Psalm 52:9
It is not without good reason that God in His word warns us not to boast of our faith and new life. Through Paul He tells us in Ephesians 2:8-9 that we are saved by grace in such a way that faith also is a gift, so that there is no room for us to boast of having contributed even the desire for salvation. That too He gives us through His Son.
This truth He gave us the very day we fell into sin. For then He told us that through His Son He would put enmity in us against the devil and the sin into which he led us. David says this too in Psalm 52:9, where we read, "I will praise Thee forever, because Thou hast done it: and I will wait on Thy name; for it is good before the saints."
A few lines we may fruitfully commit to memory are the versification (PRC Psalter):
I put my trust in God alone,
For evermore I trust His grace,
And like the trees within His courts
I flourish in a favored place.
With endless thanks, O Lord, to Thee.
Thy wondrous works will I proclaim:
And in the presence of Thy saints
Will ever hope in Thy good name.
Yes, in the most absolute sense, when we speak of salvation we must say with David, "Thou didst it, and I will wait on Thy name." Always and every step of our way we must sing: "I put my trust in God alone, for evermore I trust His grace.''
Be conceited and think that you stand in your own strength, and you have already fallen. And your trust in God has been replaced by trust in self. Boast of having accepted Christ before He came into your heart, and you cannot sing: "I will praise Thee forever, because Thou hast done it.''
No, let us love the truth we sing every Sabbath day: "Praise God from Whom all blessings flow." Let us wait on God's name and then confess that even this waiting is His gift unto us. May our thanks to God be endless so that it includes the desire for salvation. One of the things from which we must he saved is the idea that we let Christ come into our hearts,. May we receive grace to say of His entrance, "I will praise Thee for ever, because Thou didst it."
Read: John 10:14-29
Psalter versification: #145:5-6
(Words and Music of the Psalter)
Meditations on the Heidelberg Catechism
Through the Bible in One Year
Read today:
Joshua 11 ; Joshua 12
Luke 17:11-37
Psalm 84:1-12
Proverbs 13:5-6
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Quote for Reflection:
"The way then may be dark and dreary, steep and almost impassable, a way of suffering and affliction. And we may not understand the way of the Lord. Nor do we have to understand. We know that both the way and the end are determined by the same love which He revealed in the death of His only begotten Son. And we trust, simply trust, following where He leads; asking no question; knowing that all things work together for our good. His counsel is a counsel of love, of perfect wisdom, of never failing power. All is well!" -- Herman Hoeksema
Additional Info
- Date: 15-April
Heys, John A.
Rev. John A. Heys was born on March 16, 1910 in Grand Rapids, MI. He was ordained and installed into the ministry at Hope, Walker, MI in 1941. He later served at Hull, Iowa beginning in 1955. In 1959 he accepted the call to serve the South Holland, IL Protestant Reformed Church. He received and accepted the call to Holland, Michigan Protestant Reformed Church in 1967. He retired from the active ministry in 1980. He entered into glory on February 16, 1998.