Reformed Doctrine Daily Devotions

Today’s devotion comes from Psalm 37:35-40.

“³⁵ I have seen a wicked, violent man
Spreading himself like a luxuriant tree in its native soil.
³⁶ Then he passed away, and lo, he was no more;
I sought for him, but he could not be found.
³⁷ Mark the blameless man, and behold the upright;
For the man of peace will have a posterity.
³⁸ But transgressors will be altogether destroyed;
The posterity of the wicked will be cut off.
³⁹ But the salvation of the righteous is from the Lord;
He is their strength in time of trouble.
⁴⁰ The Lord helps them and delivers them;
He delivers them from the wicked and saves them,
Because they take refuge in Him.”    Psalm 37:35-40.

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Whose salvation is truly from the LORD?

Who truly takes refuge in Him?

The one who clings to his own wisdom and his own alleged free-will to obey the Law or to choose Christ?

Or, the one, who recognizing his own “Total Depravity”, clings to the LORD alone (his refuge) to provide all that he needs for salvation from the LORD’s “Unconditional Election” to the LORD’s  “Limited Atonement” to the LORD’s “Irresistible Grace” to the LORD’s  “Preservation of the Saints”, the “U”, “L”, “I”, and “P” of “TULIP”, the Five Points of Calvinism, the Reformed Doctrine of Salvation?

“Salvation belongs to the Lord;
Your blessing be upon Your people!  Selah.”  Psalm 3:8.

Today’s devotion comes from Psalm 37:12-22.

“12 The wicked plots against the righteous
And gnashes at him with his teeth.
13 The Lord laughs at him,
For He sees his day is coming.
14 The wicked have drawn the sword and bent their bow
To cast down the afflicted and the needy,
To slay those who are upright in conduct.
15 Their sword will enter their own heart,
And their bows will be broken.

16 Better is the little of the righteous
Than the abundance of many wicked.
17 For the arms of the wicked will be broken,
But the Lord sustains the righteous.
18 The Lord knows the days of the blameless,
And their inheritance will be forever.
19 They will not be ashamed in the time of evil,
And in the days of famine they will have abundance.
20 But the wicked will perish;
And the enemies of the Lord will be like the glory of the pastures,
They vanish—like smoke they vanish away.
21 The wicked borrows and does not pay back,
But the righteous is gracious and gives.
22 For those blessed by Him will inherit the land,
But those cursed by Him will be cut off.”  Psalm 37:12-22.

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There is a sharp distinction throughout today’s Scripture between the righteous and the wicked in today’s Scripture.  There is no middle man.  There is either the righteous or the wicked.  There is either those who are blessed, or there is those who are cursed.

This sharp distinction between the righteous and the wicked is inconsistent with other doctrine, but this sharp distinction between the righteous and the wicked is consistent with Reformed Doctrine.

Other doctrine teaches that God loves everybody, man is basically good, and man can even improve himself more through his alleged free-will and his wisdom.  Accordingly, other doctrine maintains there are many within this middle range between wicked and righteous.

Reformed Doctrine puts all people within the wicked pool in their natural condition of “Total Depravity”, the “T” of “TULIP”, the Five Points of Calvinism, the Reformed Doctrine of Salvation.  But, God pulls out certain people from this wicked pool according to His “Unconditional Election”, the “P” of “TULIP”, and infallibly does everything for them to make them righteous by His “Limited Atonement”, by His “Irresistible Grace”, and by His “Preservation of Saints”, the “L”, “I” and “P” of “TULIP”.  Accordingly, there is only the wicked or the righteous with no one in between these two groups of people.

Here is what the Canons of Dordt state in part in its FIRST HEAD OF DOCTRINE Of Divine Predestination:

Article 7.  Election is the unchangeable purpose of God, whereby, before the foundation of the world, he hath out of mere grace, according to the sovereign good pleasure of his own will, chosen, from the whole human race, which had fallen through their own fault, from their primitive state of rectitude, into sin and destruction, a certain number of persons to redemption in Christ, whom he from eternity appointed the Mediator and Head of the elect, and the foundation of Salvation.

This elect number, though by nature neither better nor more deserving than the others, but with them involved in one common misery, God hath decreed to give to Christ, to be saved by him, and effectually to call and draw them to his communion by his Word and Spirit, to bestow upon them true faith, justification and sanctification;  and having powerfully preserved them in the fellowship of his Son, finally, to glorify them for the demonstration of his mercy, and for the praise of his glorious grace; as it is written:  “According as he hath chosen us in him, before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy, and without blame before him in love;  having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, to the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved,”  Ephesians 1:4,5,6.  And elsewhere:  “Whom he did predestinate, them he also called;  and whom he called, them he also justified;  and whom he justified, them he also glorified,”  Romans 8:30.

Article 15.  What peculiarly tends to illustrate and recommend to us the eternal and unmerited grace of election, is the express testimony of sacred Scripture, that not all, but some only are elected, while others are passed by in the eternal election of God;  whom God, out of his sovereign, most just, irreprehensible and unchangeable good pleasure, hath decreed to leave in the common misery into which they have willfully plunged themselves, and not to bestow upon them saving faith and the grace of conversion; but leaving them in his just judgment to follow their own ways, at last for the declaration of his justice, to condemn and punish them forever, not only on account of their unbelief, but also for all their other sins.  And this is the decree of reprobation which by no means makes God the author of sin (the very thought of which is blasphemy), but declares him to be an awful, irreprehensible, and righteous judge and avenger thereof.

Today’s devotion comes from Psalm 37:1-11.

“Do not fret because of evildoers,
Be not envious toward wrongdoers.
2 For they will wither quickly like the grass
And fade like the green herb.
3 Trust in the Lord and do good;
Dwell in the land and cultivate faithfulness.
4 Delight yourself in the Lord;
And He will give you the desires of your heart.
5 Commit your way to the Lord,
Trust also in Him, and He will do it.
6 He will bring forth your righteousness as the light
And your judgment as the noonday.

7 Rest in the Lord and wait patiently for Him;
Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way,
Because of the man who carries out wicked schemes.
8 Cease from anger and forsake wrath;
Do not fret;  it leads only to evildoing.
9 For evildoers will be cut off,
But those who wait for the Lord, they will inherit the land.
10 Yet a little while and the wicked man will be no more;
And you will look carefully for his place and he will not be there.
11 But the humble will inherit the land
And will delight themselves in abundant prosperity.”   Psalm 37:1-11.

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In today’s Scripture, we are commanded three times:  “Do not fret”.

“Do not fret because of evildoers,
Be not envious toward wrongdoers.”  Verse 1.

“… Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way,
Because of the man who carries out wicked schemes.”  Verse 7.

“… Do not fret;  it leads only to evildoing.”  Verse 8.

And yet, many still do fret, thinking that it is OK and that it is their duty to fret as a protective parent or leader etc.  They think that they only suffer.

But, today’s Scripture warns that fretting only leads to evildoing.  Verse 8.

We can readily understand that fretting may cause one to over-react, leading to bad behavior and bad policies and even bad laws.

Fretting shows that the persons fretting does not really trust God.  They believe that they must take things into their own hands rather than trust the Sovereign Almighty LORD.

Today’s Scripture assures us:

“For they (evildoers) will wither quickly like the grass
And fade like the green herb.”  Verse 2.

“For evildoers will be cut off,
But those who wait for the Lord, they will inherit the land.”  Verse 9.

Which doctrine is most consistent with today’s Scripture?

Other doctrine which relies on its own alleged free-will, its own wisdom, and its own works and urges us to “Just do it.”

Or, Reformed Doctrine which continually focuses on the LORD and trusts the LORD and His works?

Today’s devotion comes from Psalm chapter 36.

“Transgression speaks to the ungodly within his heart;
There is no fear of God before his eyes.
2 For it flatters him in his own eyes
Concerning the discovery of his iniquity and the hatred of it.
3 The words of his mouth are wickedness and deceit;
He has ceased to be wise and to do good.
4 He plans wickedness upon his bed;
He sets himself on a path that is not good;
He does not despise evil.

5 Your lovingkindness, O Lord, extends to the heavens,
Your faithfulness reaches to the skies.
6 Your righteousness is like the mountains of God;
Your judgments are like a great deep.
O Lord, You preserve man and beast.
7 How precious is Your lovingkindness, O God!
And the children of men take refuge in the shadow of Your wings.
8 They drink their fill of the abundance of Your house;
And You give them to drink of the river of Your delights.
9 For with You is the fountain of life;
In Your light we see light.

10 O continue Your lovingkindness to those who know You,
And Your righteousness to the upright in heart.
11 Let not the foot of pride come upon me,
And let not the hand of the wicked drive me away.
12 There the doers of iniquity have fallen;
They have been thrust down and cannot rise.”  Psalm chapter 36.

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The wickedness of man is contrasted with the lovingkindness of God in today’s Scripture.

“Why do you boast in evil, O mighty man?
The lovingkindness of God endures all day long.
2 Your tongue devises destruction,
Like a sharp razor, O worker of deceit.
3 You love evil more than good,
Falsehood more than speaking what is right.  Selah.
4 You love all words that devour,
O deceitful tongue.

5 But God will break you down forever;
He will snatch you up and tear you away from your tent,
And uproot you from the land of the living.  Selah.
6 The righteous will see and fear,
And will laugh at him, saying,
7 “Behold, the man who would not make God his refuge,
But trusted in the abundance of his riches
And was strong in his evil desire.”

8 But as for me, I am like a green olive tree in the house of God;
I trust in the lovingkindness of God forever and ever.
9 I will give You thanks forever, because You have done it,
And I will wait on Your name, for it is good, in the presence of Your godly ones.”  Psalm chapter 52.

Today’s devotion comes from Psalm chapter 35.  Here is a link to this chapter – https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm+35&version=NASB

I quote only verses 1-9.

“Contend, O Lord, with those who contend with me;
Fight against those who fight against me.
2 Take hold of buckler and shield
And rise up for my help.
3 Draw also the spear and the battle-axe to meet those who pursue me;
Say to my soul, “I am your salvation.”
4 Let those be ashamed and dishonored who seek my life;
Let those be turned back and humiliated who devise evil against me.
5 Let them be like chaff before the wind,
With the angel of the Lord driving them on.
6 Let their way be dark and slippery,
With the angel of the Lord pursuing them.
7 For without cause they hid their net for me;
Without cause they dug a pit for my soul.
8 Let destruction come upon him unawares,
And let the net which he hid catch himself;
Into that very destruction let him fall.

9 And my soul shall rejoice in the Lord;
It shall exult in His salvation.”  Psalm 35:1-9.

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Other doctrine wants to dictate how the LORD saves.

Other doctrine forms its doctrine of salvation according to its desires so that man gets partial credit for being an indispensable part of “their” salvation whether it be by man’s works or by man’s alleged free-will choice of Christ.

Other doctrine teaches that man’s works or alleged free-will choice of Christ is a link in the chain of salvation.  If man does not provide that link, then man will not be saved.

Other doctrine wants to distinguish their disciples as deserving salvation above the others so they can boast.

But, Reformed Doctrine simply points to what Scripture shows how the LORD saves.

Reformed Doctrine sees that Scripture teaches that it is “His” salvation, verse 9, that the LORD provides everything needed for “His” salvation 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.

Reformed Doctrine also recognizes that it is necessary and makes logical sense that the LORD provides everything needed for “His” salvation, because Scripture shows “Total Depravity” of man, that is, man is dead in sin, hostile to the LORD, and enslaved to sin and Satan.  Man cannot contribute the link or anything that is needed for salvation.  “Total Depravity” is the “T” of “TULIP”.

Reformed Doctrine teaches that man provides nothing by which they could possibly boast.

“For consider your calling, brethren, that there were not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble;  but 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 1:26-31.

Reformed Doctrine exults in His salvation.

“And my soul shall rejoice in the Lord;
It shall exult in His salvation.”  Verse 9.

Today’s devotion comes from Psalm 34:15-22.

“15 The eyes of the Lord are toward the righteous
And His ears are open to their cry.
16 The face of the Lord is against evildoers,
To cut off the memory of them from the earth.
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.
20 He keeps all his bones,
Not one of them is broken.
21 Evil shall slay the wicked,
And those who hate the righteous will be condemned.
22 The Lord redeems the soul of His servants,
And none of those who take refuge in Him will be condemned.”  Psalm 34:15-22.

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We are assured that the LORD delivers the righteous out of all of their troubles or afflictions twice in today’s Scripture (verses 17 and 19) and one more time outside of today’s Scripture but within the same chapter (Psalm 34:6).  So, let us meditate and remember that focus of today’s Scripture.

We do not know how many troubles or afflictions that we will face or how the LORD will deliver us.  Too often, we set our hope on having no more troubles or afflictions.  But, we read that “Many are the afflictions of the righteous …”  Verse 19.  Too often, we have set our hope on the means by which we wanted the LORD to deliver us.  Very often, the LORD  uses other and often humble and unexpected means to deliver us, time and time again, so that we place our trust only in the LORD and not in ourself, our situation, or our preferred means of deliverance.  We trust that no matter how many troubles or afflictions that we face, the LORD will somehow deliver us out of them all.

Today’s devotion comes from Psalm 34:11-14.

“11 Come, you children, listen to me;
I will teach you the fear of the Lord.
12 Who is the man who desires life
And loves length of days that he may see good?
13 Keep your tongue from evil
And your lips from speaking deceit.
14 Depart from evil and do good;
Seek peace and pursue it.”    Psalm 34:11-14.

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We all nod our head in agreement to the truth of today’s Scripture.  “So then, the Law is holy, and the commandment is holy and righteous and good.”  Romans 7:12.

The problem is the sin in us, our “Total Depravity”, the “T” of “TULIP”.

“10 as it is written,

“There is none righteous, not even one;
11 There is none who understands,
There is none who seeks for God;
12 All have turned aside, together they have become useless;
There is none who does good,
There is not even one.”
13 “Their throat is an open grave,
With their tongues they keep deceiving,”
“The poison of asps is under their lips”;
14 “Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness”;
15 “Their feet are swift to shed blood,
16 Destruction and misery are in their paths,
17 And the path of peace they have not known.”
18 “There is no fear of God before their eyes.”  Romans 3:10-18.

All the elements that we see in today’s Scripture of living a righteous life through which will see life and length of days and good (that is, the elements of fear of the LORD, keeping tongue from evil and deceit, and peace), we see such elements are mentioned but are not present in the above-stated Romans 3:10-18 description of our natural condition of “Total Depravity”.

There is no hope within us.  There is no hope in our alleged free-will.  There is no hope in us becoming wiser or trying harder.

Our only hope is in God.  Our only hope is that God will do for us what we cannot do for ourselves.  Our only hope is God’s “Unconditional Election”, God’s “Limited Atonement”, God’s “Irresistible Grace”, and God’s “Preservation of the Saints”, the “U”, “L”, “I”, and “P” of “TULIP”, the Five Points of Calvinism, the Reformed Doctrine of Salvation.

“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.”  Psalm 62:1-2.

Today’s devotion comes from Psalm 34:8-10.

“8 O taste and see that the Lord is good;
How blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him!
9 O fear the Lord, you His saints;
For to those who fear Him there is no want.
10 The young lions do lack and suffer hunger;
But they who seek the Lord shall not be in want of any good thing.”   Psalm 34:8-10.

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Other doctrine seeks to learn about man and man’s qualities.

But, Reformed Doctrine seeks to learn about the LORD and His qualities.

Today’s Scripture leads us to seek to learn about the LORD’s goodness.

How do we learn about the LORD’s goodness?

We taste and see the good things that the LORD provides for us, His people.

What are some of those good things?

First, although it is not most important, the phrases “O taste and see” in verse 6 and “hunger” in verse 10 leads us to first consider what our five senses (taste, sight, hearing, smell and touch) consider to be good.  

Good food and drink are some of the good things.  They are good to the taste.  “The Lord of hosts will prepare a lavish banquet for all peoples on this mountain;  A banquet of aged wine, choice pieces with marrow, And refined, aged wine.”  Isaiah 25:6.  If the Lord describes heaven in terms of the food and drink that He will provide to us, then we can consider those good things.

(At this point, we should interject that just because good food and drink can lead to gluttony and drunkedness for the wicked, it does not mean that good food and drink are not good things in moderation for the righteous.)

Sunsets, a full moon, mountains, lakes, forests, flowers, animals, and certainly men and women are all beautiful parts of God’s creation.  “God saw all that He had made, and behold, it was very good. …”  Genesis 1:31.  They are good things.  They are good to the sight.

Music, birds singing, brooks babbling, babies babbling, and the southern drawl (speech) of my wife are good things.  They are good to hearing.

Fresh baked bread, a baby’s skin, roses, coffee in the morning, bacon sizzling, and steaks grilling are good things.  They are good to smell.  “The Lord smelled the soothing aroma;  and the Lord said to Himself, “I will never again curse the ground on account of man, for the intent of man’s heart is evil from his youth;  and I will never again destroy every living thing, as I have done.”  Genesis 8:21.

Soft bed, soft grass, my dog’s ears, and hot showers are good things.  They are good to touch.

Second. there are also good things for our emotions.  Laughter, puppies, hug, kiss, dance, words of kindness and wisdom, and the thrill of the rollercoaster come to mind.

Third and most importantly, there are also good things spiritually.  All of the fruit of the Spirit are good things:  “… the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control …”  Galatians 5:22-23.

So, you who seek the Lord, enjoy these good things and so many other good things that the good Lord provides to you.  “O taste and see that the Lord is good”.  Verse 8.  Think of the goodness of the Lord Who provided these good things to you.  You will not be in want of any good thing.  Verse 10.

Today’s devotion comes from Psalm 34:1-7.

“I will bless the Lord at all times;
His praise shall continually be in my mouth.
2 My soul will make its boast in the Lord;
The humble will hear it and rejoice.
3 O magnify the Lord with me,
And let us exalt His name together.

4 I sought the Lord, and He answered me,
And delivered me from all my fears.
5 They looked to Him and were radiant,
And their faces will never be ashamed.
6 This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him
And saved him out of all his troubles.
7 The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear Him,
And rescues them.”   Psalm 34:1-7.

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The Lord protects His people!

The Lord’s protection of His people is shown in three different ways in today’s Scripture.

First, verse 4 shows deliverance from all fears.

“I sought the Lord, and He answered me,
And delivered me from all my fears.”  Verse 4.

Second, verse 6 shows salvation out of all troubles.

“This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him
And saved him out of all his troubles.”  Verse 6.

Third, verse 7 shows the surrounding presence of the Lord to rescue.

“The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear Him,
And rescues them.”  Verse 7.

In summary, let us not just rush through these verses with our eyes glossed over these precious words, but rather, let us steadfastly meditate on how these verses, brick by brick so to speak, build our trust in the Lord.

“3 “The steadfast of mind You will keep in perfect peace,
because he trusts in You.
4 “Trust in the Lord forever,
For in God the Lord, we have an everlasting Rock.”  Isaiah 26:3-4.