Posted by: Bill Hornbeck | June 23, 2016

“Come and hear, all who fear God, And I will tell of what He has done for my soul.”

Today’s devotion comes from Psalm chapter 66.

“Shout joyfully to God, all the earth;
2 Sing the glory of His name;
Make His praise glorious.
3 Say to God, “How awesome are Your works!
Because of the greatness of Your power Your enemies will give feigned obedience to You.
4 “All the earth will worship You,
And will sing praises to You;
They will sing praises to Your name.”  Selah.

5 Come and see the works of God,
Who is awesome in His deeds toward the sons of men.
6 He turned the sea into dry land;
They passed through the river on foot;
There let us rejoice in Him!
7 He rules by His might forever;
His eyes keep watch on the nations;
Let not the rebellious exalt themselves.  Selah.

8 Bless our God, O peoples,
And sound His praise abroad,
9 Who keeps us in life
And does not allow our feet to slip.
10 For You have tried us, O God;
You have refined us as silver is refined.
11 You brought us into the net;
You laid an oppressive burden upon our loins.
12 You made men ride over our heads;
We went through fire and through water,
Yet You brought us out into a place of abundance.
13 I shall come into Your house with burnt offerings;
I shall pay You my vows,
14 Which my lips uttered
And my mouth spoke when I was in distress.
15 I shall offer to You burnt offerings of fat beasts,
With the smoke of rams;
I shall make an offering of bulls with male goats.  Selah.

16 Come and hear, all who fear God,
And I will tell of what He has done for my soul.
17 I cried to Him with my mouth,
And He was extolled with my tongue.
18 If I regard wickedness in my heart,
The Lord will not hear;
19 But certainly God has heard;
He has given heed to the voice of my prayer.
20 Blessed be God,
Who has not turned away my prayer
Nor His lovingkindness from me.”  Psalm chapter 66.

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Other doctrine urges us:  “Come and see our works.  See our new building addition.  See our youth program.  See our mission opportunities.”

But, Reformed Doctrine urges:  “Come and hear, all who fear God, And I will tell of what He has done for my soul.”

Reformed Doctrine first burns off any pride in ourselves by its teaching of our natural condition of “Total Depravity”.

“For You have tried us, O God;
You have refined us as silver is refined.”  Verse 10.

Then, Reformed Doctrine teaches us the basis of our salvation which is “Unconditional Election”, and we can immediately understand that it is solely a work of God.

Reformed Doctrine proceeds to teach us that Christ died for the elect to procure all the saving gifts.  This is “Limited Atonement”, solely a work of God, limited to the elect, but unlimited in saving power.

Article 8.  For this was the sovereign counsel, and most gracious will and purpose of God the Father, that the quickening and saving efficacy of the most precious death of his Son should extend to all the elect, for bestowing upon them alone the gift of justifying faith, thereby to bring them infallibly to salvation:  that is, it was the will of God, that Christ by the blood of the cross, whereby he confirmed the new covenant, should effectually redeem out of every people, tribe, nation, and language, all those, and those only, who were from eternity chosen to salvation, and given to him by the Father;  that he should confer upon them faith, which together with all the other saving gifts of the Holy Spirit, he purchased for them by his death; should purge them from all sin, both original and actual, whether committed before or after believing;  and having faithfully preserved them even to the end, should at last bring them free from every spot and blemish to the enjoyment of glory in his own presence forever.  SECOND HEAD OF DOCTRINE Of the Death of Christ, and the Redemption of Men Thereby of Canons of Dordt.

Reformed Doctrine also shows what God has done for our soul through its teaching of “Irresistible Grace” and “Preservation of the Saints”.

“8 Bless our God, O peoples,
And sound His praise abroad,
9 Who keeps us in life
And does not allow our feet to slip.”  Verses 8-9.

And yet, how often do we hear in our churches about these works of God? 

How often do we hear about what God has done for our soul?

If there is any mention of “Unconditional Election”, “Limited Atonement”, “Irresistible Grace” and “Preservation of the Saints”, these awesome works of God, then too often it is only a fleeting and quiet reference.

But, Reformed Doctrine shouts joyfully to repeatedly remind us of these points of “TULIP”, the Five Points of Calvinism, the Reformed Doctrine of Salvation, calling out through the voice of the Psalmist in verse 16:  “Come and hear, all who fear God, And I will tell of what He has done for my soul.”

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Posted by: Bill Hornbeck | June 22, 2016

“How blessed is the one whom You choose and bring near to You To dwell in Your courts.”

Today’s devotion comes from Psalm chapter 65.

“There will be silence before You, and praise in Zion, O God,
And to You the vow will be performed.
2 O You who hear prayer,
To You all men come.
3 Iniquities prevail against me;
As for our transgressions, You forgive them.
4 How blessed is the one whom You choose and bring near to You
To dwell in Your courts.
We will be satisfied with the goodness of Your house,
Your holy temple.

5 By awesome deeds You answer us in righteousness, O God of our salvation,
You who are the trust of all the ends of the earth and of the farthest sea;
6 Who establishes the mountains by His strength,
Being girded with might;
7 Who stills the roaring of the seas,
The roaring of their waves,
And the tumult of the peoples.
8 They who dwell in the ends of the earth stand in awe of Your signs;
You make the dawn and the sunset shout for joy.

9 You visit the earth and cause it to overflow;
You greatly enrich it;
The stream of God is full of water;
You prepare their grain, for thus You prepare the earth.
10 You water its furrows abundantly,
You settle its ridges,
You soften it with showers,
You bless its growth.
11 You have crowned the year with Your bounty,
And Your paths drip with fatness.
12 The pastures of the wilderness drip,
And the hills gird themselves with rejoicing.
13 The meadows are clothed with flocks
And the valleys are covered with grain;
They shout for joy, yes, they sing.”  Psalm chapter 65.

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God’s goodness causes the earth to overflow with many good things which many people can enjoy.  Verses 9-13.

In contrast with the many who can enjoy the good things in the earth, “How blessed is the one whom You choose and bring near to You To dwell in Your courts.  …”  Verse 4.  This word “one” is used figuratively for purpose of emphasizing the contrast between the many who receive the good things in the earth and the few who are chosen.  We see that this “one” is not a literal one person, because this sentence is immediately followed by the link:  “We will be satisfied with the goodness of Your house, Your holy temple.”  Verse 4.  Thus, the sense is:  “For many are called, but few are chosen.”  Matthew 22:14.

Other doctrine ignores or minimizes that being chosen (a/k/a elected or predestined) is the basis of salvation.

But, Reformed Doctrine sees it everywhere in Scripture and clearly teaches it in its point “Unconditional Election”, the “U” of “TULIP”, the Five Points of Calvinism, the Reformed Doctrine of Salvation.

“Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord,
The people whom He has chosen for His own inheritance.”  Psalm 33:12.

“You did not choose Me but I chose you, and appointed you that you would go and bear fruit, and that your fruit would remain, so that whatever you ask of the Father in My name He may give to you.”  John 15:16.

“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 8:29-30.

“For He says to Moses, “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.”  So then it does not depend on the man who wills or the man who runs, but on God who has mercy.  For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, “For this very purpose I raised you up, to demonstrate My power in you, and that My name might be proclaimed  throughout the whole earth.”  So then He has mercy on whom He desires, and He hardens whom He desires.”  Romans 9:15-18.

“… God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong, and the base things of the world and the despised God has chosen, the things that are not, so that He may nullify the things that are, so that no man may boast before God.  But by His doing you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption, so that, just as it is written, “Let him who boasts, boast in the Lord.”  1 Corinthians 1:27-31.

“But we should always give thanks to God for you, brethren beloved by the Lord, because God has chosen you from the beginning for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and faith in the truth.”  2 Thessalonians 2:13.

“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.

“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.  In love He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved.  In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace which He lavished on us.  …”  Ephesians 1:3-8.

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Posted by: Bill Hornbeck | June 21, 2016

“they will declare the work of God, And will consider what He has done. The righteous man will be glad in the Lord and will take refuge in Him”

Today’s devotion comes from Psalm chapter 64.

“Hear my voice, O God, in my complaint;
Preserve my life from dread of the enemy.
2 Hide me from the secret counsel of evildoers,
From the tumult of those who do iniquity,
3 Who have sharpened their tongue like a sword.
They aimed bitter speech as their arrow,
4 To shoot from concealment at the blameless;
Suddenly they shoot at him, and do not fear.
5 They hold fast to themselves an evil purpose;
They talk of laying snares secretly;
They say, “Who can see them?”
6 They devise injustices, saying,
“We are ready with a well-conceived plot”;
For the inward thought and the heart of a man are deep.

7 But God will shoot at them with an arrow;
Suddenly they will be wounded.
8 So they will make him stumble;
Their own tongue is against them;
All who see them will shake the head.
9 Then all men will fear,
And they will declare the work of God,
And will consider what He has done.
10 The righteous man will be glad in the Lord and will take refuge in Him;
And all the upright in heart will glory.”  Psalm chapter 64.

————————-

Other doctrine declares the work of man and considers what he has done.

But, Reformed Doctrine declares the work of God and considers what God has done.

Other doctrine is glad in themselves and take pride in what they have done.

But, Reformed Doctrine is glad in the LORD and takes refuge in Him and what He has done from the very beginning to the very end:  from the very beginning of His “Unconditional Election” through His “Limited Atonement” through His “Irresistible Grace” to the very end of His “Preservation of the Saints”, the “U”, “L”, “I”, and “P” of “TULIP”, the Five Points of Calvinism, the Reformed Doctrine of Salvation.

“The Lord has brought about our vindication;
Come and let us recount in Zion
The work of the Lord our God!”  Jeremiah 51:10.

“… And all the upright in heart will glory.”  Verse 10.

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Posted by: Bill Hornbeck | June 20, 2016

“When I remember You on my bed, I meditate on You in the night watches, For You have been my help, And in the shadow of Your wings I sing for joy.”

Today’s devotion comes from Psalm chapter 63.  Here is a link to this Scripture – https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm+63&version=NASB

I quote only the following verses.

“O God, You are my God;  I shall seek You earnestly;
My soul thirsts for You, my flesh yearns for You,
In a dry and weary land where there is no water.
2 Thus I have seen You in the sanctuary,
To see Your power and Your glory.
3 Because Your lovingkindness is better than life,
My lips will praise You.
4 So I will bless You as long as I live;
I will lift up my hands in Your name.
5 My soul is satisfied as with marrow and fatness,
And my mouth offers praises with joyful lips.

6 When I remember You on my bed,
I meditate on You in the night watches,
7 For You have been my help,
And in the shadow of Your wings I sing for joy.
8 My soul clings to You;
Your right hand upholds me.”  Psalm 63:1-8.

—————————-

God causes us to pant for Him.  God causes us to be restless to seek Him.  God causes us to wake up at night, read Scripture, and think about Him.  God causes us to despair and give up on ourselves, so we hope in Him and seek Him.

“As the deer pants for the water brooks,
So my soul pants for You, O God.
2 My soul thirsts for God, for the living God;
When shall I come and appear before God?
3 My tears have been my food day and night,
While they say to me all day long, “Where is your God?”
4 These things I remember and I pour out my soul within me.
For I used to go along with the throng and lead them in procession to the house of God,
With the voice of joy and thanksgiving, a multitude keeping festival.

5 Why are you in despair, O my soul?
And why have you become disturbed within me?
Hope in God, for I shall again praise Him
For the help of His presence.
6 O my God, my soul is in despair within me;
Therefore I remember You from the land of the Jordan
And the peaks of Hermon, from Mount Mizar.
7 Deep calls to deep at the sound of Your waterfalls;
All Your breakers and Your waves have rolled over me.
8 The Lord will command His lovingkindness in the daytime;
And His song will be with me in the night,
A prayer to the God of my life.”  Psalm 42:1-8.

God shows us wisdom, life, and joy, and He makes us want to get it in the middle of night. 

“7 I will bless the Lord who has counseled me;
Indeed, my mind instructs me in the night.
8 I have set the Lord continually before me;
Because He is at my right hand, I will not be shaken.
9 Therefore my heart is glad and my glory rejoices;
My flesh also will dwell securely.
10 For You will not abandon my soul to Sheol;
Nor will You allow Your Holy One to undergo decay.
11 You will make known to me the path of life;
In Your presence is fullness of joy;
In Your right hand there are pleasures forever.”  Psalm 16:7-11.

God gives us delight in the law of the LORD and causes us to meditate on it day and night. 

“How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked,
Nor stand in the path of sinners,
Nor sit in the seat of scoffers!
2 But his delight is in the law of the Lord,
And in His law he meditates day and night.
3 He will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water,
Which yields its fruit in its season
And its leaf does not wither;
And in whatever he does, he prospers.”  Psalm 1:1-3.

God produces in us a hungering and thirsting after righteousness which is one of the infallible fruits of election.

Article 12.  The elect in due time, though in various degrees and in different measures, attain the assurance of this their eternal and unchangeable election, not by inquisitively prying into the secret and deep things of God, but by observing in themselves with a spiritual joy and holy pleasure, the infallible fruits of election pointed out in the Word of God – such as a true faith in Christ, filial fear, a godly sorrow for sin, a hungering and thirsting after righteousness, etc.  FIRST HEAD OF DOCTRINE Of Divine Predestination of Canons of Dordt.

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Posted by: Bill Hornbeck | June 19, 2016

“My soul waits in silence for God only; … He only is my rock and my salvation”

Today’s devotion comes from Psalm chapter 62.

“My soul waits in silence for God only;
From Him is my salvation.
2 He only is my rock and my salvation,
My stronghold;  I shall not be greatly shaken.

3 How long will you assail a man,
That you may murder him, all of you,
Like a leaning wall, like a tottering fence?
4 They have counseled only to thrust him down from his high position;
They delight in falsehood;
They bless with their mouth,
But inwardly they curse.  Selah.

5 My soul, wait in silence for God only,
For my hope is from Him.
6 He only is my rock and my salvation,
My stronghold;  I shall not be shaken.
7 On God my salvation and my glory rest;
The rock of my strength, my refuge is in God.
8 Trust in Him at all times, O people;
Pour out your heart before Him;
God is a refuge for us.  Selah.

9 Men of low degree are only vanity and men of rank are a lie;
In the balances they go up;
They are together lighter than breath.
10 Do not trust in oppression
And do not vainly hope in robbery;
If riches increase, do not set your heart upon them.

11 Once God has spoken;
Twice I have heard this:
That power belongs to God;
12 And lovingkindness is Yours, O Lord,
For You recompense a man according to his work.”    Psalm chapter 62.

——————————

A sermon can seem like a NASCAR race:  too much noise and confusion, too long, and you never know who is going to be in the lead.

Today’s Scripture provides a sharp contrast.  

There is silence.  “My soul, wait in silence for God only”  Verses 1 and 5.  There is rest.  Verse 7.  “I shall not be greatly shaken”.  Verse 6.  

There is short simplicity.  “Once God has spoken;  Twice I have heard this:  That power belongs to God;”  Verse 11.

There is Savior Who leads all the way.  “He only is my rock and my salvation”.  Verses 2 and 6.  “Men of low degree are only vanity and men of rank are a lie”.  Verse 9.

“My soul waits in silence for God only;
From Him is my salvation.
2 He only is my rock and my salvation,
My stronghold;  I shall not be greatly shaken.”  Verses 1-2.

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Posted by: Bill Hornbeck | June 17, 2016

“For You have been a refuge for me, A tower of strength against the enemy.”

Today’s devotion comes from Psalm chapter 61.

“Hear my cry, O God;
Give heed to my prayer.
2 From the end of the earth I call to You when my heart is faint;
Lead me to the rock that is higher than I.
3 For You have been a refuge for me,
A tower of strength against the enemy.
4 Let me dwell in Your tent forever;
Let me take refuge in the shelter of Your wings.   Selah.

5 For You have heard my vows, O God;
You have given me the inheritance of those who fear Your name.
6 You will prolong the king’s life;
His years will be as many generations.
7 He will abide before God forever;
Appoint lovingkindness and truth that they may preserve him.
8 So I will sing praise to Your name forever,
That I may pay my vows day by day.”   Psalm chapter 61.

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God is described as “rock”, “refuge”, “tower”, “tent”, and “shelter” in verses 2-4.

Other doctrine teaches tactics and tools to protect oneself.

But, Reformed Doctrine teaches God Who protects and preserves us.

“He will abide before God forever;
Appoint lovingkindness and truth that they may preserve him.”  Verse 7.

Reformed Doctrine summarizes God’s protection and preservation of us as “Preservation of the Saints”, the “P” of “TULIP”, the Five Points of Calvinism, the Reformed Doctrine of Salvation.

“7 The Lord will protect you from all evil;
He will keep your soul.
8 The Lord will guard your going out and your coming in
From this time forth and forever.”  Psalm 121:7-8.

“But the Lord is faithful, and He will strengthen and protect you from the evil one.”   2 Thessalonians 3:3.

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.”  1 Peter 1:3-5.

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Posted by: Bill Hornbeck | June 16, 2016

“Ephraim also is the helmet of My head; Judah is My scepter. “Moab is My washbowl; Over Edom I shall throw My shoe”

Today’s devotion comes from Psalm chapter 60.

“O God, You have rejected us.  You have broken us;
You have been angry;  O, restore us.
2 You have made the land quake, You have split it open;
Heal its breaches, for it totters.
3 You have made Your people experience hardship;
You have given us wine to drink that makes us stagger.
4 You have given a banner to those who fear You,
That it may be displayed because of the truth.  Selah.
5 That Your beloved may be delivered,
Save with Your right hand, and answer us!

6 God has spoken in His holiness:
“I will exult, I will portion out Shechem and measure out the valley of Succoth.
7 “Gilead is Mine, and Manasseh is Mine;
Ephraim also is the helmet of My head;
Judah is My scepter.
8 “Moab is My washbowl;
Over Edom I shall throw My shoe;
Shout loud, O Philistia, because of Me!”

9 Who will bring me into the besieged city?
Who will lead me to Edom?
10 Have not You Yourself, O God, rejected us?
And will You not go forth with our armies, O God?
11 O give us help against the adversary,
For deliverance by man is in vain.
12 Through God we shall do valiantly,
And it is He who will tread down our adversaries.”  Psalm chapter 60.

————————–

“… Ephraim also is the helmet of My head;
Judah is My scepter.
8 “Moab is My washbowl;
Over Edom I shall throw My shoe …”  Verses 7-8.

In using this figurative language, God makes claim over all parts of His creation and yet sharply distinguishes Ephraim and Judah (parts of Israel) for honorable use (helmet and scepter) from Moab and Edom (not part of Israel) for common use (washbowl and shoe rack).  By which, we see the sovereignty of God that reminds us of the following Romans 9:21.

“Or does not the potter have a right over the clay, to make from the same lump one vessel for honorable use and another for common use?”  Romans 9:21.

Other doctrine sees no distinction between God’s people and the rest of the people.

But, Reformed Doctrine sees the distinction in its point of “Unconditional Election”, the “U” of “TULIP”, the Five Points of Calvinism, the Reformed Doctrine of Salvation.

There is the elect of God whom are the beloved of God.

“That Your beloved may be delivered,
Save with Your right hand, and answer us!”  Verse 5.

Other doctrine teaches that God loves everybody, Christ died for everybody, and the only distinction between those who are saved and those who are not saved is that the people who are saved take some action themselves to deliver themselves whether it be works or will (alleged free-will choice of Christ).

But, we read in today’s Scripture that “… deliverance by man is in vain.”  Verse 11.

“O give us help against the adversary,
For deliverance by man is in vain.”  Verse 11.

“For He says to Moses, “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.”  So then it does not depend on the man who wills or the man who runs, but on God who has mercy.  For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, “For this very purpose I raised you up, to demonstrate My power in you, and that My name might be proclaimed throughout the whole earth.”  So then He has mercy on whom He desires, and He hardens whom He desires.”  Romans 9:15-18.

Reformed Doctrine teaches that for God’s elect, His beloved, God will do everything that is necessary to save them from the very beginning to the very end:  from the very beginning of His “Unconditional Election” through His “Limited Atonement” through His “Irresistible Grace” to the very end of His “Preservation of the Saints”, the “U”, “L”, “I”, and “P” of “TULIP”, the Five Points of Calvinism, the Reformed Doctrine of Salvation.

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Posted by: Bill Hornbeck | June 15, 2016

“For God is my stronghold, the God who shows me lovingkindness.”

Today’s devotion comes from Psalm chapter 59.  Here is a link to this chapter – https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm+59&version=NASB

I quote only the following verses.

“Deliver me from my enemies, O my God;
Set me securely on high away from those who rise up against me.
2 Deliver me from those who do iniquity
And save me from men of bloodshed.
3 For behold, they have set an ambush for my life;
Fierce men launch an attack against me,
Not for my transgression nor for my sin, O Lord,
4 For no guilt of mine, they run and set themselves against me.
Arouse Yourself to help me, and see!

…

9 Because of his strength I will watch for You,
For God is my stronghold.
10 My God in His lovingkindness will meet me;
God will let me look triumphantly upon my foes.
11 Do not slay them, or my people will forget;
Scatter them by Your power, and bring them down,
O Lord, our shield.
12 On account of the sin of their mouth and the words of their lips,
Let them even be caught in their pride,
And on account of curses and lies which they utter.
13 Destroy them in wrath, destroy them that they may be no more;
That men may know that God rules in Jacob
To the ends of the earth.  Selah.
14 They return at evening, they howl like a dog,
And go around the city.
15 They wander about for food
And growl if they are not satisfied.

16 But as for me, I shall sing of Your strength;
Yes, I shall joyfully sing of Your lovingkindness in the morning,
For You have been my stronghold
And a refuge in the day of my distress.
17 O my strength, I will sing praises to You;
For God is my stronghold, the God who shows me lovingkindness.  Psalm 59:1-4 and 9-17.

———————–

God is our stronghold Who shows us lovingkindness.  We see this repeated three times in today’s Scripture in verses 9-10 and 16 and 17.

We may be threatened by the “Total Depravity” of man.

But, God is our stronghold Who shows us lovingkindness.

We may be weak and unable to resist our enemies.

But, we are not alone.  God is our stronghold Who shows us lovingkindness.

We are surrounded by the stronghold of God.  We are surrounded by the lovingkindness of God.  We are surrounded by a God Who saves us from the very beginning to the very end:  from the very beginning of His “Unconditional Election” through His “Limited Atonement” through His “Irresistible Grace” to the very end of His “Preservation of the Saints”, the “U”, “L”, “I”, and “P” of “TULIP”, the Five Points of Calvinism, the Reformed Doctrine of Salvation.

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Posted by: Bill Hornbeck | June 14, 2016

“Surely there is a reward for the righteous; Surely there is a God who judges on earth!”

Today’s devotion comes from Psalm chapter 58.

“Do you indeed speak righteousness, O gods?
Do you judge uprightly, O sons of men?
2 No, in heart you work unrighteousness;
On earth you weigh out the violence of your hands.
3 The wicked are estranged from the womb;
These who speak lies go astray from birth.
4 They have venom like the venom of a serpent;
Like a deaf cobra that stops up its ear,
5 So that it does not hear the voice of charmers,
Or a skillful caster of spells.

6 O God, shatter their teeth in their mouth;
Break out the fangs of the young lions, O Lord.
7 Let them flow away like water that runs off;
When he aims his arrows, let them be as headless shafts.
8 Let them be as a snail which melts away as it goes along,
Like the miscarriages of a woman which never see the sun.
9 Before your pots can feel the fire of thorns
He will sweep them away with a whirlwind, the green and the burning alike.

10 The righteous will rejoice when he sees the vengeance;
He will wash his feet in the blood of the wicked.
11 And men will say, “Surely there is a reward for the righteous;
Surely there is a God who judges on earth!”   Psalm chapter 58.

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“5 You have rebuked the nations, You have destroyed the wicked;
You have blotted out their name forever and ever.
6 The enemy has come to an end in perpetual ruins,
And You have uprooted the cities;
The very memory of them has perished.

7 But the Lord abides forever;
He has established His throne for judgment,
8 And He will judge the world in righteousness;
He will execute judgment for the peoples with equity.”  Psalm 9:5-8.

“The Lord has made Himself known;
He has executed judgment.
In the work of his own hands the wicked is snared.  Higgaion Selah.”  Psalm 9:16.

“20 The Lord has rewarded me according to my righteousness;
According to the cleanness of my hands He has recompensed me.
21 For I have kept the ways of the Lord,
And have not wickedly departed from my God.
22 For all His ordinances were before me,
And I did not put away His statutes from me.
23 I was also blameless with Him,
And I kept myself from my iniquity.
24 Therefore the Lord has recompensed me according to my righteousness,
According to the cleanness of my hands in His eyes.

25 With the kind You show Yourself kind;
With the blameless You show Yourself blameless;
26 With the pure You show Yourself pure,
And with the crooked You show Yourself astute.”  Psalm 18:20-26.

“Do not be deceived, God is not mocked;  for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap.  For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life.  Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary.  So then, while we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, and especially to those who are of the household of the faith.”  Galatians 6:7-10.

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Posted by: Bill Hornbeck | June 13, 2016

“I will cry to God Most High, To God who accomplishes all things for me.”

Today’s devotion comes from Psalm chapter 57.

“Be gracious to me, O God, be gracious to me,
For my soul takes refuge in You;
And in the shadow of Your wings I will take refuge
Until destruction passes by.
2 I will cry to God Most High,
To God who accomplishes all things for me.
3 He will send from heaven and save me;
He reproaches him who tramples upon me.  Selah.
God will send forth His lovingkindness and His truth.

4 My soul is among lions;
I must lie among those who breathe forth fire,
Even the sons of men, whose teeth are spears and arrows
And their tongue a sharp sword.
5 Be exalted above the heavens, O God;
Let Your glory be above all the earth.
6 They have prepared a net for my steps;
My soul is bowed down;
They dug a pit before me;
They themselves have fallen into the midst of it.  Selah.

7 My heart is steadfast, O God, my heart is steadfast;
I will sing, yes, I will sing praises!
8 Awake, my glory!
Awake, harp and lyre!
I will awaken the dawn.
9 I will give thanks to You, O Lord, among the peoples;
I will sing praises to You among the nations.
10 For Your lovingkindness is great to the heavens
And Your truth to the clouds.
11 Be exalted above the heavens, O God;
Let Your glory be above all the earth.”   Psalm chapter 57.

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When we pray and believe that God creates, prepares, and causes all things to be for His honor and glory, His kingdom come and His Will be done (a general prayer for God’s providence), then we pray and believe as a part of God’s providence that God will accomplish all things for us, His people.

And yet, some doctrine believes that although God creates, prepares, and causes the stars and all the other elements of the universe to hang perfectly in space, God has a “hands-off” policy toward man’s alleged free-will.

But, Reformed Doctrine refutes such nonsense.

Article 13:  Of Divine Providence.

We believe that the same God, after he had created all things, did not forsake them, or give them up to fortune or chance, but that he rules and governs them according to his holy will, so that nothing happens in this world without his appointment:  nevertheless, God neither is the author of, nor can be charged with, the sins which are committed.  For his power and goodness are so great and incomprehensible, that he orders and executes his work in the most excellent and just manner, even then, when devils and wicked men act unjustly.  And, as to what he doth surpassing human understanding, we will not curiously inquire into, farther than our capacity will admit of; but with the greatest humility and reverence adore the righteous judgments of God, which are hid from us, contenting ourselves that we are disciples of Christ, to learn only those things which he has revealed to us in his Word, without transgressing these limits.  This doctrine affords us unspeakable consolation, since we are taught thereby that nothing can befall us by chance, but by the direction of our most gracious and heavenly Father;  who watches over us with a paternal care, keeping all creatures so under his power, that not a hair of our head (for they are all numbered), nor a sparrow, can fall to the ground, without the will of our Father, in whom we do entirely trust;  being persuaded, that he so restrains the devil and all our enemies, that without his will and permission, they cannot hurt us.  And therefore we reject that damnable error of the Epicureans, who say that God regards nothing, but leaves all things to chance.  Belgic Confession. 

“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.”  Romans 8:28.

“…  In all wisdom and insight He made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His kind intention which He purposed in Him with a view to an administration suitable to the fullness of the times, that is, the summing up of all things in Christ, things in the heavens and things on the earth.  In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to His purpose who works all things after the counsel of His will,”  Ephesians 1:8-11.

“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 confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.”  Philippians 1:6.

“The Lord will accomplish what concerns me;
Your lovingkindness, O Lord, is everlasting;
Do not forsake the works of Your hands.”  Psalm 138:8.

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