“Assurance encourages us in our combat; it delivers us not from it. We may have peace with God when we have none from the assaults of Satan.” –John Owen In that jewel of a song, Psalm 139, David describes the heart of unrepentant man. His characterization of those who oppose him, not only describes his immediate enemies but also draws a…
“Prayer is the soul’s breathing itself into the bosom of its heavenly Father.” –Thomas Watson David had been thrown into a pit, a slimy pit. He was covered with the mud of misfortune and the mire of misery. He found himself with in a place with no available footholds and no apparent handholds. He had no light except for…
“How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, who publishes peace, who brings good news of happiness, who publishes salvation, who says to Zion, ‘Your God reigns.’” (Is. 52:7) Beautiful feet, Isaiah saw the LORD. In a vision, he saw Him high and lifted up. He saw the train of his robe filling the…
“Duty will either make us weary of the world, or the world will make us weary of duty.” –Thomas Manton I cannot believe I actually typed out the title to this week’s midweek devotional. I am one of those people who like to make New Year’s Resolutions. But this year I counsel you not to make any sweeping or grand resolutions…
“The LORD said to me, “You are my Son; today I have begotten you. 8 Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage, and the ends of the earth your possession.” (Psa. 2:7–8) The first two chapters of the Book of Psalms is often recognized as an introduction to the whole book. These two psalms are set…
“None can be too young to amend, that is old enough to die.” –Thomas Adams It is called by David a “mere handbreadth, a span of nothing, a breath, a phantom.” Job understood it to be swifter than the “weaver’s shuttle” and swifter than a “runner.” The author of Chronicles labels it a “shadow.” James knows it to be “a…
For several years now, Pastor Dale has been encouraging us to take it upon ourselves as a church body to understand and incarnate the idea of conference. What is conference? That’s a wonderful question! Conference is a spiritual discipline that involves two to ten people getting together to discuss a variety of spiritual topics. If you are interested, type the…
Anger is a complex emotion. The Westminster Bible Dictionary defines it as follows: “Anger, a strong emotion of displeasure against a real or supposed injury. It is not evil in itself, but when inordinate and excessive it becomes evil. It is ascribed to God (Ps. 7:11; 90:11) and to good men (Neh. 5:6; 2 Pet. 2:7, 8) in the sense…
Let us begin with a few definitions. Defining terms is the way all good apologists, essayists, scholars, scientists, and preachers of tremendous renown begin their arguments. And although, we are none of those things, defining some terms may prove helpful. What is weariness? Weariness is the state of being weary. So far, so good. What is it to be…
“Love is like an echo, it returns what it receives.” –Thomas Manton Do you just want to get out of the house? Are you tired and a little cranky after being cooped up indoors? Has the typical April weather in Missouri—sporadic sun followed by persistent sleet followed by a brief warmup with occasional overnight freezes—been of little comfort to you?…
