passover. And the chief priests and the scribes were seeking how to put him to death, for they feared the people.” - Luke 22:1–2  Scripture reading: Luke 22:1-6 On April 1st, many families like to play jokes on each other. One April fools morning I hid all of our bowls and then asked the kids to set the table. They were baffled to discover the bowls were nowhere to be found. We might laugh at a joke about breakfast, but one thing that no Israelite would find funny would be a joke about the Passover feast. This was their national holiday and it celebrated the victory and identity God gave them when they were rescued from Egypt so many years ago. In the days of Jesus, the Israelites were once again under foreign oppression. The glory and the freedom of the former kingdom had long since faded. They only held onto hope. But this Passover would be different. On this night, Jesus is the Passover Lamb Who will soon be slain to deliver His people from bondage, to free them from their sin and from the oppression of Satan. At Passover, the Jews celebrated the angel of death passing over them because the blood of the lamb was on their doorposts. They were celebrating salvation. But now Jesus will show them how He has come that whoever believes in Him may have life and salvation. This is still a matter of life and death - not something to joke about, but instead, something we need to ponder and learn about. See what Jesus would do and endure in order to be our Passover Lamb. Suggestions for prayer We are so easily distracted. Pray that God will help you to ponder what Christ has done. Ask God to help you grasp the love of Christ in coming to set His people free. Rev. Simon Lievaart currently serves Bethel United Reformed Church of Smithers BC. Prior to this, he served the United Reformed Church in Doon, IA. Rev. Lievaart grew up in southern Alberta and attended Redeemer University College and Mid-America Reformed Seminary. He married Jodi in 2006 and they have four children. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com.  ...

Daily devotional

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

“So Abraham called the name of that place, “The Lord will provide”; as it is said to this day, “On the mount of the Lord it shall be provided.”” - Genesis 22:14 Scripture reading: 2 Chronicles 3:1 God guarantees Abraham that He will bless the nations through the church when it lives in His presence in the Spirit through faith by being receptive to His voice, open to His provision and available to the leading of the Spirit. This guarantee was not fulfilled in the Old Testament because Abraham’s descendants wanted to be like the nations. Israel failed to be a blessing for the world, but God sent His Son to do what Israel failed to do. With the sacrifice of His life and the sacrifice of His death, the Lord Jesus Christ perfectly reflected the glorious presence of His heavenly Father and lived for the other by being a person where heaven and earth meet. In Him, all the families of the earth are blessed when they are joined to Him by faith because the Holy Spirit enables them to live for the other by becoming people where heaven and earth meet and God’s mission for His glory is worked out in and through them. II Chronicles 3 links the place where Abraham sacrificed a ram instead of Isaac to Mount Zion where later the temple was built. This links the ram that was sacrificed as a substitute for Isaac to the Lord Jesus Christ as our substitute. This gives a deep meaning to the name Abraham gave to this place: the LORD will provide. The ram pointed to Him because in Him God provided the church with the One Who would enable it to succeed in reaching the goal of His creation. Suggestions for prayer Ask your heavenly Father to enable you to daily live in His presence by living in Christ through the Holy Spirit by faith. Rev. Dick Moes is a graduate from the Theological University in Kampen, the Netherlands and the Associated Canadian Theological Schools (ACTS) in Langley, BC, Canada. He and his wife Elsina have five children and 14 grandchildren. He is pastor emeritus of the Surrey Covenant Reformed Church in Surrey, BC. and lives in Langley, BC. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

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

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

Daily devotional

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

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

Daily devotional

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

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

Daily devotional

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

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

Daily devotional

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

“And I will establish my covenant between me and you and your offspring after you throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your offspring after you.” - Genesis 17:7  Scripture reading: Genesis 17:1-8 When God made His two covenants with Noah, He continually spoke about making ‘My covenant’. In doing so, God was drawing attention to the fact that He would take care that His commitment to Noah, his family, and creation and His commitment to His mission for His glory would be fulfilled. Nothing would shake this commitment. With this second covenant with Abram, God does the same. He continually speaks about ‘My covenant’, essentially drawing attention to the fact that because He is God Almighty, He will take care of fulfilling the promises He made to Abram so that he and his descendants can be a blessing for the world. Because God’s covenant with Abram is ‘His covenant’ with him, God repeats His promises to Abram in a more lavish and generous manner than before. Abram would become exceedingly fruitful and be the father of a multitude of nations. Consequently, God changes Abram’s name to bring it in line with this fruitful destiny. No longer would he be called Abram, but Abraham, meaning ‘father of a multitude’. Moreover, kings would come forth from this multitude of nations of which Abraham would be the father. Furthermore, God’s covenant with Abraham would be an everlasting covenant. The heart of this everlasting covenant is that God would be God to them. In other words, there will always be descendants of Abraham who will live in God’s loving presence in the Spirit and be a blessing for the world by being people and places where heaven and earth meet. Suggestions for prayer Thank your heavenly Father that He will fulfill His purpose for you and His church in a new heaven and a new earth. Rev. Dick Moes is a graduate from the Theological University in Kampen, the Netherlands and the Associated Canadian Theological Schools (ACTS) in Langley, BC, Canada. He and his wife Elsina have five children and 14 grandchildren. He is pastor emeritus of the Surrey Covenant Reformed Church in Surrey, BC. and lives in Langley, BC. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

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

“I am God Almighty; walk before me, and be blameless that I may make my covenant between me and you, and may multiply you greatly.” - Genesis 17:1b-2 Scripture reading: Genesis 17:1-8 After making a covenant with Abram in Genesis 15, God makes a new covenant with him in Genesis 17. Yesterday, we read why this was necessary. By being people and places where heaven and earth would meet, Abram and Sarai had to realize the fulfillment of God’s promise of a great nation through which God wanted to deal with the chaos and disorder caused by Adam. They tried to do this through the flesh of the world and the flesh in their own hearts, leading to uncertainty whether God can still use Abram and Sarai for this purpose. Thus, it should not surprise us that when God addresses Abram, He does so as ‘God Almighty’. He says to Abram that He can deal with the problem of their childlessness, making the barren fertile so that he can be a blessing for the world. Moreover, it should not surprise us that God commands Abram to walk before Him. You need to walk in the Spirit and not in the flesh. You need to live in My holy presence and reflect My holy glory. You need to be blameless. You need to be wholehearted in your service of Me. You need to surrender everything to Me and be completely devoted to Me. Only in this way can I use you in My mission for My glory and make all things new in a world where My people and My world will once again dwell in My loving presence and be people and places where heaven and earth meet. Suggestions for prayer Ask your heavenly Father to show you what changes you may need to make in your life so that you are living in His holy presence and reflecting His holy glory. Rev. Dick Moes is a graduate from the Theological University in Kampen, the Netherlands and the Associated Canadian Theological Schools (ACTS) in Langley, BC, Canada. He and his wife Elsina have five children and 14 grandchildren. He is pastor emeritus of the Surrey Covenant Reformed Church in Surrey, BC. and lives in Langley, BC. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

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

“And he went in to Hagar, and she conceived.” - Genesis 16:4a  Scripture reading: Genesis 16:1-16 Last week Wednesday, I wrote that if we want to succeed in being a blessing for the world by being people and places where heaven and earth meet, we need to entrust ourselves to the Lord Jesus Christ, opening ourselves to His entrance into our souls with His Holy Spirit so that He becomes flesh and blood in our lives. For Abram and Sarai to succeed in being a second Adam and Eve who would bless the world and deal with the problem caused by Adam’s sin by being people where heaven and earth meet, they too would have to live in the Spirit and not in the flesh. However, our Scripture reading shows us that both of them intentionally choose to live in the flesh when it concerns the fulfillment of God’s promise to make them into a great nation. Instead of waiting on God to fulfill His promise in His time, they take matters into their own hands and try to fulfill God’s promise their way, by having Abram go into Hagar and father a child with her according to the cultural custom of those days. But this is not how we succeed in being a blessing for the world. If we want to bless the world by being people and places where heaven and earth meet, we need to live in the Spirit and not the flesh of the world or the flesh of our own hearts. All the misery that the birth of Ishmael brought about is clearly proof of this truth. Suggestions for prayer Ask your heavenly Father to show you where the flesh of the world or the flesh of your own heart is hindering you in succeeding to become a blessing for the world by being a person where heaven and earth meet. Rev. Dick Moes is a graduate from the Theological University in Kampen, the Netherlands and the Associated Canadian Theological Schools (ACTS) in Langley, BC, Canada. He and his wife Elsina have five children and 14 grandchildren. He is pastor emeritus of the Surrey Covenant Reformed Church in Surrey, BC. and lives in Langley, BC. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

March 23 - The blood of the covenant

“For this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.” - Matthew 26:28 Scripture reading: Matthew 26:26-29 On Saturday, we saw that God makes a covenant with Abram according to the custom of those days where covenant partners cut animals in half and then walked between these animals, thus guaranteeing their commitment to the covenant they just made or cut. When the Lord Jesus Christ instituted the Lord’s Supper, He picked up on the image of the blood of the animals that were used to cut a covenant (cf. also Exodus 24:8). He told his disciples that when they drink from the cup during the celebration of the Lord’s Supper in remembrance of Him, this cup with wine symbolizes His blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. This shows us that when God swore an oath that if He did not fulfill His promise of giving Abram and his descendants the land of Canaan which foreshadowed the new heaven and new earth, He would cut Himself in half, He meant what He said. For while God did not need to cut Himself in half in order to fulfill his promise of the possession of the land of Canaan, because of our sin, He did need to cut Himself in half in order to fulfill the promise of what this land foreshadowed: the fullness of the eternal kingdom of God. In the death of the Lord Jesus Christ, God cut Himself in half in order to remove the obstacle of sin that hindered us from inheriting the new heaven and new earth. Suggestions for prayer Thank your heavenly Father for the blood of the covenant that removed the obstacle of your sin so you can receive your reward of faith and enter the coming kingdom of heaven. Rev. Dick Moes is a graduate from the Theological University in Kampen, the Netherlands and the Associated Canadian Theological Schools (ACTS) in Langley, BC, Canada. He and his wife Elsina have five children and 14 grandchildren. He is pastor emeritus of the Surrey Covenant Reformed Church in Surrey, BC. and lives in Langley, BC. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

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

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

Daily devotional

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

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

Daily devotional

March 20 - Faith and its reward

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

Daily devotional

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

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

Daily devotional

March 18 - Succeeding in being a blessing for the world

“So then, those who are of faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith.” - Galatians 3:9  Scripture reading: Galatians 3:1-14 Israel failed to be a blessing for the world and to live for the other by being a people and a place where heaven and earth meet, but God sent His own Son into the world to do what Israel failed to do. The Lord Jesus Christ perfectly reflected the glorious presence of His heavenly Father by being a person where heaven and earth beautifully met. He perfectly lived for the other with the sacrifices of His life and His death. In Him, all the families of the earth are blessed when they identify with Him and are joined to Him through faith. When they do, they receive the promised Holy Spirit, Who enables them to live for the other by becoming people where heaven and earth meet, because the Holy Spirit reproduces the life of the Lord Jesus Christ in them like a vine reproduces its life in the branches so that God’s mission for His glory is worked out in and through them. What the Lord Jesus Christ did with the sacrifices of His life and His death, He did for you as your substitute and representative. What He has done for you, He now wants to do in you as you entrust yourself to Him, opening yourself to Him entering into your soul with His Holy Spirit so that He becomes flesh and blood in your life. And you can say with the apostle Paul that it is no longer you who live, but Christ Jesus who lives in you (Galatians 2:20). Suggestions for prayer Thank your heavenly Father for the gift of the Holy Spirit. Ask Him to enable you to live in the Spirit, through faith, so that it is no longer you who live, but Christ Jesus who lives in you. Rev. Dick Moes is a graduate from the Theological University in Kampen, the Netherlands and the Associated Canadian Theological Schools (ACTS) in Langley, BC, Canada. He and his wife Elsina have five children and 14 grandchildren. He is pastor emeritus of the Surrey Covenant Reformed Church in Surrey, BC. and lives in Langley, BC. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

March 17 - Failure to be a blessing for the world

“They went after false idols and became false, and they followed the nations that were around them, concerning whom the Lord had commanded them that they should not do like them.” - 2 Kings 17:15b Scripture reading: 2 Kings 17:6-23 God encouraged Abram to make a complete break with his past, go to the land of Canaan and be a blessing by living for the other, the nations, by promising him that He would make him into a great nation and that the nations around him would identify with him and his God. In fact, in him, all the families of the earth would be blessed. Were these two promises fulfilled in the Old Testament? Well, the promise of becoming a great nation was fulfilled, even though Sarai was barren and Abraham himself was already 75 years old, and it took another 25 years before Isaac was born. However, Jacob had twelve sons and traveled to Egypt with a family of 70. In due time Israel entered Canaan with a few million people under the leadership of Joshua and reached its high point as a great nation during the time of David and Solomon. But what about the promise of an international community? Did the nations bless Israel? Were they on good terms with Israel and did they identify with this nation and their God? Was this promise fulfilled in the Old Testament? No, it was not, because Israel wanted to be just like the nations. They were idolatrous, worshipping and serving the things of this world instead of worshipping and serving God and their neighbour and living for the other by being people and places where heaven and earth meet, reflecting the glorious presence of their God and drawing others into this glorious presence. Suggestions for prayer Ask your heavenly Father to show you whether there is any idolatry in your life that hinders you in living for the other. Rev. Dick Moes is a graduate from the Theological University in Kampen, the Netherlands and the Associated Canadian Theological Schools (ACTS) in Langley, BC, Canada. He and his wife Elsina have five children and 14 grandchildren. He is pastor emeritus of the Surrey Covenant Reformed Church in Surrey, BC. and lives in Langley, BC. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

March 16 - Blessed to be a blessing

“And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing.  I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” - Genesis 12:2-3  Scripture reading: Genesis 12:1-9 God makes a new beginning and calls Abram and Sarai. He is going to use them as a new Adam and Eve and deal with the problem caused by their sin. He is going to use them to subdue the chaos and disorder caused by sin and to invite humanity and creation into His Sabbath rest by reflecting God’s glory through being people and places where heaven and earth meet. In order to do so, He calls Abram to make a complete break with his past, to leave behind everything that is dear to him and to go to the land that He would show him. However, the whole father’s house leaves the city of Ur and travels to the land of Canaan. They settle down in Haran. That’s why Genesis 12:1 can be translated, “God had said to Abram . . . . ” It would seem that God renewed the call that He had made in Ur. He encouraged Abram with the same promises He had made in Ur: the promise of a great nation and of an international community. But the latter promise would depend on a nation’s attitude to Abram. Those who would be on good terms with him and identify with him and his God, God would bless. However, those who would be hostile to him and treat him lightly, God would curse. But God’s overriding concern was that in Abram all the families of the earth would be blessed. God blessed Abram to be a blessing by living for the other, the nations. Suggestions for prayer Ask God to show you how He has blessed you. Then ask Him to use these blessings for the sake of the other. Rev. Dick Moes is a graduate from the Theological University in Kampen, the Netherlands and the Associated Canadian Theological Schools (ACTS) in Langley, BC, Canada. He and his wife Elsina have five children and 14 grandchildren. He is pastor emeritus of the Surrey Covenant Reformed Church in Surrey, BC. and lives in Langley, BC. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

March 15 - Called to be a blessing for the world

“Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father's house to the land that I will show you."” - Genesis 12:1  Scripture reading: Genesis 11:27-32 How are you a blessing to those outside the church as an individual and as a Christian congregation, living for the other by being a person and a place where heaven and earth meet? God had also called Noah and his family to be a blessing for the world by living for the other and by subduing the chaos and disorder in the world by increasingly entering into the fullness of God’s Sabbath rest and urging others to do the same. But the chaos and disorder were not subdued because the intention of the human heart was still evil. And so the chaos and disorder only got worse. However, because God had promised not to destroy humanity and creation with a flood, He confused their language and dispersed them over the face of the earth. So, what does God do? Does He give up? No, He does not! He cannot give up because He is on a mission for His glory to make all things new in a world where His people and His world will once again dwell in His loving presence and be people and places where heaven and earth meet. And He had demonstrated His commitment to advance this goal of His creation with a covenant with Noah and a second covenant with him and all of creation. And so, God makes a new beginning. He calls Abram to be a blessing for the world and to live for the other by becoming a people and place where heaven and earth meet. Suggestions for prayer Ask your heavenly Father to enable you to be a blessing for the world and to live for the other by being a person where heaven and earth meet. Rev. Dick Moes is a graduate from the Theological University in Kampen, the Netherlands and the Associated Canadian Theological Schools (ACTS) in Langley, BC, Canada. He and his wife Elsina have five children and 14 grandchildren. He is pastor emeritus of the Surrey Covenant Reformed Church in Surrey, BC. and lives in Langley, BC. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

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

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

Daily devotional

March 13 - God’s covenant with Noah and creation

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

Daily devotional

March 12 - The recreation of creation

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

Daily devotional

March 11 - The uncreation of creation

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

Daily devotional

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

“But I will establish my covenant with you, and you shall come into the ark, you, your sons, your wife, and your sons' wives with you.” - Genesis 6:18  Scripture reading: Genesis 6:9-21 Covenants between God and His people regulate the relationship He has with them and often deal with a problem that causes uncertainty in the relationship. There are two problems that occasion God’s covenant with Noah. First, there is the problem whether Noah and his family and the animals in the ark will really survive the waters of the flood. In order to deal with this problem and the uncertainty that it causes, God makes a covenant with Noah. Just like a groom pledges his commitment to his bride in a marriage covenant, so God pledges His commitment to Noah in the covenant He makes with him. Noah, his family and the handpicked animals will survive the waters of the flood. Second, there is the problem of God’s goal for His creation. God is on a mission for His glory to make all things new in a world where His people and His world will once again dwell in His loving presence and be people and places where heaven and earth meet. Now that God has decided to destroy humanity and His creation with the waters of the flood, except for Noah, his family and the animals in the ark, will He still be able to achieve the goal of His creation? The answer is Yes! Because God’s covenant with Noah is His covenant with him, God will take care that His commitment to the goal of His creation will be fulfilled. This commitment will be confirmed and established! Suggestions for prayer Thank your heavenly Father that His commitment to a new heaven and new earth, where we will live in the fullness of His loving presence, is firm and sure. Rev. Dick Moes is a graduate from the Theological University in Kampen, the Netherlands and the Associated Canadian Theological Schools (ACTS) in Langley, BC, Canada. He and his wife Elsina have five children and 14 grandchildren. He is pastor emeritus of the Surrey Covenant Reformed Church in Surrey, BC. and lives in Langley, BC. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

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

“But I will establish my covenant with you, and you shall come into the ark, you, your sons, your wife, and your sons' wives with you.” - Genesis 6:18  Scripture reading: Genesis 6:9-21 I’m sure those who are married have not forgotten their marriage vows. Perhaps, as a groom you made a vow like this: “I solemnly declare to take to myself and acknowledge as my wife _______. And I promise that I will, with the gracious help of God, love, honour and maintain her, live with her in the holy bonds of marriage according to God’s ordinance, and never forsake her, so long as we both shall live.”  As the bride, you made a similar vow. Why are vows necessary? Why not solemnize a marriage without vows? Well, vows are necessary because of the fall into sin. Before the fall into sin, there was no need for formally bonded relationships, because there was no uncertainty in the relationship. After the fall into sin, all sorts of uncertainty crept into relationships. And so, because of the fall into sin, we make covenants with each other. We seal these covenants with an oath in the presence of God and each other. God Himself also makes covenants with humanity and His people. Why would it be necessary for God to make covenants with human beings? Well, this is necessary because of the fall into sin. Because of the fall into sin, there often is uncertainty in the relationship between God and us. And so, God finds it necessary to formally guarantee His commitment to us as well as His commitment to His purposes for us and His world. This is also the reason why He makes a covenant with Noah. Suggestions for prayer When you feel uncertainty in your relationship with your heavenly Father, ask Him to take this away by having you focus on His commitment to you, signed and sealed with your baptism, a promise that He will provide you with everything good and protect you from evil or turn it to your benefit. Rev. Dick Moes is a graduate from the Theological University in Kampen, the Netherlands and the Associated Canadian Theological Schools (ACTS) in Langley, BC, Canada. He and his wife Elsina have five children and 14 grandchildren. He is pastor emeritus of the Surrey Covenant Reformed Church in Surrey, BC. and lives in Langley, BC. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

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

“So the Lord said, “I will blot out man whom I have created from the face of the land, man and animals and creeping things and birds of the heavens, for I am sorry that I have made them.”” - Genesis 6:7  Scripture reading: Genesis 6:1-8 Today is Sunday. A day on which we remember that the Lord Jesus Christ successfully dealt with the problem of sin, death and the devil with His death on the cross, and ushered in the new creation which had been the goal of God’s first creation: a creation where we cannot sin, cannot die, where there is no devil, and where we bask directly in the light of the glorious, loving presence of God.  Sunday is also a day on which we are encouraged to bear witness to the new creation that we are in Christ, by resting from our evil ways and letting the Lord work in us through His Spirit. In doing so we begin the eternal Sabbath in this life. Our Scripture reading is also about evil works. Human wickedness was so great during the time of Noah that people thought and imagined evil continually from morning to night. This evil was so bad that God was sorry that He had made the human race and decided He would blot it out from the face of the earth, including the birds in the air and the animals on the ground; with the exception of Noah and his family, for Noah was a righteous man who walked with God and found favour in God’s eyes. In order to keep Noah and his family alive, as well as at least one pair of every sort of animal, God commands Noah to build an ark to house him and his family and the animals. Suggestions for prayer Thank your heavenly Father for this day of rest He gave you. Ask Him to enable you to be open to the work of the Holy Spirit in your life so that you can learn to rest from your evil works and begin in this life the eternal Sabbath. Rev. Dick Moes is a graduate from the Theological University in Kampen, the Netherlands and the Associated Canadian Theological Schools (ACTS) in Langley, BC, Canada. He and his wife Elsina have five children and 14 grandchildren. He is pastor emeritus of the Surrey Covenant Reformed Church in Surrey, BC. and lives in Langley, BC. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

March 7 - Finding rest in the Lord Jesus Christ

“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” - Matthew 11:28  Scripture reading: Hebrews 3:7-19; 4:11 Wednesday, we noticed that God commanded Adam and Eve to enter the fullness of God’s Sabbath rest by extending the borders of the Garden of Eden over the whole earth through having an extended family that would spread the glorious presence of God. Moreover, they were to do this by subduing the earth and having dominion over it. Yesterday, we noticed that Adam and Eve failed in fulfilling this task through their lack of obedience. What happened to Adam and Eve, happened time and again throughout history. For instance, the people of Israel were also called to be people and places where heaven and earth meet, reflecting God’s glorious presence to one another and the nations around them. However, they also failed to fulfil their task. Accordingly, many of the desert generation did not enter into the rest of the Promised Land and those who did enter, did not enter into the fullness of God’s promised rest that this land foreshadowed. The Hebrew Christians were running the risk of making the same mistake. Accordingly, they are urged to strive to enter into the fullness of this rest. They and we do this by coming to Jesus and being yoked or joined to Him through faith. When we do, He will not only reproduce His own Sabbath rest in our lives, enabling us to be people where heaven and earth meet, but He also safely leads us to the fullness of this Sabbath rest on the new earth. Suggestions for prayer Ask your heavenly Father to daily enable you to go to the Lord Jesus Christ through faith and experience the rest He gives. Rev. Dick Moes is a graduate from the Theological University in Kampen, the Netherlands and the Associated Canadian Theological Schools (ACTS) in Langley, BC, Canada. He and his wife Elsina have five children and 14 grandchildren. He is pastor emeritus of the Surrey Covenant Reformed Church in Surrey, BC. and lives in Langley, BC. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

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

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

Daily devotional

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

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

Daily devotional

March 4 - Entering God’s rest

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

Daily devotional

March 3 - God’s glory and God’s rest

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

Daily devotional

March 2 - God created for his glory

“And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and its lamp is the Lamb.” - Revelation 21:23 Scripture reading: Revelation 21:9-22 Why did God create the world? God created for His glory so that human beings and creation would praise Him. However, the glory of God also means His life-giving, light-giving, and loving presence. Thus, God not only created the world so that human beings and creation would praise Him, but also so that human beings and creation would live in His loving presence and reflect this by participating in His life, light and love. However, when we look at the end of Scripture, we see that the end is better than the beginning. The beginning of creation is only the beginning of the life of glory while the new heaven and new earth are the perfection or consummation of the life of glory. In other words, there is room for growth to the perfection and fullness of living in God’s life-giving, light-giving and loving presence. You see this, for instance, in the fact that in the beginning, in the Garden of Eden, there were sun, moon and stars. But in the end, with the new heaven and the new earth, there will be no sun, moon, or stars, for creation and humanity will bask directly in the light of the glory of God and the Lord Jesus Christ. And there is even more. While Adam and Eve could sin and die in the beginning, in the end, God’s new humanity will not be able to sin and die. We will be incorruptible and immortal just like God. Suggestions for prayer Ask your heavenly Father to enable you to live not only so that people will praise Him, but also so that you reflect His life-giving, light-giving and loving presence. Rev. Dick Moes is a graduate from the Theological University in Kampen, the Netherlands and the Associated Canadian Theological Schools (ACTS) in Langley, BC, Canada. He and his wife Elsina have five children and 14 grandchildren. He is pastor emeritus of the Surrey Covenant Reformed Church in Surrey, BC. and lives in Langley, BC. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

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

This month’s meditations will be about God’s mission for His glory. God created the world for His glory, that humanity and creation would reflect His life-giving, light-giving, and loving presence by being people and places where heaven and earth meet. As such, God would be praised by both humanity and creation. Because this changed with the fall into sin, God embarks on a mission to make all things new in a world where His people and His creation would once again abide in His loving presence and be people and places where heaven and earth meet (Genesis 3:15). However, from the end of Scripture, we know that the end is better than the beginning. The beginning of creation is only the beginning of the life of glory, while the new heaven and new earth are the perfection or consummation of the life of glory. In other words, right from the beginning of God’s good creation there was room for growth to reach the perfection and fullness of living in God’s life-giving, light-giving, and loving presence. The biblical covenants made or cut in Scripture are designed with a view to advancing and guaranteeing God’s commitment to His goal for creation and to having His people participate with Him in the achievement of this goal. Covenants regulate an existing relationship. Covenants often deal with a problem that causes uncertainty in this relationship. A new covenant often updates an earlier one to the new situation that the new covenant is facing. Because of space restrictions, these mediations only focus on the biblical covenants mentioned in the book of Genesis. That’s why I have entitled these meditations: God’s Mission for His Glory and His Covenants with Noah, Creation, and Abraham. I look forward to continuing this series some time in the future and deal with God’s mission for His glory and His covenants with Israel, His covenant with David and the promise of a new covenant. But that will have to wait for some other time. I enjoyed writing these meditations. I was edified in doing so. I hope and pray that you will be too. God’s mission for his glory “And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God".” - Revelation 21:3  Scripture reading: Revelation 21:1-8 In the Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve lived in the loving presence of God. As such, they participated in His life, light and love and reflected this to one another and throughout the Garden. This made Adam and Eve people where heaven and earth meet. And it made the Garden of Eden a place where heaven and earth meet. As such, Adam and Eve and the Garden of Eden reflected the glory of God, His life-giving, light-giving and loving presence. With the fall into sin, all of this changed. Because Adam and Eve lived outside the Garden of Eden, they no longer lived in God’s loving presence nor participated in His life, light, and love as they once used to. Moreover, they no longer lived in a place, nor were they people where heaven and earth met, who could give each other and those around them an encounter with God’s presence, His glory. However, God had no intention of leaving things this way. He immediately declared His intent to embark on a mission for His glory. All things would be made new, where His people and His world would once again dwell in His loving presence and be people and places where heaven and earth meet (Genesis 3:15). Throughout Scripture we encounter God on this mission for His glory. At the end of Scripture, we see that God achieves the goal of this mission for His glory. What a beautiful and encouraging mission this is! Suggestions for prayer Ask your heavenly Father to show you how He is on a mission for His glory in your life. Rev. Dick Moes is a graduate from the Theological University in Kampen, the Netherlands and the Associated Canadian Theological Schools (ACTS) in Langley, BC, Canada. He and his wife Elsina have five children and 14 grandchildren. He is pastor emeritus of the Surrey Covenant Reformed Church in Surrey, BC. and lives in Langley, BC. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

February 28 - Wholehearted commitment

“So he departed from there and found Elisha the son of Shaphat, who was plowing with twelve yoke of oxen in front of him, and he was with the twelfth. Elijah passed by him and cast his cloak upon him.” - 1 Kings 19:19  Scripture reading: 1 Kings 19:1-21 | Luke 9:57-62 In retrospect, when Elijah saw Elisha plowing with a yoke of oxen, he cast his cloak upon him.  Elisha knew the symbolism of receiving Elijah's cloak. He realized that Elijah was picking him as his successor. But more than that, Elisha realized that the cloak wasn't being presented to him just by Elijah but by the Lord. That's why Elisha did not offer any excuses. He did not say, “I will follow you after we get the plowing finished.” Or, “I will follow you when the harvest is in.” Instead, verse 20 describes how Elisha left his oxen and ran after Elijah. When he caught up to Elijah he had only one request. He said, “Let me kiss my father and my mother, and then I will follow you.”  By that request, Elisha was not evading the call to serve like those described by Jesus in Luke 9. Rather, Elisha was fulfilling the teaching Jesus would later give to His disciples when He said, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me” (Matthew 16:24). Elisha’s life of commitment reveals the truth that Jesus would later speak, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God” (Luke 9:62). What an example Elisha set! No matter what calling or vocation you have, use your time, energy and talents to serve the Lord. For His glory and the building up of His kingdom! Suggestions for prayer Thank the Lord that He calls each one of us to be a fellow worker with Him and gives all of us a place of service within His kingdom, as every Christian is vital to the body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12:12-26). Rev. Ted Gray grew up in a Christian family but lived a meaningless life of futility apart from the Lord for many years. After professing faith at age 30, and later completing seminary, he has had the privilege of serving Orthodox Presbyterian churches in Oregon and Florida and a Christian Reformed Church in Vermont. For the past 15 years, he has served as pastor of First United Reformed Church in Oak Lawn, Illinois. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

February 27 - Resurrection power

“The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” - 1 Corinthians 15:56-57 Scripture reading: 2 Kings 13:20-21 | 1 Corinthians 15:35-58 Skeptics of the Bible find 2 Kings 13:21 to be another fanciful story. But to those of us who know the resurrection power of Christ, there should be nothing surprising about that verse. The unique experience of the corpse coming to life points us to the certainty of our bodily resurrection and assures us that death holds no victory for those whose faith is in the Lord Jesus Christ. But this unique account also portrays the gift of everlasting life given to everyone who by God’s grace encounters the Man of God, the Lord Jesus Christ, through saving faith in Him alone Elisha was a type – or foreshadow – of Christ. Chapter by chapter we read how he was called the man of God. He was a foreshadow of the true eternal Man of God, the eternal Christ who took on human flesh, Jesus. And we know that spiritual life is given to all who have faith in Christ, just as physical life was given to the dead man thrown into Elisha’s tomb. As Jesus said, “For as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, so also the Son gives life to whom he will” (John 5:21). This passage, along with many others, reminds us that the Lord is the author and giver of life, both spiritual and physical, for which He is to be forever praised! Suggestions for prayer Thank God that even in the valley of the shadow of death we need fear no evil (Psalm 23:4) because death has been swallowed up in victory through the redeeming work of Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 15:54-57). Rev. Ted Gray grew up in a Christian family but lived a meaningless life of futility apart from the Lord for many years. After professing faith at age 30, and later completing seminary, he has had the privilege of serving Orthodox Presbyterian churches in Oregon and Florida and a Christian Reformed Church in Vermont. For the past 15 years, he has served as pastor of First United Reformed Church in Oak Lawn, Illinois. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

February 26 - Lukewarm?

“So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth.” - Revelation 3:16 Scripture reading: 2 Kings 13:14-25 Why did Joash only strike the ground three times? Some commentators believe that he thought the whole scenario was foolish. Some liken it to Naaman’s initial reaction when Elisha’s servant told him to dip himself seven times in the Jordan River. Naaman thought that would be foolish and was angered by the command. Some believe that Joash had a similar reaction to the instructions Elisha gave him. Others point out that it represents a spiritual lukewarmness. Instead of recognizing it as an opportunity to receive God’s blessings, Joash responded apathetically and just “went through the motions.” But it wasn’t just Joash who was apathetic to the commands of the man of God. Many professing Christians treat the commands of Scripture the same way. For example, many professing Christians treat prayer the way Joash responded to Elisha’s command to strike the ground with the arrows. They pray a few times, and that’s enough. The same type of prayer is lamely offered before each meal, and perhaps before turning in for the night, but enthusiastic, fervent prayer isn’t offered because there is that same spiritual lukewarmness. Each one of us must look at the response of Joash to the man of God and ask ourselves how fervent we are in our response to the Man of God whom Elisha foreshadowed. How fervent and responsive are we to Him, in our prayer life, and in all the other aspects of our day to day living? By God’s grace, may our response be fervent, faithful obedience always! Suggestions for prayer Ask forgiveness for lukewarmness and pray for an ever-increasing hunger and thirst after righteousness. Rev. Ted Gray grew up in a Christian family but lived a meaningless life of futility apart from the Lord for many years. After professing faith at age 30, and later completing seminary, he has had the privilege of serving Orthodox Presbyterian churches in Oregon and Florida and a Christian Reformed Church in Vermont. For the past 15 years, he has served as pastor of First United Reformed Church in Oak Lawn, Illinois. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

February 25 - Warning of God fulfilled

“Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.” - John 3:36 Scripture reading: 2 Kings 9:1-37 Have you ever had people ask, “How can you know that the Bible is true?” One way to know the truth of the Bible is to look at how the prophecies given in the Bible are fulfilled. It doesn’t matter whether they are prophecies concerning judgment or prophecies regarding deliverance and salvation; we see time and again where the prophecies that have been made are fulfilled, right down to the minutest detail. In this passage, we see judgment in the deaths of three people, and each death is a fulfillment of prophecy. It wasn’t by chance that Joram, who was a son of Ahab and Jezebel, met Jehu at the plot of ground that belonged to Naboth. Rather, it led to the fulfillment of the prophecy of God’s judgment on the lineage of Ahab (vs.21-26; 1 Kings 21:21). Ahaziah’s death was also a fulfillment of prophecy, as recorded in 2 Chronicles 22:7. And the same was true for wicked Queen Jezebel. Elijah had prophesied, in 1 Kings 21:23, that at Jezreel, dogs would devour Jezebel’s flesh. In these deadly judgments, we are reminded, not only of the truth of the Bible but also that God is not mocked; one reaps what is sown (Galatians 6:7-8). And, further, through this passage, we are assured that God’s Word is always fulfilled, both in warnings of judgment (2 Kings 10:10) and in promises of salvation (John 1:11-13). May you and I take both the warnings and the promises to heart, knowing that both are administered righteously by Christ. Suggestions for prayer Thank God that He is a righteous judge who will hold the unrepentant accountable for their actions (2 Thessalonians 1:5-11). And thank Him that He is the faithful Savior of every sinner who repents and turns in saving faith to Him. Rev. Ted Gray grew up in a Christian family but lived a meaningless life of futility apart from the Lord for many years. After professing faith at age 30, and later completing seminary, he has had the privilege of serving Orthodox Presbyterian churches in Oregon and Florida and a Christian Reformed Church in Vermont. For the past 15 years, he has served as pastor of First United Reformed Church in Oak Lawn, Illinois. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

February 24 - History as his story

“The Lord brings the counsel of the nations to nothing; he frustrates the plans of the peoples. The counsel of the Lord stands forever, the plans of his heart to all generations.” - Psalm 33:10-11 Scripture Reading: 2 Kings 8:16-29 For the secular person, studying history can be so disappointing and discouraging. History is filled with heart-wrenching events. We see the inhumanity of man over and over in the rise and fall of nations, in the waves of crime that sweep through every culture, and in the greed and self-centeredness that marks humanity. To look at history without recognizing that it is the account of God redeeming His people from the curse of sin is a thoroughly frustrating experience. The secular historian can only conclude that history is a tragic circle that keeps repeating itself over and over. But in this passage, and the passages that follow, God is at work. God allowed the cruelty of Hazael to bring judgment on rebellious Israel. In turn, God will bring about the demise of Hazael and the Syrians. His counsel stands forever; all nations, all political leaders and all the events of the world are in His hands. When we understand that, then even the great tragedies of history which break our heart are yet understandable. We realize that it is not because God is uncaring or inept that tragedy comes into the human experience, but rather the evil one is in constant conflict against God and His people. But God brings good out of tragedy for His people, and in the rise and fall of nations, He yet works for the good of His eternal kingdom, as all events will culminate in the glorious return of Jesus Christ. Suggestions for Prayer Thank God, with sincerity, that He works all things for our good, even deeply disturbing tragedies that we don’t understand. Rev. Ted Gray grew up in a Christian family but lived a meaningless life of futility apart from the Lord for many years. After professing faith at age 30, and later completing seminary, he has had the privilege of serving Orthodox Presbyterian churches in Oregon and Florida and a Christian Reformed Church in Vermont. For the past 15 years, he has served as pastor of First United Reformed Church in Oak Lawn, Illinois. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

February 23 - The deadly power of sin’s enticement

“Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness?” - Romans 6:16  Scripture reading: 2 Kings 8:7-15  This tragic passage teaches us that sin, which initially shocks, becomes less shocking if it is mulled over in our mind and heart. Initially, Hazael questioned how he could be as cruel as Elisha described him. But after mulling it over in his mind, for just a day, he decided murdering Ben Hadad was well worth receiving the kingship. But it isn’t just a heinous murder such as Hazael committed which becomes less shocking if we mull it over in our mind. Every type of sin imaginable becomes less shocking the longer we think about it. It was Thomas a’ Kempis who pointed out, “First there comes to mind the bare thought of evil, then a strong imagination thereof, afterward, delight and evil motion, and then consent.”  That is why it is so crucial to flee from sin and to focus in faith on Christ. If we don’t flee from sin, we will be captivated by it. James brings that out clearly: When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; but each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death (James 1:13-15). Scripture warns us that we are either a slave to sin or a slave to Christ (Romans 6:16). By God’s grace may you and I have Christ as our Master, our Savior and Lord, as we flee from sin! Suggestions for prayer Pray for the fruit of the Spirit, including self-control (Galatians 5:22-23), asking God to help you focus on Him and not the temptations that are put before each one of us. Rev. Ted Gray grew up in a Christian family but lived a meaningless life of futility apart from the Lord for many years. After professing faith at age 30, and later completing seminary, he has had the privilege of serving Orthodox Presbyterian churches in Oregon and Florida and a Christian Reformed Church in Vermont. For the past 15 years, he has served as pastor of First United Reformed Church in Oak Lawn, Illinois. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

February 22 - God’s perfect timing

“… Just as Gehazi was telling the king how Elisha had restored the dead to life, the woman whose son Elisha had brought back to life came to appeal to the king for her house and land.” - 2 Kings 8:5 Scripture reading: 2 Kings 8:1-6   God’s timing is truly remarkable! In the case of the Shunammite woman, God provided for her through the perfect timing of His providence. When she went to the king to ask for her property back, Gehazi “just happened” to be telling the king how Elisha had restored the woman’s son to life. That is remarkable timing! But it should not be surprising to anyone who knows the God revealed in Scripture. When did the band of Ishmaelites travel by a remote pit on their way to Egypt? It was just after Joseph’s brothers had put him in that pit to die. And when did Haman fall on the couch begging Queen Esther to spare his life? It was when King Ahasuerus walked back into the room and, filled with anger, decreed Haman’s death. And when did the Lord Jesus Christ offer Himself as the Passover Lamb, whose blood alone is sufficient to cover your sins and mine? It was at the time of the Passover when the full significance of His sacrifice would be realized by many gathered in Jerusalem for the Passover feast. The Lord created time; it is His servant to accomplish His purposes. Because of that, whatever events come into your life and mine, even the sad, sorrowful ones, are in God’s hands which should give us great encouragement, as we pray the prayer of the Psalmist, “My times are in your hand; rescue me from the hand of my enemies and from my persecutors!”  (Psalm 31:15). Suggestions for prayer Thank God that our times are in His hands and that He controls the time and season for everything (Ecclesiastes 3:1-8). Especially thank Him that when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons (Galatians 4:4-5). Rev. Ted Gray grew up in a Christian family but lived a meaningless life of futility apart from the Lord for many years. After professing faith at age 30, and later completing seminary, he has had the privilege of serving Orthodox Presbyterian churches in Oregon and Florida and a Christian Reformed Church in Vermont. For the past 15 years, he has served as pastor of First United Reformed Church in Oak Lawn, Illinois. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

February 21 - So close, yet so far

“There will be weeping there, and gnashing of teeth, when you see Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, but you yourselves thrown out.” - Luke 13:28 Scripture reading: 2 Kings 7:3-20; Luke 13:22-30 The remarkable passage in 2 Kings reminds us that for the sake of Christ, God provided food for His people (v.16), just as He does today, in lean times and times of plenty (Matthew 6:25-34). But it also teaches us that we are not to savour the feast without telling others the good news of the gospel. The lepers feasted on the food left behind by the Syrian army. But they realized what they were doing was not right. In verse 9 they said, “What we are doing is not right. This is a day of good news and we are keeping it to ourselves.”  But do you realize that a lot of Christians today do the same thing as those lepers did? Is it possible that in your life, you have done that? I know that in my life, unfortunately, many times I have feasted on the gospel without telling others the good news. The passage is also a graphic warning, reminding us that the punishment of unbelief includes the torment of seeing the blessing, but not partaking of it. Elisha had told the captain, “You shall see it with your own eyes, but you shall not eat of it.” The captain was so close to abundant blessings, and yet so far. But he is not alone. All those who reject the Word of God and harden themselves in unbelief will come under the Lord’s judgment. And part of that judgment will include seeing the blessing and glory of salvation for others, but not tasting it themselves (Matthew 25:31-46; Luke 13:28). Suggestions for prayer If you have entered the narrow door of salvation (Luke 13:24), thank God for His grace. If you are unsure, pray that God will enable you to strive to enter the door of salvation by faith in Christ alone. Rev. Ted Gray grew up in a Christian family but lived a meaningless life of futility apart from the Lord for many years. After professing faith at age 30, and later completing seminary, he has had the privilege of serving Orthodox Presbyterian churches in Oregon and Florida and a Christian Reformed Church in Vermont. For the past 15 years, he has served as pastor of First United Reformed Church in Oak Lawn, Illinois. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

February 20 - The floodgates of heaven

“But he said, “What is impossible with man is possible with God.”” - Luke 18:27 Scripture reading: 2 Kings 6:32-7:2 We should not be surprised by the unbelief of the king’s officer who exclaimed, “If the Lord himself should make windows in heaven, could this thing be?” In his response, we see the natural response of humanity to God. Unbelief in the human heart is so strong that Jesus taught, “If they do not hear Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead” (Luke 16:31). It is only by God’s grace that any of us believe in Him. If God, in immeasurable grace, did not transform your heart and my heart by the regenerating power of His Holy Spirit, we would be just as unbelieving as the servant who expressed his great doubt to Elisha. In contrast to a heart of faith is a heart of unbelief. Consider King Jehoram. When he heard that the woman had eaten her son, he immediately blamed the Lord and Elisha (vs.31, 33), even though the Lord had warned the people that such a horrific disaster would come upon them if they rejected Him and His Word (Leviticus 26:27-29; Deuteronomy 28:15, 53-57). The view of Jehoram, that God is to be blamed for our hardships, is hardly a unique view. Proverbs 19:3 serves as an incisive commentary on the wicked blaming the Lord as it declares, When a man’s folly brings his way to ruin, his heart rages against the LORD. May your heart and mine be focused in faith on Jesus Christ, not doubting His power to save, but always rejoicing in Him! Suggestions for prayer Thank God that all things are possible for Him, even our salvation from sin and the gift of everlasting life through saving faith in Jesus Christ. Rev. Ted Gray grew up in a Christian family but lived a meaningless life of futility apart from the Lord for many years. After professing faith at age 30, and later completing seminary, he has had the privilege of serving Orthodox Presbyterian churches in Oregon and Florida and a Christian Reformed Church in Vermont. For the past 15 years, he has served as pastor of First United Reformed Church in Oak Lawn, Illinois. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

February 19 - Worldly sorrow and true repentance

“I confess my iniquity; I am sorry for my sin.” - Psalm 38:18 Scripture reading: 2 Kings 6:24-33 King Jehoram surprised the people by wearing sackcloth beneath his royal robe. Wearing sackcloth was highly significant; it denoted great sorrow and implied repentance for sin. However, an outward expression of repentance means nothing if it isn’t sincere. Immediately after revealing that he was clothed in sackcloth, Jehoram described how he planned to kill Elisha that very day (v.31) and blamed God’s servant for the disaster (v.33). Perhaps you have known people who are quick to apologize, but then they go back to doing the same thing that they apologized for. A genuine apology and true repentance require a change in conduct. In fact, that is the meaning of the word repentance. It means to turn. To repent is not just to say to the Lord, “I’m sorry for my sin,” but it involves turning from that sin. All of our life involves repentance, but unfortunately, because of the sinful nature within us, we never completely turn from sin. Instead, until the day we die, we struggle with sin and temptation. In the life of every true believer, repentance from the heart is so crucial, for godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death (2 Corinthians 7:10). King Jehoram, like so many others, including Judas Iscariot, had a worldly sorrow. But by God’s grace may you and I have true repentance that leads to salvation, as our sins are covered by the precious blood of Jesus. Suggestions for prayer Pray the prayer of David, “Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin!” (Psalm 51:1-2). Rev. Ted Gray grew up in a Christian family but lived a meaningless life of futility apart from the Lord for many years. After professing faith at age 30, and later completing seminary, he has had the privilege of serving Orthodox Presbyterian churches in Oregon and Florida and a Christian Reformed Church in Vermont. For the past 15 years, he has served as pastor of First United Reformed Church in Oak Lawn, Illinois. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

February 18 - God’s angelic army

“Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” - Isaiah 41:10 Scripture reading: 2 Kings 6:8-23 If you were Elisha’s servant, looking out at the forces of Syria surrounding you, how afraid would you be?  From the servant’s point of view, he and Elisha were doomed. The Syrians had surrounded them; there was no way of escape. By contrast, Elisha was as calm as could be. When his servant exclaimed, “What shall we do?” Elisha replied, “Don’t be afraid. Those who are with us are more than those who are with them” (v.16). Elisha had no doubt that God’s angelic force was there. He understood that God’s army is far greater and more powerful than any human army. He understood the truth that is written in Psalm 91:9-11: Because you have made the Lord your dwelling place—the Most High, who is my refuge—no evil shall be allowed to befall you, no plague come near your tent. For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways. Elisha exemplified the truth of Psalm 20:7: Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God and he exemplified the truth of 1 John 4:4, He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. With that knowledge, would you be afraid? We may not face the force of the Syrian army, but we face the attack of the evil one and his followers. But the same God who protected Elisha and his servant says to us, “Fear not!” and promises to be with us, even to the end of the age! Suggestions for prayer Thank the Lord that He has power over the forces of evil in a fallen world and thank Him for the promise of His Son, “I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of my hand” (John 10:28). Rev. Ted Gray grew up in a Christian family but lived a meaningless life of futility apart from the Lord for many years. After professing faith at age 30, and later completing seminary, he has had the privilege of serving Orthodox Presbyterian churches in Oregon and Florida and a Christian Reformed Church in Vermont. For the past 15 years, he has served as pastor of First United Reformed Church in Oak Lawn, Illinois. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

February 17 - He cares for you!

“Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.” - Matthew 6:34 Scripture reading: 2 Kings 6:1-7 Sometimes we think that God would only care about the big anxieties in our lives, a diagnosis of cancer, the death of a loved one, or the loss of a job. But this passage reminds us that God cares about every aspect of our lives, even the borrowed axe head that is lost. I knew someone who bought a new vehicle only to discover that the seat hurt her back so much that she could not drive it for any length of time. She had an air bladder installed to give the seat lumbar support, and she asked me, “Is it wrong to pray that this would make the seat more comfortable?” It was another way of asking, “Should I only approach the Lord in prayer with the ‘big issues of life’? Or can I go to the Lord and call upon His name for help and consolation in the ‘little things’ of life?” And the answer is that we are to go to the Lord in prayer over the little things as well as the big.  As David wrote in Psalm 55:22: Cast your burden on the LORD, and he will sustain you; he will never permit the righteous to be moved. And how does Peter use that verse in 1 Peter 5:7?  He writes: Cast all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. Whatever cares and anxieties you have, bring them to the Lord in prayer. Since He redeemed us by the precious blood of His Son, He cares about every aspect of your life and mine! Suggestions for prayer Use Philippians 4:6-7 as your prayer guide: Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.  And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Rev. Ted Gray grew up in a Christian family but lived a meaningless life of futility apart from the Lord for many years. After professing faith at age 30, and later completing seminary, he has had the privilege of serving Orthodox Presbyterian churches in Oregon and Florida and a Christian Reformed Church in Vermont. For the past 15 years, he has served as pastor of First United Reformed Church in Oak Lawn, Illinois. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

February 16 - God is not mocked

“He makes a pit, digging it out, and falls into the hole that he has made.” - Psalm 7:15 Scripture reading: Judges 1:1-7 Reflecting on Naaman’s leprosy (2 Kings 5:27) we see that God often uses the sin that people commit to return against them as judgment. Consider that Haman was hanged on the gallows he had made for Mordecai (Esther 7:8-10). Or consider the lesser known, but equally equitable example, of Adoni-bezek, one of the Canaanite kings. Whenever he would capture another king he would cut off their thumbs and their big toes.  By removing their big toes he hampered their mobility. And by severing their thumbs he made it virtually impossible for them to grip a sword in retaliation. It was also an act of great humiliation for the seventy kings Adoni-bezek had captured. But then his day came; he was captured. His big toes and his thumbs were cut off, and he acknowledged the justice of the punishment. He said, “Seventy kings with their thumbs and their big toes cut off used to pick up scraps under my table. As I have done, so God has repaid me” (v.7).   His life is one of many biblical examples teaching us the truth of Galatians 6:7-8: Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. May we, by God’s grace and enabling Spirit, always strive to live according to His Word, reaping eternal life through faith in Christ alone. Suggestions for prayer Thank God that He is a righteous judge who will repay the unrepentant wicked, and thank Him that He credits the righteousness of Christ to all who believe in Him. Rev. Ted Gray grew up in a Christian family but lived a meaningless life of futility apart from the Lord for many years. After professing faith at age 30, and later completing seminary, he has had the privilege of serving Orthodox Presbyterian churches in Oregon and Florida and a Christian Reformed Church in Vermont. For the past 15 years, he has served as pastor of First United Reformed Church in Oak Lawn, Illinois. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

February 15 - God knows your heart

“So he went out from his presence a leper, like snow.” - 2 Kings 5:27b Scripture reading: 1 John 1:5-10 As we see Gehazi’s leaving Elisha’s presence, leprous, as white as snow, the question could be asked, “Did he ever repent?” Every sin conceived in the heart, pondered in the mind, put into action by the will – every sin, even premeditated, willful sins can be forgiven by grace through faith in Jesus Christ. Whoever believes in Jesus Christ with saving faith, no matter what is in their past, becomes white as snow, not with leprosy but with the purity of the imputed righteousness of Christ. Old Testament believers were saved by grace through faith in the coming Messiah, just as you and I are saved by grace through faith in the Messiah – the eternal Christ, who came in human flesh to save His people from their sins. I ask the question whether Gehazi may have been saved because we will read about him again in 2 Kings 8 (though some question whether that passage is in chronological order). We will find him speaking to the king of Israel about all the great deeds that God had done through His servant Elisha. Had Gehazi learned from God’s judgment upon him? Had his heart been cut to the core? Had he repented with true godly sorrow? (2 Corinthians 7:10).  Had he put his faith in the Messiah yet to be revealed? We don’t know, and we don’t need to know. God knows and God will, on the last day, pronounce the right verdict, not only for Gehazi but also for you and for me. Suggestions for prayer Thank God for the truth of His Word that if we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9). And then confess your sins to Him, with full assurance of pardon and salvation! Rev. Ted Gray grew up in a Christian family but lived a meaningless life of futility apart from the Lord for many years. After professing faith at age 30, and later completing seminary, he has had the privilege of serving Orthodox Presbyterian churches in Oregon and Florida and a Christian Reformed Church in Vermont. For the past 15 years, he has served as pastor of First United Reformed Church in Oak Lawn, Illinois. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

February 14 - God’s judgment

“For God will bring every deed into judgment, with every secret thing, whether good or evil.” - Ecclesiastes 12:14 Scripture reading: 2 Kings 5:15-27 The tenth commandment, prohibiting covetousness, is often broken before any others. Gehazi’s coveting led to a series of lies, which included an elaborate story. In order to lie so convincingly, as Gehazi did to Naaman, leads us to believe that Gehazi had lied many times before. We are surprised and shocked when we hear of a professing Christian who is caught in a heinous public sin. But with further reflection, we often realize that whatever public sin was committed and discovered had probably been going on for some time in secret. But what is a secret to us is an open book before the Lord. Gehazi discovered the truth of Hebrews 4:13 long before it was written: And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account. Gehazi wanted what Naaman had, and he received it. He got some silver and nice clothes, but he also received Naaman’s leprosy, leprosy that would affect his children and grandchildren for generations to come (v.27). There is only one way to escape the just punishment of God on sin. It is to trust with saving faith in Jesus Christ, for “there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12). Suggestions for prayer Thank God that for our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God (2 Corinthians 5:21). Rev. Ted Gray grew up in a Christian family but lived a meaningless life of futility apart from the Lord for many years. After professing faith at age 30, and later completing seminary, he has had the privilege of serving Orthodox Presbyterian churches in Oregon and Florida and a Christian Reformed Church in Vermont. For the past 15 years, he has served as pastor of First United Reformed Church in Oak Lawn, Illinois. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

February 13 - A gift that cannot be bought

“Knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot.” - 1 Peter 1:18 Scripture reading: 2 Kings 5:8-14 Naaman discovered that salvation is a gift of God’s grace that cannot be bought. He could not buy his cure with gold or silver, not even with ten extremely valuable suits. Naaman, to his initial dismay, also found that he could not be cured of leprosy by influence, not even with a letter from the king. Yet there are many people today who try to buy their salvation with deeds of self-righteousness, not realizing that we have all become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment (Isaiah 64:6a). Many others try to be cured of their sin by influence. “I have been a lifelong member of the church,” they might say. Or, “Because of my baptism, I know that God will receive me.” But the sacraments, precious as they are to those of us who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, can never save us. The only way to be cleansed from sin, which is represented by Naaman’s leprosy, is to be cleansed by the precious blood of Jesus which is portrayed by the cleansing that Naaman received as he washed himself seven times in the Jordan River. When we come to Christ in saving faith we are cleansed from something far worse than leprosy; we are cleansed from sin and granted eternal life, which is why we are to live to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved (Ephesians 1:6)! Suggestions for prayer Thank the Lord that the day prophesied by Zechariah was fulfilled at Calvary by Jesus Christ: On that day there shall be a fountain opened for the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, to cleanse them from sin and uncleanness (Zechariah 13:1).   Rev. Ted Gray grew up in a Christian family but lived a meaningless life of futility apart from the Lord for many years. After professing faith at age 30, and later completing seminary, he has had the privilege of serving Orthodox Presbyterian churches in Oregon and Florida and a Christian Reformed Church in Vermont. For the past 15 years, he has served as pastor of First United Reformed Church in Oak Lawn, Illinois. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

February 12 - A terminal condition

“…He was a mighty man of valor, but he was a leper.” - 2 Kings 5:1 Scripture reading: 2 Kings 5:1-10 Naaman would be one of those people who would be hard to buy a present for. I’m sure you have encountered that. Maybe you have a friend or family member who seems to have everything.  At Christmas or their birthday, what can you possibly buy for them? Naaman was like that. He had everything that those in the world value; he had a great job as the commander of the Syrian army and he had prestige, success and wealth.  Yet, even though Naaman had all these blessings, there was not a single person in Syria who would trade places with him, for, as verse 1 points out, He was a mighty man of valor, but he was a leper. His leprosy was no minor rash. It was a serious skin disease. There was no human cure. He needed the cleansing that only God can provide. And in that way, Naaman was just like you and just like me. His leprosy was like our sin. The wages of sin is death, the Bible warns, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 6:23).  We need the cleansing that only Jesus can provide. Naaman sought out Elisha, the man of God. Have you and I, by God’s grace and Holy Spirit’s power, sought out Jesus, the Man who is true God, yet truly human, sent to save His people from their sins through faith in His cleansing blood? If so, what gratitude we should have! Suggestions for prayer Thank the Lord for all His blessings, especially for the cleansing from sin that comes through saving faith in Jesus Christ. Rev. Ted Gray grew up in a Christian family but lived a meaningless life of futility apart from the Lord for many years. After professing faith at age 30, and later completing seminary, he has had the privilege of serving Orthodox Presbyterian churches in Oregon and Florida and a Christian Reformed Church in Vermont. For the past 15 years, he has served as pastor of First United Reformed Church in Oak Lawn, Illinois. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

February 11 - A childlike faith

“Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.” - Mark 10:15  Scripture reading: 2 Kings 5:1-5a; Mark 10:13-16 Naaman had the death sentence of leprosy on his life until, by God’s gracious providence, a young girl witnessed to him. Although this girl was young, she had experienced excruciating trial. Verse 2 explains, Now the Syrians on one of their raids had carried off a little girl from the land of Israel, and she worked in the service of Naaman’s wife. It was a terrifying experience to be taken captive. Yet, like Joseph in Egypt and Daniel in Babylon, she continued to live out her faith in the Lord. And because she did, she had the respect of Naaman and his wife. They listened when she said to her mistress in verse 3, “Would that my lord were with the prophet who is in Samaria! He would cure him of his leprosy.” Although she had been taken captive in war, she had steadfast faith and trust in God. She had faith that God would work through Elisha to bring healing for Naaman. Despite her circumstances, she focused in joyful faith on the Lord and witnessed to others about Him. Jesus taught that whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it. In the trials of your life and mine, do you and I remain steadfast in faith, trusting in God’s mysterious providence? And through our trials and our joys, do we witness to the cleansing power of our Lord so that others may know Him? By God’s grace, may you and I follow the example of the young girl and always have a childlike faith! Suggestions for prayer Ask the Lord to give you the same trust in His Fatherly care that a young child has in a godly earthly father, praying the words of Mark 9:24, “I believe; help my unbelief!” Rev. Ted Gray grew up in a Christian family but lived a meaningless life of futility apart from the Lord for many years. After professing faith at age 30, and later completing seminary, he has had the privilege of serving Orthodox Presbyterian churches in Oregon and Florida and a Christian Reformed Church in Vermont. For the past 15 years, he has served as pastor of First United Reformed Church in Oak Lawn, Illinois. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

February 10 - The bread of life in Gilgal

“Jesus then said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but my Father gives you the true bread from heaven.”” - John 6:32  Scripture reading: 2 Kings 4:38-44; John 6:22-51 As the Lord sustained Elisha and the prophets through a severe famine, we see that He uses whatever means He wills to accomplish His purposes, even a little bit of flour and twenty small loaves of bread.  But that should not surprise us because it points to the biblical truth that God will always provide daily bread for His people (Matthew 6:11, 25-34). It also foreshadows the truth that Jesus is the Living Bread who cleanses and sustains all who look to Him in saving faith. All the Old Testament writers looked forward to Christ. Every cleansing is a foreshadow of the cleansing that Christ brings. Even the cleansing of the stew foreshadows the cleansing, the purification, that God brings to rancid sinners. The bread brought by the man from Baal-shalishah is pointing ahead to Him who is the Bread of Life, our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. In John 6:51 Jesus declared, “I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. And the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh” (the flesh being a reference to His body being pierced and crucified at Calvary). It is by grace through faith in Christ alone that we are sustained in this life and raised up in perfection, body and soul, on the last day.  If you truly believe that, then live to the praise of God’s glorious grace, today and always! Suggestions for prayer Thank the Lord for His cleansing power and thank Him for His Son Who is the Living Bread Who sustains us throughout the pilgrimage of this life and throughout eternity. Rev. Ted Gray grew up in a Christian family but lived a meaningless life of futility apart from the Lord for many years. After professing faith at age 30, and later completing seminary, he has had the privilege of serving Orthodox Presbyterian churches in Oregon and Florida and a Christian Reformed Church in Vermont. For the past 15 years, he has served as pastor of First United Reformed Church in Oak Lawn, Illinois. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

February 9 - Life from above

“And you were dead in the trespasses and sins …But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—” - Ephesians 2:1, 4-5  Scripture reading 2 Kings 4:32-37; Ezekiel 37:1-14 We see the power of faith and prayer in this passage, but above all, the passage teaches us the power of God to impart life for both body and soul. The resurrection of the boy is a shadow of the resurrection of Jesus and all who have faith in Him. It also portrays the spiritual life that God graciously imparts to all who have faith in Jesus, for we were dead in our sins and trespasses (Ephesians 2:1-5). Elisha’s act of breathing into the boy’s mouth portrays the breath of the Holy Spirit who breathes the breath of everlasting life into those who are spiritually dead. It points to the truth that Jesus spoke in John 3:5-7, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you ‘You must be born again.’”  At the tomb of Lazarus, Jesus spoke these familiar words: “I am the resurrection and the life.  Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?” (John 11:25-26). Martha responded with sincere and joyful faith. She believed in Christ and His power to give life to the dead, not just physically, but spiritually. By God’s grace, may the same be true for you and me! Suggestions for prayer Praise God that because He has given us spiritual birth He has also raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 2:6-7). Rev. Ted Gray grew up in a Christian family but lived a meaningless life of futility apart from the Lord for many years. After professing faith at age 30, and later completing seminary, he has had the privilege of serving Orthodox Presbyterian churches in Oregon and Florida and a Christian Reformed Church in Vermont. For the past 15 years, he has served as pastor of First United Reformed Church in Oak Lawn, Illinois. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

February 8 - Straight to Christ

“Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” - Hebrews 4:16 Scripture reading: 2 Kings 4:8-31; Hebrews 4:14-16 Among the many truths taught in this passage is that at any time and in all situations, we are to go straight to Christ, of whom Elisha was a shadow. It may seem strange that the Shunammite did not stop to tell Gehazi, or anyone else, about her son’s death. She continued straight to Elisha and would only speak to him. It may seem strange until we realize that Elisha was a foreshadow, or type, of our Lord Jesus Christ. She did not stop to talk to Gehazi. She wanted to go straight to the man of God. Yet there are many who go to the saints, praying to them or to Mary, expecting that they will intercede on their behalf. But there is only one intercessor. For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus (1 Timothy 2:5). The Shunammite’s husband was surprised that she would go to Elisha when it wasn’t the new moon or Sabbath (v.23). In his mind, you would only approach the man of God at certain times. Many people act much the same way. Instead of a special observance for the new moon, they approach the Lord in outward worship at Easter and Christmas, but seldom at other times of the year. And there are many who attend church on Sunday and yet throughout the week seldom approach the Lord with prayers of adoration and praise, as well as petition and supplication. But may you and I always go straight to Christ, being fervent and faithful in prayer! Suggestions for prayer Thank God that we can approach Him anytime in prayer because of our faithful High Priest, Jesus Christ. Rev. Ted Gray grew up in a Christian family but lived a meaningless life of futility apart from the Lord for many years. After professing faith at age 30, and later completing seminary, he has had the privilege of serving Orthodox Presbyterian churches in Oregon and Florida and a Christian Reformed Church in Vermont. For the past 15 years, he has served as pastor of First United Reformed Church in Oak Lawn, Illinois. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

February 7 - The debt paid

“...even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” - Matthew 20:28 Scripture reading: 2 Kings 4:1-7 God’s provision to pay the widow’s debt points us to His payment for our debt of sin. It wasn’t just a widow back in Elisha’s day who had a debt so large she could not pay it. The same is true for you and for me. None of us can pay the debt of our sin. The only one who could pay the debt of sin is Jesus Christ.  Jesus frequently spoke of His death as a payment for a ransom. In Matthew 20:28 Jesus said, “The Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” Just as God provided for the widow through Elisha, God provides for the payment of our debt of sin through Christ. The promise is given, but it is only realized by faith. The free offer of the gospel is extended to all, but each one, by God’s grace and regenerating Spirit, must believe the promise. The same was true for the widow. The promise of the payment was offered. The means was stated. But she needed faith that the oil would be provided. By God’s grace, she believed and was spared. May the same be said of you and me! May we not only hear, but also respond in saving faith to the only One who can pay the debt of our sin. Suggestions for prayer Pray the sentiment of 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 back to the Lord with thanksgiving and earnest devotion: “I am not my own; I was bought at a price. Therefore, I will honor You with my life.” Rev. Ted Gray grew up in a Christian family but lived a meaningless life of futility apart from the Lord for many years. After professing faith at age 30, and later completing seminary, he has had the privilege of serving Orthodox Presbyterian churches in Oregon and Florida and a Christian Reformed Church in Vermont. For the past 15 years, he has served as pastor of First United Reformed Church in Oak Lawn, Illinois. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

February 6 - Three Kings and God’s prophet

“When a man’s folly brings his way to ruin, his heart rages against the LORD.” - Proverbs 19:3 Scripture reading: 2 Kings 3:1-27  This slice of history teaches us many truths, including the error of making plans without prayer. The first 12 verses describe how three kings were lost and in dire need because they did not inquire of the Lord. But who did Jehoram blame? Not himself, but God! (vs.10, 13). It reminds us that the wicked seldom see God’s hand unless disaster strikes. Even today, a natural disaster is called “an act of God,” but the radiance of a beautiful sunset is attributed to “Mother Nature.” We also see in this passage that God uses the same means, in this instance water, to be a blessing to some (v.17) and to bring judgment upon others (vs.22-24). This is especially true in the response of humanity to Christ. Every person in the world will either be eternally blessed by their relationship to Jesus Christ, or they will suffer eternal judgment because of their rejection of Him. As Simeon said to Joseph and Mary, “Behold, this child is appointed for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign that is opposed… so that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed” (Luke 2:34-35). Jesus Christ is either the blessed Saviour and Lord of your life, the One Whose praise you proclaim and Whose Word you eagerly strive to obey. Or, He is the stone of stumbling and the rock of offence. By God’s grace, may He be your blessed Saviour and Lord, the focus of your faith! Suggestions for prayer Thank God for the privilege of prayer as you seek His guidance for your life with gratitude for the gift of His Son. Rev. Ted Gray grew up in a Christian family but lived a meaningless life of futility apart from the Lord for many years. After professing faith at age 30, and later completing seminary, he has had the privilege of serving Orthodox Presbyterian churches in Oregon and Florida and a Christian Reformed Church in Vermont. For the past 15 years, he has served as pastor of First United Reformed Church in Oak Lawn, Illinois. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

February 5 - God’s use of the insignificant 

“…Not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God.” - 1 Corinthians 1:26-29  Scripture reading: 2 Kings 3:1-12 This passage reminds us that the Lord often uses insignificant people and events to accomplish His purposes, for nothing is too hard for Him When the three kings realized how perilous their predicament was, Jehoshaphat asked where they could find a prophet of the Lord. Who pointed the way to Elisha? It was an unnamed officer of the king. It was just a common everyday person who answered, “Elisha the son of Shaphat is here, who poured water on the hands of Elijah” (v.11). The pouring of water on the hands refers to a menial task that Elisha had in his service with Elijah. Elisha had left his family’s prosperous farm to become a humble servant of Elijah’s. During that time, about a decade, nothing is written about Elisha’s service. But we gather from verse 11 that he served willingly in whatever job was put before him, even the menial task of providing water for Elijah. He is an example of what Paul would write to the Colossians about: Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men (Colossians 3:23). You might feel insignificant, as though there is no purpose for you in God’s kingdom, but God has no insignificant people. Even those whose names we don’t know are known to God, for He knows each one of us by name, and has a purpose for our lives! Suggestions for prayer Thank the Lord that He has a purpose for you. Ask Him to reveal His purpose for you with clarity, and then strive to live according to God's purpose – His will – for your life. Rev. Ted Gray grew up in a Christian family but lived a meaningless life of futility apart from the Lord for many years. After professing faith at age 30, and later completing seminary, he has had the privilege of serving Orthodox Presbyterian churches in Oregon and Florida and a Christian Reformed Church in Vermont. For the past 15 years, he has served as pastor of First United Reformed Church in Oak Lawn, Illinois. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

February 4 - Bethel or Beth-aven?

“So Jacob called the name of the place where God had spoken with him Bethel.” - Genesis 35:15 Scripture reading: 2 Kings 2:23-25; Genesis 28:10-22 The account of Elisha at Bethel seems harsh until you consider the history of Bethel. Bethel means “house of God” and was given that name by Jacob after he had a dream about a ladder ascending into heaven (Genesis 28:19). Bethel was later called “Beth-Aven” meaning “house of evil” (Hosea 10:5) because Jeroboam built a temple for a golden calf at Bethel (1 Kings 12:28-30). The jeering of the youths reflected the mindset of the community. They jeered him, not just for his bald head, but because he was a prophet of God and not a follower of Jeroboam’s golden calf. Their mocking phrase, “Go up, you baldhead!” was likely intended to mock the ascension of Elijah. Their taunting and disbelief foreshadowed the taunts given to Jesus on the cross. This short sad account reminds us that religion itself is not ridiculed by the world. False religions are accepted, just as calf-worship was revered in Bethel. It is biblical, Christ-centered religion that is ridiculed (John 15:18-25). It also teaches us that there are blessings for those who listen to God’s Word and accept His messengers (2 Kings 2:19-22), but judgment for those who reject His Word and His messengers (2 Kings 2:24). By way of application, all humanity is either in Bethel or Beth-Aven. But we are only in Bethel – in God’s house – through saving faith in His Son, Who alone is the way, the truth and the life, the only way to the Father (John 14:6)! Suggestions for prayer If you are a member of Bethel, a child of God through faith in Christ, thank God for His grace and mercy! If you are still in Beth-Aven, on the outside looking in, pray remembering the promise of Jesus, “All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out” (John 6:37). Rev. Ted Gray grew up in a Christian family but lived a meaningless life of futility apart from the Lord for many years. After professing faith at age 30, and later completing seminary, he has had the privilege of serving Orthodox Presbyterian churches in Oregon and Florida and a Christian Reformed Church in Vermont. For the past 15 years, he has served as pastor of First United Reformed Church in Oak Lawn, Illinois. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

February 3 - Living water in Jericho

“For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.” - Luke 19:10b Scripture reading: 2 Kings 2:19-22; Luke 19:1-10  Polluted water is like sin; it has a pervasive, detrimental effect on everyone as it permeates and destroys everything in its path. Although salt seemed to be a strange remedy, it symbolizes God’s covenant with us. Salt was required on all grain offerings and is described in Leviticus 2:13, as the salt of the covenant with your God. The cleansing of water in Jericho foreshadowed the work of Christ. Jesus also went to Jericho to do a work of cleansing. He went to the home of Zacchaeus, a tax collector who was known as a great sinner. The people said, “He has gone in to be the guest of a man who is a sinner.” But Jesus said, “Today salvation has come to this house, since he also is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost” (Luke 19:9,10). In that sense, Jesus is still in Jericho because by His Word and Spirit the Son of Man still seeks and saves those who are lost.  As He does so, He goes to the source, cleansing the heart of sinners, just as the polluted water was cleansed at the source, at the spring (v.21). The same One who cleansed the waters of Jericho so long ago can cleanse your heart and mine. He does so first by giving us saving faith in Christ as we are justified. And then, having begun that good work in us, He carries it on to completion as He sanctifies us by the Holy Spirit through the Word of God. Suggestions for prayer Thank God that just as the water in Jericho was permanently cleansed (vs.21, 22), so are we when we believe in Christ, knowing, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ (Philippians 1:6). Rev. Ted Gray grew up in a Christian family but lived a meaningless life of futility apart from the Lord for many years. After professing faith at age 30, and later completing seminary, he has had the privilege of serving Orthodox Presbyterian churches in Oregon and Florida and a Christian Reformed Church in Vermont. For the past 15 years, he has served as pastor of First United Reformed Church in Oak Lawn, Illinois. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

February 2- Taken into glory

“Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.” - Acts 1:11  Scripture reading: 2 Kings 2:9-18; Acts 1:1-11  The company of prophets saw that the spirit of Elijah was resting on Elisha, but their eyes were blinded to the reality of Elijah’s ascension into heaven. Unless the Lord in sovereign grace gives us spiritual eyes to see, ears to hear and a heart to respond, we will not understand our need for the ascended Christ.  As 1 Corinthians 2:14 points out: The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned. By God’s grace, by the Holy Spirit’s indwelling, do you see the spiritual truths of God’s Word? Do you see that Elijah’s ascension was but a foreshadow of the ascension of Jesus Christ? Do you see that Christ sacrificed Himself for you before ascending into the glory of heaven so that one day you, too, may ascend into glory by His merits and not yours? Do you see that He will return in glory, bodily, not to bear sin but to judge the living and the dead? Do you eagerly await His return and the unveiling of the new heavens and the new earth? If so, then look for every opportunity to serve Him with gratitude and joy, just as Elisha did so long ago, as he served as Elijah’s attendant Suggestions for prayer Thank God for revealing His Son to us through the types and shadows of the Old Testament as well as the New Testament testimonies of His redeeming love. And thank Him that we too will ascend into glory as He will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself (Philippians 3:21). Rev. Ted Gray grew up in a Christian family but lived a meaningless life of futility apart from the Lord for many years. After professing faith at age 30, and later completing seminary, he has had the privilege of serving Orthodox Presbyterian churches in Oregon and Florida and a Christian Reformed Church in Vermont. For the past 15 years, he has served as pastor of First United Reformed Church in Oak Lawn, Illinois. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

February 1 - Introduction to Elisha

On the road to Emmaus, two disciples walked with the resurrected Lord Jesus. Luke describes how beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself (Luke 24:27). It is little wonder that after He left them, they said to one another, “Did not our hearts burn within us while he talked to us on the road, while he opened to us the Scriptures?” (Luke 24:31). All of Scripture reveals Christ to us. He is written about in the Old Testament as well as the New, and in the Old Testament there are many types and foreshadows of Christ. Among those who were a type or foreshadow of Christ was the unique prophet, Elisha. He pointed to the ministry of Christ as he cleansed lepers, provided for widows, fed the hungry, raised the dead as well as foreshadowing the ministry of Christ in many other ways. As we look at Elisha’s life, it is my prayer that we see the One whom he foreshadowed, the Lord Jesus Christ. Our dependence on God alone "Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me." - John 15:4 Scripture reading: 2 Kings 2:1-14; John 15:1-11 Elisha was called by God to take on the ministry that Elijah had begun. It was an enormous task. Elijah had proved the power of God on Mount Carmel as fire from heaven ignited a water doused altar. Elijah was the one who confronted wicked King Ahab head on. The Lord had even given Elijah power to raise a widow’s son from death. What would Elisha need to fill such a high calling? Would it be imperative for him to be a great orator calling Israel back to the Lord? Would the success of his ministry rely on his ability to be witty and clever, winning the Israelites over with his personality? Not at all. Instead, he recognized his dependence on God alone. He asked for a double portion of Elijah’s spirit. By asking for that blessing, Elisha showed his complete dependence upon the Lord. By asking for a double portion of Elijah’s spirit, Elisha was acknowledging his own emptiness and his need to be filled with God’s Spirit for the work that lay before him. The same is true for you and for me. We need the blessing of God’s Spirit within us. By the Holy Spirit’s regenerating power, we believe in Jesus Christ. He is the true vine; we are the branches. Apart from Him, we can do nothing, but through faith in Him, we have salvation from sin, eternal life and daily strength! Suggestions for prayer Instead of asking for material blessings, ask the Lord for spiritual growth and ask Him for wisdom in living out the truths of His Word in your life. Rev. Ted Gray grew up in a Christian family but lived a meaningless life of futility apart from the Lord for many years. After professing faith at age 30, and later completing seminary, he has had the privilege of serving Orthodox Presbyterian churches in Oregon and Florida and a Christian Reformed Church in Vermont. For the past 15 years, he has served as pastor of First United Reformed Church in Oak Lawn, Illinois. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

January 31 - Delighting in confessing our only comfort

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

Daily devotional

January 30 - Sharing our only comfort

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

Daily devotional

January 29 - Telling our children

“We will not hide them from our children, telling to the generation to come the praises of the Lord, and His strength and His wonderful works that He has done.” - Psalm 78:4 Scripture reading: Psalm 84:1-12 For almost a month now we have been reflecting together on the marvelous teaching of Lord's Day 1 of the Heidelberg Catechism. This teaching must remain precious in our hearts. And while Lord's Day 1 is intensely personal, it may never remain only personal. If children have been entrusted to our love and care then, certainly they must hear from our lips, the source of their only comfort found in belonging to Jesus. As I write today, my wife and I have just returned from attending the funeral of a young child whom the LORD brought to Himself at 3 and a half. This young child was learning to delight in the testimony of Psalm 84--the lovely dwelling place where we learn of our eternal comfort and the blessing of those who trust in the LORD. Parents have a blessing and duty to tell, to give evidence of a living and lively faith, and to encourage their children to follow the LORD. While parents cannot give their children faith, they can model this great gift of grace. The best treasure in life is to belong to Jesus, to know His covenant and the promises that cannot fail. Parents pray often for wisdom to be found faithful. “God's purpose is that the Holy Spirit should take possession of our sons and daughters for His service; that they should be filled with the Holy Spirit, consecrated for service. They belong to Him and He to them."  – Andrew Murray Suggestions for prayer “I belong to Jesus; He will keep my soul when the deathly waters dark round about me roll" (TPH 187:5). Rev. Vellenga is presently serving as a ‘here and there’ preacher who preaches across several Reformed denominational/federational lines. Peter and his wife Judith reside in Delaware, Ontario and are blessed with eight children and a growing quiver of grandchildren. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

January 28 - How I am to thank God

“I have not departed from the commandment of His lips; I have treasured the words of His mouth more than my necessary food.” - Job 23:12 Scripture reading: Psalm 116:1-19 When we look through the prism of God's comforting, fortifying grace; when we meditate on what is necessary to make one belong body and soul to our Messiah, we cannot remain indifferent. When we humbly ponder what Jesus did to set His followers free; to secure salvation; to deliver us to the Father in heaven above, there must necessarily follow a life of thanksgiving and gratitude. Saved from the adversaries' hand and from the wrath of God against our sin, we need not fear the afterlife. Deliverance from and out of our sin and misery is a blessing that has no comparison. Our sin is a breach of relationship with the LORD. Only Jesus by His sacrifice can restore that relationship. And now, we give thanks as we are privileged to do so. How is it that you express your gratitude? If you were to make a list that characterized your thankfulness, what would you put on that list? Certainly, we ought to thank the Lord daily for His abiding favour. Believers have the Word of Truth setting forth the Line of Promise; the way of the covenant; the doctrines of grace; the story of salvation history; the way to live before the face of God. Praise God from Whom all blessings flow!! Gratitude is an offering precious in the sight of God, and it is one that the poorest of us can make and be not poorer but richer for having made it. – AW Tozer Suggestions for prayer "O thank the LORD, for He is good; His mercy e'er endures. So let the LORD's redeemed ones say, the ones He saved from fear. He saved them from their enemies and brought them from the lands, from east and west, from north and south, from adversaries' hands" (TPH 107A:1). Rev. Vellenga is presently serving as a ‘here and there’ preacher who preaches across several Reformed denominational/federational lines. Peter and his wife Judith reside in Delaware, Ontario and are blessed with eight children and a growing quiver of grandchildren. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

January 27 - I must know how to be set free

“And God spoke all these words, saying: “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.”” - Exodus 20:1-2 Scripture reading: John 8:31-36 Apart from Christ, we remain in bondage and slaves to sin. Only Christ can set us free from the penalty and the power of sin. We need deliverance; to be released from condemnation; to experience liberation; to receive double imputation--my sin to Jesus His righteousness coming to me. There is no other name under heaven, by which we must be saved. Jesus, who is the Way and the Truth and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through Him. "O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!" (Romans 7:24-25) For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. (Romans 8:2) Who the Son sets free, is free indeed (John 8:36) For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery. (Galatians 5:1) Out of my distress I called on the Lord; the Lord answered me and set me free. (Psalm 118:5) Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God. (I Peter 2:16) We say it again: only Christ our Redeemer can set us free. Glory Hallelujah! I thought I could have leaped from earth to heaven at one spring when I first saw my sins drowned in the Redeemer's blood. – Charles Spurgeon Suggestions for prayer "O Lord, our Saviour help, and glorify Your name; deliver us from all our sins and take away our shame" (TPH 79B:2). Rev. Vellenga is presently serving as a ‘here and there’ preacher who preaches across several Reformed denominational/federational lines. Peter and his wife Judith reside in Delaware, Ontario and are blessed with eight children and a growing quiver of grandchildren. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

January 26 - I must know my sin

“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” - Romans 3:23 Scripture reading: Psalm 51:1-19 Transgression. Trespassing. Missing the mark. Lawbreaking. Iniquity. Wickedness. In Adam's Fall, We Sinned All. Sin is pervasive and deadly. Sin is an offense against God and His holiness. It is choosing to go our own way. Sin is refusing to obey God's law. Sin rejects God's standards. It is a failure to love God and our neighbour in the way asked of in Scripture. My sinful heart is drawn to sin like metal to a magnet. What must you know to live and die in the joy of the comfort of the gospel? You and I must know our sin. We must know our problem before we can embrace the solution that can only be received in Jesus Christ. We have been corrupted by our sin. Guilty. Apart from Christ we are disreputable, double dealing, underhanded and two faced (O what horrible things to say about us--but true.) The Catechism speaks of how great the offense of sin is against the thrice Holy God. Sin always produces misery making us miserable. Do you recognize the poison of sin in your life? Do you experience a sense of remorse? How are you progressing in the life of repentance and faith David was brought to know his sin after being exposed by the prophet Nathan. You are the man! And so it was. David thought he could ignore/hide his sin. God sees all. “Every sin is an act of cosmic treason, a futile attempt to dethrone God in His sovereign authority.” R.C. Sproul Suggestions for prayer "God, be merciful to me, on Thy grace I rest my plea; plenteous in compassion Thou, blot out my transgressions now; wash me, make me pure within, cleanse, O cleanse me from my sin" (TPH 51C:1). Rev. Vellenga is presently serving as a ‘here and there’ preacher who preaches across several Reformed denominational/federational lines. Peter and his wife Judith reside in Delaware, Ontario and are blessed with eight children and a growing quiver of grandchildren. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

January 25 - What I must know

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

Daily devotional

January 24 - Living for Jesus (II)

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

Daily devotional

January 23 - Living for Jesus (I)

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

Daily devotional

January 22 - And makes me whole-heartedly willing

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

Daily devotional

January 21 - Christ by his Holy Spirit assures

“For I will pour water on him who is thirsty, and floods on the dry ground; I will pour My Spirit on your descendants, and My blessing on your offspring” - Isaiah 44:3 Scripture reading: John 14:25-28; 15:26, 16:5-11 The faith to believe is a rich gift of God's abounding grace. To travel through life without certainty is no life. Many people invest in insurance. It is said that the purpose of insurance is to provide financial protection against potential losses by transferring the risk from an individual or business to an insurance company. But insurance and assurance are two different things. Insurance has no lasting value. Mature believers rejoice in the lasting value of the gift of assurance. Even when we experience doubts, Christians can always go back to the fact that the LORD will never leave or forsake us. But how can we be sure that Jesus delivers us from the wrath to come? (1 Thessalonians 1:10). Well let me ask you some questions. Do you have a whole-hearted trust in God’s promise not only to others but to you as well to forgive your sins? Do you believe in His gift of grace because of Christ’s merit to grant you eternal righteousness and salvation? In short, do you believe the gospel message rooted in Christ’s perfect once for all sacrifice? If yes, you  do know something of the Holy Spirit’s convicting power to bring you under the banner of glorious assurance. If not, you must run to the LORD and seek His favour. Do so today. Faith is a living, daring confidence in God's grace, so sure and certain that a man could stake his life on it a thousand times. - Martin Luther Suggestions for prayer “Breathe on me breath of God, fill me with life anew, that I may love what Thou dost love, and do what Thou wouldst do" (TPH 397:1). Rev. Vellenga is presently serving as a ‘here and there’ preacher who preaches across several Reformed denominational/federational lines. Peter and his wife Judith reside in Delaware, Ontario and are blessed with eight children and a growing quiver of grandchildren. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

January 20 - Because I belong to him

“Now He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who also has given us the Spirit as a guarantee.” - 2 Corinthians 5:5  Scripture reading: 2 Corinthians 5:1-15 Once more, we have that beautiful word--belonging. Because I belong to Jesus. Believers can never tire of confessing their security in Christ. Jesus’ followers confess because I belong to Him, Christ by His Holy Spirit assures me of eternal life. What glorious, blessed assurance! The good news promises--guarantees--convicts me of what is yet to come. Disciples have an eye on the glory day, and we praise God for it. This world is filled with uncertainties. But in the most holy faith we may confess certainty. God will lead us from this world to the next, and it is the work of the Holy Spirit to convict our hearts of the life to come. Christians can live knowing we are safe in Jesus' hands, and it is the Holy Spirit who assures us that Christ's hold is sure. Our calling is to trust the LORD at His word. How tragic it is to know that so many of our neighbours live without the assurance that can only be given through the Holy Spirit. There are millions who are lost. So many remain dead in their trespasses; blind to their need for salvation and the reality that is yet to come. And what a calling to be used by the LORD to persuade others. "The real truth is that while He came to preach the Gospel, His chief object in coming was that there might be a Gospel to preach.”  R.W. Dale Suggestions for prayer “I belong to Jesus; He has died for me; I am His and He is mine through eternity” (TPH 187:4). Rev. Vellenga is presently serving as a ‘here and there’ preacher who preaches across several Reformed denominational/federational lines. Peter and his wife Judith reside in Delaware, Ontario and are blessed with eight children and a growing quiver of grandchildren. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

January 19 - For my salvation

“Now My soul is troubled, and what shall I say? ‘Father, save Me from this hour’? But for this purpose, I came to this hour.” - John 12:27 Scripture reading: Mark 14:26-47 The line of promise. The bonds and blessing of the covenant of grace. The abiding mercies of the Lord upholding and protecting the eternal plan before time. The virgin birth of Christ. Our Redeemer's mission and ministry. A ministry opposed each step of the way. Gethsemane. (Lord, forgive us for the times we have read about Gethsemane with dry eyes). Our beautiful Saviour who took the curse upon Himself. He was born of a virgin and laid in a crude cradle. The cruel cross. The Messiah's testimony of His Father's forsakenness. The declaration of victory--it is finished. The curtain was torn from top to bottom. Buried in the stone-cold tomb. Resurrected on the third day. Ascended to the right hand of the heavenly Father. The custodian, keeper, guardian and protector of our souls. The promise of the second coming. Our LORD who saves to the uttermost. Oh, how rich a redemption for the believer. And then to say for my salvation. Simply amazing. If you are reading this as an unbeliever, I urge you to turn to Christ. Salvation is our greatest need. Without it, you are lost eternally. Trust in the promises of the WORD of God. Apart from Christ there is no hope to reach the blessing of eternity. Apart from the One who was sent to be a ransom for many, there is an eternity of separation from the love and grace of God. "Gethsemane is not a field of study for our intellect. It is a sanctuary of our faith.” – Klass Schilder Suggestions for prayer “Sing praise to God who reigns above, the God of all creation, the God of power, the God of love, the God of our salvation. My soul with comfort rich He fills, and every grief He gently stills: God all praise and glory" (TPH 214:1). Rev. Vellenga is presently serving as a ‘here and there’ preacher who preaches across several Reformed denominational/federational lines. Peter and his wife Judith reside in Delaware, Ontario and are blessed with eight children and a growing quiver of grandchildren. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

January 18 - All things

“Our God is in the heavens; He does all that He pleases.” - Psalm 115:3 Scripture reading: Romans 8:18-32 All things, not some things for our salvation. This is beyond our understanding and yet of tremendous comfort to the believer. Amazing grace, how sweet the sound! John Piper in his book, Future Grace, wrote "Nothing can blow you over when you are inside the walls of Romans 8:28." What security, what certainty, what wondrous holy delight for those who rest in Christ. And what a blessing to confess together as the body of Christ on this Lord's Day that all things must work together for our salvation! Dear reader, does this speak to you? Do you live with the assurance of God's promise that leads you into eternity? Where does eternal hope rest? Meditate deeply on our Scripture lesson. The believer must always hold tight to the truth of I Corinthians 8:6  "yet for us there is one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we for Him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, through whom are all things, and through whom we live." Life will have its own questions, but the answers are with the LORD. Today Christians around the world gather to declare the glory of God. They bear witness to their trust that God is working through all the episodes of our life for our salvation. And then how personal for the believer to attest—my salvation. Praise the LORD! “While it looks like things are out of control, behind the scenes there is a God who hasn’t surrendered His authority.” – A.W. Tozer Suggestions for prayer In your prayer testify before the LORD that "The Lord brings to nothing the plans of the nations; He frustrates their counsel and makes their schemes fall. But all that the LORD in His heart has intended, the plans He has made, will forever prevail" (TPH 33:3a). Rev. Vellenga is presently serving as a ‘here and there’ preacher who preaches across several Reformed denominational/federational lines. Peter and his wife Judith reside in Delaware, Ontario and are blessed with eight children and a growing quiver of grandchildren. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

January 17 - Not a hair

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

Daily devotional

January 16 - Jesus watches over me

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

Daily devotional

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

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

Daily devotional

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

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

Daily devotional

January 13 - Through the blood of the cross

“Likewise He also took the cup after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood, which is shed for you.” - Luke 22:20  Scripture reading: Colossians 2:1-15 Life is in blood. You will die if you bleed out. Jesus gave His precious blood to give us life. This must always be soul stirring for us--gripping us by our heart strings. From the Canons of Dort Chapter 2 Article 8 we read:  For this was the most free counsel of God the Father, that the life-giving and saving efficacy of the most precious death of His Son should extend to all the elect.1 It was His most gracious will and intent to give to them alone justifying faith and thereby to bring them unfailingly to salvation.2 This means: God willed that Christ through the blood of the cross3 (by which He confirmed the new covenant)4 should effectually redeem out of every people, tribe, nation,5 and tongue all those, and those only, who from eternity were chosen to salvation and were given to Him by the Father. God further willed that Christ should give to them faith,6 which, together with other saving gifts of the Holy Spirit, He acquired for them by His death; that He should cleanse them by His blood from all sins,7 both original and actual, both those committed after faith and before faith; and that He should guard them faithfully to the end8 and at last present them to Himself in splendour without any spot or wrinkle.9  1 Jn 17:9; 2 Eph 5:25-27; 3 Lk 22:20; 4 Heb 8:6; 5 Rev 5:9; 6 Phil 1:29; 7 1 Jn 1:7; 8 Jn 10:28; 9 Eph 5:27. (efficacy-to bring about the desired results) Suggestions for prayer Acknowledge before the LORD "What can wash away my sin? Nothing but the blood of Jesus. What can make me whole again? Nothing but the blood of Jesus. O precious is the flow that makes me white as snow, no other fount I know, nothing but the blood of Jesus" (TPH 278:1). Rev. Vellenga is presently serving as a ‘here and there’ preacher who preaches across several Reformed denominational/federational lines. Peter and his wife Judith reside in Delaware, Ontario and are blessed with eight children and a growing quiver of grandchildren. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

January 12 - Jesus has fully paid

“For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” - Romans 6:23  Scripture reading: Isaiah 53:1-12 Jesus paid it all! He paid our debt. He paid to remove the curse. He paid to satisfy God's justice. He paid to wash the believer as white as snow. By God’s grace we testify that the death of Christ has infinite value. We read in the Reformed Confession Canons of Dort Chapter 2 Articles 3&4: This death of the Son of God is the only and most perfect sacrifice and satisfaction for sins,1 of infinite value and worth, abundantly sufficient to expiate the sins of the whole world.2    1 Heb 9:26, 28; 10:14.  2 1 Jn 2:2. This death is of such great value and worth because the person who submitted to it is not only a true and perfectly holy man,1 but also the only-begotten Son of God,2 of the same eternal and infinite essence with the Father and the Holy Spirit, for these qualifications were necessary for our Saviour. Further, this death is of such great value and worth because it was accompanied by a sense of the wrath and curse of God3 which we by our sins had deserved. 1 Heb 4:15; 7:26.2 1 Jn 4:9, 3 Mt 27:46. Do you believe this? Infinite Value—the fullness cannot be fully comprehended. Trust the final and once for all sacrifice of the Lord Jesus. "Faith is never something isolated or alone. You must never divorce faith from its object. Faith is always linked to the object. What is the object? The object is the Lord Jesus Christ and His perfect work and his perfect righteousness."  – Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones Suggestions for prayer Confess before the Lord: "And when before the throne, I stand in Him complete, Jesus died my soul to save my lips shall still repeat. Jesus paid it all, to Him I owe; sin had left a crimson stain, He washed me as white as snow" (TPH 276:4). Rev. Vellenga is presently serving as a ‘here and there’ preacher who preaches across several Reformed denominational/federational lines. Peter and his wife Judith reside in Delaware, Ontario and are blessed with eight children and a growing quiver of grandchildren. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

January 11 - Belonging to my faithful Saviour

“The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve and to give His life a ransom for many.” - Matthew 20:28 Scripture reading: Hebrews 1:1-4; Isaiah 50:4-7 There are many characteristics/qualities that are to be attributed to our Messiah. He is the beautiful Saviour. Believers confess the wisdom, the compassion and the humility of Christ.  What a soul strengthening description the opening words of Hebrews 1 give us about the person of Christ. Christians around the world recognize that Jesus is 'the way, the truth and the life.’ Only through Jesus can we arrive safely home in our Father's house. He is the friend of sinners--the LAMB of God who came to take away the sins of the world. He is the light of this dark world. Our H.C. describes Jesus as our faithful Saviour. This is a beautiful confession. Jesus was faithful to His task to the end. He set His face as flint to Jerusalem where He as a sacrifice for our sins would be crucified, dead and buried. The faithful Saviour who saves to the uttermost was unwavering in His commitment to fulfilling God's plan of salvation. He is reliable and trustworthy, always keeping His promises to those who believe in Him. Jesus was fully devoted to God's purpose and mission Today as the body of Christ we bring our worship. Our LORD is worthy of our adoration. Devote yourself to declaring His glory. May our hearts know something of 'Hallelujah what a Saviour'! “The glory of the Gospel is that the one from whom we need to be saved is the very one who saves us." – R.C. Sproul Suggestions for prayer "My song forever shall record the tender mercies of the Lord; your faithfulness will I proclaim, and ev'ry age shall know your name" (TPH 89B:1). Rev. Vellenga is presently serving as a ‘here and there’ preacher who preaches across several Reformed denominational/federational lines. Peter and his wife Judith reside in Delaware, Ontario and are blessed with eight children and a growing quiver of grandchildren. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

January 10 - Belonging body and soul in death

“But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ is not risen. And if Christ is not risen, then our preaching is empty, and your faith is also empty.” - 1 Corinthians 15:13  Scripture reading: 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 Once again, we come to the final reality of this life—death. Once again, we remind ourselves life is short; death is sure; sin be the cause: Christ be the cure. One day we will all die (unless Christ returns first). Death will be the last moment in our life, and then eternity. Death has its own sense of foreboding. But with thanksgiving to the LORD, the believer confesses that Christ is never absent, even in this last moment. It is a rich blessing to confess that in His mercy, God keeps His people from getting what they deserve. In His grace, God provides for Christ's followers what they don't deserve. Christians can be sure the LORD will take us from this world to the next. Our brothers and sisters gathered at Thessalonica some two thousand years ago were encouraged that those 'who sleep in Jesus' need not worry for the 'dead in Christ will rise first.' Isn't that wonderful? If you fear that moment of death, be sure to turn to the promises of the LORD which are yea and amen in Jesus Christ. Christ has gone before us! Tomorrow, we gather once again as the body of Christ resting in the fruits of the resurrection. May the LORD so add His blessing. “He died for me; He made His righteousness mine and made my sin His own; and if He made my sin His own, then I do not have it, and I am free." – Martin Luther Suggestions for prayer Acknowledge before the LORD "By grace I am an heir of heaven; why doubt this, O my trembling heart? If what the Scriptures promise clearly is true and firm in every part, this also must be truth divine; by grace a crown of life is mine" (TPH 477:1). Rev. Vellenga is presently serving as a ‘here and there’ preacher who preaches across several Reformed denominational/federational lines. Peter and his wife Judith reside in Delaware, Ontario and are blessed with eight children and a growing quiver of grandchildren. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....

Daily devotional

January 8 - Our souls also belong to Jesus 

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

Daily devotional

January 7 - Belonging body

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

Daily devotional

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

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

Daily devotional

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

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

Daily devotional

January 4 - Only comfort in death

“Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of His saints.” - Psalm 116:15  Scripture reading: 1 Corinthians 15:1-28 Death is the final enemy. "The wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23a). And yet, on this Lord's Day, we together with the congregation gathered in the courts of the LORD confess that death has been defeated. As the body of Christ, we have assembled to declare resurrection glory. Jesus died and arose so that His followers will one day be called out of the grave. Hallelujah PRAISE the LORD!!! One might ask–"Since Christ has died for us why do we still have to die (H.C. Q 42)? How privileged we are to answer "Our death does not pay the debt of our sins. Rather, it puts an end to our sinning and is our entrance into eternal life.” (H.C. A 42) And how blessed we are to confess with Lord's Day 17 Q. How does Christ’s resurrection benefit us? A. First, by His resurrection He has overcome death, so that He could make us share in the righteousness which He had obtained for us by His death.1 Second, by his power we too are raised up to a new life.2 Third, Christ’s resurrection is to us a sure pledge of our glorious resurrection.3 1 Rom 4:25; 1 Cor 15:16-20; 1 Pet 1:3-5. 2 Rom 6:5-11; Eph 2:4-6; Col 3:1-4. 3 Rom 8:11; 1 Cor 15:12-23; Phil 3:20, 21. Never forget the words of Jesus "I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in Me, though he were dead, yet shall he live". John 11:25-26 Yes, Hallelujah PRAISE the LORD!!! Suggestions for prayer "For you will not forsake my soul unto the grave, nor will you leave your Holy One to see the tomb’s decay. Life’s pathway you make known, full joy of boundless store is found with you; at your right hand are pleasures evermore" (TPH 16:5). Rev. Vellenga is presently serving as a ‘here and there’ preacher who preaches across several Reformed denominational/federational lines. Peter and his wife Judith reside in Delaware, Ontario and are blessed with eight children and a growing quiver of grandchildren. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com....