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Peter preaching at Pentecost
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Daily devotional

Sunday May 20 - What does this mean?

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

needle and camel
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Daily devotional

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

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

nails and crown of thorns
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Daily devotional

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

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

Jesus with a question mark
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Daily devotional

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

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

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Daily devotional

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

He said to them “But who do you say that I am?” – Matthew 16:15 Scripture Reading: Matthew 16:13-20 Christ’s question is one of the most important if not the most important question that a person will ever answer. Many answers were offered in the days of His public ministry and still today. But there is only one correct answer. One! In his book Mere Christianity, C.S. Lewis addresses the issue of the various understandings concerning the person of Christ: “I am trying here to prevent anyone saying the really foolish thing that people often say about Him: I’m ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don’t accept His claim to be God. That is the one thing we must not say. A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic – on the level with a human who says he is a poached egg – or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God, or else a madman or something worse. You can shut Him up for a fool, you can spit at Him and kill Him as a demon or you can fall at His feet and call Him Lord and God, but let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about His being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to.” And how do you answer the question: Who do you say Jesus is? Suggestions for prayer Pray for strengthening grace to remain firm in that faith that trusts Christ as the Son of the living God. Pray for others to come to the same conviction. This daily devotional is available in a print edition you can buy at Nearer to God Devotional....

Woman's attentive ear
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Daily devotional

Tuesday May 15 - Will you not receive instructions and listen to my words?

Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: Go and say to the people of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, "Will you not receive instruction and listen to my words?" declares the LORD. – Jeremiah 35:13 Scripture Reading: Jeremiah 35 Are you a good listener? In our Scripture lesson, the obedience of the covenant community was compared and contrasted with that of the Rechabites. The descendants of Rechab voluntarily committed themselves to their forefather to lead a nomadic life and to refrain from alcohol. They listened to their earthly father’s wishes for some 300 years! But many of the covenant community refused to listen to the Word of their heavenly Father. As has been said, “The Bible contains the mind of God, the state of man, the way of salvation, the doom of sinners. Its doctrines are holy, its precepts are binding, its histories are true, and its decisions are immutable. Read it to be wise, believe it to be saved and practice it to be holy. It contains light to direct you, food to support you, and comfort to cheer you. It is a traveler’s map, the pilgrim’s staff, the pilot’s compass, the soldier’s sword and the Christian’s chart. Here paradise is restored, heaven opened and the gates of hell disclosed. Christ is its grand object, our good its design, and the glory of God its end. It should fill the memory, rule the heart, and guide the feet. Read it slowly, frequently, and prayerfully. It is a mine of wealth, a paradise of glory, and a river of pleasure. It is given you in life; it will be opened in judgment, and will be remembered forever. It involves the highest responsibility, will reward the greatest labour, and will condemn all who trifle with its sacred contents.” (Author unknown) Are you a good listener? Suggestions for prayer Pray for a growing desire to honour the will of our heavenly Father. Pray that God may give us a listening heart for His Word. This daily devotional is available in a print edition you can buy at Nearer to God Devotional....

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Daily devotional

Monday May 14 - Is anything too hard for the LORD?

Behold, I am the LORD, the God of all flesh. Is anything too hard for me? – Jeremiah 32:27 Scripture Reading: Jeremiah 32 What perplexing moments have you faced in your life? What has happened to you that left you mystified? In our Scripture lesson, God tells Jeremiah (who had been disowned by his immediate family) that his relative will come to ask him to purchase some property that belongs within the extended family. It makes no sense. By normal standards, it is absurd to buy a field when the whole land is about to be lost. Jeremiah does what is asked and then comes before the LORD to ask for understanding. Notice obedience precedes his prayer for clarity. His prayer begins with a deep sigh — in faith he is seeking understanding. He prays, confessing God’s greatness in both creation (vs. 17) and redemption (vs. 20-22). He acknowledges God’s justice (vs. 19). In short Jeremiah is asking for the ability to see God’s purposes. For the world, seeing is believing. For the Christian, believing is seeing. And the Lord’s answer to Jeremiah, as it is to all His people: Nothing is too hard for the LORD! The remnant will be restored. God will see to it. His promise for His redeemed people holds firm. The same God Who holds the stars in their appointed place in the skies beyond is perfectly able to hold our feet on the ground. Trust Him. Believe that His promises will come to fruition. Every one of them! Believe that Jesus Christ is our guarantee. Is there anything too hard for the LORD? Suggestions for prayer Just as the LORD promised His remnant a return to the promised land, so too those who are in Christ can eagerly anticipate in the inheritance of the Promised Land to come. Pray with rejoicing. Rejoice that His promises do not fail. This daily devotional is available in a print edition you can buy at Nearer to God Devotional....

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