Reformed Doctrine Daily Devotions

Today’s devotion comes from 1 Chronicles 21:18-30.  Here is a link to this Scripture – https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1%20Chronicles%2021&version=NASB1995

I quote only the following verses.

“Then the angel of the LORD commanded Gad to say to David, that David should go up and build an altar to the LORD on the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite.  So David went up at the word of Gad, which he spoke in the name of the LORD.  Now Ornan turned back and saw the angel, and his four sons who were with him hid themselves.  And Ornan was threshing wheat.  As David came to Ornan, Ornan looked and saw David, and went out from the threshing floor and prostrated himself before David with his face to the ground.  Then David said to Ornan, “Give me the site of this threshing floor, that I may build on it an altar to the LORD;  for the full price you shall give it to me, that the plague may be restrained from the people.”  Ornan said to David, “Take it for yourself;  and let my lord the king do what is good in his sight.  See, I will give the oxen for burnt offerings and the threshing sledges for wood and the wheat for the grain offering;  I will give it all.”  But King David said to Ornan, “No, but I will surely buy it for the full price;  for I will not take what is yours for the LORD, or offer a burnt offering which costs me nothing.”  So David gave Ornan 600 shekels of gold by weight for the site.  Then David built an altar to the LORD there and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings.  And he called to the LORD and He answered him with fire from heaven on the altar of burnt offering.  The LORD commanded the angel, and he put his sword back in its sheath.”  1 Chronicles 21:18-27. 

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David offered burnt offerings and peace offerings as a sacrifice to the LORD.  We are called to present our bodies a living and holy sacrifice as described in the following Scriptures.   

“Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.  And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.”  Romans 12:1-2.

And, we are called to not be conformed to this world.  But, how often we are conformed to this world by dwelling on worldly messages on computer, TV, and cell phone!

We are called to be transformed by the renewing of our mind.  This is a renewing of the mind done by the Holy Spirit.

“But when the kindness of God our Savior and His love for mankind appeared, He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by His grace we would be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.” Titus 3:4-7.

“Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may know the things freely given to us by God, … But we have the mind of Christ.” 1 Corinthians 2:12 and 16.

“For through the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think more highly of himself than he ought to think;  but to think so as to have sound judgment, as God has allotted to each a measure of faith.”  Romans 12:3.

“For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that (faith) not of yourselves, it (faith) is the gift of God;” Ephesians 2:8.

“Simon Peter, a bond-servant and apostle of Jesus Christ,

To those who have received a faith of the same kind as ours, by the righteousness of our God and Savior, Jesus Christ:” 2 Peter 1:1.

So, according to these Scriptures above and other Scriptures, faith is a gift of God!

Thus, we should not be proud and selfish about our faith. We did not obtain our faith by our own wisdom and will. We should not be smug and care only that we are saved.  Instead, we should be humble and generous about our faith (a gift of God) using it to serve others (also a gift of God). 

“For just as we have many members in one body and all the members do not have the same function, so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another.  Since we have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, each of us is to exercise them accordingly:  if prophecy, according to the proportion of his faith;”  Romans 12:4-6. 

We serve others “according to the proportion of his faith”.

“if service, in his serving;  or he who teaches, in his teaching;  or he who exhorts, in his exhortation;  he who gives, with liberality;  he who leads, with diligence;  he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness.”  Romans 12:7-8.