Reformed Doctrine Daily Devotions

Today’s devotion comes from 1 Peter 1:3-5.

 

“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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We don’t just have a hope of eternal life.  We have a “living hope” of eternal life within us.  Verse 3.

 

This “living hope” is the living Holy Spirit within us which is a pledge of our inheritance.  “In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation—having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God’s own possession, to the praise of His glory.”  Ephesians 1:13-14,

 

This “living hope” is “the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit” within us.  “But when the kindness of God our Savior and His love for mankind appeared, He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by His grace we would be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.”  Titus 3:4-7.

 

This living hope is “rivers of living water” within our innermost being.  “He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, ‘From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water.’”  John 7:38

                          

This “living hope” is the “living and enduring word of God” within us:  “for you have been born again not of seed which is perishable but imperishable, that is, through the living and enduring word of God.”  1 Peter 1:23

 

Today’s devotion comes from 1 Peter 1:1-2.

 

“Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ,

                                        

To those who reside as aliens, scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, who are chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, by the sanctifying work of the Spirit, to obey Jesus Christ and be sprinkled with His blood:  May grace and peace be yours in the fullest measure.”  1 Peter 1:1-2.

 

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The Chosen are blessed.  They receive everything that they need for salvation.  

“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.  

“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.  

“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. 

“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 8:32.    

When we understand that God “has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ”, then we can better appreciate the conclusion of Peter’s greeting in today’s Scripture:  “May grace and peace be yours in the fullest measure.”  

So, when your Pastor pronounces the benediction at the conclusion of the worship hour, don’t let your mind drift to coffee hour.  Rather, think of your position as one of the chosen.  Think of “the riches of His grace which He lavished on us”.  At the benediction, one way that we can show our faith and thanks is to stick out our hands palms up to receive the blessing. 

In conclusion, we may be the chosen.  But, we are not the “frozen chosen”.  If we give a gift to one of our children, we don’t expect them to look down as if they are sad with arms tightly against their sides.  No!  We expect them to look up with joy in their faces and with their hands sticking out to receive the gift with great eagerness and joy.  But, whether or not we stick out our hands at the benediction, let us act as if we really believe that we are the chosen and that God lavishes His grace and peace upon us. 

Today’s devotion comes from James 5:19-20.

 

“My brethren, if any among you strays from the truth and one turns him back, let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.”  James 5:19-20.

 

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It is strange that one (who is able to turn a sinner from the error of his way) would have a multitude of sins and would need his soul saved from death.  Preachers and teachers are perfect, aren’t they?

 

As preachers and teachers, we may know the truth and may walk on the path to the truth, but we are like kindergarteners on our way to school, there is all kinds of mischief that we get into along the way.  We have that multitude of sins;  we need them covered.  We need our soul saved from death.

 

Certainly, these verses do not intend to set forth a comprehensive doctrine on atonement.  We are not saved by our works.  But, these verses do intend to motivate us to do what good that we can do to help others, even though we are far from perfect.  

 

Sometimes, a simple word can do the trick.  Other times, much more will be needed.

 

I like to give my personal testimony.  I strayed from the truth, and a childhood friend turned me back to the truth by a simple word.

 

 

 

“There is one who speaks rashly like the thrusts of a sword,
But the tongue of the wise brings healing.”  Proverbs 12:18.

 

Today’s devotion comes from James 5:16-18.

 

“Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another so that you may be healed.  The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much.  Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the earth for three years and six months.  Then he prayed again, and the sky poured rain and the earth produced its fruit.”  James 5:16-18.

 

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“The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much.”  Verse 16.  But, contrary to many people’s beliefs, the Lord does not give equal consideration to everyone’s prayers.

 

“The LORD is far from the wicked, But He hears the prayer of the righteous.”  Proverbs 15:29

                              

“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 66:18-20.

 

“In the days of His flesh, He offered up both prayers and supplications with loud crying and tears to the One able to save Him from death, and He was heard because of His piety.”  Hebrews 5:7 

                                  

“FOR THE EYES OF THE LORD ARE TOWARD THE RIGHTEOUS, AND HIS EARS ATTEND TO THEIR PRAYER, BUT THE FACE OF THE LORD IS AGAINST THOSE WHO DO EVIL.”  1 Peter 3:12

 

 

 

Thanks be to God;  we possess the righteousness of Christ.  “But by His doing you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption,”  1 Corinthians 1:30;  “having been filled with the fruit of righteousness which comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.”  Philippians 1:11;  “and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith,”  Philippians 3:9

                                    

“Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession.  For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin.  Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”  Hebrews 4:14-16.

Today’s devotion comes from James 5:13-15.

 

“Is anyone among you suffering?  Then he must pray.

 

Is anyone cheerful?  He is to sing praises.

 

Is anyone among you sick?  Then he must call for the elders of the church and they are to pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord;  and the prayer offered in faith will restore the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up, and if he has committed sins, they will be forgiven him.”  James 5:13-15.

 

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We endure, because we have faith that the Lord will sustain us while we wait for healing or the end of the suffering.  We pray, because we have faith in the Lord that He will heal us or otherwise help us in our suffering.  We praise, because we have faith that the Lord is the One Who healed us or otherwise helped us.  In summary, we believe that “the Lord is full of compassion and is merciful.”     

 

“We count those blessed who endured.  You have heard of the endurance of Job and have seen the outcome of the Lord’s dealings, that the Lord is full of compassion and is merciful.”  James 5:11.

 

“¹⁵ Call upon Me in the day of trouble;
I shall rescue you, and you will honor Me.”

 

…

 

²² “Now consider this, you who forget God,
Or I will tear you in pieces, and there will be none to deliver.
²³ “He who offers a sacrifice of thanksgiving honors Me;
And to him who orders his way aright
I shall show the salvation of God.”  Psalm 50:15 and 22-23.

 

 

We don’t pray as much as we should, but we praise much less. 

 

 

 

It seems like there is only one praise report for every ten prayer requests.  It should not be so.  It reminds me of the story of the ten lepers who were all healed by Jesus, but only one “turned back, glorifying God with a loud voice, and he fell on his face at His feet, giving thanks to Him. And he was a Samaritan.”

“While He (Jesus) was on the way to Jerusalem, He was passing between Samaria and Galilee.  As He entered a village, ten leprous men who stood at a distance met Him;  and they raised their voices, saying, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!”  When He saw them, He said to them, “Go and show yourselves to the priests.”  And as they were going, they were cleansed.  Now one of them, when he saw that he had been healed, turned back, glorifying God with a loud voice, and he fell on his face at His feet, giving thanks to Him. And he was a Samaritan.  Then Jesus answered and said, “Were there not ten cleansed?  But the nine—where are they?  Was no one found who returned to give glory to God, except this foreigner?”  And He said to him, “Stand up and go;  your faith has made you well.”  Luke 17:11-19.

Today’s devotion comes from James 5:12.

 

“But above all, my brethren, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or with any other oath;  but your yes is to be yes, and your no, no, so that you may not fall under judgment.”  James 5:12.

 

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Oath is defined in part as “a solemn usually formal calling upon God or a god to witness to the truth of what one says or to witness that one sincerely intends to do what one says”. 

 

Oaths are often pompous, filled with man’s pride and pageantry.  Oaths are often about trivial, even irreverent matters, and yet they dare invoke God’s holy name.

 

With singular focus, today’s Scripture rightly commands us to avoid oaths:  “But above all, my brethren, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or with any other oath …”  Verse 12.  Instead of oaths, we are commanded to speak the humble, simple truth:  “… your yes is to be yes, and your no, no, so that you may not fall under judgment.”  Verse 12.

 

“Again, you have heard that the ancients were told, ‘You shall not make false vows, but shall fulfill your vows to the Lord.’  But I say to you, make no oath at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God, or by the earth, for it is the footstool of His feet, or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King.  Nor shall you make an oath by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black.  But let your statement be, ‘Yes, yes’ or ‘No, no’;  anything beyond these is of evil.”  Matthew 5:33-37.  

 

Although neither today’s Scripture nor Matthew 5:33-37 expressly refers to the third commandment, the following part of the Heidelberg Catechism teaches us that part of the reason why we should not makes oaths comes from the third commandment which is:  “You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not leave him unpunished who takes His name in vain.”  Exodus 20:5.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

However, the Heidelberg Catechism also teaches us that there are times when we may swear religiously by the name of God.

 

                            

Today’s devotion comes from James 5:7-11.

 

“⁷ Therefore be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord.  The farmer waits for the precious produce of the soil, being patient about it, until it gets the early and late rains.  ⁸ You too be patient;  strengthen your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is near.  ⁹ Do not complain, brethren, against one another, so that you yourselves may not be judged;  behold, the Judge is standing right at the door.  ¹⁰ As an example, brethren, of suffering and patience, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord.  ¹¹ We count those blessed who endured.  You have heard of the endurance of Job and have seen the outcome of the Lord’s dealings, that the Lord is full of compassion and is merciful.”  James 5:7-11.

 

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Where do we get that patience, strength, and endurance?

 

 

 

Part of “the outcome of the Lord’s dealings” with us is “Preservation of the Saints”, the “P” of “TULIP”, the Five Points of Calvinism, the Reformed Doctrine of Salvation.  That grace is why we are patient, why we have strength, why we endure, and why we persevere, leading to salvation.

 

We do not deserve that grace, but “the Lord is full of compassion and is merciful.”  Verse 11.  

 

“We count those blessed who endured” verse 11, because they were blessed by God.   

 

In conclusion, “Do not be carried away by varied and strange teachings;  for it is good for the heart to be strengthened by grace, …”  Hebrews 13:9  Stick with “TULIP”.  Be patient, strengthened, and endure by “TULIP”.

Today’s devotion comes from James 5:1-6.

 

“¹ Come now, you rich, weep and howl for your miseries which are coming upon you.  ² Your riches have rotted and your garments have become moth-eaten.  ³ Your gold and your silver have rusted;  and their rust will be a witness against you and will consume your flesh like fire.  It is in the last days that you have stored up your treasure!  ⁴ Behold, the pay of the laborers who mowed your fields, and which has been withheld by you, cries out against you;  and the outcry of those who did the harvesting has reached the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth.  ⁵ You have lived luxuriously on the earth and led a life of wanton pleasure;  you have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter.  ⁶ You have condemned and put to death the righteous man;  he does not resist you.”  James 5:1-6.

 

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“Behold, this was the guilt of your sister Sodom:  she and her daughters had arrogance, abundant food and careless ease, but she did not help the poor and needy.”  Ezekiel 16:49

                                 

Today’s Scripture is harsh, and we may naturally try to escape from it.  But, I think there are some things that we can do to better “help the poor and needy”.

 

 

“You shall not oppress your neighbor, nor rob him.  The wages of a hired man are not to remain with you all night until morning.”  Leviticus 19:13.

 

Notice in Jesus’ parable of the landowner in the kingdom of heaven, that the landowner paid his laborers on the same day of their service.  “When evening came, the owner of the vineyard *said to his foreman, ‘Call the laborers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last group to the first.’”  Matthew 20:8

 

Second, for personal loans, we can personally decide to not charge interest.  “If you lend money to My people, to the poor among you, you are not to act as a creditor to him;  you shall not charge him interest.”  Exodus 22:25. 

 

Third, as a nation, we can make sure that we have merciful laws.  We think of bankruptcy laws and “homestead exemption from the claims of creditors” laws when we read Scripture like Exodus 22:26-27.  “If you ever take your neighbor’s cloak as a pledge, you are to return it to him before the sun sets, for that is his only covering;  it is his cloak for his body.  What else shall he sleep in?  And it shall come about that when he cries out to Me, I will hear him, for I am gracious.” 

 

Fourth, when we work, we can make sure that there is an overflow or other provision to share with others.  “Now when you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not reap to the very corners of your field, nor shall you gather the gleanings of your harvest.  Nor shall you glean your vineyard, nor shall you gather the fallen fruit of your vineyard;  you shall leave them for the needy and for the stranger.  I am the Lord your God.”  Leviticus 19:9-10.

 

1 Timothy 6:18
“Instruct them to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share,”

 

Ephesians 4:28
“He who steals must steal no longer;  but rather he must labor, performing with his own hands what is good, so that he will have something to share with one who has need.”

 

I think of this attorney (not me) who puts most of the fine food gifts that his firm receives on the common room table for all to share.   

 

I think of not grabbing every bit of beautiful land, but saving some land for public parks.  I think of public accesses to beaches. 

 

 

We may not be as good as others in helping the poor and needy.  But, we all can still find ways to help the poor and needy.  For example, I would much rather teach than spend time in a soup kitchen.  But, I have a friend who operates a Christian homeless shelter that effectively gives out food and clothing to a large number of people.  I can send him money. 

 

In conclusion, if the Book of James drives home one point, it may be this point.  “What use is it, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but he has no works?  Can that faith save him?  If a brother or sister is without clothing and in need of daily food, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and be filled,” and yet you do not give them what is necessary for their body, what use is that?  Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead, being by itself.”  James 2:14-17.  Therefore, let us look for more and better ways to “help the poor and needy” and do it and encourage others to also do it.

Today’s devotion comes from James 4:13-16.

 

“¹³ Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, and spend a year there and engage in business and make a profit.”  ¹⁴ Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow.  You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away.  ¹⁵ Instead, you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and also do this or that.”  ¹⁶ But as it is, you boast in your arrogance;  all such boasting is evil. ¹⁷ Therefore, to one who knows the right thing to do and does not do it, to him it is sin.”  James 4:13-16.

 

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“Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow.  You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away.”  Verse 14. 

 

“⁶ A voice says, “Call out.”
Then he answered, “What shall I call out?”
All flesh is grass, and all its loveliness is like the flower of the field.
⁷ The grass withers, the flower fades,
When the breath of the Lord blows upon it;
Surely the people are grass.
⁸ The grass withers, the flower fades,
But the word of our God stands forever.”  Isaiah 40:6-8.

                                    

Today’s devotion comes from James 4:11-12.

 

“¹¹ Do not speak against one another, brethren.  He who speaks against a brother or judges his brother, speaks against the law and judges the law;  but if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge of it.  ¹² There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the One who is able to save and to destroy;  but who are you who judge your neighbor?”  James 4:11-12.

 

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“For the Lord is our judge,
The Lord is our lawgiver,
The Lord is our king;
He will save us—”  Isaiah 33:22.

 

“But I will warn you whom to fear:  fear the One who, after He has killed, has authority to cast into hell;  yes, I tell you, fear Him!”  Luke 12:5

 

There may be different reasons why we want to speak against a brother and judge our neighbor. 

 

There may be pride.  We may secretly think:  “I can do a better job of judging than God.”  “God must miss seeing something, otherwise He would not allow this man to live and prosper!”

 

There may be jealousy and envy.

 

There may be the thought that we will look taller in comparison if we knock our brother down a few notches. 

 

But, there is only One Who saves.  There is only One Who casts into hell.  “There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the One who is able to save and to destroy …”  Verse 12.  

 

So, don’t rebel against God’s authority.  “Allow” God to judge.  “Do not speak against one another, brethren.”  Verse 11. 

 

“‘Vengeance is Mine, and retribution, In due time their foot will slip;  For the day of their calamity is near, And the impending things are hastening upon them.’”  Deuteronomy 32:35

 

“Never take your own revenge, beloved, but leave room for the wrath of God, for it is written, “VENGEANCE IS MINE, I WILL REPAY,” says the Lord.”  Romans 12:19

 

“For we know Him who said, “VENGEANCE IS MINE, I WILL REPAY.”  And again, “THE LORD WILL JUDGE HIS PEOPLE.”  Hebrews 10:30