Reformed Doctrine Daily Devotions

Today’s devotion comes from Psalm chapter 12.

“Help, Lord, for the godly man ceases to be,
For the faithful disappear from among the sons of men.
² They speak falsehood to one another;
With flattering lips and with a double heart they speak.
³ May the Lord cut off all flattering lips,
The tongue that speaks great things;
⁴ Who have said, “With our tongue we will prevail;
Our lips are our own;  who is lord over us?”
⁵ “Because of the devastation of the afflicted, because of the groaning of the needy,
Now I will arise,” says the Lord;  “I will set him in the safety for which he longs.”

Today’s devotion comes from Psalm chapter 11.

“In the Lord I take refuge;
How can you say to my soul, “Flee as a bird to your mountain;
² For, behold, the wicked bend the bow,
They make ready their arrow upon the string
To shoot in darkness at the upright in heart.
³ If the foundations are destroyed,
What can the righteous do?”

Today’s devotion comes from Psalm 10.  Here is a link to this chapter – https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm+10&version=NASB

I quote only the following verses.

“12 Arise, O Lord;  O God, lift up Your hand.
Do not forget the afflicted.
13 Why has the wicked spurned God?
He has said to himself, “You will not require it.”
14 You have seen it, for You have beheld mischief and vexation to take it into Your hand.
The unfortunate commits himself to You;
You have been the helper of the orphan.
15 Break the arm of the wicked and the evildoer,
Seek out his wickedness until You find none.

16 The Lord is King forever and ever;
Nations have perished from His land.
17 O Lord, You have heard the desire of the humble;
You will strengthen their heart, You will incline Your ear
18 To vindicate the orphan and the oppressed,
So that man who is of the earth will no longer cause terror.”  Psalm 10:12-18.

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Prior to my above-stated quote, today’s Psalm chapter 10 goes into great detail about the pride and plots and perceived prosperity of the wicked.

I quote the conclusion of the chapter in which the Psalmist recognizes that the “LORD is King forever and ever” and the LORD has “heard the desire of the humble” and “will strengthen their heart” and will “vindicate the orphan and the oppressed, So that man who is of the earth will no longer cause terror.”  Verses 16-18.

This morning, as I read the title to my Tampa Bay Times newspaper “Islamists’ bomb kills 65 celebrating Easter”, I pray:  “Yes, LORD, take action through Your sovereign rule and almighty power “So that man who is of the earth will no longer cause terror.”

Other doctrine trusts princes and politicians to end terror.

But, Reformed Doctrine trusts in God.

“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 146:3-10.

Today’s devotion comes from Psalm chapter 9.

“I will give thanks to the Lord with all my heart;
I will tell of all Your wonders.
2 I will be glad and exult in You;
I will sing praise to Your name, O Most High.

3 When my enemies turn back,
They stumble and perish before You.
4 For You have maintained my just cause;
You have sat on the throne judging righteously.
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.
9 The Lord also will be a stronghold for the oppressed,
A stronghold in times of trouble;
10 And those who know Your name will put their trust in You,
For You, O Lord, have not forsaken those who seek You.

11 Sing praises to the Lord, who dwells in Zion;
Declare among the peoples His deeds.
12 For He who requires blood remembers them;
He does not forget the cry of the afflicted.
13 Be gracious to me, O Lord;
See my affliction from those who hate me,
You who lift me up from the gates of death,
14 That I may tell of all Your praises,
That in the gates of the daughter of Zion
I may rejoice in Your salvation.
15 The nations have sunk down in the pit which they have made;
In the net which they hid, their own foot has been caught.
16 The Lord has made Himself known;
He has executed judgment.
In the work of his own hands the wicked is snared.  Higgaion  Selah.

17 The wicked will return to Sheol,
Even all the nations who forget God.
18 For the needy will not always be forgotten,
Nor the hope of the afflicted perish forever.
19 Arise, O Lord, do not let man prevail;
Let the nations be judged before You.
20 Put them in fear, O Lord;
Let the nations know that they are but men. Selah.”  Psalm chapter 9.

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“I will give thanks to the Lord with all my heart;
I will tell of all Your wonders.”  Verse 1.

“I will be glad and exult in You;
I will sing praise to Your name, O Most High.”  Verse 2.

“Sing praises to the Lord, who dwells in Zion;
Declare among the peoples His deeds.”  Verse 11.

“That I may tell of all Your praises,
That in the gates of the daughter of Zion
I may rejoice in Your salvation.”  Verse 14.

We give thanks to the LORD with all of our heart, because He has done it.  He has accomplished salvation for us.

We tell of God’s wonders, because it is wonderful that God would choose us, people who were dead in sin, hostile to God, and enslaved to sin and Satan, for salvation.

We are glad and exult in God, because there was nothing within us, whether wisdom, might, nobility, will, or cuteness, that gives us reason to be glad and exult in ourselves.

We sing praises to the LORD, because He has done great things for us and put joy in our hearts.

We rejoice in God’s salvation, because by His doing we are in Christ Jesus.  God saved us by His deeds of His “Unconditional Election”, His “Limited Atonement”, His “Irresistible Grace”, and His “Preservation of the Saints”, the “U”, “L”, “I”, and “P” of “TULIP”, the Five Points of Calvinism, the Reformed Doctrine of Salvation.

This is a special post on this Good Friday dedicated to help us better understand the meaning of Christ’s death on the cross for us.

Reformed Doctrine teaches “Limited Atonement”, the “L” of “TULIP”, the Five Points of Calvinism, the Reformed Doctrine of Salvation.

In the briefest nutshell, “Limited Atonement” summarizes Scripture that Christ died only for the elect, not for everyone in the world. 

Today’s devotion comes from Psalm chapter 8.

“O Lord, our Lord,
How majestic is Your name in all the earth,
Who have displayed Your splendor above the heavens!
2 From the mouth of infants and nursing babes You have established strength
Because of Your adversaries,
To make the enemy and the revengeful cease.

3 When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers,
The moon and the stars, which You have ordained;
4 What is man that You take thought of him,
And the son of man that You care for him?
5 Yet You have made him a little lower than God,
And You crown him with glory and majesty!
6 You make him to rule over the works of Your hands;
You have put all things under his feet,
7 All sheep and oxen,
And also the beasts of the field,
8 The birds of the heavens and the fish of the sea,
Whatever passes through the paths of the seas.

9 O Lord, our Lord,
How majestic is Your name in all the earth!”  Psalm chapter 8.

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All of God’s creation (the heavens, the earth, the animals, and man) display God’s splendor and majesty.

All of the Scriptures proudly attribute the heavens, the earth, the animals, and man as being distinctly created by God.  We see this throughout Scripture from the beginning to the end, from the first book of Genesis to the last book of Revelation.

“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.”  Genesis 1:1.  “God saw all that He had made, and behold, it was very good.  …”  Genesis 1:31.

“Worthy are You, our Lord and our God, to receive glory and honor and power; for You created all things, and because of Your will they existed, and were created.”  Revelation 4:11.

And, day by day, Genesis chapter 1 pounds the table that each part of creation was created in a day, for a total of six days.  Six times, we even see each of the six days defined similar to the first day:  “… And there was evening and there was morning, one day.”  Genesis 1:5.  Thus, there is no room for error.  Scripture clearly and repeatedly refutes any foolish speculation that creation was completed over thousands or millions or billions of years.  Creation was completed in less than one week.

And yet, other doctrine tries to subtract from the majesty of God by teaching or tolerating evolution.

But, Reformed Doctrine recognizes that Scripture continually teaches both that God created the heavens, the earth, the animals, and man and that God’s creation displays God’s majesty.

Is teaching or tolerating evolution a minor mistake?  What does Scripture state?

“For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse.  For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened.  Professing to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible man and of birds and four-footed animals and crawling creatures.

Therefore God gave them over in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, so that their bodies would be dishonored among them.  For they exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.”  Romans 1:20-25.

“O Lord, our Lord,
How majestic is Your name in all the earth,
Who have displayed Your splendor above the heavens!”  Psalm 8:1.

Today’s devotion comes from Psalm chapter 7.

“O Lord my God, in You I have taken refuge;
Save me from all those who pursue me, and deliver me,
2 Or he will tear my soul like a lion,
Dragging me away, while there is none to deliver.

3 O Lord my God, if I have done this,
If there is injustice in my hands,
4 If I have rewarded evil to my friend,
Or have plundered him who without cause was my adversary,
5 Let the enemy pursue my soul and overtake it;
And let him trample my life down to the ground
And lay my glory in the dust.  Selah.

6 Arise, O Lord, in Your anger;
Lift up Yourself against the rage of my adversaries,
And arouse Yourself for me;  You have appointed judgment.
7 Let the assembly of the peoples encompass You,
And over them return on high.
8 The Lord judges the peoples;
Vindicate me, O Lord, according to my righteousness and my integrity that is in me.
9 O let the evil of the wicked come to an end, but establish the righteous;
For the righteous God tries the hearts and minds.
10 My shield is with God,
Who saves the upright in heart.
11 God is a righteous judge,
And a God who has indignation every day.

12 If a man does not repent, He will sharpen His sword;
He has bent His bow and made it ready.
13 He has also prepared for Himself deadly weapons;
He makes His arrows fiery shafts.
14 Behold, he travails with wickedness,
And he conceives mischief and brings forth falsehood.
15 He has dug a pit and hollowed it out,
And has fallen into the hole which he made.
16 His mischief will return upon his own head,
And his violence will descend upon his own pate.

17 I will give thanks to the Lord according to His righteousness
And will sing praise to the name of the Lord Most High.”  Psalm chapter 7.

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Other doctrine presents their god of their wishful imaginations who is like Santa Claus and who bows down to their alleged free-will like a helpless observer sitting on clouds and wringing his hands at what man does.

But, Reformed Doctrine presents the God of Scripture as a righteous and powerful judge who has indignation every day and who is well-prepared and ready to punish all evil.  Verses 9-13.

Other doctrine focuses on its own righteousness.

But, Reformed Doctrine focuses on the righteousness of God and gives thanks for it.  Verse 17.

“15 My mouth shall tell of Your righteousness
And of Your salvation all day long;
For I do not know the sum of them.
16 I will come with the mighty deeds of the Lord God;
I will make mention of Your righteousness, Yours alone.

17 O God, You have taught me from my youth,
And I still declare Your wondrous deeds.
18 And even when I am old and gray, O God, do not forsake me,
Until I declare Your strength to this generation,
Your power to all who are to come.
19 For Your righteousness, O God, reaches to the heavens,
You who have done great things;
O God, who is like You?”  Psalm 71:15-19.

Today’s devotion comes from Psalm chapter 6.

“O Lord, do not rebuke me in Your anger,
Nor chasten me in Your wrath.
2 Be gracious to me, O Lord, for I am pining away;
Heal me, O Lord, for my bones are dismayed.
3 And my soul is greatly dismayed;
But You, O Lord—how long?

4 Return, O Lord, rescue my soul;
Save me because of Your lovingkindness.
5 For there is no mention of You in death;
In Sheol who will give You thanks?

6 I am weary with my sighing;
Every night I make my bed swim,
I dissolve my couch with my tears.
7 My eye has wasted away with grief;
It has become old because of all my adversaries.

8 Depart from me, all you who do iniquity,
For the Lord has heard the voice of my weeping.
9 The Lord has heard my supplication,
The Lord receives my prayer.
10 All my enemies will be ashamed and greatly dismayed;
They shall turn back, they will suddenly be ashamed.”   Psalm chapter 6.

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Other doctrine pleads:

“Save me because of my works.”

or

“Save me because of my wisdom and my will.  I chose You.”

or

“Save me because I am as cute as a “rescue” puppy in a shelter.”

But, Reformed Doctrine pleads:

“Save me because of Your lovingkindness.  You chose me.”

“The Lord did not set His love on you nor choose you because you were more in number than any of the peoples, for you were the fewest of all peoples, but because the Lord loved you and kept the oath which He swore to your forefathers, the Lord brought you out by a mighty hand and redeemed you from the house of slavery, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt.”  Deuteronomy 7:7-8.

“The Lord appeared to him from afar, saying,
“I have loved you with an everlasting love;
Therefore I have drawn you with lovingkindness.”  Jeremiah 31:3.

“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,”  Ephesians 1:4-5.

“26 Help me, O Lord my God;
Save me according to Your lovingkindness.
27 And let them know that this is Your hand;
You, Lord, have done it.”  Psalm 109:26-27.

“34 O give thanks to the Lord, for He is good;
For His lovingkindness is everlasting.
35 Then say, “Save us, O God of our salvation,
And gather us and deliver us from the nations,
To give thanks to Your holy name,
And glory in Your praise.”
36 Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel,
From everlasting even to everlasting.”  1 Chronicles 16:34-36.

Today’s devotion comes from Psalm chapter 5.

“Give ear to my words, O Lord,
Consider my groaning.
2 Heed the sound of my cry for help, my King and my God,
For to You I pray.
3 In the morning, O Lord, You will hear my voice;
In the morning I will order my prayer to You and eagerly watch.

4 For You are not a God who takes pleasure in wickedness;
No evil dwells with You.
5 The boastful shall not stand before Your eyes;
You hate all who do iniquity.
6 You destroy those who speak falsehood;
The Lord abhors the man of bloodshed and deceit.
7 But as for me, by Your abundant lovingkindness I will enter Your house,
At Your holy temple I will bow in reverence for You.

8 O Lord, lead me in Your righteousness because of my foes;
Make Your way straight before me.
9 There is nothing reliable in what they say;
Their inward part is destruction itself.
Their throat is an open grave;
They flatter with their tongue.
10 Hold them guilty, O God;
By their own devices let them fall!
In the multitude of their transgressions thrust them out,
For they are rebellious against You.

11 But let all who take refuge in You be glad,
Let them ever sing for joy;
And may You shelter them,
That those who love Your name may exult in You.
12 For it is You who blesses the righteous man, O Lord,
You surround him with favor as with a shield.”  Psalm chapter 5.

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God does not love everybody.  Christ did not die for everybody.  Accordingly, Reformed Doctrine teaches “Limited Atonement”, the “L” of “TULIP”, the Five Points of Calvinism, the Reformed Doctrine of Salvation.

We see that God does not love everybody very clearly in today’s Scripture.

“5 The boastful shall not stand before Your eyes;
You hate all who do iniquity.
6 You destroy those who speak falsehood;
The Lord abhors the man of bloodshed and deceit.”  Verses 5-6.

In sharpest contrast to God’s hate and destruction of the wicked, we see God’s blessing and favor upon the righteous.

“For it is You who blesses the righteous man, O Lord,
You surround him with favor as with a shield.”  Verse 12.

“You are my hiding place;  You preserve me from trouble;
You surround me with songs of deliverance.  Selah.”  Psalm 32:7.

“Many are the sorrows of the wicked,
But he who trusts in the Lord, lovingkindness shall surround him.”  Psalm 32:10.

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

Today’s devotion comes from Psalm chapter 4.

“Answer me when I call, O God of my righteousness!
You have relieved me in my distress;
Be gracious to me and hear my prayer.

2 O sons of men, how long will my honor become a reproach?
How long will you love what is worthless and aim at deception?  Selah.
3 But know that the Lord has set apart the godly man for Himself;
The Lord hears when I call to Him.

4 Tremble, and do not sin;
Meditate in your heart upon your bed, and be still. Selah.
5 Offer the sacrifices of righteousness,
And trust in the Lord.

6 Many are saying, “Who will show us any good?”
Lift up the light of Your countenance upon us, O Lord!
7 You have put gladness in my heart,
More than when their grain and new wine abound.
8 In peace I will both lie down and sleep,
For You alone, O Lord, make me to dwell in safety.”  Psalm chapter 4.

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Reformed Doctrine teaches “Unconditional Election”, the “U” of “TULIP”, the Five Points of Calvinism, the Reformed Doctrine of Salvation.

Today’s Scripture reminds us of “Unconditional Election” by using the words “set apart” which have similar meaning as “elected”:  “But know that the Lord has set apart the godly man for Himself;  …”  Verse 3.

It may take us awhile to believe that we are elect, because obviously our 21st century names are not listed in Scripture.  Canons of Dordt recognize it by stating:

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.

From time to time, we may wonder along with the “many”:  “Who will show us any good?”  Verse 6.  But, then we realize more and more over time, that God is good to us and that God is our faithful Father and thus that we are part of His elect.

In today’s Scripture, David, the Psalmist, observed:

“7 You have put gladness in my heart,
More than when their grain and new wine abound.
8 In peace I will both lie down and sleep,
For You alone, O Lord, make me to dwell in safety.”  Verses 7 and 8.

These observations helped David realize that God indeed was good to him and that he was set apart by God.

Over time, to use the language of the Canons of Dordt, God causes us to more and more observe within ourselves “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.”.

When we confess the Apostle’s Creed, we confess that God is good to us and that God is our faithful Father and thus that we are part of His elect.

Q. 26.  What believest thou when thou sayest, “I believe in God the Father, Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth”?
 
A.  That the eternal Father of our Lord Jesus Christ (who of nothing made heaven and earth, with all that is in them;  who likewise upholds and governs the same by His eternal counsel and providence) is, for the sake of Christ His Son, my God and my Father;  on whom I rely so entirely, that I have no doubt but He will provide me with all things necessary for soul and body;  and further, that He will make whatever evils He sends upon me, in this valley of tears, turn out to my advantage;  for He is able to do it, being Almighty God, and willing, being a faithful Father.”  Heidelberg Catechism.