Reformed Doctrine Daily Devotions

Today’s devotion comes from Psalm 118:15-29.

“15 The sound of joyful shouting and salvation is in the tents of the righteous;
The right hand of the Lord does valiantly.
16 The right hand of the Lord is exalted;
The right hand of the Lord does valiantly.
17 I will not die, but live,
And tell of the works of the Lord.
18 The Lord has disciplined me severely,
But He has not given me over to death.

19 Open to me the gates of righteousness;
I shall enter through them, I shall give thanks to the Lord.
20 This is the gate of the Lord;
The righteous will enter through it.
21 I shall give thanks to You, for You have answered me,
And You have become my salvation.

22 The stone which the builders rejected
Has become the chief corner stone.
23 This is the Lord’s doing;
It is marvelous in our eyes.
24 This is the day which the Lord has made;
Let us rejoice and be glad in it.
25 O Lord, do save, we beseech You;
O Lord, we beseech You, do send prosperity!
26 Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord;
We have blessed you from the house of the Lord.
27 The Lord is God, and He has given us light;
Bind the festival sacrifice with cords to the horns of the altar.
28 You are my God, and I give thanks to You;
You are my God, I extol You.
29 Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good;
For His lovingkindness is everlasting.”  Psalm 118:15-29.

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“This is the Lord’s doing;
It is marvelous in our eyes.”  Verse 23.

Other doctrine is all about man’s doing.
 
But, Reformed Doctrine, consistent with today’s Scripture, is all about “the Lord’s doing”.
 
Salvation is “the Lord’s doing”.  Verses 15 and 21.

The “right hand of the Lord does valiantly” is “the Lord’s doing”.  Verses 15-16.

The “works of the LORD” is “the Lord’s doing”.  Verse 17.

The “gates of righteousness” is “the Lord’s doing”.  Verses 19-20.

Sending us Jesus Christ and making Him “the chief corner stone” is “the Lord’s doing”.  Verse 22.

“This is the day which the Lord has made” is “the Lord’s doing”.  Verse 24.

Sending us “prosperity” is “the Lord’s doing”.  Verse 25.

Sending us “the one who comes in the name of the Lord” is “the Lord’s doing”.  Verse 26.

Giving us “light” is “the Lord’s doing”.  Verse 27.

The beginning verse and the concluding verse of this chapter gives thanks for “the Lord’s doing”.

“Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good;
For His lovingkindness is everlasting.”  Verses 1 and 29.

Today’s devotion comes from Psalm 118:1-14.

“Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good;
For His lovingkindness is everlasting.
2 Oh let Israel say,
“His lovingkindness is everlasting.”
3 Oh let the house of Aaron say,
“His lovingkindness is everlasting.”
4 Oh let those who fear the Lord say,
“His lovingkindness is everlasting.”

5 From my distress I called upon the Lord;
The Lord answered me and set me in a large place.
6 The Lord is for me; I will not fear;
What can man do to me?
7 The Lord is for me among those who help me;
Therefore I will look with satisfaction on those who hate me.
8 It is better to take refuge in the Lord
Than to trust in man.
9 It is better to take refuge in the Lord
Than to trust in princes.

10 All nations surrounded me;
In the name of the Lord I will surely cut them off.
11 They surrounded me, yes, they surrounded me;
In the name of the Lord I will surely cut them off.
12 They surrounded me like bees;
They were extinguished as a fire of thorns;
In the name of the Lord I will surely cut them off.
13 You pushed me violently so that I was falling,
But the Lord helped me.
14 The Lord is my strength and song,
And He has become my salvation.”  Psalm 118:1-14.

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“It is better to take refuge in the Lord
Than to trust in man.”  Verse 8.

And yet, other doctrine takes refuge in man and man’s wisdom, man’s works, and man’s alleged free-will.

But, Reformed Doctrine takes refuge in the LORD and the LORD’s wisdom and the LORD’s works and the LORD’s will.

“5 Thus says the Lord,
“Cursed is the man who trusts in mankind
And makes flesh his strength,
And whose heart turns away from the Lord.
6 “For he will be like a bush in the desert
And will not see when prosperity comes,
But will live in stony wastes in the wilderness,
A land of salt without inhabitant.
7 “Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord
And whose trust is the Lord.
8 “For he will be like a tree planted by the water,
That extends its roots by a stream
And will not fear when the heat comes;
But its leaves will be green,
And it will not be anxious in a year of drought
Nor cease to yield fruit.”  Jeremiah 17:5-8.

“The Lord is my strength and song,
And He has become my salvation.”  Verse 14.

“Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good;
For His lovingkindness is everlasting.”  Verse 1.

Today’s devotion comes from Psalm chapter 117.

“Praise the Lord, all nations;
Laud Him, all peoples!
2 For His lovingkindness is great toward us,
And the truth of the Lord is everlasting.
Praise the LORD!”  Psalm chapter 117.

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Other doctrine presents the works of man.

But, Reformed Doctrine presents the works of God.

Other doctrine praises man.

But, Reformed Doctrine praises the LORD.

“For His lovingkindness is great toward us …”  Verse 2.

Today’s devotion comes from Psalm chapter 116.  Here is a link to this chapter – https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm+116&version=NASB

I quote only the following verses.

“I love the Lord, because He hears
My voice and my supplications.
2 Because He has inclined His ear to me,
Therefore I shall call upon Him as long as I live.
3 The cords of death encompassed me
And the terrors of Sheol came upon me;
I found distress and sorrow.
4 Then I called upon the name of the Lord:
“O Lord, I beseech You, save my life!”

5 Gracious is the Lord, and righteous;
Yes, our God is compassionate.
6 The Lord preserves the simple;
I was brought low, and He saved me.
7 Return to your rest, O my soul,
For the Lord has dealt bountifully with you.
8 For You have rescued my soul from death,
My eyes from tears,
My feet from stumbling.”  Psalm 116:1-8.

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Which doctrine is more consistent with today’s Scripture?

Other doctrine which focuses on man, man’s wisdom, man’s works, and man’s alleged free-will?

Or, Reformed Doctrine which focuses on God, God’s wisdom, God’s works, and God’s will?

“5 Gracious is the Lord, and righteous;
Yes, our God is compassionate.
6 The Lord preserves the simple;
I was brought low, and He saved me.”  Verses 5-6.

Reformed Doctrine shows the God of Scripture Who saves from the very beginning to the very end, providing all that is necessary for salvation, from the very beginning of “Unconditional Election”, through “Limited Atonement” and “Irresistible Grace”, to the very end of “Preservation of the Saints”, the “U”, “L”, “I” and “P” of “TULIP”, the Five Points of Calvinism, the Reformed Doctrine of Salvation.

“7 Return to your rest, O my soul,
For the Lord has dealt bountifully with you.
8 For You have rescued my soul from death,
My eyes from tears,
My feet from stumbling.”  Verses 7-8.

Today’s devotion comes from Psalm chapter 115.  Here is a link to this chapter –  https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm+115&version=NASB

I quote only the following verses.

“Not to us, O Lord, not to us,
But to Your name give glory
Because of Your lovingkindness, because of Your truth.
2 Why should the nations say,
“Where, now, is their God?”
3 But our God is in the heavens;
He does whatever He pleases.

…

9 O Israel, trust in the Lord;
He is their help and their shield.
10 O house of Aaron, trust in the Lord;
He is their help and their shield.
11 You who fear the Lord, trust in the Lord;
He is their help and their shield.
12 The Lord has been mindful of us;  He will bless us;
He will bless the house of Israel;
He will bless the house of Aaron.
13 He will bless those who fear the Lord,
The small together with the great.
14 May the Lord give you increase,
You and your children.
15 May you be blessed of the Lord,
Maker of heaven and earth.

16 The heavens are the heavens of the Lord,
But the earth He has given to the sons of men.
17 The dead do not praise the Lord,
Nor do any who go down into silence;
18 But as for us, we will bless the Lord
From this time forth and forever.
Praise the Lord!”  Psalm 115:1-3 and 9-18.

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God indeed is sovereign as is described in verse 3.

“But our God is in the heavens;
He does whatever He pleases.”  Verse 3.

God indeed is “Maker of heaven and earth” as stated in verse 15.

But, today’s Scripture emphasizes how the LORD uses His sovereign power.

“He will bless those who fear the Lord,
The small together with the great.”  Verse 13.

The LORD gives “increase” to us and our children.  Verse 14.

The LORD has given us “increase” in our life in so many different ways.

“11 For the Lord God is a sun and shield;
The Lord gives grace and glory;
No good thing does He withhold from those who walk uprightly.
12 O Lord of hosts,
How blessed is the man who trusts in You!”  Psalm 84:11-12.

“He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things?”  Romans 8:32.

But, these blessings are not random.  God designs and causes the blessings according to His perfect plan to have a good cumulative effect.

The vivid images of the following Scripture shows that these blessings strengthen us (“They go from strength to strength”).  These blessings also bless others (“Passing through the valley of Baca they make it a spring”).  These blessings lead us and others to the LORD (“In whose heart are the highways to Zion!  …  Every one of them appears before God in Zion.”). 

“5 How blessed is the man whose strength is in You,
In whose heart are the highways to Zion!
6 Passing through the valley of Baca they make it a spring;
The early rain also covers it with blessings.
7 They go from strength to strength,
Every one of them appears before God in Zion.”  Psalm 84:5-7.

Today’s devotion comes from Psalm chapter 114.

“When Israel went forth from Egypt,
The house of Jacob from a people of strange language,
2 Judah became His sanctuary,
Israel, His dominion.

3 The sea looked and fled;
The Jordan turned back.
4 The mountains skipped like rams,
The hills, like lambs.
5 What ails you, O sea, that you flee?
O Jordan, that you turn back?
6 O mountains, that you skip like rams?
O hills, like lambs?

7 Tremble, O earth, before the Lord,
Before the God of Jacob,
8 Who turned the rock into a pool of water,
The flint into a fountain of water.”  Psalm chapter 114.

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The LORD defines Himself as “the God of Jacob” and defends the house of Jacob from all their enemies and deflects all their obstacles away from them.

Today’s Scripture gives us, also His chosen ones, great confidence.

“But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;  for you once were not a people, but now you are the people of God;  you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.”  1 Peter 2:9-19.

“10 Glory in His holy name;
Let the heart of those who seek the Lord be glad.
11 Seek the Lord and His strength;
Seek His face continually.
12 Remember His wonderful deeds which He has done,
His marvels and the judgments from His mouth,
13 O seed of Israel His servant,
Sons of Jacob, His chosen ones!
14 He is the Lord our God;
His judgments are in all the earth.”  1 Chronicles 16:10-14.

“What then shall we say to these things?  If God is for us, who is against us?  He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things?”  Romans 8:31-32.

“For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”  Romans 8:38-39.

“And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.  For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren;  and these whom He predestined, He also called;  and these whom He called, He also justified;  and these whom He justified, He also glorified.”  Romans 8:28-30.

Today’s devotion comes from Psalm chapter 113.

“Praise the Lord!
Praise, O servants of the Lord,
Praise the name of the Lord.
2 Blessed be the name of the Lord
From this time forth and forever.
3 From the rising of the sun to its setting
The name of the Lord is to be praised.
4 The Lord is high above all nations;
His glory is above the heavens.

5 Who is like the Lord our God,
Who is enthroned on high,
6 Who humbles Himself to behold
The things that are in heaven and in the earth?
7 He raises the poor from the dust
And lifts the needy from the ash heap,
8 To make them sit with princes,
With the princes of His people.
9 He makes the barren woman abide in the house
As a joyful mother of children.

Praise the LORD!”  Psalm chapter 113.

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Which doctrine is more consistent with the theme of today’s Scripture:  “Praise the LORD!”?

Other doctrine which hands out trophies for what man has done?

Or, Reformed Doctrine which praises God for what He has done?

Today’s Scripture praises God for raising the poor from the dust and lifting the needy from the ash heap.  Verse 7.

Consistent with today’s Scripture, Reformed Doctrine humbles man but exalts God.  Through its teaching of “Total Depravity”, Reformed Doctrine humbles man by teaching that man is dead in sin, hostile to God, and enslaved to sin and Satan.  Through its teaching of “Unconditional Election”, “Limited Atonement”, “irresistable Grace”, and “Preservation of Saints”, Reformed Doctrine exalts God by teaching that God raised those dead in sin to life in Christ.

“But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.”  Ephesians 2:4-7.

Today’s devotion comes from Psalm chapter 112.

“Praise the Lord!
How blessed is the man who fears the Lord,
Who greatly delights in His commandments.
2 His descendants will be mighty on earth;
The generation of the upright will be blessed.
3 Wealth and riches are in his house,
And his righteousness endures forever.
4 Light arises in the darkness for the upright;
He is gracious and compassionate and righteous.
5 It is well with the man who is gracious and lends;
He will maintain his cause in judgment.
6 For he will never be shaken;
The righteous will be remembered forever.

7 He will not fear evil tidings;
His heart is steadfast, trusting in the Lord.
8 His heart is upheld, he will not fear,
Until he looks with satisfaction on his adversaries.
9 He has given freely to the poor,
His righteousness endures forever;
His horn will be exalted in honor.

10 The wicked will see it and be vexed,
He will gnash his teeth and melt away;
The desire of the wicked will perish.”    Psalm chapter 112.

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“…  How blessed is the man who fears the LORD …”  Verse 1.

Count the blessings the man who fears the LORD receives.

“2 His descendants will be mighty on earth;
The generation of the upright will be blessed.
3 Wealth and riches are in his house,
And his righteousness endures forever.”  Verses 2 and 3.

Count the good things the man who fears the LORD does.

“He has given freely to the poor, …”  Verse 9.

Count on the protection the LORD gives.

“He will not fear evil tidings;
His heart is steadfast, trusting in the Lord.”  Verse 7.

“11 For the Lord God is a sun and shield;
The Lord gives grace and glory;
No good thing does He withhold from those who walk uprightly.
12 O Lord of hosts,
How blessed is the man who trusts in You!”  Psalm 84:11-12.

“Surely goodness and lovingkindness will follow me all the days of my life,
And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”  Psalm 23:6.

Today’s devotion comes from Psalm chapter 111.

“Praise the Lord!
I will give thanks to the Lord with all my heart,
In the company of the upright and in the assembly.
2 Great are the works of the Lord;
They are studied by all who delight in them.
3 Splendid and majestic is His work,
And His righteousness endures forever.
4 He has made His wonders to be remembered;
The Lord is gracious and compassionate.
5 He has given food to those who fear Him;
He will remember His covenant forever.
6 He has made known to His people the power of His works,
In giving them the heritage of the nations.

7 The works of His hands are truth and justice;
All His precepts are sure.
8 They are upheld forever and ever;
They are performed in truth and uprightness.
9 He has sent redemption to His people;
He has ordained His covenant forever;
Holy and awesome is His name.
10 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom;
A good understanding have all those who do His commandments;
His praise endures forever.”  Psalm chapter 111.

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“Great are the works of the Lord;
They are studied by all who delight in them.”  Verse 2.

“He has sent redemption to His people;
He has ordained His covenant forever;
Holy and awesome is His name.”  Verse 9.

Reformed Doctrine proclaims and praises God’s great works of redemption from His “Unconditional Election” to His “Limited Atonement” to His “Irresistible Grace” to His “Preservation of the Saints”,  the “U”, “L”, “I” and “P” of “TULIP”, the Five Points of Calvinism, the Reformed Doctrine of Salvation.

Other doctrine proclaims and praises man’s alleged free-will.

But, Reformed Doctrine proclaims God’s great works of redemption.  This is the gospel, the only truly good news.

“Praise the Lord!
I will give thanks to the Lord with all my heart,
In the company of the upright and in the assembly.”  Verse 1.

Today’s devotion comes from Psalm chapter 110.

“The Lord says to my Lord:
“Sit at My right hand
Until I make Your enemies a footstool for Your feet.”
2 The Lord will stretch forth Your strong scepter from Zion, saying,
“Rule in the midst of Your enemies.”
3 Your people will volunteer freely in the day of Your power;
In holy array, from the womb of the dawn,
Your youth are to You as the dew.

4 The Lord has sworn and will not change His mind,
“You are a priest forever
According to the order of Melchizedek.”
5 The Lord is at Your right hand;
He will shatter kings in the day of His wrath.
6 He will judge among the nations,
He will fill them with corpses,
He will shatter the chief men over a broad country.
7 He will drink from the brook by the wayside;
Therefore He will lift up His head.”    Psalm chapter 110.

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God the Father has given His Son Jesus Christ (also known as God the Son) all power, rule, and authority (all sovereignty).  Part of this chapter reminds us of parts of chapters in the New Testament.  (For examples, verse 1 reminds us of Luke 21:40-43, and verse 4 reminds us of Hebrews 7:17-22.)  But, most comprehensively, the vivid imagery of this whole chapter describing Christ’s sovereignty reminds us of the vivid imagery of Christ’s sovereignty in the following Psalm chapter 2.

“Why are the nations in an uproar
And the peoples devising a vain thing?
2 The kings of the earth take their stand
And the rulers take counsel together
Against the Lord and against His Anointed, saying,
3 “Let us tear their fetters apart
And cast away their cords from us!”

4 He who sits in the heavens laughs,
The Lord scoffs at them.
5 Then He will speak to them in His anger
And terrify them in His fury, saying,
6 “But as for Me, I have installed My King
Upon Zion, My holy mountain.”

7 “I will surely tell of the decree of the Lord:
He said to Me, ‘You are My Son,
Today I have begotten You.
8 ‘Ask of Me, and I will surely give the nations as Your inheritance,
And the very ends of the earth as Your possession.
9 ‘You shall break them with a rod of iron,
You shall shatter them like earthenware.’”

10 Now therefore, O kings, show discernment;
Take warning, O judges of the earth.
11 Worship the Lord with reverence
And rejoice with trembling.
12 Do homage to the Son, that He not become angry, and you perish in the way,
For His wrath may soon be kindled.
How blessed are all who take refuge in Him!”  Psalm chapter 2.

“For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”  Philippians 2:9-11.

Thus, as Reformed Doctrine focuses on Christ’s sovereignty unlike other doctrine which focuses on man’s alleged free-will, we can have every confidence in Christ that He can and will save us including preserving us to the end.

“Therefore He is able also to save forever those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.”  Hebrews 7:25.

“Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to make you stand in the presence of His glory blameless with great joy, to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion and authority, before all time and now and forever.  Amen.”  Jude 24-25.