Daily Meditations for July

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July 21

DELIGHT IN GOD'S LAW
Psalm 119:69, 70

    There are man-made laws which we must keep or be punished. We are not by man commanded to love these laws but to keep them to the letter. With God's laws it is different. We must keep them but also love them. And the psalmist teaches us this in Psalm 119:69,70 when he writes, "The proud have forged a lie against me: but I will keep Thy precepts with my whole heart. Their heart is as fat as grease but I delight in Thy law."

    Surely keeping God's law with the whole heart is hard to find because there is so little delight in God's law. When one forges a lie against us, we do not merely want to get even, but want to do more harm to him than he did to us.

    Delighting in God's law and keeping it with our whole heart means that we show nothing but love to our neighbor, even when he hurts us. It means that we find joy in treating our enemies in love. Our versification presents it thus:

    The proud have assailed me with slander;
    Thy precepts shall still be my guide;
    Thy law is my joy and my treasure,
    Though sinners may boast in their pride.

    This means then that our sin hurts us. We do not simply say that we did wrong. We say, when we hurt our neighbor with tongue or hand, that we hurt our own hearts. And the same thing is true about God's law in the first table of it. To delight in God's law means that it hurts us in our hearts when we displease God in any way and to any degree.

    How important then it is that every night before we go to sleep we examine our hearts. Do they ache because we did not obtain the same measure of earthly joy that those did whose "heart is as fat as grease"? Or do they ache because we love to walk in love to God, but find that we did very little that day in keeping His law? In the measure that we return blow for blow, word for word, to those who hurt us, we are as sinfully proud as they are, and we cannot then say that we delight in God's law.

Read: Psalm 119:25-40
Psalter versification: 329:3

Daily  Meditations
  
 on the
Heidelberg Catechism

Song for Meditation: Psalter number 20
Why not sing along??

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Through the Bible in One Year
Read today:
2 Chronicles 4 ; 2 Chronicles 5 ; 2 Chronicles 6:1-11
Romans 7:1-13
Psalm 17:1-15
Proverbs 19:22-23

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Quote for Reflection:

“This is the rule, and this must be the verdict: Either go to hell or consider your own human righteousness a loss and mere dirt.”  Martin Luther


July 22

THE RIGHT CHOICE
Psalm 119:71,72

    If you had to choose between becoming a millionaire tomorrow, or continue the rest of your life as you are, and then when you die enter at once into heavenly glory, what would you choose? If you chose the latter, why did you do so? What do you consider heavenly glory to be, that makes you turn down a million dollars of silver and gold? Is it because you say with the psalmist what we read in Psalm 119:71,72 ? He wrote, "It is good for me that I have been afflicted; that I might learn Thy statutes. The law of Thy mouth is better to me than thousands of gold and of silver."

    The point is that in heaven we will know the law of God's mouth, the statutes which He designed and decreed for us to keep. So the question is: "Do you consider it heavenly to be so completely freed from sin that a sinful thought and desire never arises in your heart and mind? Or is heaven your desire first and only because you want to get rid of all the afflictions and miseries of your flesh?"

    The psalmist had already confessed that God is good and doeth good, and that God had dealt well with him in sending him afflictions. Can you sincerely sing these words of our versification?

    Affliction has been for my profit
    That I to Thy statutes might hold;
    Thy law to my soul is more precious
    Than thousands of silver and gold.

    This expresses a basic truth which we must have in mind before we think of or speak of heaven. It also makes the cross of Christ so meaningful and valuable. Christ died not merely to remove the curse from off us, but to bring us out from under the power of sin. He loves us, but He also loves God. And He came and died for us that He might make us love God as completely as He does.

    Look deeply then into your soul to see whether that is the kind of heaven that you want to enter. And pray to God that He will already in this life teach you how to live in that law, so that you may walk in love to Him no matter what an afflicted life you may have here on this earth.

Read: Hebrews 12:1-13
Psalter versification: 329:4

Daily  Meditations
  
 on the
Heidelberg Catechism

Song for Meditation: Psalter number 420
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Through the Bible in One Year
Read today:
2 Chronicles 6:12-42 ;   2 Chronicles 7 ; 2 Chronicles 8:1-10
Romans 7:14-25;   Romans 8:1-8
Psalm 18:1-15
Proverbs 19:24-25

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Quote for Reflection:

¼ Antichrist, with all his murderous agents, leaves in peace those who by their treacherous silence deny Christ, and are prepared to embrace as slaves every kind of impiety; neither does he exercise his cruelty, insatiable though it be, where he sees no manliness to exist; and he exults and triumphs, as if his end was gained, when he perceives any who had some courage in professing their faith fallen into effeminacy and cowardice. But how much better is it for us to die an hundred times, retaining our manly firmness in death, than to redeem our life for the base service of the devil.  – John Calvin


July 23

A FIXED HEART
Psalm 108:1,2

    One may ultimately come to the decision that a loved one should undergo very serious surgery and makes up his mind to arrange for it. That does not however mean that he looks forward to it and will be singing during it. Singing requires more than a decision. It calls for a joy in the heart.  In moments of sadness we cannot sing but are leaning toward weeping.  Happiness must be there, if we are going to sing.

    David has such happiness in his heart when he in Psalm 108:1,2 wrote: "O God, my heart is fixed; I will sing and give praise, even with my glory.   Awake, psaltery and harp: I myself will awake early."  Our versification explains it this way:

    My steadfast heart, O God,
    Will sound Thy praise abroad
    With tuneful string;
    The dawn shall hear my song,
    Thy praise I will prolong,
    And where Thy people throng
    Thanksgiving bring.

    What we have here is a decision of David, but also an eagerness to sing God's praises. For his heart is fixed, or as the versification explains it, it is steadfast. He intends to sing God's praises and eagerly looks forward to do so with joy. In fact he will awake early in the morning to begin the day with such singing. And the word awake that is used here has the related idea of being set on fire. He is enthusiastic about such praise to God,

    If you have already tasted the salvation that Christ realized for you, you also will be eager to praise God for the amazing work of grace which is upon you; and you will want to sing.

    The question is then how enthusiastically do you sing God's praises in the worship services on the Sabbath? And what about the days and hours between the Sabbath evening service and the morning service the next Sabbath? What did you sing during that period of time? On what was your heart fixed?

    O that we might fill our days here below already with praise to God and turn from those carnal songs of the world.

Read: Psalm 108
Psalter versification: 298:1

Daily  Meditations
  
 on the
Heidelberg Catechism

Song for Meditation: Psalter number 380
Why not sing along??

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Through the Bible in One Year
Read today:
2 Chronicles 8:11-18 ; 2 Chronicles 9 ; 2 Chronicles 10:1-19
Romans 8:9-25
Psalm 18:16-36
Proverbs 19:26

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Quote for Reflection:

“I often say that there is no power or means to resist the sects except this one article of Christian righteousness.   If we have lost it, we cannot resist any errors or sects.”    Martin Luther


July 24

IN PRAISE EXALTING GOD
Psalm 108:3,4

    In the measure that we appreciate the good someone has done for us, we respond with the praise of thanksgiving. And who is there that has done more good for us than God? Not only has He given us life, and a wide and rich creation in which to live; but He has given us a new, spiritual life and is preparing for us a new world of blessedness and glory when Christ returns upon the clouds of heaven.

    That is why David in Psalm 108:3,4 declares, "I will praise Thee, O Lord, among the people: and I will sing praises to Thee among the nations.  For Thy mercy is great above the heavens: and Thy truth reacheth unto the clouds."

    For us today this means that we praise God for what He does for us in His Son. And nowhere will you find greater, more wonderful mercy and truth than what God showed in the cross of Christ. When David in the next two verses speaks of deliverance and salvation by God's right hand, he is speaking about Christ Who is now at God's right hand as our King and Head.

    Therefore we must never doubt that God is merciful to us, or that He is true to His word. We just cannot find a higher mercy and truth than that which is in God. And David tells us that he desires to have men praise God, and in their speech exalt Him for His mercy and truth.

    The idea is not that we exalt God; but in our praise we declare how high He is as the merciful and true God. David means, "Let men exalt God in their speech." We cannot make God higher than He eternally is.

    Now remember that to praise someone is to make mention of that one's goodness. It is to say that this one is good to us, as we also sing in our versification:

    Thy truth and tender love
    Are high as heaven above;
    Thy help we crave.
    Be Thou exalted high
    Above the lofty sky;
    Lest Thy beloved die,
    O hear and save.

    In our aches and pains we must not complain, but instead run to God in prayers of praise. For by faith we see Christ at God's right hand for our good, and coming again to lift us up to heavenly glory.

Read: Psalm 103
Psalter versification: 298:2

Daily  Meditations
  
 on the
Heidelberg Catechism

Song for Meditation: Psalter number 336
Why not sing along??

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Through the Bible in One Year
Read today:
2 Chronicles 11 ; 2 Chronicles 12 ; 2 Chronicles 13:1-22
Romans 8:26-39
Psalm 18:37-50
Proverbs 19:27-29

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Quote for Reflection:

"If we wish to be considered members of Christ, let no man be anything for himself, but let us all be whatever we are for the benefit of each other. This is accomplished by love; and where it does not reign, there is no 'edification,' but an absolute scattering of the church."   John Calvin


July 25

A SURE VICTORY
Psalm 108:13

    Here is a versification of David's words in Psalm 108 that we do well to commit to memory and take with us all through life:

    God's word shall surely stand
    His name through every land
    Shall be adored;
    Lord, who shall lead our host?
    Thy aid we covet most,
    In Thee is all our boast,
    Strong in the Lord.

    David had spoken of the loftiness of God's mercy and truth and had declared that his heart was fixed to praise God for them.  But then to his mind came all the enemies for which he needed deliverance and salvation.  And if David needed deliverance and salvation, we surely do also.

    The devil hated the Old Testament church and tried in every way he could to destroy it. And you can be sure that, when he learned how he failed at the cross and knew of Christ's resurrection, he became furious. Now as the church is spread all over the world, he is full of anger, and is trying to destroy all faith in Christ. He is working hard to produce the kingdom of the antichrist.

    Yet all that David confessed in Psalm 108 is true. Though he spoke of the land of Canaan as a picture of the new creation God promises us, it is true that God's   mercy and truth "reacheth to the clouds," that is, are very sure and exalted things.

    That being the case we can and must take hold of his words in verse 18, namely, "Through God we shall do valiantly: for He it is that shall tread down our enemies." In a spiritual and very joyful way we may say, "We shall conquer!"

    Because it does not depend upon us but upon God to tread down our enemies, namely, Satan, his host, the wicked world, and also sin and death, we may say, "We shall overcome!" Because God is for us and He has complete control over every creature in heaven and on earth and in hell. And as we approach the days of the antichrist with his cruelty, teach your children to say that through God we shall do valiantly. He is true to His word and powerful to make it all come to pass.

Read: Romans 8:28-39
Psalter versification: 298:3

 Daily  Meditations
  
 on the
Heidelberg Catechism

Song for Meditation: Psalter number 106
Why not sing along??

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Through the Bible in One Year
Read today:
2 Chronicles 14 ;   2 Chronicles 15 ; 2 Chronicles 16:1-14
Romans 9:1-24
Psalm 19:1-14
Proverbs 20:1

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Quote for Reflection:

¼ Wherefore, although we look far and wide and search on every hand, we shall not find better songs nor songs better suited to that end than the Psalms of David which the Holy Spirit made and uttered through him. And for this reason, when we sing them we may be certain that God puts the words, in our mouths as if Himself sang in us to exalt His glory.   – John Calvin       


July 26

A BLESSED STATE AND CONDITION
Psalm 32:1,2

    The fruit of a tree may be delicious, and the flower of a vine may have exquisite beauty. But remember that the tree brought forth that fruit and the vine made that flower possible. And when it comes to our salvation, we may say that it is blessed to be freed from the curse and to have glory in the new Jerusalem. But keep clearly before your mind the fact that we must first have the blessings of forgiveness of our sins and of receiving a new, sinless life. Without these we will not receive a curse-free life, nor will we be able to enjoy it.

    David teaches us this when he writes in Psalm 82:1,2 , "Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man unto whom the Lord imputeth not iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no guile."  Being without guile means being without deceit. It means that one has been born again with a life that loves God. That state of righteousness is the legal basis for the blessing of enjoying heavenly glory. But the only way that we can enjoy it is that our spiritual condition is changed. Instead of being totally depraved sinners who hate God, we must be given a life that finds delight in serving God before His face. A fish in polluted water that is hot, many degrees above comfort for it, does not want to be on the dry land. Much less does one with a spirit of guile want to live with God, even though here below he has pains that are unbearable.

    The psalmist says in Psalm 17:15 , "I shall be satisfied. when I awake, with Thy likeness."  But our guilt will have to be removed and our souls must be given love for God in order to get that joy. Commit to memory and sing then these words of David as versified in our Psalter:

    How blest is he whose trespass
    Hath freely been forgiven,
    Whose sin is wholly covered
    Before the sight of heaven.
    Blest he to whom Jehovah
    Imputeth not his sin,
    Who hath a guileless spirit,
    Whose heart is true within.

Read: Psalm 32
Psalter versification: 83:1

Daily  Meditations
  
 on the
Heidelberg Catechism

Song for Meditation: Psalter number 276
Why not sing along??

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Through the Bible in One Year
Read today:
2 Chronicles 17 ; 2 Chronicles 18:1-34
Romans 9:25-33 ; Romans 10:1-13
Psalm 20:1-9
Proverbs 20:2-3

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Quote for Reflection:

"Grant, Almighty God, since our own station in life has been assigned to us, that we may be content with our lot, and when thou doest humble us, may we willingly be subject to Thee, and suffer ourselves to be ruled by Thee, and not desire any exaltation, which may lead us down to destruction. Grant us also, to conduct ourselves so modestly in our various callings, that Thou mayest always shine forth in us. May nothing else be set before us than to assist our brethren to whom we are attached, as in Thy sight; and thus glorify Thy Name among all men, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen." -- Prayer of John Calvin


July 27

CONFESSION AND FORGIVENESS
Psalm 32:5

    You cannot buy anything from God. The gold and silver you might try to use is already His. And surely the price of salvation is too high for man to buy the smallest part of it. Yet David in Psalm 32 wrote that, when he kept silent, God's hand was heavy upon him. He did not confess his sins, and he enjoyed no forgiveness. But then he writes, "I acknowledged my sin unto Thee, and mine iniquity have I not hid. I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the Lord; and Thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin" Psalm 32:5 .   But be sure of it that David did not buy forgiveness by confessing his sins.

    What is meant here is that God does not give the enjoyment of the truth of forgiveness to those who do not desire it. And the desire is made known in the confession. Confessing our sins means not only that we seek forgiveness but also that we hate that sin and want to be separated from it. Covering our sins means that we do not have interest in Christ's blood covering them.  Covering them means that we do not hate them but only want to escape their punishment. Confessing our sins means that we hate them and want to be pleasing in God's sight.

    Such a desire is God's gift to us and not that whereby we buy forgiveness. God gives us a guileless spirit, and then we confess our sins.

    There is much we can learn from our versification that sings:

    While I kept guilty silence
    My strength was spent with grief,
    Thy hand was heavy on me,
    My soul found no relief;
    But when I owned my trespass,
    My sin hid not from Thee,
    When I confessed transgression,
    Then Thou forgavest me.

    Do that then before you close your eyes in sleep tonight. Confess your sins every hour of the day, when you stumble and fall into sin. You cannot know any blessing of God when you keep silent. Confess your sin to the one you sinned against, but always confess it to God. That is the way that He brings to His people the joy of their forgiveness.

Read: Proverbs 28:1-14
Psalter versification: 83:2

Daily  Meditations
  
 on the
Heidelberg Catechism

Song for Meditation: Psalter number 405
Why not sing along??

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Through the Bible in One Year
Read today:
2 Chronicles 19 ; 2 Chronicles 20:1-37
Romans 10:14-21 ; Romans 11:1-12
Psalm 21:1-13
Proverbs 20:4-6

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Quote for Reflection:

¼ But if the principal teachers conduct themselves more coldly than they ought, it is principally the fault of the princes who, involved in their secular concerns, neglect the prosperity and purity of the church; or each one, contented with his own security, is indifferent to the welfare of others. Thus it comes to pass, that the members being divided, the body of the church lies disabled.   – John Calvin to Cranmer


July 28

THE BLESSED THRILL OF FORGIVENESS
Psalm 32:6, 7

    Did you ever stop to think that if you lived, or have lived, for 70 years and sinned only once a day, you would have 25,550 sins that needed forgiveness? That does not even count the years when there are 29 days in February. But who dares to commit the sin today of saying that he does not sin every hour of every day? How often is it not that we carry a sin with us every minute for days at a time before we confess it?

    Surely then you understand why David in Psalm 32:6 speaks of a flood of waters that threatens us. But find comfort in his words when he writes: "For this shall every one that is godly pray unto Thee in a time when Thou mayest be found: surely in the flood of great waters they shall not come nigh unto him."  Those floods of waters are God's holy wrath against sin.

    He also adds in verse 7, "Thou art my hiding place; Thou shalt preserve me from trouble; Thou shalt compass me about with songs of deliverance."  Or as we can and should sing it:

    So let the godly seek Thee
    In times when Thou art near;
    No whelming floods shall reach them,
    Nor cause their hearts to fear.
    In Thee, O Lord, I hide me,
    Thou savest me from ill,
    And songs of Thy salvation
    My heart with rapture thrill.

    What assurance we have here, when we confess our sins! God will give us assurance that they are forgiven. The flood of millions of our sins, and the humanly innumerable number of sins of the whole church from Adam onward, were placed upon Christ. No wonder that He in the garden of Gethsemane cried in such agony when He saw what was coming; and then on the cross cried, "My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me?"

    Not only is God our hiding place Who preserves us from all trouble; but He causes songs of salvation to thrill our hearts with rapture. Listen then to David when he tells us to come to God with a prayer of confession of sin. You will be encompassed with joyful songs of deliverance. That flood of sin and guilt will never touch you. God says so through David.

Read: Psalm 27
Psalter versification: 83:3

Daily  Meditations
  
 on the
Heidelberg Catechism

Song for Meditation: Psalter number 58
Why not sing along??

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Through the Bible in One Year
Read today:
2 Chronicles 21 ; 2 Chronicles 22 ; 2 Chronicles 23:1-21
Romans 11:13-36
Psalm 22:1-18
Proverbs 20:7

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Quote for Reflection:

“Let our miseries drive us to seek Christ; and as he admits none to the enjoyment of his rest but those who sink under the burden, let us learn, that there is no venom more deadly than that slothfulness which is produced in us, either by earthly happiness, or by a false and deceitful opinion of our own righteousness and virtue.”  -- John Calvin


July 29

CORRECTIVE LOVE AND BOUNDLESS GRACE
Psalm 32:8

    If you have been caught stealing someone's possessions, spreading lies about him, have slapped him in the face and called him some filthy, vile names, and then apologize, he might forgive you and treat you as before those sins. But should you a few days later do all this evil over again, would he trust you, forgive you, and treat you as his best friend?

    Bring then to mind how many times you have sinned against God, confessed these sins, but went right back to them. Have you ever found a more patient, forgiving, and merciful person than the sovereign, almighty God Who sent His Son to earn heavenly glory for us?  Not only has He forgiven every sin and given us that precious gift of the beginning of a life that cannot sin ( I John 8:9 ), but listen to what David wrote in Psalm 32:8 : "1 will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with my eye."

    He will not turn from us and leave us alone, but turn unto us and be very close to us. For that He will guide us with His eye means that He will keep His eye upon us and see to it that we never fall into everlasting torment and hell fire, but will keep us on the way to His house of many mansions where we cannot sin, and where we will enjoy His covenant fellowship forever.

    Add up all the sins you committed, and into which you fell back time and time again. Can you then think of a greater love? God does not forsake us or ever come to say, "That is enough! I am through with you!" No, He continues to instruct us and make us spiritually wise and warns us not to behave as dumb beasts of the field, "which have no understanding, but must be held in with bit and bridle."

    Come then and let us sing these words:

    I graciously will teach thee
    The way that thou shalt go,
    And with My eye upon thee
    My counsel make thee know.
    But be ye not unruly,
    Or slow to understand,
    Be not perverse but willing
    To heed My wise command.

    What corrective love and boundless grace! Take then His warnings as works of His love and grace to you.

Read: Psalm 33
Psalter versification: 84:1

Daily  Meditations
  
 on the
Heidelberg Catechism

Song for Meditation: Psalter number 411
Why not sing along??

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Through the Bible in One Year
Read today:
2 Chronicles 24 ; 2 Chronicles 25:1-28
Romans 12:1-21
Psalm 22:19-31
Proverbs 20:8-10

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Quote for Reflection:

¼ we hear about identity theft and corporate fraud. Yet, two violations of the eighth commandment are continually overlooked in society. They are gambling and the institution of labor unions. Both of these are allowed and promoted by the government of America. They are ‘legalized theft!’  – The Reformed Perspective [Summer 2004]


July 30

A CALL TO REJOICE
Psalm 32:9-11

    Place some precious gold coins in the feeding trough of a horse or mule. But do not be surprised when it pushes these aside with its mouth and, having eaten all the food, walks away from them. It sees no value in them but rather considers them to be in its way. It is because we do not appreciate God's mercy as we ought that we are in Psalm 32:9 taught, "Be ye not as the horse, or as the mule, which have no understanding: whose mouth must be held in with bit and bridle, lest they come near unto thee."

    The sad fact but undeniable truth is that we do not appreciate God's mercy as we ought, and God through David instructs us in verse 11: "Be glad in the Lord,    and rejoice, ye righteous: and shout for joy, all ye that are up right in heart." We have been made righteous through the forgiveness of our sins, and upright in heart by having been given a guileless spirit (verse 2); but we do not appreciate this as we ought, because we still have our sinful flesh and do not see the value of God's mercy of which David speaks in verse 10 in these words: "Many sorrows shall be to the wicked: but he that trusteth in the Lord, mercy shall compass him about." The truth of these two verses is expressed thus in our versification:

    The sorrows of the wicked
    In number shall abound,
    But those that trust Jehovah,
    His mercy shall surround;
    Then in the Lord be joyful,
    In song lift up your voice;
    Be glad in God, ye righteous,
    Rejoice, ye saints, rejoice.

    Yes, we know the sorrows that come to the wicked. We too have sickness and disease. Death takes our loved ones away from us as well as theirs from them. But remember what David said: "Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered."  Sickness, disease, and death are God's wrath upon the wicked and His means to bring them to everlasting punishment. For us these are works of His mercy, for they are His means to prepare us for and bring us to the heavenly glory He prepared in Christ.

    Be glad then and rejoice. Shout for joy! His mercy surrounds us; and no punishment can keep us from that glory, or touch us.

Read: Psalm 98
Psalter versification: 84:2

Daily  Meditations
  
 on the
Heidelberg Catechism

Song for Meditation: Psalter number 14
Why not sing along??

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Through the Bible in One Year
Read today:
2 Chronicles 26 ; 2 Chronicles 27 ; 2 Chronicles 28:1-27
Romans 13:1-14
Psalm 23:1-6
Proverbs 20:11

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Quote for Reflection:

 “The rest – peace of heart and mind – which Jesus here provides is the very opposite of the aggravated mental stress that sends so many people to doctors, hospitals, and death.  Absence of peace, whether in the form of anxiety or of rancor and vindictiveness (the lust to ‘get even’), may lead to ulcers, colitic, high blood pressure, heart attacks, etc.  The teachings of Christ, if taken to heart, have a curative effect on the entire person, soul and body.  He is a complete savior.” William Hendriksen


July 31

THE BELIEVER'S HOPE
Psalm 119:73,74

    To hope for something is to long for it, but also to expect it to come. In his wisdom Solomon wrote in Proverbs 10:28 , "The hope of the righteous shall be gladness. But the expectation of the wicked shall perish."  Hoping is expecting that for which one longs. Idol worshipers have hope, for they long to be set free from pain and suffering, and they expect their idol to bring them there. The righteous long and expect to be delivered from the act of sin as well as from the punishment of sin.

    The psalmist makes that very plain when in Psalm 119:73,74 he writes, "Thy hands have made me and fashioned me: give me understanding, that I may learn Thy commandments. They that fear Thee will be glad when they see me; because I have hoped in Thy word."  Or as our versification has it:

    Thou, Who didst make and fashion me,
    O make me wise, Thy law to learn:
    Then they that fear Thee shall be glad
    When they my hope in God discern.

    Notice that he does not pray that God will tell him what His commandments are, but that he may have understanding through learning these commandments. He prays that God, Who "made and fashioned" him, will cause him to understand what it means that man was made and fashioned in the image of God, as His friend-servant. He is concerned with understanding and learning to know how to live in love toward God. He longs and yearns for the day when he will be able to think, will, and do only that which man was made and fashioned to do as God's image bearer.

    How about it? Is that your longing and expectation? Or is your idea of heaven merely an escape from suffering the curse, the punishment of sin? Do you want to be as sinless as Christ was during His sojourn among us?

    If we only want escape from the punishment of sin, we do not understand God's commandments. And we do not understand what Christ did for us by going to His cross. That cross was God's way of lifting us up to holiness. For only those who are freed from the act of sin will be in that place where there is no punishment of sin.

Read: Psalm 119:73-88
Psalter versification: 330:1

Daily  Meditations
  
 on the
Heidelberg Catechism

Song for Meditation: Psalter number 202
Why not sing along??

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Through the Bible in One Year
Read today:
2 Chronicles 29:1-36
Romans 14:1-23
Psalm 24:1-10
Proverbs 20:12

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Quote for Reflection:

 ¼ so God gave them over to an unfit mind, to do things that are unfit. Why? Because it must become manifest that he who does not think God fit to keep in mind must run to destruction.
    What shall we do? Nothing. Not if we want to reform the world.

What shall we do? We shall conclude that it is hopeless. It is the wrath of God that is at the bottom of it all. It is the wrath of God that is at the bottom even of war, of the present confusion of the world, and of the depression.
   What shall we do? Shall we call a prayer day? This is folly. Away with all that is of man! From the point of view of man, it is hopeless. Why? Because it is the wrath of God that takes hold of man and pulls him down into hell. Let us confess that it is hopeless.
   What shall we do? We shall say: "I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God unto salvation." For what do we need? We need righteousness; we need holiness; we need a power to snatch us away from the wrath of God. The gospel is a revelation of the righteousness of God, which is by faith in Christ Jesus.
   This gospel is a power. It is not an offer. But it is a power. It is a power taking man out of the power of sin and lifting him up into the glory of everlasting life.
   Hopeless, from the point of view of man, and of the world!
    Full of hope in the cross of Calvary!
    The righteous shall live by faith. Righteous by Faith Alone by Herman Hoeksema [pg. 45]


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Last modified, 11-May-2007