Reformed Doctrine Daily Devotions

Today’s devotion comes from Psalm chapter 84.

“How lovely are Your dwelling places,
O Lord of hosts!
2 My soul longed and even yearned for the courts of the Lord;
My heart and my flesh sing for joy to the living God.
3 The bird also has found a house,
And the swallow a nest for herself, where she may lay her young,
Even Your altars, O Lord of hosts,
My King and my God.
4 How blessed are those who dwell in Your house!
They are ever praising You.  Selah.

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.

8 O Lord God of hosts, hear my prayer;
Give ear, O God of Jacob!  Selah.
9 Behold our shield, O God,
And look upon the face of Your anointed.
10 For a day in Your courts is better than a thousand outside.
I would rather stand at the threshold of the house of my God
Than dwell in the tents of wickedness.
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 chapter 84.

——————————

We see the grace of God causing growth and progression.  “They go from strength to strength …”  Verse 7.

“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.”  Verse 11.

First, there is yearning.  “My soul longed and even yearned for the courts of the Lord …”  Verse 2.

Second, they are humble like a bird, maybe burdened and weary, but they find a place in the house of God.

“The bird also has found a house,
And the swallow a nest for herself, where she may lay her young,
Even Your altars, O Lord of hosts …”  Verse 3.

Third, they become content to dwell in God’s house.

“How blessed are those who dwell in Your house!  …”  Verse 4.

Fourth, they grow in their faith.  “They go from strength to strength”.  Their strength becomes more and more in God.  Their heart is not in what they do but in Whom God is and what He has done.  Their hearts are “highways to Zion”, seeking God themselves and also leading others to God.

“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.”  Verses 5-7.

Fifth, they trust God to protect them and to provide every good thing for them.

“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!”  Verses 11-12.

Sixth, they are joyful and praise God.

“… My heart and my flesh sing for joy to the living God.”  Verse 2.

“… They are ever praising You.  Selah.”  Verse 4.

Today’s devotion comes from Psalm chapter 83.

“O God, do not remain quiet;
Do not be silent and, O God, do not be still.
2 For behold, Your enemies make an uproar,
And those who hate You have exalted themselves.
3 They make shrewd plans against Your people,
And conspire together against Your treasured ones.
4 They have said, “Come, and let us wipe them out as a nation,
That the name of Israel be remembered no more.”
5 For they have conspired together with one mind;
Against You they make a covenant:
6 The tents of Edom and the Ishmaelites,
Moab and the Hagrites;
7 Gebal and Ammon and Amalek,
Philistia with the inhabitants of Tyre;
8 Assyria also has joined with them;
They have become a help to the children of Lot.  Selah.

9 Deal with them as with Midian,
As with Sisera and Jabin at the torrent of Kishon,
10 Who were destroyed at En-dor,
Who became as dung for the ground.
11 Make their nobles like Oreb and Zeeb
And all their princes like Zebah and Zalmunna,
12 Who said, “Let us possess for ourselves
The pastures of God.”

13 O my God, make them like the whirling dust,
Like chaff before the wind.
14 Like fire that burns the forest
And like a flame that sets the mountains on fire,
15 So pursue them with Your tempest
And terrify them with Your storm.
16 Fill their faces with dishonor,
That they may seek Your name, O Lord.
17 Let them be ashamed and dismayed forever,
And let them be humiliated and perish,
18 That they may know that You alone, whose name is the Lord,
Are the Most High over all the earth.”  Psalm chapter 83.

—————————-

As we read all the terrifying things that the Psalmist wants done to the enemies, we may think that the purpose of all these things is for the sake of Israel, maybe for vengeance or protection for Israel.

But then we come to the concluding verse of the chapter and discover the purpose.

“That they may know that You alone, whose name is the Lord,
Are the Most High over all the earth.”  Verse 18.

Other doctrine focuses on man.

But, Reformed Doctrine focuses on God and prays that God be known and glorified.

“8 There is no one like You among the gods, O Lord,
Nor are there any works like Yours.
9 All nations whom You have made shall come and worship before You, O Lord,
And they shall glorify Your name.
10 For You are great and do wondrous deeds;
You alone are God.”  Psalm 86:8-10.

Today’s devotion comes from Psalm chapter 82.

“God takes His stand in His own congregation;
He judges in the midst of the rulers.
² How long will you judge unjustly
And show partiality to the wicked?  Selah.
³ Vindicate the weak and fatherless;
Do justice to the afflicted and destitute.
⁴ Rescue the weak and needy;
Deliver them out of the hand of the wicked.

Today’s devotion comes from Psalm chapter 81.

“Sing for joy to God our strength;
Shout joyfully to the God of Jacob.
² Raise a song, strike the timbrel,
The sweet sounding lyre with the harp.
³ Blow the trumpet at the new moon,
At the full moon, on our feast day.
⁴ For it is a statute for Israel,
An ordinance of the God of Jacob.
⁵ He established it for a testimony in Joseph
When he went throughout the land of Egypt.
I heard a language that I did not know:

Today’s devotion comes from Psalm chapter 80.

“Oh, give ear, Shepherd of Israel,
You who lead Joseph like a flock;
You who are enthroned above the cherubim, shine forth!
² Before Ephraim and Benjamin and Manasseh, stir up Your power
And come to save us!
³ O God, restore us
And cause Your face to shine upon us, and we will be saved.

Today’s devotion comes from Psalm 78:21-39.  We include verses 21-22 which were also covered by yesgterday’s devotion in order to provide context.

“21 Therefore the Lord heard and was full of wrath;
And a fire was kindled against Jacob
And anger also mounted against Israel,
22 Because they did not believe in God
And did not trust in His salvation.
23 Yet He commanded the clouds above
And opened the doors of heaven;
24 He rained down manna upon them to eat
And gave them food from heaven.
25 Man did eat the bread of angels;
He sent them food in abundance.
26 He caused the east wind to blow in the heavens
And by His power He directed the south wind.
27 When He rained meat upon them like the dust,
Even winged fowl like the sand of the seas,
28 Then He let them fall in the midst of their camp,
Round about their dwellings.
29 So they ate and were well filled,
And their desire He gave to them.
30 Before they had satisfied their desire,
While their food was in their mouths,
31 The anger of God rose against them
And killed some of their stoutest ones,
And subdued the choice men of Israel.
32 In spite of all this they still sinned
And did not believe in His wonderful works.
33 So He brought their days to an end in futility
And their years in sudden terror.

34 When He killed them, then they sought Him,
And returned and searched diligently for God;
35 And they remembered that God was their rock,
And the Most High God their Redeemer.
36 But they deceived Him with their mouth
And lied to Him with their tongue.
37 For their heart was not steadfast toward Him,
Nor were they faithful in His covenant.
38 But He, being compassionate, forgave their iniquity and did not destroy them;
And often He restrained His anger
And did not arouse all His wrath.
39 Thus He remembered that they were but flesh,
A wind that passes and does not return.”  Psalm 78:21-39.

———————–

Despite miracles testifying to God’s power and despite the provisions of manna and water, Israel did not believe in God nor in His wonderful works nor trust in His salvation.

Therefore, God was angry, full of wrath. 

The lesson for us is to avoid Israel’s mistakes.

“For I do not want you to be unaware, brethren, that our fathers were all under the cloud and all passed through the sea;  and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea;  and all ate the same spiritual food;  and all drank the same spiritual drink, for they were drinking from a spiritual rock which followed them;  and the rock was Christ.  Nevertheless, with most of them God was not well-pleased;  for they were laid low in the wilderness.

Now these things happened as examples for us, so that we would not crave evil things as they also craved.  Do not be idolaters, as some of them were;  as it is written, “The people sat down to eat and drink, and stood up to play.”  Nor let us act immorally, as some of them did, and twenty-three thousand fell in one day.  Nor let us try the Lord, as some of them did, and were destroyed by the serpents.  Nor grumble, as some of them did, and were destroyed by the destroyer.  Now these things happened to them as an example, and they were written for our instruction, upon whom the ends of the ages have come.”  1 Corinthians 10:1-11.

Search diligently for God.  Believe in God’s wonderous works.  Remember that God is your Rock and your Redeemer.

Reformed Doctrine can help, because it focuses on God, His wonderous works, and continually presents God as our Rock and Redeemer.  And, “TULIP” helps us remember the Five Points of Calvinism, the Reformed Doctrine of Salvation, namely man’s “Total Depravity”, God’s “Unconditional Election”, God’s “Limited Atonement”, God’s “Irresistible Grace”, and God’s “Preservation of the Saints”. 

Today’s devotion comes from Psalm chapter 77.

“My voice rises to God, and I will cry aloud;
My voice rises to God, and He will hear me.
2 In the day of my trouble I sought the Lord;
In the night my hand was stretched out without weariness;
My soul refused to be comforted.
3 When I remember God, then I am disturbed;
When I sigh, then my spirit grows faint.  Selah.
4 You have held my eyelids open;
I am so troubled that I cannot speak.
5 I have considered the days of old,
The years of long ago.
6 I will remember my song in the night;
I will meditate with my heart,
And my spirit ponders:

7 Will the Lord reject forever?
And will He never be favorable again?
8 Has His lovingkindness ceased forever?
Has His promise come to an end forever?
9 Has God forgotten to be gracious,
Or has He in anger withdrawn His compassion?  Selah.
10 Then I said, “It is my grief,
That the right hand of the Most High has changed.”

11 I shall remember the deeds of the Lord;
Surely I will remember Your wonders of old.
12 I will meditate on all Your work
And muse on Your deeds.
13 Your way, O God, is holy;
What god is great like our God?
14 You are the God who works wonders;
You have made known Your strength among the peoples.
15 You have by Your power redeemed Your people,
The sons of Jacob and Joseph.  Selah.

16 The waters saw You, O God;
The waters saw You, they were in anguish;
The deeps also trembled.
17 The clouds poured out water;
The skies gave forth a sound;
Your arrows flashed here and there.
18 The sound of Your thunder was in the whirlwind;
The lightnings lit up the world;
The earth trembled and shook.
19 Your way was in the sea
And Your paths in the mighty waters,
And Your footprints may not be known.
20 You led Your people like a flock
By the hand of Moses and Aaron.”  Psalm chapter 77.

———————-

We experience troubles and lose sight of God.

“Your way was in the sea
And Your paths in the mighty waters,
And Your footprints may not be known.”  Verse 19.

But, God has not lost sight of us;  God continues to faithfully lead us.

“You led Your people like a flock
By the hand of Moses and Aaron.”  Verse 20.

Life may seem like a storm at sea.

“16 The waters saw You, O God;
The waters saw You, they were in anguish;
The deeps also trembled.
17 The clouds poured out water;
The skies gave forth a sound;
Your arrows flashed here and there.
18 The sound of Your thunder was in the whirlwind;
The lightnings lit up the world;
The earth trembled and shook.”  Verses 16-18.

But, Reformed Doctrine is like a lighthouse which helps ships lost at sea.  When we focus on God and His great works, as Reformed Doctrine continually teaches us, then we regain our bearings and our comfort.

Other doctrine depends on its own feelings.

But, Reformed Doctrine depends on God’s feats and faithfulness.

By God’s power, God has redeemed His people from the very beginning to the very end:  from the very beginning of God’s “Unconditional Election” through God’s “Limited Atonement” through God’s “Irresistible Grace” to the very end of God’s “Preservation of the Saints”, the “U”, “L”, “I”, and “P” of “TULIP”, the Five Points of Calvinism, the Reformed Doctrine of Salvation.

“11 I shall remember the deeds of the Lord;
Surely I will remember Your wonders of old.
12 I will meditate on all Your work
And muse on Your deeds.
13 Your way, O God, is holy;
What god is great like our God?
14 You are the God who works wonders;
You have made known Your strength among the peoples.
15 You have by Your power redeemed Your people,
The sons of Jacob and Joseph.  Selah.”  Verses 11-15.