Daily Meditations for August

1| 2| 3| 4| 5| 6| 7| 8| 9| 10| 11| 12| 13| 14| 15| 16| 17| 18| 19| 20| 21| 22| 23| 24| 25| 26| 27| 28| 29| 30| 31

August 21

DIVINELY DESIGNED
Psalm 139:15, 16

    How a physician, and especially a surgeon, can believe that man came into being by a process of evolution is hard to understand. When we realize how marvelous the human body is with all its organs so properly positioned, working together so harmoniously, capable of such synchronous functions, it is hard to figure out how they, who know so much about the human body, can believe that it came into being without planning by the all-wise God. Did the intricate and powerful gasoline engine come into being without planning? Did one piece bring forth an entirely different kind of part made of another kind of material? Did the jet-propelled airplane and the computer come into being apart from the human mind? And did a dead object ever bring forth life?

    How true are the words of David in Psalm 139:15, 16! He wrote: "My substance was not hid from Thee, when I was made in secret, and curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being imperfect; and in Thy book all my members were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them."

    God's book here is His eternal counsel, His living plan which He had with Him before a creature existed, and according to which all that happened from the first day of creation existed, and according to which all that happened from the first day of creation onward took place. And all this brings us to another aspect of the truth that our lives are an open book before God. We cannot hide anything from Him anywhere, or in the darkest night. But even before we came into existence, He saw us in that book, and saw us exactly as we are at the moment. Our versification has it thus:

    E'er into being I was brought,
    Thy eye did see, and in Thy thought
    My life in all its perfect plan
    Was ordered e're my days began.

    We then, as David did in verse 14, should say, "I will praise Thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvelous are Thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well." Rather than foolishly to try to hide from God, we should praise Him for His wisdom, power, and sovereignty. His eye saw us before we had eyes. He knows all about us all that there is to know. Being divinely designed our calling is to render Him divine praise.

Read: Psalm 148
Psalter versification: 383:2

Daily  Meditations
 on the
Heidelberg Catechism

 

Song for Meditation: Psalter number 264
Why not sing along??

Through the Bible in One Year
Read today:

Job 1-2 ; Job 3:1-26
I Corinthians 14:1-17
Psalm 37:12-29
Proverbs 21:25-26

****
Quote for Reflection:

    "Christ's sheep do not contribute any part of their own wool to their own clothing. They wear, and are justified by, the fine linen of Christ's obedience only." Toplady  


August 22

GOD'S PRECIOUS THOUGHTS UNTO US
Psalm 139: 17, 18

    In Psalm 139 David clearly and definitely established the truth that God sees us and that our life is unto Him an open book that reveals in the smallest detail what we are and do. But most wonderful and important is how He looks upon us. What are His thoughts when He looks upon us? Does He look at us or upon us? In awesome language David expresses the truth of how God looks upon us in love. He writes in verses 17 and 18, "How precious also are Thy thoughts unto me, O God! how great is the sum of them!  If I should count them, they are more in number than the sand: when I awake l am still with Thee."

    Because God designed not only the human body with its amazing members and faculties, but also the body of Christ, the church, and sees us as members thereof, it certainly is true what David writes. God has precious thoughts toward us! For all the blessings of salvation tell us how much He loves us. What love of God it is that sent His only begotten Son to the torments of hell that we might have the precious blessings of heaven! That Son is His most precious possession. And yet He sent Him to hellish agonies that we might have a more glorious life than Adam had, and one which has everlasting blessings that cannot come to an end.

    So precious are these thoughts of God toward us that we cannot count them any more than we can count the grains of sand on a given beach. Still more, David tells us, and correctly so, that after we have begun trying to count them, we will become weary and fall asleep. And when we awake from sleep, we will still be busy, if we are going to count and evaluate them all. For they are everlasting blessings. And our versification states it beautifully in these words:

    Thy thoughts, O God, how manifold,
    More precious unto me than gold!
    I muse on their infinity,
    Awaking I am still with Thee.

    We cannot hide from God; but that too is a blessing. For His thoughts penetrate the night of sin and bring us blessings from the kingdom of light. How precious then God's thoughts toward us are in Christ!

Read: Psalm 40
Psalter versification: 383:3

Daily  Meditations
 on the
Heidelberg Catechism

Song for Meditation: Psalter number 161
Why not sing along??

Through the Bible in One Year
Read today:

Job 4 ; Job 5 ; Job 6 ; Job 7:1-21
I Corinthians 14:18-40
Psalm 37:30-40
Proverbs 21:27

****
Quote for Reflection:

    "To be at peace with the world, the flesh and the devil, is to be at enmity with God, and in the broad way that leadeth to destruction. We have no choice or option. We must either fight or be lost." J.C. Ryle


August 23

HATRED THAT REVEALS LOVE
Psalm 139:19,20

    What a contrast David makes in the last part of Psalm 139!   He had spoken of the preciousness of God's thoughts unto him. Now in verses 19 and 20 he declares what God will do to the wicked. He writes, "Surely Thou wilt slay the wicked, O God: depart from me therefore, ye bloody men. For they speak against Thee wickedly, and Thine enemies take Thy name in vain." Or as our versification has it:

    The wicked Thou wilt surely slay,
    From me let sinners turn away;
    They speak against Thy name divine,
    I count God's enemies as mine.

    This clearly reveals that by God's precious thoughts David has in mind the salvation God has prepared in Christ. This David saw in the bloody sacrifices in the temple. He reveals no fear of punishment upon his own sins which the everywhere present God, Who sees and hears all, knows. He knows himself as one whose sins are blotted out. And he wants nothing to do with those who speak wickedly against God and take His name in vain. He counts God's enemies his enemies. All this reveals that God has begun the work of salvation in him, for he has been born again with a new life that loves God.

    What David reveals here is that gospel truth which God preached to Adam and Eve the day they became God's enemies. He promised them that He would bring forth a people that hated sin and those who walk in sin. He promised them in Genesis 3:15 that He would "slay the wicked," for Christ, The Seed of the Woman, would crush the serpent's head and the heads of those who are not delivered from his power.

    The question is whether we can say that with David. Do we want sinners to depart from us? Or do we enjoy them in their sinful ways? Do we feel at home with them, like their company, seek them rather than say to them, "Depart from me"? If we do, then we consider their thoughts and actions more precious than God's. Hatred of the world reveals love of God. Love of the world reveals hatred of God. God's love makes us love Him and hate the world and all its sins.

Read: Jude
Psalter versification: 383:4

Daily  Meditations
 on the
Heidelberg Catechism

Song for Meditation: Psalter number 266
Why not sing along??

Through the Bible in One Year
Read today:

Job 8-10 ; Job 11:1-20
1 Corinthians 15:1-28
Psalm 38:1-22
Proverbs 21:28-29

****
Quote for Reflection:

    “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 ”    Canons of Dordt  Head 1 Article 7


August 24

A PRAYER FOR HOLINESS
Psalm 139:23,24

    As the saying goes, "Talk is cheap." It is so easy to say with David, "Do not I hate them, O Lord, that hate Thee? And am not I grieved with those that rise up against Thee? I hate them with perfect hatred: I count them my enemies." But we do well to ask ourselves how true this is of us, bearing in mind what David had written, namely, that God knows our thoughts afar off, and that there is not a word in our tongue that He does not know altogether.

    If we give that serious thought, we will also with David pray, "Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me and know my thoughts: And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting," Psalm 139:23, 24.

    But since David already wrote that his life was as an open book to God, must God search to see whether there is any wicked way in him? Yes, but we must understand this in light of his last words in this verse. He prays that God will lead him in the way everlasting. He wants to be delivered from the way of sin that still is deep in his soul. He wants to be made holy and to love God perfectly with all his being.

    Our Psalter versification states it thus:

    Search me, O God, my heart discern,
    Try me my inmost thought to learn;
    And lead me, if in sin I stray,
    To choose the everlasting way.

    We label sins as little sins and big sins, and often defend what we call little sins. This is wrong. For then Adam's eating of a piece of fruit hurt no man and was a little sin. Yet it was an act of hatred against God, and so great a sin that it brought death on the whole human race!

    If we are sincere and want to be led in the way everlasting, we will want every sin in us to be rooted out completely. This is then a prayer we should bring to God every day. It reveals a sincere love of God, and is not cheap talk. Sing these words of David, but sing them as a prayer that is sincere and from the bottom of your heart.

Read: Psalm 139
Psalter versification: 383:5

Daily  Meditations
 on the
Heidelberg Catechism

Song for Meditation: Psalter number 156
Why not sing along??

Through the Bible in One Year
Read today:

Job 12 ; Job 13 ; Job 14 ; Job 15:1-35
1 Corinthians 15:29-58
Psalm 39:1-13
Proverbs 21:30-31

****
Quote for Reflection:

 Matthew Henry: "Those who in choosing relations, callings, dwellings, or settlements are guided and governed by the lusts of the flesh, the lusts of the eye, or the pride of life, and consult not the interests of their souls and their religion, cannot expect God’s presence with them, nor his blessing upon them, but are commonly disappointed even in that which they principally aimed at, and miss of that which they promised themselves satisfaction in. In all our choices this principle should overrule us, That that is best for us which is best for our souls."


August 25

HOPE FOR A SURE SALVATION
Psalm 119:81,82

    Salvation always implies misery of one kind or another. Joyous moments and happy situations we want to keep. But out of discomforts and sufferings whether light or severe we want to be lifted. This explains the words of the psalmist in Psalm 119:81, 82, where we read: "My soul fainteth for Thy salvation: but I hope in Thy word. Mine eyes fail for Thy word, saying, When wilt Thou comfort me?"

    The exact situation of the psalmist we do not know, although in broad lines we do read that he had afflictions (verse 75), and that enemies dealt perversely with him (verse 78). But we do well to note from verse 75 that he acknowledges that God afflicted him through these enemies, and that He did so in faithfulness. He is not finding fault with God. He reveals clearly that he is convinced that God will save him out of his afflictions.

    Two truths we should note and make our own. The psalmist speaks of God's salvation, and he reveals implicit trust in God's promises to deliver him. This our versification also clearly states in these words:

    My soul for Thy salvation faints;
    But still I hope in Thee;
    I long to see Thy promised help,
    When Thou shalt comfort me.

    All too often we rule God out, or at least forget to run to Him with our problems. We forget that salvation, whether it be from a physical woe, or a spiritual condition, always comes from God and comes only from Him. He uses means and creatures; but He saves and comforts us. We forget that He promised in His word to work all things together for our good. The cross of Christ and the amazing love of God displayed in it we so often brush aside.

    When miseries seem about to crush us in losses of loved ones through the cold hand of death; when prolonged and painful illnesses besiege our bodies, and the world torments and ridicules us; we must hope in God's word of promise. We may with the psalmist wonder when God will save us; but we must never doubt that He will keep His promise to do so.

    Our eyes may fail for God's word in the sense that they do not see the fulfillment. But never, no never, doubt, but hope with expectation.

Read: Psalm 119:73-88
Psalter versification: 331:1

Daily  Meditations
 on the
Heidelberg Catechism

Song for Meditation: Psalter number 320
Why not sing along??

Through the Bible in One Year
Read today:

Job 16 ; Job 17 ; Job 18 ; Job 19:1-29
I Corinthians 16:1-24
Psalm 40:1-10
Proverbs 22:1

****
Quote for Reflection:

     James Montgomery Boice: "You may think that you are different from Lot. But if you have put your job ahead of your family’s spiritual life, if you have put your social advancement ahead of a proper association with God’s people, if you have let your choice of a home keep you from a church in which you can grow in faith and worship—you have moved from the highlands to the plain of the Jordan. I know you will say that you can serve God there as well as at Bethel. Lot would have said, ‘I am as eager as you to serve the Lord. After all, the cities of the plain need witnesses too.’ That was true; they did. But Lot’s heart was not in witnessing. He was doing nothing for God. His heart was set on his possessions, sophistication, and glamour, and for that he lost everything."


August 26

HUMBLY WAITING FOR SALVATION
Psalm 119:83,84

    The suffering of the child of God who wrote Psalm 119 was intense. He expresses this in verses 83, 84 in these words: "For I am become like a bottle in the smoke; yet do I not forget Thy statutes. How many are the days of Thy servant? when wilt Thou execute judgment on them that persecute me?"  Plainly it seemed to him that, if God did not come with salvation, his life would soon be ended. His life was in great peril.

    He did not mean that he was like a glass bottle, but rather like a leather bottle, a wineskin. These when not used were hung up and not only shriveled and dried but cracked due to lack of moisture. They also became stained and coated by the smoke of an open fire in the house. No doubt he suffered in a way that caused him to lose weight so that wrinkles appeared on his face; and his suffering showed clearly on his face. Our versification expresses it this way:

    Thy statutes I do not forget,
    Though wasting grief I know;
    Thy servant's days are few, O Lord;
    When wilt Thou judge my foe?

    The truth we should take hold of is that, even though he was in a sad physical condition and appeared to be ready to die, spiritually he was strong. He did not swerve from walking upon the pathway of God's law in order to escape this suffering. He rightfully calls himself God's servant.

    What humility he shows here, but also what spirituality! So often in our afflictions we act as though God must be our servant; and if He does not relieve us soon, we, forgetting His statutes, worship and have before Him another god. Yes, that is right. We break the first commandment of His law! That god is our flesh. God must serve us and must do it our way. We find it hard and often fail to pray, "Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven." Not so with the psalmist, though he desires relief.

    Follow this example of the psalmist. Let nothing turn you from serving Him. Never humiliate Him by treating Him as though He is your servant. Wondering when He will execute judgment is not wondering whether He will do so. Hope in His word, and you will not be disappointed.

Read: Psalm 125
Psalter versification: 331:2

Daily  Meditations
 on the
Heidelberg Catechism

Song for Meditation: Psalter number 229
Why not sing along??

Through the Bible in One Year
Read today:

Job 20 ; Job 21 ; Job 22:1-30
II Corinthians 1:1-11
Psalm 40:11-17
Proverbs 22:2-4

****
Quote for Reflection:

    William Hendrikson: "Scripture emphasizes the fact that the Church in both dispensations is one. It is one chosen people in Christ. It is one tent; one vineyard; one family—Abraham is the father of all believers whether they are circumcised or not—one olive tree; one elect race, royal priesthood, holy nation, people, for God’s own possession; one beautiful bride; and in its consummation one new Jerusalem whose gates bear the names of the twelve tribes and whose foundations are inscribed with the names of the twelve apostles" (More Than Conquerors, p. 135).


August 27

A JUST PRAYER FOR HELP
Psalm 119:85,86

    Although thus far they did not succeed, the enemies of the psalmist were trying to kill him. He states this in Psalm 119:85, 86 in these words: "The proud have digged pits for me, which are not after Thy law. All Thy commandments are faithful: they persecute me wrongfully: help Thou me."  From these words we learn that the enemies attack him under the guise of punishing a sinner. Falsely they accuse him OF A SIN WORTHY OF DEATH. Nevertheless the punishment is not called for by God's law; and they persecute him wrongfully. That law, the psalmist points out, is good. He calls it faithful. Our versification presents it this way:

    The proud, disdainful of Thy law,
    Entrap me wrongfully;
    O Thou, whose law is just and true,
    Help and deliver me.

    Here that law, and correctly so, is called just, for it rightfully calls for punishment upon sin. And the pits which the enemies digged were designed to entrap him, that is, make him seemingly to fall into sin. In that way they will seem to be innocent when they punish him with death.

    All this is prophetic. For this exactly pictures the death of Christ. The wicked Jews caught Him in the garden as though He were an evildoer, brought Him to trial before the high priest, then before Pilate they accuse Him of threatening Caesar's throne. They called for a punishment God's law calls for upon those who obey not their authorities and intend to overthrow their king.

    We can expect the same thing in the days ahead of us. The antichrist will demand on our right hand or forehead a sign of loyalty to him. That requirement will be our pit which he digs, and will call for death, because we object to his reign of hatred against God and His Christ. We will be accused of breaking the fifth commandment. But that will be wrongful, sinful treatment. For it is to defend breaking the first commandment, namely, having a god before Jehovah the one, true God.

    Pray then for help from God. His law is faithful because He is faithful, and through Christ's unjust crucifixion our sins are blotted out.

Read: John 19:1-18
Psalter versification: 331:3

Daily  Meditations
 on the
Heidelberg Catechism

Song for Meditation: Psalter number 247
Why not sing along??

Through the Bible in One Year
Read today:

Job 23 ; Job 24 ; Job 25 ; Job 26 ; Job 27:1-23
II Corinthians 1:12-24 ; II Corinthians 2:1-11
Psalm 41:1-13
Proverbs 22:5-6

****
Quote for Reflection:

    Charles D. Alexander: "It is sure from this figure of the Church hidden in the wilderness, that she is not an earthly, visible institution decked in all the pomp and pride of a kingdom of this world, as the Roman error teaches and practices. She is hidden, invisible, heavenly, and known only by the preaching of the Word and by her worship' in spirit and in truth'" Revelation Spiritually Understood, p. 307).


August 28

QUICKENED IN GOD'S MERCY
Psalm 119:88

    One truth that we should hold on to tightly is the teaching of Scripture that all of our salvation comes from God. We do not earn the smallest part of it. We get not one blessing by fulfilling a condition. In fact the very desire for salvation is God's gift to us, and we owe Him thanks for that. As surely as physical birth does not come to us because we asked for it, so surely being born again is due to God's desire for it and not ours.

    God Himself through the psalmist states that clearly in Psalm 119:88 where we read: "Quicken me after Thy loving-kindness; so shall I keep the testimony of Thy mouth."

    Notice that the psalmist, who had cruel and crafty foes that had "almost consumed" him, prays God to quicken him, so that he may remain faithful to God, and not forsake God's law to get the enemies off his back. God must strengthen him and give him the desire to keep His testimonies. As he himself confesses, he will keep God's commandments ONLY if God quickens him. For he has enemies inside himself as well as outside and all around him. He has his old man of sin and Satan inside, as well as Satan's servants outside and round about him. These strive to draw him away from God's law. Listen to the versification of his words:

    Almost consumed, yet from Thy law
    I have not turned away;
    In loving-kindness give me strength,
    That I may still obey.

    Boast about what we did through our strength, and we reveal that we are not keeping God's precepts. For He forbids us to have a god besides Him. And if we get blessings because we fulfilled conditions, we saved God from disappointment; and then He depends upon us. Only if He quickens us will we keep His commandments.

    Let us be careful not to elevate ourselves above Him; but rather thank Him for giving us every bit of our salvation through His Son and His Spirit. We cannot even say sincerely that He quickened us, until He gives us the desire and strength to do so. It is His mercy in Christ and not our self manufactured piety that saves us.

Read: Ephesians 2
Psalter versification: 331:4

Daily  Meditations
 on the
Heidelberg Catechism

Song for Meditation: Psalter number 53
Why not sing along??

Through the Bible in One Year
Read today:

Job 28 ; Job 29 ; Job 30
II Corinthians 2:12-17
Psalm 42:1-11
Proverbs 22:7

****
Quote for Reflection:

 “Again, do we love the convictions of the Word?  Do we love the Word when it comes home to our conscience and shoots its arrows of reproof at our sins?   It is the minister’s duty sometimes to reprove.  He who can speak smooth words in the pulpit, but does not know how to reprove, is like a sword with a fine hilt but without an edge.  …Dip the nail in oil, reprove in love,  but strike the nail home.  Now, Christian, when the Word touches on your sin and says, “Thou art the man”, do you love the reproof?  Can you bless God that “the sword of the Spirit” has divided between you and your lusts?    This is indeed a sign of grace and shows that you are a lover of the Word.”  -T. Watson     


August 29

PROMISES THAT WILL BE KEPT
Psalm 119:89,90

    The more serious the surgery is, the more serious the thought must be that is given to choosing one to perform it. When one's life is in danger, one cannot be too careful, or demand too much care. And what is far more serious than physical death is our relationship with God. Both physical and spiritual enemies may make life dangerous for us. Financial losses may be hard to bear. But what God does to us, and what He promises us, is what counts. The punishment He metes out is everlasting, and makes man as miserable as he possibly can be. We had better be very serious and concerned about our guilty state before God. We must be sure that His promise to save us will be kept in its smallest detail.

    The psalmist was sure and wrote in Psalm 119:89, 90: "Forever, O Lord, Thy word is settled in heaven. Thy faithfulness is unto all generations; Thou hast established the earth, and it abideth."  Notice that he speaks of God's dealing both in heaven and on earth. He speaks of God's absolute control over all things in both heaven and on the earth, and of God's absolute faithfulness. Not temporarily but forever, every split-second of time, God's counsel is fulfilled. His will is executed unto all generations. He is faithful to His word and never goes back upon one word of that which He has promised.

    To Him we should look for help in our state of guilt, and in our spiritually weak condition. Who can help us better than He? Who can help us, if He does not? Our versification has it beautifully in these words:

    Forever settled in the heavens,
    Thy word, O Lord, shall firmly stand;
    Thy faithfulness shall never fail;
    The earth abides at Thy command.

    Look to God in the confidence that He will keep His promise and that you are safe in His keeping. He has promised full salvation and will keep His word. He has perfect control of all creation; and nothing shall prevent Him from giving us what He has promised in Christ. All your enemies are in His hand. Over them He has absolute control.

Read: Psalm 37
Psalter versification: 332:1

Daily  Meditations
 on the
Heidelberg Catechism

Song for Meditation: Psalter number 36
Why not sing along??

Through the Bible in One Year
Read today:

Job 31 ; Job 32 ; Job 33
II Corinthians 3:1-18
Psalm 43:1-5
Proverbs 22:8-9

****
Quote for Reflection:

“The passing generation knew the Lord and His work for Israel… But the next generation knew not the Lord, neither the works He had done for Israel. …The conclusion from all this is plain: grow lax in instruction - in home or school or church - and the next generation will not know Jehovah and will not know His great works for His people.”  -Herman Hoeksema


August 30

GOD-GIVEN DELIGHT IN HIS LAW
Psalm 119:91,92

    In God's providence the moon continues in its orbit so marvelously that it is exactly on time month after month, so that our calendars for next year can tell us when it will be full moon and when it will be new moon. For thousands of years the earth has rotated on its axis at an unchanging speed, so that the rising of the sun and the setting thereof may be predicted day after day and year after year.

    But man, made in God's image, by nature never keeps the law according to which God created him. And in Psalm 119:91, 92 the psalmist had already in that day written: "They continue this day according to Thine ordinances: for all are Thy servants. Unless Thy law had been my delight, I should then have perished in my affliction."

    Here he is referring to the inanimate creatures in the heavens including this earth. They function according to the laws wherein God created them. But man, made in God's image, lives by nature as though he were god and need not keep God's commandments.

    He also points out that by God's grace he does keep God's law, because God made him have delight in that law. He does not mean by "I should have perished" that he would have died at the hands of his enemies if he kept God's law. He was not in danger because he kept that law. He means that had he not been given delight in God's law, he would then not have continued to keep God's law. His spiritual life would have perished.

    When we see the sun set tonight or rise tomorrow morning, shame should cover our faces. They keep God's law, and we do not. These indeed are dumb creatures but move in harmony with God's law. And it is only by God's grace that we can sing sincerely:

    Thy word and works unmoved remain,
    Thy every purpose to fulfill;
    All things are Thine and Thee obey,
    And all as servants wait Thy will.
    I should have perished in my woe
    Had not I loved Thy law divine;
    That law I never can forget;
    O save me, Lord, for I am Thine.

    Yes, God makes us as Christ's sheep delight in His law and thereby enables us to walk in harmony with it.

Read: Psalm 119:81-96
Psalter versification: 332:2

Daily  Meditations
 on the
Heidelberg Catechism

Song for Meditation: Psalter number 315
Why not sing along??

Through the Bible in One Year
Read today:

Job 34 ; Job 35 ; Job 36
II Corinthians 4:1-12
Psalm 44:1-8
Proverbs 22:10-12

****
Quote for Reflection:

“Let us learn not to expect too much from anybody or anything in this fallen world.  One great secret of unhappiness is the habit of indulging in exaggerated expectations.  From money, from marriage, from business, from houses, from children, from worldly honors, from political success - people are constantly expecting what they never find.… Happy is he who has learned to say: “My soul, wait thou only upon God; for my expectation is from him.“  ( Psalm 62:5 ) -J. Ryle


August 31

THE COMING PERFECTION
Psalm 119:96

    Can there be something better than what is perfect? What the psalmist wrote in Psalm 119:96 seems to teach that. He wrote, "I have seen an end of all perfection; but Thy commandment is exceeding broad."

    He had stated that all things are God's servants and created within certain laws. These laws they all keep perfectly. Man, however, was created also under the ten commandments, the moral law. And this law, he states, is broader than those laws wherein all creatures were created, the physical laws of their being. Our versification has it thus:

    The wicked would destroy my soul,   
    But on Thy truth I muse with awe;
    Imperfect I have found all else,
    But boundless is Thy wondrous law.

    Now imperfection can be incompleteness. A building is not perfect until it is completed. That does not mean that the part already set up is imperfect, that is, not constructed properly or of poor material. It means that the completed form is not yet there. That, the psalmist had in mind.

    We live in a world wherein the laws of creation are never broken, even though God's holy law, the ten commandments given man, is not kept since man fell in Adam. But a more wonderful creation is coming in which man will keep God's law perfectly. A creation comes where there is a broader keeping of God's law, a creation in which the inanimate creatures act and react according to the physical laws, but one also wherein God's holy law is kept by all as perfectly as God's Son did so, when He tabernacled with us.

    What a broader picture then do we get here! The end of this present creation brings forth a kingdom of heaven wherein in no way does any creature fail to be a servant of God. What is more, this present creation, in which the laws of creation are flawlessly kept, serves as God's means to bring forth that broader end, namely, the kingdom of heaven.

    We should look beyond the things necessary for our natural life, the laws we must keep to protect our physical life. Look to that law of God wherein He created man in His own image. Keep His holy law before you, looking forward to the day when you will keep it perfectly.

Read: Revelation 22:1-14
Psalter versification: 332:4

Daily  Meditations
 on the
Heidelberg Catechism

Song for Meditation: Psalter number 270
Why not sing along??

Through the Bible in One Year
Read today:

Job 37 ; Job 38 ; Job 39
II Corinthians 4:13-18 ; II Corinthians 5:1-10
Psalm 44:9-26
Proverbs 22:13

****
Quote for Reflection:   

    "The most holy service that we can render to God is to be employed in praising His name." John Calvin


Return to the list of meditations.
Return to the literature page.
Return to the Loveland Protestant Reformed Church home page.
Last modified, 29-Jun-2007