Reformed Doctrine Daily Devotions

Today’s devotion comes from Psalm chapter 150.

“Praise the Lord!
Praise God in His sanctuary;
Praise Him in His mighty expanse.
2 Praise Him for His mighty deeds;
Praise Him according to His excellent greatness.

3 Praise Him with trumpet sound;
Praise Him with harp and lyre.
4 Praise Him with timbrel and dancing;
Praise Him with stringed instruments and pipe.
5 Praise Him with loud cymbals;
Praise Him with resounding cymbals.
6 Let everything that has breath praise the Lord.

Praise the Lord!”  Psalm chapter 150.

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God’s mighty deeds call for mighty praise of Him.

God’s excellent greatness deserve excellent great praise of Him.

“Praise Him for His mighty deeds;
Praise Him according to His excellent greatness.”  Verse 2.

Today’s Scripture, the concluding chapter of the Book of Psalms, comes to a crescendo and shows us what praise of God is according to His excellent greatness.

According to God’s excellent greatness, praise of Him alerts people and gets their attention and their focus on God.  

“Praise Him with trumpet sound;
Praise Him with harp and lyre.”  Verse 3.

According to God’s excellent greatness, praise of Him is joyful.

“Praise Him with timbrel and dancing;
Praise Him with stringed instruments and pipe.”  Verse 4.

According to God’s excellent greatness, praise of Him is loud and resounding.

“Praise Him with loud cymbals;
Praise Him with resounding cymbals.”  Verse 5.

According to God’s excellent greatness, praise of Him is with all and every breath that we have.  Praise is with all of our mind, heart, soul, and strength.

“Let everything that has breath praise the Lord.

Praise the Lord!”  Verse 6.

Today’s devotion comes from Psalm chapter 149.

“Praise the Lord!
Sing to the Lord a new song,
And His praise in the congregation of the godly ones.
2 Let Israel be glad in his Maker;
Let the sons of Zion rejoice in their King.
3 Let them praise His name with dancing;
Let them sing praises to Him with timbrel and lyre.
4 For the Lord takes pleasure in His people;
He will beautify the afflicted ones with salvation.

5 Let the godly ones exult in glory;
Let them sing for joy on their beds.
6 Let the high praises of God be in their mouth,
And a two-edged sword in their hand,
7 To execute vengeance on the nations
And punishment on the peoples,
8 To bind their kings with chains
And their nobles with fetters of iron,
9 To execute on them the judgment written;
This is an honor for all His godly ones.
Praise the Lord!”  Psalm chapter 149.

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There is a change in focus from all the elements of creation being exhorted to praise the LORD in Psalm chapter 148 to a focus on God’s godly ones being exhorted to praise the LORD in this Psalm chapter 149.

We see that focus on God’s godly ones in the use of words and phrases “godly ones”, “Israel”, “sons of Zion”, and “His people” that I have highlighted above in bold italic font.

Yes, all creation should praise the LORD.  Psalm chapter 148.

But, at the top of God’s creation and with a sense of God’s special blessing of salvation of them, God’s godly ones should above all lead the praise of the LORD.  Psalm chapter 149.

“For the Lord takes pleasure in His people;
He will beautify the afflicted ones with salvation.”  Verse 4.

“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 2:9-10.

Today’s devotion comes from Psalm chapter 148.

“Praise the Lord!
Praise the Lord from the heavens;
Praise Him in the heights!
2 Praise Him, all His angels;
Praise Him, all His hosts!
3 Praise Him, sun and moon;
Praise Him, all stars of light!
4 Praise Him, highest heavens,
And the waters that are above the heavens!
5 Let them praise the name of the Lord,
For He commanded and they were created.
6 He has also established them forever and ever;
He has made a decree which will not pass away.

7 Praise the Lord from the earth,
Sea monsters and all deeps;
8 Fire and hail, snow and clouds;
Stormy wind, fulfilling His word;
9 Mountains and all hills;
Fruit trees and all cedars;
10 Beasts and all cattle;
Creeping things and winged fowl;
11 Kings of the earth and all peoples;
Princes and all judges of the earth;
12 Both young men and virgins;
Old men and children.

13 Let them praise the name of the Lord,
For His name alone is exalted;
His glory is above earth and heaven.
14 And He has lifted up a horn for His people,
Praise for all His godly ones;
Even for the sons of Israel, a people near to Him.
Praise the Lord!”  Psalm chapter 148.

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Other doctrine tries to chip away that God created heaven and earth and that He is sovereign and totally controls every element of creation.

But, Reformed Doctrine cheerfully chirps every element of creation and commands them to praise the LORD.

“Let them praise the name of the Lord,
For He commanded and they were created.”  Verse 5.

Everything fulfills God’s word.

“Fire and hail, snow and clouds;
Stormy wind, fulfilling His word;”  Verse 8.

From the beginning of the chapter …

“Praise the Lord!  …”  Verse 1.

To the end of the chapter …

“…  Praise the Lord!”  Verse 14.

Today’s devotion comes from Psalm chapter 147.  Here is a link to this chapter – https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm+147&version=NASB

I quote only the following verses.

“Praise the Lord!
For it is good to sing praises to our God;
For it is pleasant and praise is becoming.
2 The Lord builds up Jerusalem;
He gathers the outcasts of Israel.
3 He heals the brokenhearted
And binds up their wounds.
4 He counts the number of the stars;
He gives names to all of them.
5 Great is our Lord and abundant in strength;
His understanding is infinite.
6 The Lord supports the afflicted;
He brings down the wicked to the ground.

7 Sing to the Lord with thanksgiving;
Sing praises to our God on the lyre,
8 Who covers the heavens with clouds,
Who provides rain for the earth,
Who makes grass to grow on the mountains.
9 He gives to the beast its food,
And to the young ravens which cry.
10 He does not delight in the strength of the horse;
He does not take pleasure in the legs of a man.
11 The Lord favors those who fear Him,
Those who wait for His lovingkindness.”  Psalm 147:1-11.

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Other doctrine continually looks at itself and what it has done, taking pleasure in itself.

But, Reformed Doctrine continually looks at God and what He has done, fearing God and waiting for His lovingkindness.

“13 The Lord looks from heaven;
He sees all the sons of men;
14 From His dwelling place He looks out
On all the inhabitants of the earth,
15 He who fashions the hearts of them all,
He who understands all their works.
16 The king is not saved by a mighty army;
A warrior is not delivered by great strength.
17 A horse is a false hope for victory;
Nor does it deliver anyone by its great strength.

18 Behold, the eye of the Lord is on those who fear Him,
On those who hope for His lovingkindness,
19 To deliver their soul from death
And to keep them alive in famine.
20 Our soul waits for the Lord;
He is our help and our shield.
21 For our heart rejoices in Him,
Because we trust in His holy name.
22 Let Your lovingkindness, O Lord, be upon us,
According as we have hoped in You.”  Psalm 33:13-22.

“12 Praise the Lord, O Jerusalem!
Praise your God, O Zion!
13 For He has strengthened the bars of your gates;
He has blessed your sons within you.
14 He makes peace in your borders;
He satisfies you with the finest of the wheat.”  Psalm 147:12-14.

Today’s devotion comes from Psalm chapter 146.

“Praise the Lord!
Praise the Lord, O my soul!
2 I will praise the Lord while I live;
I will sing praises to my God while I have my being.
3 Do not trust in princes,
In mortal man, in whom there is no salvation.
4 His spirit departs, he returns to the earth;
In that very day his thoughts perish.
5 How blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob,
Whose hope is in the Lord his God,
6 Who made heaven and earth,
The sea and all that is in them;
Who keeps faith forever;
7 Who executes justice for the oppressed;
Who gives food to the hungry.
The Lord sets the prisoners free.

8 The Lord opens the eyes of the blind;
The Lord raises up those who are bowed down;
The Lord loves the righteous;
9 The Lord protects the strangers;
He supports the fatherless and the widow,
But He thwarts the way of the wicked.
10 The Lord will reign forever,
Your God, O Zion, to all generations.
Praise the LORD!”  Psalm chapter 146.

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Other doctrine focuses on man and trusts in man.

But, Reformed Doctrine focuses on God and trusts in God.

“Do not trust in princes,
In mortal man, in whom there is no salvation.”  Verse 3.

“My soul waits in silence for God only;
From Him is my salvation.”  Psalm 62:1.

Reformed Doctrine trusts God alone for salvation from beginning to the end:  from “Unconditional Election” to “Limited Atonement” to “Irresistible Grace” to “Preservation of the Saints”, the “U”, “L”, “I”, and “P” of “TULIP”, the Five Points of Calvinism, the Reformed Doctrine of Salvation.

“How blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob,
Whose hope is in the Lord his God,”  Verse 5.

Today’s devotion comes from Psalm 145:14-21.

“14 The Lord sustains all who fall
And raises up all who are bowed down.
15 The eyes of all look to You,
And You give them their food in due time.
16 You open Your hand
And satisfy the desire of every living thing.

17 The Lord is righteous in all His ways
And kind in all His deeds.
18 The Lord is near to all who call upon Him,
To all who call upon Him in truth.
19 He will fulfill the desire of those who fear Him;
He will also hear their cry and will save them.
20 The Lord keeps all who love Him,
But all the wicked He will destroy.
21 My mouth will speak the praise of the Lord,
And all flesh will bless His holy name forever and ever.”  Psalm 145:14-21.

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Many would only quote verses 14 to 17 to maintain that God loves everybody and shows common grace to everybody.

But, we see that the following verses, so to speak, cut in half and even cut again into a quarter the group to which God shows such grace.

First, we see the sharp cut between those who love God and the wicked.

“The Lord keeps all who love Him,
But all the wicked He will destroy.”  Verse 20.

Second, we see within this group who appear to love God the cut between those who merely call upon Him and those who call upon Him in truth.

“The Lord is near to all who call upon Him,
To all who call upon Him in truth.”  Verse 18.

In other words, God shows grace to only those who call upon Him in truth.  It is insufficient for those who profess that they love God to call upon God upon their own terms and agenda.

There are those who call upon God but not according to truth.

“Brethren, my heart’s desire and my prayer to God for them is for their salvation.  For I testify about them that they have a zeal for God, but not in accordance with knowledge.  For not knowing about God’s righteousness and seeking to establish their own, they did not subject themselves to the righteousness of God.  For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.”  Romans 10:1-4.

“But an hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth;  for such people the Father seeks to be His worshipers.  God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”  John 4:23-24.

“‘But in vain do they worship Me,
Teaching as doctrines the precepts of men.’”  Matthew 15:9 and Mark 7:7.

“and with all the deception of wickedness for those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth so as to be saved.”  2 Thessalonians 2:10.

In summary, the following Scripture puts it together.  There is an emotional love that comes from God through the heart.  And, there is an intellectual love that encompasses knowledge and love of the truth that also comes from God but through the mind.  We are commanded to love God with all of our heart and with all of our mind.

“And a lawyer stood up and put Him to the test, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?”  And He said to him, “What is written in the Law?  How does it read to you?”  And he answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind;  and your neighbor as yourself.”  Luke 10:25-27.

Today’s devotion comes from Psalm 145:1-13.

“I will extol You, my God, O King,
And I will bless Your name forever and ever.
2 Every day I will bless You,
And I will praise Your name forever and ever.
3 Great is the Lord, and highly to be praised,
And His greatness is unsearchable.
4 One generation shall praise Your works to another,
And shall declare Your mighty acts.
5 On the glorious splendor of Your majesty
And on Your wonderful works, I will meditate.
6 Men shall speak of the power of Your awesome acts,
And I will tell of Your greatness.
7 They shall eagerly utter the memory of Your abundant goodness
And will shout joyfully of Your righteousness.

8 The Lord is gracious and merciful;
Slow to anger and great in lovingkindness.
9 The Lord is good to all,
And His mercies are over all His works.
10 All Your works shall give thanks to You, O Lord,
And Your godly ones shall bless You.
11 They shall speak of the glory of Your kingdom
And talk of Your power;
12 To make known to the sons of men Your mighty acts
And the glory of the majesty of Your kingdom.
13 Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom,
And Your dominion endures throughout all generations.”  Psalm 145:1-13.

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Other doctrine focuses on man and what man has done and should do.

But, Reformed Doctrine, consistent with this Scripture, focuses on God and what God has done.

“Men shall speak of the power of Your awesome acts,
And I will tell of Your greatness.”  Verse 6.

“They shall eagerly utter the memory of Your abundant goodness
And will shout joyfully of Your righteousness.”  Verse 7.

“11 They shall speak of the glory of Your kingdom
And talk of Your power;
12 To make known to the sons of men Your mighty acts
And the glory of the majesty of Your kingdom.”  Verses 11-12.

“One generation shall praise Your works to another,
And shall declare Your mighty acts.”  Verse 4.

Other doctrine cling to a false claim of free-will in man.

But, Reformed Doctrine proclaims God’s kingdom and dominion.

“Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom,
And Your dominion endures throughout all generations.”  Verse 13.

Today’s devotion comes from Psalm chapter 144.  Here is a link to this chapter – https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm+144&version=NASB

I quote only the following verses.

“Blessed be the Lord, my rock,
Who trains my hands for war,
And my fingers for battle;
2 My lovingkindness and my fortress,
My stronghold and my deliverer,
My shield and He in whom I take refuge,
Who subdues my people under me.

…

9 I will sing a new song to You, O God;
Upon a harp of ten strings I will sing praises to You,
10 Who gives salvation to kings,
Who rescues David His servant from the evil sword.
11 Rescue me and deliver me out of the hand of aliens,
Whose mouth speaks deceit
And whose right hand is a right hand of falsehood.

12 Let our sons in their youth be as grown-up plants,
And our daughters as corner pillars fashioned as for a palace;
13 Let our garners be full, furnishing every kind of produce,
And our flocks bring forth thousands and ten thousands in our fields;
14 Let our cattle bear
Without mishap and without loss,
Let there be no outcry in our streets!
15 How blessed are the people who are so situated;
How blessed are the people whose God is the Lord!”  Psalm 144:1-2 and 9-15.

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We want protection.  We want prosperity.

How are protection and prosperity received?

Today’s Scripture teaches that protection and prosperity are blessings from God.

“How blessed are the people who are so situated;
How blessed are the people whose God is the Lord!”  Verse 15.

And, the following Scripture goes further and teaches that God’s chosen people receive God’s choice blessings.

“Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord,
The people whom He has chosen for His own inheritance.”  Psalm 34:12.

Other doctrine wants to ignore or obscure that point, preferring to falsely teach that God loves everyone and that the reason why some people are protected and have prosperity (and others are not) is that the protected and prospered use their own alleged free-will, wisdom, and strength to seize it.

But, the Scripture that follows the foregoing Psalm 34:12 refute such false teaching.

“13 The Lord looks from heaven;
He sees all the sons of men;
14 From His dwelling place He looks out
On all the inhabitants of the earth,
15 He who fashions the hearts of them all,
He who understands all their works.
16 The king is not saved by a mighty army;
A warrior is not delivered by great strength.
17 A horse is a false hope for victory;
Nor does it deliver anyone by its great strength.

18 Behold, the eye of the Lord is on those who fear Him,
On those who hope for His lovingkindness,
19 To deliver their soul from death
And to keep them alive in famine.
20 Our soul waits for the Lord;
He is our help and our shield.
21 For our heart rejoices in Him,
Because we trust in His holy name.
22 Let Your lovingkindness, O Lord, be upon us,
According as we have hoped in You.”  Psalm 34:13-22.

God gives protection and prosperity to His beloved, His chosen ones.

“Unless the Lord builds the house,
They labor in vain who build it;
Unless the Lord guards the city,
The watchman keeps awake in vain.
2 It is vain for you to rise up early,
To retire late,
To eat the bread of painful labors;
For He gives to His beloved even in his sleep.”  Psalm 127:1-2.

“4 Remember me, O Lord, in Your favor toward Your people;
Visit me with Your salvation,
5 That I may see the prosperity of Your chosen ones,
That I may rejoice in the gladness of Your nation,
That I may glory with Your inheritance.”  Psalm 106:4-5.

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him.  …”  Ephesians 1:3-4.

“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 2:9-10.

Today’s devotion comes from Psalm chapter 142.

“I cry aloud with my voice to the Lord;
I make supplication with my voice to the Lord.
2 I pour out my complaint before Him;
I declare my trouble before Him.
3 When my spirit was overwhelmed within me,
You knew my path.
In the way where I walk
They have hidden a trap for me.
4 Look to the right and see;
For there is no one who regards me;
There is no escape for me;
No one cares for my soul.

5 I cried out to You, O Lord;
I said, “You are my refuge,
My portion in the land of the living.
6 “Give heed to my cry,
For I am brought very low;
Deliver me from my persecutors,
For they are too strong for me.
7 “Bring my soul out of prison,
So that I may give thanks to Your name;
The righteous will surround me,
For You will deal bountifully with me.”  Psalm chapter 142.

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“17 The righteous cry, and the Lord hears
And delivers them out of all their troubles.
18 The Lord is near to the brokenhearted
And saves those who are crushed in spirit.

19 Many are the afflictions of the righteous,
But the Lord delivers him out of them all.”  Psalm 34:17-19.

“5 But I have trusted in Your lovingkindness;
My heart shall rejoice in Your salvation.
6 I will sing to the Lord,
Because He has dealt bountifully with me.”  Psalm 13:5-6.

“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 116:7-8.