To the Praise of His Glorious Grace

Scripture: Psalms 116-117, Romans 2. Gospel Summary: God gave us his law, a reflection of his holy character, to expose our inherent sinfulness, then seeing we could not neet its demands, came in Christ to meet them on our behalf and attributes this righteousness to all who come in faith to Jesus. Prayer: Father in heaven, thank you for fulfilling your law's demands on my behalf in Christ. Thank you for applying your Son's righteousness to my heart by the Holy Spirit. I know that if I did have the power to keep your law without your aide it would make me arrogant and cause me to look down at others who weren't as good as me. Instead you have saved me in such a way that I am deeply humbled by your grace and have a deep compassion for others to experience the gift-righteousness of Christ too. Help me to live in overwhelming shock and joy at your saving of sinners and to reach others with this life-giving news. In Jesus' name I pray, amen. Hymn: "A Debtor to Me...

Scripture: Psalms 114-115, Romans 1. Gospel summary: The gospel is the good news that God has fulfilled all righteousness for us and we receive it by faith in Christ alone, thus giving him all the glory for our salvation. Prayer: O God, I was desperately wicked and bound up in my sin before you acted in Christ to redeem my soul. I spent years thinking the righteousness you required was up to me, but now I see that you performed it for me in Christ and I receive it by faith. Thank you for living the perfect life I could never live in ten trillion years and crediting it all to my account. Give me boldness to share this gift righteousness with unbelievers because I know the power to save belongs to you alone. May you receive all the glory for saving sinners and help me to joyfully give you all the glory you deserve, never foolishly taking any glory that is rightfully due you. For the glory of Christ I pray, amen. Hymn: "Glory to the Lamb" by L.M. Rouse

Scripture: Psalms 112-113, James 5. Gospel summary: God's redeemed people live completely different lives of holiness from unbelievers as they patiently wait for Christ to come again as Judge. Prayer: Father in heaven, thank you for setting me apart from the way of the world by your grace. I know this new lifestyle is owing to nothing in me, but is all a work of your grace, so help me never to think otherwise. Help me to patiently endure the suffering that the world throws at me with a strong confidence that Christ Jesus will make all things right when he returns. Give me a stronger faith in the promise of your return, so that my hardest days may be opportunities for greater reliance on Christ. In Jesus' name I pray, amen. Hymn: "Christ Returneth" by James McGranahan.

Scripture: Psalm 110-111, James 4. Gospel summary: God accepted Jesus' cross-work to atone for our sins and now Jesus sits in accomplished victory in heaven, always interceding on behalf of his redeemed. Prayer: Father in heaven, thank you for the cross. Thank you for finally dealing with my sin problem at the cost of your only Son. Thank you also that there will never come a day when Jesus does not intercede on my behalf in heaven and that I can always come confessing and repenting of my sins and be accepted in your presence because of what Jesus has done. Help me never to take any of this lightly, but to only come in broken-hearted and grateful repentance before your holy throne, joyfully accepting the good news of the gospel. Thank you that you promise to defeat every enemy of your redeemed and may you make many of your enemies into your children before that Day. In Jesus' name, amen. Hymn: "Jesus, Thou Art Heaven's Dayspring" by Peter Davis.

“ Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers. The wicked are not so, but are like chaff that the wind drives away. Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous; for the Lord knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish .” –Psalm 1 “You can tell a lot about a man by the company he keeps”. I don’t know where I first heard this saying, but it is so true. By taking a good look at the way a person lives their life and the kind of people they surround themselves with, it is easy to see their true character. The psalmist here opens the door for us to the entire Psalter by teaching us the ...

One of my most worshipful moments throughout each week other than in private prayer, the study of God's Word, and fellowship with the body of Christ, has been running on the treadmill. I know what you're thinking, but let me explain. It has been on the treadmill at the gym that I have been ushered into the very presence of God and the wonder of the gospel in a powerful way. At times I have wanted to raise my hands and shout for the victory that is mine, while at other times I have been deeply humbled by God's grace to a sinful rebel like me in Christ and felt myself ready to shed a tear. And no, it wasn't the lack of sleep or the discomfort of running. How, you ask? If you'd rather eat dirt that run, I hope this post helps you see how it can be used to bring you joy in Christ. If you're an avid runner who finds delight in running a 5K everyday, I hope this post encourages you to think on heavenly truths while you run and make the most of your time on the...

The title of this blog may seem a little surprising. When most people think of reading Deuteronomy they probably picture it being as moving as watching the grass grow, but for those people I feel very sorry. Relatively recently in my Christian walk I have discovered the treasure of reading through books of the Bible in one sitting; usually those books I've read through in one sitting have been New Testament books which consist of only 2-3 pages. A friend of mine created a Bible reading plan that allows you to fall behind a little and still stay on track with reading the Bible through in a year; the catch is that he has you read certain OT books in one sitting. I was intrigued by the idea of reading through an OT book in one sitting, but knew the challenge that it would involve. Today, I read through this quarter's OT book of Deuteronomy in one sitting. It took me about and hour and forty-five minutes, and my eyes were a little red afterwards; but let me just say, my eyes were ...